Disclosure: I’d like to thank Karina at iFi for providing me with the GO blu Air for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and iFi had no say or input on the contents of this review.

The iFi GO blu Air is the newest portable Bluetooth DAC/Amp from iFi, and while by the name you would think this is an upgraded version of the original GO blu, the Air is more of an iterative sidegrade. The GO blu Air is priced at $129 USD compared to $199 USD for the original. For $70 less, the Air loses the USB DAC functionality, brushed aluminum shell, and copper/aluminum volume dial (ChronoDial). What the Air gains is an upgraded Bluetooth version (5.2 vs 5.1), a detachable magnetic clip, and slightly more output power with the 4.4mm balanced output. That actually doesn’t sound like a bad deal, overall.

In the end, though, what matters for a device like this is how it sounds and how it performs with a variety of IEMs and headphones. Does the lower price mean sacrifices in these areas? Let’s get into it and find out.

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• iFi GO Blue Air
• USB-A to USB-C cable
• Microfibre protective bag
• Detachable magnetic clip
• Manual

The iFi GO blu Air comes with a solid number of included accessories. The microfibre protective bag is actually very nice and stylish, with a drawstring to keep it closed. The detachable magnetic clip is not something I thought I needed, but after using it I have to say, I would have a hard time using the GO blu Air without it. The magnet is very strong, so there’s no risk of it accidentally coming off, and the fact that it is detachable means you can detach it when you don’t need to clip it to anything.

The iFi GO blu Air retains the size and shape of the original GO blu. This is a good thing as the size is pretty much perfect for a portable Bluetooth DAC. The GO blu Air is made from a plastic polymer that has an opaque, smoky color to it. This means you can, for the most part, see through the plastic to what is inside, circuitry and all. I personally like this aesthetic choice, but you will either love it or hate it, as it doesn’t have the refined, elegant look of the original GO blu. The front of the GO blu Air features soft, textured black plastic that looks like imitation leather.

The top of the device features the 3.5mm SE and 4.4mm balanced outputs, as well as an indicator LED that is used for indicating the analog filter mode, Bluetooth status, and digital filter status.

The left side of the GO blu Air has the power button. This also serves as the Bluetooth codec voice announcement button, as well as the digital filter selection. The right side has the ChronoDial that controls the volume, and can be pressed in to serve as the playback controls. It’s wrapped in a rubberized material and feels very nice to use, with every dial turn providing a clicky feedback. Below it is the Settings button that is used to select the analog filter, as well as enter Bluetooth pairing mode.

The back of the GO blu Air features most of the branding, as well as the magnetic strip for the detachable magnetic clip.

Lastly, on the bottom of the device, we have the factory reset pinhole, USB-C charging connector, Battery status LED light, and the microphone hole.

The iFi Go blu Air uses the Qualcomm QCC5144 chipset with Bluetooth 5.2, and supports the following codecs:

• SBC
• AAC
• aptX
• aptX HD
• aptX Adaptive
• LDAC
• LHDC/HWA

For the price, I think the GO blu Air provides excellent codec support. I tested all of the codecs with various devices to ensure they worked properly, but the majority of my testing was done with the Sennheiser BTD 700 dongle (aptX Adaptive), FiiO M21 (aptX HD, LDAC, LHDC/HWA), Samsung Galaxy Fold 7 (aptX, LDAC), and the Shanling M1 Plus.

I did test with my iPhone 16 and the AAC codec, which worked perfectly fine. I did not do any extensive testing with it, though, as I do not think Apple users are the intended audience here.

First off, LDAC performance is extremely solid. All of my test devices were able to connect and output audio with the LDAC 990kbps mode. There was no stuttering or choppiness, and even when using the GO blu Air at a coffee shop, I did not encounter interference issues.

LHDC performance is also excellent, performing flawlessly with the 900kbps mode.

aptX, aptX HD, and aptX Adaptive all also performed flawlessly. It’s actually one of the rare experiences where I did not encounter any Bluetooth issues at all. Considering the only way to get audio to the GO blu Air is through Bluetooth, this should give some relief to those considering the device.

iFi states the battery life at around 10 hours. I was getting between 9 and 10 hours of usage at moderate volume with IEMs, and 8-9 hours with most of my headphones. No surprises or disappointments here, I think these numbers are perfectly acceptable, especially since it only takes about 40 minutes to go from 0% to a full charge.

