iFi gives your elite wired IEMs a Hi-Res wireless upgrade

The iFi GO Pod Max adapters are designed for high-end IEMs and deliver wireless CD quality without compression

iFi GO Pod Max in their case, shot on a white background that fades to black in the corners
(Image credit: iFi)
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Designed for high-spec IEMs, the iFi GO Pod Max adapters turn wired into wireless with lossless CD-quality audio and K2HD audio processing.

Priced at £599, the pair of devices are available now.

The best wireless headphones have come on leaps and bounds in recent years, but there are still plenty of wired headphone hold-outs that won't cut the cables. They resist the urge to go wire-free until genuinely lossless audio can be beamed into ears.

That's why iFi has launched GO Pod Max. It includes a pair of wireless adapters for high-end wired IEMs that promises lossless CD quality over Bluetooth, and better than CD quality into your ears.

The lossless bit comes courtesy of aptX Lossless, and each GO Pod Max also supports aptX Adaptive and LDAC. The better-than-CD bit comes via JVCKENWOOD's K2HD technology, which processes CD audio to get it closer to the quality of the original masters.

The technology interpolates lost data, thereby restoring natural harmonics and aims to revive the depth, warmth, and soul of the original source. It upscales the signal, basically.

iFi GO Pod Max connected to red IEMs on a black background

(Image credit: iFi)

iFi GO Pod Max: key features and pricing

The GO Pod Max pair of adapters are based on the Qualcomm QCC5181 chipset and the Cirrus Logic MasterHIFI DAC.

The Bluetooth, DAC and amplification stages are separate to reduce interference and distortion, and there's automatic impedance matching at 16-ohm, 32-ohm, 64-ohm and 300-ohm to power a wide range of IEMs.

In addition to lossless streaming, each GO Pod Max adapter also supports low-latency codecs for gaming and video watching.

Battery life is a claimed seven hours between charges with the charging case adding a further 28 hours of listening time, each GO Pod Max transmitter is IPX5 rated for water and dust resistance, and the interchangeable ear loops have 2-pin and MMCX connectors.

There are also options including T2, Pentaconn Ear and A2DC ear loops. And the case includes UV lights to sanitise your IEMs between listening sessions.

The iFi GO Pod Max come in a pair and are available now for a recommended retail price of £599 / $599 (about €700 / AU$1,254).

Carrie Marshall
Carrie Marshall

Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).

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