CEntrance has released the HiFi-M8 (hi-fi mate), a battery-powered, portable D/A converter and headphone amplifier for use with Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod.

According to CEntrance MD Michael Goodman, it is ‘the ultimate, portable playback system’ for from smartphones, tablets and laptops and comes in models with various audio output configurations including XLR, quarter-inch jack, mini jack and SPDIF optical connectors.

‘The features and specifications of HiFi-M8 were crowd-sourced from the ground up,’ hesays. ‘It offers the right package of flexibility, sound quality and convenience, and our field-test models are getting great reviews from listeners.’

The HiFi-M8 Pro model is designed specifically for the professional audio market, and features male XLR jacks and +4dBm line-level output. The HiFi-M8 LX model features a TOSLink optical input to accommodate a SPDIF input signal, instead of the iPhone input. All models also have a 192kHz, 24-bit USB input for use as a portable USB DAC. For extra sonic flexibility, HiFi-M8 offers tone shaping controls for headphones.

The units feature a class-A headphone amplifier and offer six hours of battery life.

The HiFi-M8 Pro sells for US$599.99.

More: www.centrance.com