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Joining iFi audio’s GO series of portable headphone enhancements, comes the GO pod – a pair of wearable Bluetooth DAC/headphone amps designed to make any pair of wired in-ears wireless.

Here’s how it works... First, detach the cable from the in-ears and connect the earpieces to the left and right GO pods. Then, pair the pods with your source device and hook the ear loops behind the ears.

iFi is partnering with other companies to make curated ‘GO Pod + IEM’ packages. Spanning both new and established models from 64 Audio, Craft Ears, Meze Audio, Symphonium and Westone, these collaborations have resulted in six pairs of TWS in-ears.

The GO Pod boasts certification for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound platform and Bluetooth 5.2, with 32-bit, quad-core architecture and low power draw. It is compatible with an array of Bluetooth formats including LDAC and LHDC (to their maximum 32-bit/96kHz spec), plus aptX HD and aptX Adaptive (offering sample rates of up to 24-bit/48kHz and 96kHz respectively). Other supported codecs include aptX Low Latency, regular aptX, AAC and SBC.

The GO pod also incorporates two Cirrus Logic MasterHIFI chips – one in the left pod, the other in the right. This 32-bit DAC chip is dedicated to single-channel digital-to-analogue conversion in the GO pod’s circuit design, combining with a jitter-eradicating precision clock in a bid to deliver ultra-low distortion and high dynamics. Another feature is a hardware-based analogue volume control; adjusting the volume on the connected device controls the volume level in the DAC, rather than in the phone, tablet or computer.

Delivering a balanced output signal to each connected earpiece, the GO pod’s amp stage boasts a power output of 120mW into 32ohm and an output voltage of 4V into high-impedance 300ohm loads. To ensure its output matches the connected in-ears each pod auto-detects its impedance and adjusts power accordingly. There are four settings – 16, 32, 64 and 300ohm – with the most appropriate setting automatically selected.

Weighing just 12g, each pod is designed to be lightweight and comfortable, yet robust and durable. The ear loops are mouldable to fit around ears and the pods are water and sweat resistant (IPX5 rated). The aluminium panel on the front of each pod works as a touch control for playing or pausing audio, skipping tracks etc.

The GO pod comes with a charging case with sufficient room to accommodate connected in-ears as well as the pods themselves. A 1500mAH rechargeable battery is built in and iFi claims a pair of GO pods will play for up to seven hours from a single charge, while the case provides multiple recharges for up to 35 hours of extra playing time. The case supports both Qi wireless and USB-C fast charging.

The first 1,000 GO pods produced come packaged with a pair of in-ears from a curated selection: GO pod + 64 Audio U4s £1,300; GO pod + Craft Ears Aurum £1,400; GO pod + Meze Audio Advar £1,000; GO pod + Meze Audio Ria Penta £1,200; GO pod + Symphonium Meteor £800; and GO pod + Westone MACH 60 £1,000.

As a standalone product, the GO pod is priced at £400. Each pair comes with two ear loops catering for MMCX and 2-pin connections; additional loops for Pentaconn, T2 and A2DC connections will be available at £29 each.

Available to buy now for £400, you can find out more about iFi Audio's GO pod here.