Blu Monday (& the rest of the week)
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!
Every day is a GO blu day!
The way iFi implements Bluetooth is anything but ‘run of the mill’ and despite its diminutive size the GO blu is no exception.
The use of Qualcomm’s latest four-core QCC5100 Bluetooth processing chip ensures that every current high-definition Bluetooth audio format is supported.
- aptX Adaptive and aptX HD
- LDAC and HWA/LHDC
- regular aptX and aptX Low Latency
- AAC
- SBC (plain vanilla Bluetooth)
This means that every possible source device is handled at the highest audio resolution its Bluetooth specification allows – no other pocket-size DAC/amp delivers such comprehensive codec support, or such high-quality sound over Bluetooth.
The GO blu is Bluetooth v5.1-compliant, ensuring the best possible range, stability and performance, and its ‘Bluetooth engine’ can be updated over the air.
Three. Unique. Stages.
Bluetooth. DAC. Amplifier.
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. These are simple and cost-effective, but they cannot compare with expertly designed, individually optimised circuit stages when it comes to sound quality.
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.
The Bluetooth stage makes full use of Qualcomm’s latest four-core QCC5100 Bluetooth chip and supports every current high definition format.
This then feeds the DAC stage with a Cirrus Logic 32-bit DAC chip at its heart. This is coupled with a customised digital filter to minimise pre-echoes and ringing artefacts, and a precision clock system to ensure ultra-low jitter, thus reducing errors and distortion in the digital audio signal.
The amp circuitry benefits from symmetrical twin-mono signal paths and utilises iFi’s Direct Drive design concept – direct-coupled to ensure a clean signal path without distortion-inducing output coupling capacitors. The amp stage delivers up to 5.6V – considerably more power than other similarly sized devices – handling even relatively tough headphone loads with ease. To ensure signal strength suits the sensitivity of the connected headphones or earphones, auto-gain adjusts output up or down by 6dB.
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 has a watch crown-style control and is made with hi-tech components. It weighs in at a super featherlight 26grams or 0.06lbs.
It will be your ‘go-to’ music device.
Chipset | Qualcomm QCC 5100 Series | |
Inputs | Wireless Wired |
Bluetooth 5.1 ( AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX LL, LDAC, LHDC/HWA Codec) USB-C up to 24/96kHz |
Headphone Outputs | Balanced UnBAL |
4.4mm 3.5mm |
Power Output | Balanced UnBAL |
245mW @ 32Ω; 5.6V @ 600Ω 165mW @ 32Ω; 2.8V @ 600Ω |
Output Impedance | Balanced UnBAL |
<1Ω <1Ω |
SNR | Balanced UnBAL |
111dBA 106.5dBA |
DNR | 120dB(A) (BAL/UnBAL) | |
THD + N | Balanced UnBAL |
<0.009% (6.5mW/2.0V @ 600Ω)/ <0.03% (100mW/1.27V @ 16Ω) |
Frequency Response | 20Hz - 45kHz (-3dB) | |
Battery | Lithium-polymer 450mAh approx. ~10 hours | |
Power System | Charging via USB-C, BC V1.2 compliant up to 1000mA charging current and 6.3 volts |
|
Dimensions | 55 x 34 x 13 mm 2.2" x 1.3" x 0.5” |
|
Weight | 26g (0.92 oz) |