Enjoy your music, your way.
Stream from your set top box, smart device or computer via S/PDIF or USB port.
The Retro Stereo 50 is classic hi-fi quality fused with contemporary tech in a compact, retro package.
The Retro Stereo 50 (and LS3.5 bamboo speakers!) create an old-school yet modern vibe for your living or office space.
Classic, compact and cutting-edge, it’s an integrated stereo tube (valve) amplifier with a hybrid output stage and an output of 25W per channel.
As well as analogue inputs including an excellent phono stage to connect a turntable, it incorporates a hi-res DAC with digital inputs to play music from computers and smart devices.
And there’s Bluetooth, too, for those who prefer to stream wirelessly from their smartphones and tablets.
We’ve also added our signature sonic ‘optional extras’.
XBass+ cleans up and restores a richer deeper bass line.
3D+ helps to recreates the spaceness of a live stage performance.
Adjust bass and spatial performance with ease as all signals are processed in the analogue domain.
Listen via your favourite headphones.
Or add a pair of connected speakers. Our LS3.5 bookshelf speakers are designed specifically to go with the Retro 50.
Whatever you choose, you’ll be immersed in gloriously rich, pitch-perfect, expressive sound.
A class act refined. Every nuance defined. All-new Burr Brown Soundplus® J-FET type amplifier now beats at the heart of the Class A TubeState®.
This new circuit significantly reduces the loading seen by the main amplification circuit which improves the circuit inherent linearity while allowing it to drive even punishing 600 ohm studio inputs with impunity. The power supply filtering has been increased 5X in value.
More than ever, one can hear ‘into’ the recording itself with the blackest of backgrounds and every nuance, inflection is picked up by the system.
Hi-res audio support is state-of-the-art with True Native® playback. It handles PCM data to 32-bit/768kHz, DSD up to DSD512 and single and double speed DXD.
Thanks to the Burr-Brown DAC chip’s four-channel True Native design, PCM and DSD take separate pathways – this enables DSD, as well as PCM, to remain ‘bit-perfect’ in its native form right through to analogue conversion. This is not the case with all DAC devices from other brands – even if DSD compatibility is stated, many such DACs convert DSD signals to PCM.
Bluetooth (aptX) | 1 |
USB (DSD512/768kHz/2xDXD) | 1 |
Coaxial (192kHz) | 1 |
Optical (192kHz) | 1 |
Phono(MM/MC Low/MC High/Line 3) | 1 |
Line 1 | 1 |
Line 2 | 1 |
3.5mm (share with Line 2) | 1 |
Loudspeaker Output | 1 |
3.5mm Headphone Output | 1 (Output impedance 3.5mm < 3 Ohm) |
6.3mm Headphone Output | 1 (Output impedance 6.3mm < 6 Ohm) |
Power output (Music) | > 25W(majority Class A) |
Total Harmonic Distortion(THD) | < 0.2% (@ 2.83V/1W) |
Output bandwidth | 10Hz ~ 60kHz |
Frequency Response | 10Hz ~ 80kHz |
Signal-to-Noise Ratio | > Amplifier 101dB (@ max output) |
> Phono MM: 90dB(A) | |
> Phono MC: 80dB(A) | |
DAC Dynamic Range | > 113dB(A) |
Tone Control | Bass(100Hz) +/-8dB |
Treble(10KHz) +/-8dB | |
Analogue Signal Processing (ASP) | XBass, 3D Holographic |
Phono Gain | 38, 50, 62dB |
MM | 220pF//47k |
MC | 200pF//330R |
RIAA Accuracy | <0.5dB |
Tubes | 2 x ECF82; 4 x EL84X |
PCM | 768/705.6/384/352.8/192/176.4/96/88.2/48/44.1kHz |
DSD 512/256/128/64 | 24.6/22.6/12.4/11.2/6.2/5.6/3.1/2.8MHz |
DXD | 768/705.6/384/352.8kHz |
Filters | Minimum Phase (PCM 192/176.4/96/88.2/48/44.1kHz) |
Bit Perfect (DXD/PCM 768/705.6/384/352.8) | |
Analogue (DSD) |
Power Supply | AC 100V-240V |
Power consumption | 75W |
~0.1W (Standard mode) | |
Dimensions (W x H x D) | 300 x 153 x 226mm |
Weight | 5.8kg |
“…the Retro Stereo 50 is one of the most beautiful integrated tube amplifiers on the market.”
“you can see how much iFi Audio care about every detail simply by opening the Retro Stereo 50”
“Not only does the Retro Stereo 50 offer a lot of input options, but it also has many built-in features including a phono pre-amp for both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and a headphone amp.”
“The mid-range is upfront and present which adds a beautiful clarity and enhances the sound stage. The highs are a little bright, especially with the LS3.5 or other bookshelf speakers, however, with the tone control, you have the ability to dial this back if necessary. Overall, the Retro Stereo 50 is extremely well-balanced and will be great for listening to your favorite vinyl, digital audio, or even Bluetooth playback.”
iFi has been on a roll lately with some amazing audio products…From everyday music lovers to audiophiles, the iFi Retro 50 is well equipped to please everyone with its ample features and phenomenal sound…The bottom line is the Retro 50 is a compelling and powerful headphone and speaker amplifier.
Verdict: iFi Audio managed a great achievement, both for aesthetics as for the technical design. Rarely will a boombox played at this point the role of bridge between the hi-tech and vintage, with admirable relevance, as ergonomics and audio performance. A try!”
French customers, head on over to Haute Fidelité to download your digital copy today!
Sean Fowler of Zero Fidelity kindly made a very comprehensive overview/review of the Stereo 50.
Hop skip and jump to 9.10 if you wish to get to the crux of the review. We can only concur the Stereo 50 is ‘fun, fun, fun.’ Listening to it just puts a smile on your face. J
ps: we loved the fact that the headphone section was noted for being a big hit. Yes, the HE-1000 absolutely sings (swings?) with the Stereo 50
A solid-state amplifier uses electronics such as diodes and transistors to amplify the music signal. A tube amp uses valves/vacuum tubes to do the same job.
There is a noticeable sound difference between the two methods. Some feel that tube amps create a warmer, more musical tone. Some companies choose to build ‘hybrid’ models that combine the two methods.
A phono stage (also known as a phono pre-amp) provides the connection between the record player and an amplifier.
When vinyl was the defacto standard for audio recording, the phono stage was built-in to receivers and amps, allowing direct connection of a turntable.
It will improve the depth and quality of music.
DACs convert digital information, stored or streamed by computers, into music we can hear through speakers or headphones.
Every device that’s a source of digital sound has a built-in DAC (TVs, games consoles, CD players, phones, portable music players etc). Dedicated external DACs sound much better than standard DACs used in digital devices such as phones.
Digital signal processing (DSP) is the use of digital processing, such as by computers or more specialized digital signal processors, to perform a wide variety of signal processing operations. When it comes to audio the overuse of DSP can result in an over-compressed, unnatural sound.
MP3 – this is the most popular format, every device in the world can use it.
DSD – Direct Stream Digital is a very high-quality audio format, better than CD quality. The higher the number (sample rate), the better the recording – DSD64, 128, 256, 512 and 1024.
PCM – Pulse Code Modulation is the most common format for CDs and DVDs.
DXD – Digital eXtreme Definition is a very high-quality PCM format. It was developed to edit hi-res (high quality) recordings recorded in DSD.