The Retro Stereo 50 turbo-charges your tunes and produces studio-quality audio.
Whether you stream wirelessly or you’re old school and get a kick out of vinyl, the Retro Stereo 50 delivers something for everyone.
Connections include:
Stream on your smartphone or plug in your laptop or turntable.
Accompanying the Retro Stereo 50 are two LS3.5 speakers made from bamboo. And this is not only because it gives them a timeless elegance, but also because organic products rock (in more ways than one!)
Bamboo removes distortion and creates a cleaner, more natural sound.
The days of clunky sound bars are over.
Connect the Retro Stereo 50 to your TV then experience your much loved shows and movies in crystal-clear clarity.
The Retro Stereo 50 and LS3.5 bamboo speakers create an old-school yet modern vibe for your living space and reach the audio highs your ears have been longing for.
It might be compact, but it’s loaded with the latest technology, including:
Enjoy your music, your way.
Stream from your set top box, smart device or computer via S/PDIF or USB port.
True Native® playback of all music formats from MP3 to DSD512, PCM768 and 2xDXD.
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. The Signal-to-Noise ratio of the iPhono2 is 3dB quieter on MC and 10 dB quieter on MM than the original iPhono.
More than ever, listening to vinyl, one can hear ‘into’ the recording itself with the blackest of backgrounds and every nuance, inflection is picked up by the system.
XBass+® for Speakers. No degradation in sound quality.
Provides adjustable levels of bass control to enhance listening enjoyment through speakers that have limited bass extension.
The 3DHolographic+® for Speakers takes high end systems to another level.
It corrects spatial distortions and increases the width of the soundstage beyond that of the speaker placement.
| 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 |
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!
Haute Fidelité and Elite Diffusion (iFi:France)
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
Liam
I could immediately hear Dee-dee of Dexter Laboratory say her catch-phrase “Oooooooh, what does this button do?”. So many buttons and switches. Cool! The overall finish is excellent. The cover gives you a peek at the tubes. My first tube amplifier…..The iFi website mentions a study done on the effects of adding tubes to your hifi system. With the Stereo50 I feel I was part of the study and belong to the group where the music invites you to listen longer and influenced your movements such as tapping your feet. I am enjoying my music independent if it is coming from a LP, CD or radio. The amplifier is my introduction to tubes…..somehow it attracts your attention, because the music it makes sounds beautiful. There is definitely a sweetness in the sound…..The amp is very well balanced. You notice this with everything. It is a well thought out all-in-one concept. Everything is not just added and put on top of each other, which maybe would have doubled its price. It is integrated in the real sense of the word. The end result is a very beautiful, sweet pure natural sounding amplifier that successfully combines old and new technologies and offers an extravaganza of music sources to listen to.”
Pros: Sweet pure natural sounding amplifier that successfully combines old and new technologies and offers an extravaganza of music sources to listen to
Cons: it’s hard to think of cons with this kind of performance and high value for money
