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iFi Audio

iFi Audio GO Blu Portable Bluetooth DAC/Amp

iFi Audio GO Blu Portable Bluetooth DAC/Amp

Regular price $199
Sale price $199 Regular price $199.00

Amplifier type More information
Translation missing: en.products.product.amplifier_type_info

Solid-state

Connectivity More information
Connectivity refers to the method in which the headphones connect to the audio source. Headphones can be either wired or wireless.

Wired, Wireless

Portability More information
DACs and amplifiers can either be carried around or meant for static desktop use

Portable

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iFi Audio

iFi Audio GO Blu Portable Bluetooth DAC/Amp

Regular price $199
Sale price $199 Regular price $199.00

iFi Audio GO Blu - High Fidelity Sound On-The-Go

iFi Audio GO Blu and Meze 99 Classics Closed-Back Headphones 
  • The pocket-sized GO blu delivers heavenly headphone sound on the go.
  • The world’s first miniature Bluetooth DAC/amp to support the latest hi-res codecs and deliver the best-quality audio streaming from smartphones, tablets and other portable sources.
  • First miniature Bluetooth DAC to use the latest QC5100 chipset. This means Bluetooth v5.1 and twice as much processing power as the previous version still widely used today. 

iFi Audio GO Blu

Hi-Res Portable Bluetooth DAC 

  • Separate Bluetooth, DAC and amp stages –individually optimized for maximum performance
  • Built-in mic for hands-free calls when paired with your smartphone
  • Balanced twin-mono circuit design with Direct Drive equals ultra-low distortion
  • Fully-balanced and S-Balanced outputs make the most of all headphone types

iFi Audio GO Blu for superior on the move bluetooth listening

Headphone Friendly

  • Precision rotary volume control with auto-gain: Adjusts output to match your headphones
  • Output delivers up to 5.6V for high power to drive even tough headphone loads with ease
  • Two headphone outputs: 4.4mm Pentaconn balanced and 3.5mm S-Balanced
  • S-Balanced output: Cuts distortion by 50% with single-ended headphone connections

iFi Audio GO Blu mini bluetooth dac and headphone amplifier

Highlights

  • Pocket-size DAC/amp delivers heavenly headphone sound on the go
  • Connect wirelessly to phones, tablets and computers via high-definition Bluetooth
  • Separate Bluetooth, DAC and amp stages – individually optimised for maximum performance
  • Balanced analogue circuit design delivers captivating sonic power and finesse
  • Fully balanced and S-Balanced outputs make the most of all headphone and earphone types
  • Whatever the source device – Android, iOS, PC or Mac – GO blu delivers maximum sound quality over Bluetooth
  • Advanced Bluetooth module with QCC5100 handles every HD format
  • Supported codecs include: aptX, aptX HD, aptX LL, aptX Adaptive, LDAC, HWA/LHDC, AAC, SBC
  • Hi-res DAC stage with ultra-low jitter and customised digital filter
  • Amp stage with twin-mono signal paths and Direct Drive technology ensures ultra-low distortion
  • Precision rotary volume control with auto-gain – adjusts output to match your headphones
  • Delivers up to 5.6V of power – drives even tough headphone loads with ease
  • Two headphone outputs: 4.4mm Pentaconn fully balanced and 3.5mm S-Balanced
  • S-Balanced output cuts distortion by 50% with single-ended headphone connections
  • XBass and XSpace – tailor sound to suit your headphones and personal sonic taste
  • Built-in mic for hands-free calls when paired with your smartphone
  • Can also be used as a Bluetooth receiver in a speaker-based audio system (via the 3.5mm output) or as a USB DAC/headphone amp (via the USB-C charging port)
  • Battery life – approximately eight hours (varies according to volume level and the power demands of the connected headphones/earphones)

From iFi Audio

Our new GO blu, pocket-rocket portable HD DAC/amp, is diminutive enough to take with you wherever you go! It gives you best sound from wired but the convenience of wireless as you no longer need to have a cable connection to your Smartphone.

