The iFi Audio UP Travel is a dinky and clever travel companion that lets you improve in flight or in car audio experience. Weighing only around 25 grams, it is very portable yet contains impressive hardware for its size.
It offers dual mode operation. It can work in transmit mode, which means you can plug it into an audio source such as an aeroplane entertainment socket and stream sound wirelessly to your Bluetooth headphones. It can also work in receive mode, where the device acts as a Bluetooth receiver for a car sound system or any other setup that does not have Bluetooth.
In terms of sound quality, the UP Travel goes beyond what most Bluetooth adapters can offer. It contains a Cirrus Logic MasterHIFI digital to analogue converter and custom clocking that deliver a cleaner and more accurate sound. It supports a wide range of audio formats including LDAC, aptX Adaptive, LHDC, HWA, AAC and SBC, ensuring that it works well with different types of headphones and audio players.
Practical features include the ability to connect two Bluetooth headphones at the same time, which allows two people to listen to the same film or music. There is also a built in microphone with noise and echo suppression for clearer calls. The flip out 3.5 millimetre jack makes connection simple, and the battery lasts for up to ten hours, which is more than enough for most journeys.
There are a few minor drawbacks. You need to remember to charge it and switch modes manually, and while it supports high quality codecs, Bluetooth cannot yet deliver completely lossless sound.
Overall, the iFi Audio UP Travel combines convenience, flexibility and excellent sound quality in a very compact device, making it an ideal choice for frequent traveller. RRP £99
- Functions both as a Bluetooth transmitter and receiver
- Supports a wide array of high-resolution audio codecs (LDAC, LHDC/HWA, aptX Adaptive, aptX LL, AAC, SBC)
- Dual Bluetooth headphone pairing
- Built-in microphone with noise and echo suppression
- Very compact and lightweight (about 25.7 g)
- Battery life could be longer
- As with all Bluetooth audio it cannot fully match the performance of a wired connection
