I love days like today, reader. Today’s what I call a Me Day – despite still including around nine hours of work for this respected publication. Why? Because today I get to write about something in audio (read: ‘my bag’) but not linked to any core products or key terms; you’ll find no ‘AirPods’, ‘Spotify’ or ‘Sonos’ here, much as I love those audio staples.
Today it’s all about a concept that still fascinates me to the point of near-addiction – and hopefully a niche corner of the TechRadar readership too.
The million dollar question is this: can you get wireless audio quality that’s almost as good as that which you’d get from your wired IEMs? My internal monologue quickly pipes up ‘no of course not, Bluetooth is still lossy’.
But what if you could keep the beautiful audio architecture squirrelled into the earpieces of your beloved wired IEMs, but cut the cord and add Bluetooth of the highest order? I’m talking the Qualcomm QCC5181 chipset, which claims to stream CD-quality audio without data loss over aptX Lossless, but also supports LDAC, aptX Adaptive and JVCKenwood’s K2HD (an audio mastering technology that first appeared back in 2007, promising to improve the sound of music at CD quality by coming closer to the original master recording at up to 96kHz throughput). Would that get as close as makes no difference, at least to my human ears?
The product I’ve just spent the whole day enjoying is also something that would, in the real world, be way out of my price range. I’ve been given a chance to try it for a brief period only.
Turn on, tune in, cop out (let it flow now mama)
Oh, have I got a bit of audiophile-centric paraphernalia for you today! If you’re in any way hi-res audio curious (or you just love music and audio gadgetry) you may well have read about the iFi Go Pod Max, successors to the April 2023 iFi Go Pod.
Well, I’ve got my mitts on a pair of the newest Go Pod Max (feels like it should be ‘Pods’, no?) and so, armed with my four favorite wired in-ear monitors, I’m going to give ’em a whirl. Ready? Free your high-end headshells from their cords and strap in, we’re going to K2HD town via automatic impedance matching at 16-ohm, 32-ohm, 64-ohm and 300-ohm!
First, the basics: I’m using four of my best IEMs to give the Go Pod Max their best chance to shine: the Campfire Audio Solaris Stellar Horizon, the Sennheiser IE600, the Audeze Euclid and the Campfire Audio x Alessandro Cortini Clara.
Now, the delicate topic of coin – because it is not lost on me, a lowly performer for much of my adult life. The Clara cost $1,999 / £1,999 (around AU$3,900); Euclids where sold are regularly still $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$1,999; IE600 are the cheapest of the bunch at $799 / £699 / AU$1,199 and finally, the Solaris Stellar Horizon can be yours for a cool $2,670 / £2,669 / AU$3,779.
Why mention all of this? Because the Go Pod Max I’m about to hook ’em up to will set you back $599 / £599 / AU$1,099, so in one of the images in this roundup, I actually have $3,269, £3,268 or AU$4,878 of wireless earphone product in (and around) my ears.
The good news is that the Go Pod Max slips behind my ear beautifully and no matter which earpieces I try, I’m able to achieve a secure and comfortable solution with very little effort. If you’ve ever worn a set of open earbuds (or maybe the non-open Beats Powerbeats Pro 2) the feel isn’t dissimilar, but it is – there’s no easy way to say this –much more high-end.
Despite the precision-machined aluminum casework, the separate DAC and amp stages plus an onboard battery that offers seven hours of playback and another 28 from the charging case (more on this aluminum beast in a minute) they feel light snaking behind my auricle. The bottom portion of the unit is a physical button that can handle every playback or call requirement – yes, there are mics – except alter volume.
If you’d ever consider wearing such expensive units for a sweaty spin class, the Go Pod Max are IPX5-rated, and the huge case even includes UV lights to sanitize your IEMs. Even the larger headshells I tried fit easily into the case – see the Clara happily nested and awaiting their clean, below.
Honestly, this case is big. It’s beautifully lined with a velveteen material and the aluminum design on the outside reminds me of the Omegahedron from the 1984 movie Supergirl, but it is not fitting into any pockets or purses.
The proof of the pudding…
The Go Pod Max pair easily to my iPhone and Android test phones as well as my FiiO M23 and let me tell you, the voice-prompt announcing ‘aptX Lossless’ when you cue up a track (of suitable quality) is a lovely touch.
Whichever IEMs I hook up (mine are all single-pin MMCX, but you get 0.78mm two-pin ear loops in the box) the fit is better than I could’ve hoped and feels expertly balanced – and that’s no small feat given the vastly differing dimensions of the earpieces I used; the diminutive Sennheiser IE600 headshells are a very different design and weight to the Solaris Stellar Horizon.
Oh, and the audio? I have to be honest: it exceeds every expectation I had.
The percussion at the outset of Burna Boy’s Change Your Mind is crisp and three-dimensional enough to suggest the actions and textures of real instruments, played by real people; the maraca throughout Fido’s Joy Is Coming is effervescent and zealous, giving the track every last miligram of its get-up-n-dance, foot-tapping energy, but never at the expense of other musical strands.
Wolf Alice’s White Horses is a masterclass in how to relay strummed guitars alongside electric axes and drums. I wish I could find a bad thing to say about the Go Pod Max, but I cannot.
OK, if really pushed, the sound very occasionally verges on slightly warm over stoically neutral – but I still admire it. I felt this only when using my slightly warm (through the mids anyway) Sennheiser IE600 and the warm-but-agile and huge-sounding Clara.
Of course, audiophile pairing is all about this – tinkering and experimenting. OK, so you’ll need very deep pockets to conduct your own trials here (for various reasons) and it’s an expensive hobby. Then again, it’s a pastime that walks hand in hand with music, and that to me is time well spent.
Would I buy them with my own money?
Yes, yes, and a third time yes. What the iFi Go Pod Max offer is unmatched in class, talent and good old-fashioned pride in ownership, for me. You’re getting top-tier Bluetooth connectivity piped into whichever IEMs you want to try, and they provide hour after hour of enjoyment.
Additionally, the battery is good, the on-ear physical buttons are a joy and the sound is sublime. As good as wired audio? What I can tell you is that it is as close as I’ve ever heard.
Again, the iFI Go Pod Max are cost-prohibitive for many of us – myself included. But if I had the expendable income, I have to tell you that I wouldn’t hesitate.
