Displaying items by tag: ifiaudio - StereoLife Magazine

Not so long ago, a headphone socket on a smartphone was taken for granted. Today, many users have to choose between wireless headphones, a basic USB-C adapter, or a more serious dongle DAC with its own converter and headphone output stage. Not everyone wants to move entirely to Bluetooth. Good wired headphones still make sense. They do not need charging, they introduce no wireless latency, they do not depend on codec support, and they can often deliver better sound quality than wireless models at the same price. The problem is that more and more devices no longer give users a proper place to plug them in. The iFi Audio GO link 2 Max is designed as an answer to exactly that problem - a small USB-C adapter intended not only to replace the missing headphone socket, but also to improve on the average audio circuitry built into a phone, laptop, or tablet.

Portable listening is no longer just a matter of convenience. For a long time, taking better headphones and high-resolution files outside the home meant accepting a stack of compromises - weak headphone outputs, awkward adapters, short battery life, and small devices that often felt more like emergency solutions than serious audio components. That has changed. Portable DACs and headphone amplifiers have become a mature category of their own, designed not simply to make a phone or laptop usable with wired headphones, but to create a compact listening system that can travel from a desk to a hotel room, from a train seat to a vacation apartment, and still retain a meaningful degree of audio quality. iFi Audio has been one of the companies most closely associated with this shift, and the iDSD GR 2 is one of the most important new products in its portable lineup.

iFi Audio has refreshed one of its most accessible product families with three new ZEN Air 2 devices, each designed to solve a different and very common problem in everyday music listening. The ZEN Air DAC 2 is a compact digital-to-analog converter with a headphone amplifier, aimed primarily at people who listen from a computer, play games, watch movies or work at a laptop and want a clear upgrade over a standard audio output without building a large system. The ZEN Air Phono 2 is a phono preamplifier for MM and MC cartridges, allowing a turntable to be connected to an amplifier, active speakers or another component that lacks a suitable phono input. The ZEN Air Blue 2 serves a different purpose again. It is a Bluetooth receiver that allows a traditional amplifier, stereo system or pair of active speakers to gain wireless playback from a phone, tablet or computer. Together, the three models form a simple, affordable and compact route to upgrading an existing system without replacing its core components. In other words, iFi is not offering one universal box that tries to do everything, but three specialized tools - one for headphones, one for vinyl and one for Bluetooth streaming - each aimed at one of the most familiar weak points in home audio.

iFi Audio is continuing to develop its compact ZEN line with the introduction of the ZEN Stream 3, a dedicated network transport designed for users who already own a DAC and want the cleanest, most stable possible digital signal to bring high-resolution streaming into an existing hi-fi system. The new model builds on the original ZEN Stream concept, but combines updated hardware with a newer streaming engine and expanded software support, while remaining firmly focused on one job only - delivering music from the network to an external DAC.

iFi Audio has introduced the GO link 2, a new version of its compact USB dongle DAC designed for users who want a quick and effective way to improve the sound quality of a laptop or smartphone without rebuilding an entire system. The idea is to retain everything that made the first generation successful while delivering a more noticeable step forward in both measured performance and day-to-day functionality. Like its predecessor, the GO link 2 bypasses the basic integrated audio stages found in most computers and mobile devices, taking over the digital-to-analogue conversion process itself so that even an ordinary notebook or phone can become a genuinely usable source for more demanding headphones.

iFi Audio is launching the iDSD Phantom as the most advanced product in its history, a single-box flagship that combines a reference DAC, network streamer and powerful headphone amplifier. The new model is aimed at listeners who want a system voiced as close as possible to studio monitoring, but wrapped in a form that integrates into a domestic setup. Rather than a minor upgrade to the earlier Pro iDSD, the Phantom is built on a substantially reworked platform that revisits everything from the digital core and streaming engine to the analogue output stages, power supply and user interface, with the stated goal of delivering the most refined listening experience the company has created so far.

When iFi Audio launched its original micro iDSD headphone amp, preamp, and DAC back in 2014, it raised the bar for small portable, high-performing DACs. It's been lifting it higher ever since. Last November saw the introduction of the nano iDSD Black Label, with a host of new features including support for MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) audio. Now, iFi has excelled itself again with the launch of xDSD - the first in the company's next generation of portable DACs.