The battery LED indicator is on the bottom of the device, and the status is indicated as follows:

Green: 51% – 100%

Yellow: 20% – 50%

Red: Less than 19%

The Go blu Air is supported by the iFi Nexis app. There’s not too much to configure here, as it is mainly to enable/disable Bluetooth codecs, as well as perform firmware updates. Here are some screenshots to give you an idea:

The iFi GO blu Air is a rather uncomplicated device, I mean this in a positive way, of course. You simply need to power it on, pair with a device, plug in your IEM or headphone, and you are ready to listen. It’s a relaxing way to listen to music compared to many devices now that have integrated displays or complicated feature sets that detract from the core purpose of the device.

The ChronoDial is pleasant to use, and while at first I found it very stiff and hard to turn the wheel, I began to appreciate this fact as it makes it hard to accidentally turn or press the dial. The overall button layout also takes some getting used to, but is easy to navigate once your muscle memory is trained. Like most of iFi’s devices, button layout and tactility are all very well thought out and provide a satisfying experience.

Another thing I really like is the Bluetooth codec announcements when you pair with a device. While you can turn off the announcement, for me, it’s nice to know what codec I’ve connected with, for peace of mind.

Lastly, I really do like the magnetic clip. I am not usually the type of person to walk around with a portable Bluetooth DAC, mostly because I do not like having them in my pocket. The magnetic clip makes it easy to clip the GO blu Air on my belt or pocket and move around my apartment without worry. When at my desk or sitting in a coffee shop, I can detach the magnetic clip from the device to remove the bulk from it.

The iFi GO blu Air uses the Cirrus Logic MasterHIFI DAC, which gives a slightly warm and relaxed sound. It’s very clean and has superb resolution and great dynamics. This is the type of sound that iFi is known for, and to have it in such a small package is very convenient.

This type of sound profile I found pairs very nicely with most IEMs. The 64 Audio Solo, for example, while it has a very controlled treble in of itself, can sound slightly fatiguing at times. The warmer sound of the GO blu Air helps reel this in without drastically changing any of the Solo’s sound properties, and helps to reduce fatigue from longer listening sessions. On the very other end of the price spectrum, the Kefin Klean has excellent synergy here and might be one of my favorite IEMs to use with the GO blu Air.  

Output Power

The GO blu Air has a decent amount of output power for a portable Bluetooth DAC. With IEMs, I never felt limited by either the 3.5mm or 4.4mm outputs. The output impedance is also less than 1 ohm, so there was no background noise or hiss that I could hear.

The GO blu Air did a great job of driving most headphones in my collection. Even the newly released HIFIMAN Edition XV sounded great on the 3.5mm output. I mainly ended up using the Sennheiser HD 620S, especially when I was sitting in a coffee shop listening to music, as this headphone has excellent passive noise isolation, and the GO blu Air had ample volume overhead to drive it.

Higher-end planars like the Audeze LCD-2 will struggle to get a full-bodied sound, though, but the majority of low-end and mid-range headphones will be just fine here.

Analog and Digital Filters

The GO blu Air comes with iFi’s always-appreciated XBass and XSpace analog filters. XBass adds some low-end impact, while XSpace attempts to expand the soundstage. These are enabled by pressing the Settings button underneath the ChronoDial, with the corresponding LED to indicate the status:

Yellow: XBass

Cyan: XSpace

White: XBass + XSpace

No light: Off

There are also two digital filters to choose from:

Standard: modest filtering, modest pre and post ringing

Minimum Phase: slow roll-off, minimum pre and post ringing

Changing these is a bit more complicated. You need to press the power button three times until you hear a beep, then press the Settings button to cycle between them. Once done, press the power button three times again to confirm the selection.

The LED beside the 4.4mm output indicates which one is selected:

Green: Standard

Magenta: Minimum Phase

Microphone quality

The built-in microphone performs decently for a built-in mic. It does not appear that an in-line microphone is supported, so if you want to use a microphone, you are stuck with the built-in one. In quiet environments, it’s perfectly serviceable for voice calls and even meetings. If the room is echoey or if there is a lot of background noise, your voice will quickly get drowned out as the microphone seems to have a hard time isolating your voice in such situations.

The portable Bluetooth DAC/Amp market is fairly crowded now, and has a lot of options for under $100. With the GO blu Air priced at $129, I think a lot of people may skip it on price alone. As well, competing devices like the FiiO BTR13 and Qudelix 5K have powerful software features like PEQ support that some may feel is a necessity for them. And that’s fine, as I think the GO blu Air caters to another audience, one that favors simplicity and ease of use. This device does that, and sounds great doing it. The lack of USB DAC functionality is very disappointing, and for that, I do feel the price should be a bit lower, but if you’re looking for an excellent-sounding Bluetooth DAC, the iFi GO blu Air is definitely worth your consideration.

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