Whether you’re exercising at the gym with your Apple watch clocking your every step or catching up on your MacBook at your favourite coffee shop, the GO blu is the perfect companion.

It pairs wirelessly with your source device via Bluetooth with no need to worry about whether you’ve got the right cable for your Android or Apple device. Just pair … and GO!

Weighs only 26g

That’s less than an AA battery!

Max sonics. Free the Smartphone.

Traditional wireless headphones or earphones of any kind integrate Bluetooth processing, D/A conversion and amplification onto one, standard ‘off the shelf’ chip. There is a ceiling to the sound quality that can be achieved.

Team good corded headphones or in-ear monitors, with a separate, high-quality portable DAC/headphone amp, and your sound quality will beat any pair of wireless headphone or earphones hands down.

The GO blu means no compromise on sound quality.

Pair the GO blu to your Apple/Android. Connect your favourite corded headphones to the GO blu and then tuck it away –  it’s so petite it will slip into your running gear or suit pocket. It’s also gorgeous enough to show off by leaving it on the table at your favourite coffee shop!

Super Sound. Assured.

Most pocket-size Bluetooth DAC/headphone amps incorporate all-in-one ‘system on a chip’ solutions to deliver input processing, digital-to-analogue signal conversion and amplification.

Not the GO blu.

Uniquely, for a device of this type and size, the GO blu’s clever design packs in separate Bluetooth, DAC and amp stages, each engineered in distinct blocks to deliver the ideal combination of cutting-edge specification and superb sound.

HD Bluetooth.

The GO blu uses the same Bluetooth 5.1 as seen in other recent iFi products. Furthermore, we have separated the modules so that every last drop of audio quality is unmatched.

  • AAC aptX aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Low-Latency
  • LDAC & HWA/li>
  • Bluetooth 5.1TM at 24/96kHz.

And when you wish, just use the USB-C connection and enjoy High-Res USB audio too!

10 hour battery

That’s Paris to New York +

The balance of power.

Diminutive. Balanced. Powerful.

The Go blu amp circuitry benefits from symmetrical twin-mono signal paths and utilises iFi’s Direct Drive design concept. Plus it incorporates circuit components of a quality not commonly found in a device of this kind.

This means ultra-low distortion across the entire signal bandwidth.  The sound is purer, clearer and more naturally expressive.

The amp stage delivers up to 5.6V, considerably more power than others. It handles tough headphone loads with ease. Auto-gainadjusts output up or down by 6dB to ensure signal strength suits the sensitivity of the connected headphones/earphones.

wiss ‘Chrono’ design and implementation.

GO blu‘s ChronoDial is a masterpiece of precision engineering and, just like a Chronograph, it gives you precise, analogue volume control. You can use it to play, pause, and skip tracks forward and backwards and even activate the voice assistant on your Bluetooth-connected smart device. Here’s how it’s constructed:

  1. Brass supporting column with anti-corrosion 
  2. Brass locking nut with anti-corrosion
  3. Precision 304 stainless steel bearing
  4. 304 stainless steel main dial with beryllium cobalt copper coating
  5. High-purity nickel push-button spring
  6. Precision CNC machined AL6063 aluminium push button

GO Balanced.

Whether you use balanced or non-balanced headphones, you get the least noise and best channel separation for the most enjoyable music.

The GO blu boasts a Pentaconn 4.4mm output enabling headphones equipped with balanced connectivity to take full advantage of the GO blu’s balanced amp design.

In addition, the 3.5mm output benefits from iFi’s proprietary S-Balanced circuitry. This cuts crosstalk and related distortion in half when used with regular, single-ended headphone connections, this is especially beneficial with high-sensitivity in-ear monitors.

Both outputs are gold-plated to resist tarnishing and thereby maintain optimum contact quality.

X-factor. Inside and out.

With XBass to add back lost low-end grunt and XSpace  to widen the soundstage, the GO blu is small on the outside but mighty on the inside. You will be immersed in its majestic musicality.

