iFi Audio UP Play Max – Lossless Bluetooth Transmitter for USB-C

The UP Play Max is a 3 g USB-C dongle that takes over your device's Bluetooth. Plug it into a phone, tablet, laptop or handheld console, pair your wireless headphones to it instead, and the signal goes out over aptX Lossless, LDAC or aptX Adaptive, whatever the headphones on the other end can take. On an iPhone, which otherwise stops at AAC, that is the whole point. At Soundium it sits at the top of the iFi UP range, above the UP Play and alongside the UP Travel, for listeners who already own good Bluetooth headphones or a lossless-capable Bluetooth DAC and want them to receive more than their phone sends.

Key Features

• aptX Lossless over Bluetooth: CD-quality 16-bit / 44.1 kHz transmission to compatible headphones and DACs, from any USB-C source including iPhone
• Full codec set: aptX Lossless, LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, AAC and SBC, switchable with a physical button and shown by a colour LED
• Qualcomm QCC5181 on Bluetooth 5.4: up to 24-bit / 96 kHz, with adaptive bit rate to hold the link stable when the room gets crowded
• K2 Technology: JVCKENWOOD's processing restores harmonic content lost in digital compression, toggled from the iFi Nexis app
• Auracast and dual pairing: broadcast to any number of Auracast headphones (added by firmware update after launch), or connect two pairs directly over SBC
• Low-latency mode: runs over aptX Adaptive and is switched on in the Nexis app, so gaming and video stay in sync
• Built-in microphone: Qualcomm noise and echo suppression for calls and in-game chat
• iFi Nexis app: codec control, K2 and Auracast toggles, and over-the-air firmware updates on iOS and Android

Customer Benefits

Wireless headphones and Bluetooth DACs have moved faster than the phones feeding them. An iPhone only speaks AAC, and many Android phones support LDAC but skip aptX Adaptive or aptX Lossless depending on the brand. The UP Play Max removes that bottleneck without replacing anything you own: the headphones or DAC get the best codec they support, the phone just sees a USB-C audio device. It draws under 20 mA and weighs 3 g, so it can stay plugged in all day, and the two physical buttons mean you can change codec or pairing without opening an app.

Quick Specs

• Type: Bluetooth audio transmitter (USB-C dongle)
• Bluetooth chipset: Qualcomm QCC5181
• Bluetooth version: 5.4
• Codecs: aptX Lossless, LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, AAC, SBC
• Maximum sampling rate: 24-bit / 96 kHz
• Frequency response: 20 Hz to 43 kHz (LDAC)
• Range: 10 m or more
• Input: USB-C
• Power: 5 V / 0.5 A or more via USB-C, under 20 mA consumption
• Dimensions: 27.6 x 20.8 x 8 mm
• Weight: 3 g

In the Box

• iFi Audio UP Play Max
• User manual
• Quick start guide

Use Cases / Ideal For

iPhone owners with aptX Lossless or LDAC headphones who have been listening over AAC. Owners of Bluetooth DACs such as the iFi GO blu Air, GO pod or iDSD GR 2 who want to feed them the codec they were built for. Handheld and console gamers on the Switch 2 or PS5 who need low latency and a mic in one plug. Couples and friends sharing one source across two headphones, or a whole group once Auracast arrives.

Compatibility

Any USB-C source that accepts a USB audio device: iPhone and iPad with USB-C, Android phones and tablets, Windows and macOS computers, PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2. The headphones or receiver decide which codec is used: aptX Lossless needs a receiver that supports it, LDAC needs an LDAC receiver, and when two headphones are paired at once the link drops to SBC.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros:

• Gives iPhones aptX Lossless and LDAC, which Apple does not offer natively
• Every major Bluetooth codec in one 3 g dongle, with a hardware codec button
• Auracast, dual pairing, low-latency mode and a mic cover sharing, gaming and calls
• Works across phones, laptops and consoles, so one transmitter follows you between devices

⚠️ Cons:

• It only helps if your headphones support a better codec than your phone already sends
• It occupies the USB-C port, so you cannot charge through the same socket while it is in use
• Auracast is not active at launch and arrives in a later firmware update

The UP Play Max is the simplest way we know to hear what a pair of lossless-capable wireless headphones can really do from an iPhone or any USB-C device. You will find it at Soundium next to the UP Play and UP Travel, and our team is happy to check whether your headphones will get aptX Lossless or LDAC before you order.