Bluetooth Audio Notoriously Sucks. This Hi-Fi Gadget Promises to Change That

Probably the biggest issue with Bluetooth audio is that it doesn’t sound very good. The audio is compressed, which strips away vital data (mostly at the high and low ends), resulting in a loss of audio quality.

Sure, in recent years, Bluetooth audio has made significant advancements, specifically in regard to new codecs, such as aptX adaptive and LDAC, which support high-resolution bitrates over Bluetooth. But they still can’t compete with a genuine wired connection.

iFi Audio

However, iFi Audio aims to change that with its newest hi-fi gadget, the iFi Go Pod Max, which is specifically designed to work with in-ear monitors.

Wireless IEMs?

iFi Audio is a British audio manufacturer best known for its portable audio players and desktop amplifiers, both of which are relatively affordable. The Go Pod Max is a little bit different.

The Go Pod Max is the company’s most high-end Go Pod, a Bluetooth DAC and headphone amplifier that replaces the cables of in-ear monitors (IEMs) so that you can use them like a pair of wireless earbuds.

(And yes, in addition to wireless audio, the Go Pod Max adds a mic-array and touch controls, allowing your IEMs to answer calls, activate a voice assistant and control playback.)

To date, iFi has offered the Go Pod ($399) and Go Pod Air ($249). But the Go Pod Max is the new flagship model in the range and, according to the brand, it promises to set “a bold new benchmark for uncompromising wireless audio.”

iFi Audio

CD-quality streaming

The Go Pod Max’s secret sauce is that it comes decked out with a flagship Qualcomm QCC5181 chipset. According to iFi, this allows Go Pod Max to be “capable of receiving CD-quality audio completely cable-free with zero data loss when using the aptX Lossless codec.”

The aptX Lossless codec supports a maximum bitrate of around 1,200 kbps, which is up to four times the audio quality for the average Bluetooth codecs, such as AAC (320 kbps), and significantly higher than LDAC (up to 990 kbps).

Of course, the device that you’re streaming from must support aptX Lossless. If it doesn’t, the Go Pod Max supports LDAC and aptX Adaptive codecs, which most high-end Androids support.

iFi Audio

Remastered recordings

Additionally, the Go Pod Max is integrated with K2HD technology — same as the iFi iDSD Valkyrie ($1,699), the company’s flagship portable DAC and headphone amplifier — which aims to improve the sound even further by restoring how it was originally intended to be heard.

In the company’s press release, iFi explains that studio recordings are captured at a much higher resolution than CD quality. This K2HD technology “interpolates the lost data, gently restoring natural-sounding harmonics and weaving back the depth, warmth, and soul of the original performance.”

iFi Audio

Compatible with most IEMs

Given their expensive price tag, the Go Pod Max are designed to pair with high-end IEMs, but they promise to be compatible with most other models, too.

They come with standard 2-pin and MMCX connectors, which the brand says should accommodate the majority of IEMs. If you have more specialized models, iFi includes T2, Pentaconn Ear and A2DC ear loops as well.

The Go Pod Max also has a feature called Auto Impedance Matching, which allows them to detect the impedance of the connected IEMs and automatically adjust it accordingly. They support four impedance levels: 16, 32, 64 and 300 ohms.

iFi Audio

Price and availability

The iFi Go Pod Max costs $599 and is available to order now from the company’s website, as well as other authorized retailers.

iFi

iFi Go pod Max

• $599 at iFi Audio
• $599 at Bloom Audio

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