The X-factor doesn’t stop with the sound. The GO blu is built like a luxury Swiss watch – the volume control has a watch crown machined by a watchmaker for the tightest of tolerances – and has the luxury feel of Mont Blanc, thanks to our French product designer.

Made with the latest, most hi-tech materials and weighing in at a super featherlight 26grams or 0.06lbs, it will be your ‘go-to’ music device.

We use Qualcomm’s new QCC5100 Bluetooth IC in combination with the Cirruc Logic 43131 as DAC to to create an audibly superior ‘Bluetooth engine’.

All the current high-definition Bluetooth audio formats are supported – Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive and aptX HD, Sony’s LDAC and HWA’s LHDC, regular aptX and aptX Low Latency, AAC (Apple iOS devices) and SBC (the ‘plain vanilla’ Bluetooth codec).

Of the 24-bit-capable codecs, aptX Adaptive and aptX HD support up to 48kHz, while LDAC and LHDC reach 96kHz.

iFi’s ‘Bluetooth engine’ can also be updated over-the-air, so future codecs may be added.

The latest Cirrus Logic CS43131 is an advanced ‘minature’ DAC that is at the heart of the newest range of iFi mobile devices.

  • Advanced 32-bit oversampled multi-bit modulator with mismatch shaping technology
  • Dynamic Range of 130dB
  • THD+n of -115dB

 

It is a superior method to the traditional single-ended circuit approach. Balanced circuits reduce noise and crosstalk. Less Interference – clearer sound.

You normally find this set-up in products at the higher end of the price spectrum such as the Pro iCAN but iFi is now using this across its range to produce the best quality audio for all our customers.

As with many other iFi audio products, we’ve incorporated a custom OV Series operational-amplifier. This top-notch component contributes to the extremely low noise, low distortion (0.0001%) and wide bandwidth.

An important aspect of the circuit design is its direct-coupled nature (no coupling capacitor is present), achieved without a conventionally applied DC servo.

DirectDrive® equals a direct signal path which means less signal degradation. This direct signal path is unequalled in audio and is the reason why the sound is so ‘true’.

XSpace is the iFi analogue signal improvement circuitry to get that ‘music’ back outside of your head for much better headphone enjoyment.

XBass is an analogue headphone spatialiser. It opens up your music to give you the feeling of spaciousness experienced at a live concert.

TDK C0G (Class 1 ceramic) capacitors offer high stability and low losses for resonant circuit applications.

Getting ever closer to the theoretical ideal of pure, frequency-constant capacitance, these capacitors reduce capacitor-induced distortion to vanishingly low levels.

They are pricey but are a perfect addition to our products.

muRata control-type, low-ESR high-Q multi-layer capacitors. The ‘ESR control’ aspect of the Murata is something special. Their noise suppression abilities are impressive.

Specifications

Download Specification Sheet

Download User Manual

Title Description
Chipset DAC Cirrus Logic CS43131
Bluetooth Qualcomm QCC 5100
Wireless Inputs Bluetooth 5.1 ( AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX LL, LDAC, LHDC/HWA Codec)
Wired Inputs USB-C (24/96)
Headphone Outputs Balanced 4.4mm
Unbalanced (Single-Ended) 3.5mm
Power Output Balanced 245mW @ 32Ω; 5.6v @ 600Ω
Unbalanced (Single-Ended) 165mW @ 32Ω; 2.8v @ 600Ω
Output Impedance Balanced <1Ω
Unbalanced (Single-Ended) <1Ω
SNR Balanced 111dB(A) @ 0dBFS
Unbalanced (Single-Ended) 116.5dB(A) @ 0dBFS
DNR Balanced/Unbalanced >120dB(A)
THD + N Balanced <0.009% @ (6.5mW/2.0v@600Ω)
Unbalanced (Single-Ended) <0.03% @ (100mW/1.27v@16Ω)
Frequency Response 20Hz - 45kHz (-3dB)

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