iFi's $129 UP Travel Max Brings Lossless Bluetooth to Plane Seats, Car Stereos and Old iPods

The pocket adapter flips between sending and receiving audio, adds aptX Lossless and Bluetooth 5.4 to iFi's travel line, and can broadcast to any number of listeners over Auracast.

SOUTHPORT, England - iFi audio introduced the UP Travel Max on Thursday, a Bluetooth adapter about the size of a USB stick that can either send audio to wireless headphones or receive it from a phone. Plugged into a plane’s seat-back screen, it streams the in-flight movie to a traveler’s own headphones. Flipped to the other mode and plugged into a car’s aux jack, it turns an older stereo into a wireless receiver. The Verge reported a price of $129, and iFi’s UK store lists it at 129 pounds.

The British audio company calls it the first travel adapter that can both send and receive lossless Bluetooth, according to its launch announcement.

The UP Travel Max is about the size of a USB stick. Image: iFi audio

The design borrows from a flip-out car key. Pressing the power button springs a 3.5mm plug out of the body, ready to go into a headphone jack. iFi lists the adapter at 55 by 30 by 16.8 millimeters and 25.7 grams, with a 400mAh battery rated for at least 10 hours. A switch selects transmit or receive mode, and in transmit mode it also accepts audio over USB-C.

Most Bluetooth gadgets run everything through a single chip. iFi splits the work the way a home hi-fi system would: a Qualcomm Bluetooth chip handles the wireless link, and a Cirrus Logic MasterHIFI DAC, the same chip found in several of the company’s portable products, converts the signal to sound.

Two passengers share an in-flight film, each with their own headphones. Image: iFi audio

The headline upgrade is the codec list. The UP Travel Max supports Bluetooth 5.4 and aptX Lossless, which carries CD-quality audio to compatible headphones, along with LDAC, LHDC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, AAC and SBC. A comparison chart iFi posted with the launch shows the original UP Travel used Bluetooth 5.2, lacked aptX Lossless and did without JVCKENWOOD’s K2 Technology, a processing feature that iFi says restores harmonics and high-frequency detail lost when music is compressed. A front button cycles through codecs, and holding it reports which one is active. For films, the low-latency mode of aptX Adaptive keeps sound in step with the picture.

Screenshot: @ifiaudio on X, Oct. 29, 2026 Screenshot: @ifiaudio on X

Sharing is built in. The adapter can pair with two sets of headphones at once, which suits a couple watching the same film on a long flight. For larger groups, it supports Auracast, the Bluetooth broadcast standard, which lets any number of compatible headphones or speakers tune in once the feature is turned on in iFi’s Nexis app. The app also handles firmware updates, codec settings and the K2 controls.

In receive mode, the adapter plugs into a car’s aux input and streams music from a phone. Image: iFi audio

In the car, a built-in microphone with Qualcomm’s cVc noise and echo suppression handles hands-free calls. iFi is also pitching the adapter at the renewed interest in iPods and dedicated MP3 players: plug it into a classic player’s headphone output, switch to transmit mode, and the music plays through Bluetooth headphones or a wireless speaker.

The adapter can send music from a classic portable player to wireless headphones. Image: iFi audio

The box includes a USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A adapter. iFi offers a one-year warranty in the United States and Britain and two years in the European Union.