Use your wireless Hi-Res headphones with in-flight entertainment, thanks to this Bluetooth DAC

Audio tech specialist iFi has launched a new Bluetooth DAC for better audio when you travel.

The iFi UP Travel is a two-way device that can connect your Bluetooth headphones to in-flight entertainment and other wired sound sources. You can also use it to add Bluetooth to a vehicle's Aux inputs – ideal if you're using a hire car, for example.

The DAC is designed for portability, weighing just 25g, and capable of folding into a pocket-friendly lozenge shape. It also runs for 10 hours between charges, which is handy.

It's not just for solo travellers either, you can connect two sets of headphones at once for easy audio sharing.

iFi UP Travel: key features and pricing

This isn't a cheap dongle: it's a serious bit of audio kit. Inside there's the Qualcomm QCC51xx series wireless chipset, and iFi has restricted that to handling Bluetooth and nothing else.

The audio is processed separately by a Cirrus Logic MasterHIFI DAC, which you'll also find in other iFi portables. And it all goes through iFi's bespoke clocking circuitry, which keeps everything in sync.

There's an extensive set of supported codecs – SBC, AAC, aptX (Classic, Low-Latency, Adaptive), LDAC, and LHDC/HWA – and you can also use the UP Travel for hands-free calling thanks to its built-in mic with noise and echo suppression.

The iFi UP Travel is available from today from ifi-audio.com. The RRP is £99 / $99 / €99 (about AU$205).

However, this isn't the only travel-focused audio product iFi is launching this week. It's also announced the iFi GO Pod Air, which enables you to take wired in-ear monitors (IEMs) and turn them wireless.

It supports up to 24-bit/96kHz Hi-Res Audio, features Cirrus Logic DAC chips and has an RRP of £249 / €249 / $249 (about AU$514).