- iFi UP Travel connects wireless headphones to in-flight entertainment
- Stream audio over Bluetooth to in-car audio systems, too
- $99 / £99 / €99 (about AU$205)
iFi’s new UP Travel solves two common issues for travellers: using your wireless headphones with in-flight entertainment that was made for cabled connections, and streaming music to in-car entertainment and other audio systems that don’t do Bluetooth audio.
The UP Travel is a two-way Bluetooth adapter that you can use to stream from in-flight systems to your headphones, or from your phone to a vehicle or audio product’s aux-in port.
The device enables you to pair and listen on two sets of headphones at once, though its battery is good for 10 hours, so it might not make it through the longest of flights.
It’s got a mic with noise and echo suppression for clear calls when you’re back on the ground, because why not.
iFi the friendly skies
The UP Travel isn’t just a wireless dongle. It’s a proper DAC too. Instead of having the Bluetooth chipset handle the wireless and the audio too, the Bluetooth module focuses purely on transmission and reception while the audio conversion is handled by a Cirrus Logic MasterHIFI DAC and iFi’s bespoke clocking circuitry, just like in iFi’s larger portable DACs.
The supported codecs cover all the essentials (although availability depends on your device and what it supports) including aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX Low Latency, LDAC, SBC, AAC and LHDC/HWA. And in a nice touch you can change codecs, so for example you might want the highest possible quality for listening to music but switch to something with lower latency to stay in sync with the in-flight movie.
The iFi UP Travel is $99 / £99 / €99 (about AU$205).
iFi has also launched a second travel-focused product, the iFi GO Pod Air. It’s designed for audiophiles who don’t want to give up their wired IEMs but who do need the convenience of cable-free listening. It transmits at up to 24-bit/96kHz and supports all the key high quality codecs.
It has built-in mics too, for calls. The GO Pod Air costs $249 / £249 / €249 (about AU$515).
