Ifi’s Up Travel Is A High-Quality Pocket Bluetooth Transmitter

While Amazon offers a myriad of Bluetooth transmitters to link your wireless headphones or earbuds with in-flight entertainment systems, very few also function as Bluetooth receivers. Ifi’s newest product, the Up Travel, stands out with its extensive codec options.

Priced at $99, the Up Travel is on the pricier side for Bluetooth devices and might not be the best choice for casual users seeking basic connectivity. However, for those who prioritize high-quality wireless audio, this investment might be worthwhile. The compact unit opens similarly to a car key fob and incorporates individual chips for Bluetooth transmission and digital-to-analog conversion (DAC). It also includes a dedicated clock circuit, which can significantly impact the quality of digital audio.

You can utilize the device as a transmitter to wirelessly send an analog signal to your headphones or as a receiver to stream audio from your phone to a hi-fi system or car stereo. The Up Travel supports a wide range of high-quality Bluetooth codecs:

• SBC
• AAC (receive only)
• aptX
• aptX HD
• aptX LL (low latency) (transmit only)
• aptX Adaptive
• LDAC
• LHDC/HWA (receive only)

Changing codecs is straightforward. A dedicated button cycles through the options, and a color-coded LED indicates which codec is currently in use (yellow for AAC, light blue for LDAC, dark blue for aptX, etc.). This button also allows you to adjust the DAC sample rate between 44.1-48kHz or 88.2-96kHz.

When used as a transmitter, the Up Travel still supports voice applications like phone calls or Zoom calls, thanks to its built-in microphone featuring Qualcomm’s cVc technology. This technology helps reduce background noise during conversations.

Similar to products like the AirFly Pro, the Up Travel allows for dual headphone connections, enabling two users to listen simultaneously. The Ifi Nexis app lets you customize settings and update the firmware.

A potential downside is the battery life, which Ifi rates at around 10 hours—less than some competing models. Additionally, you may need to purchase a dual-prong adapter if traveling on a plane that uses outdated audio interfaces.

The Up Travel is available for purchase at ifi-audio.com.