Two wildly different budget DACs featured at High End, from iFi's pocket friend to AMR's 'price-on-demand' hi-res conversion hunk

AMR has presented its elite Luna Ingenii DAC, as part of an official relaunch
Meanwhile, iFi presents another DAC, this one cheap and portable
…thus proving that High End Vienna has something for every budget

At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that a big show full of audiophile quality gear would be a little rich for most laypeople’s blood, especially with a name like ‘High End’.

But this is where Vienna’s showrooms, packed with hi-fi equipment, have fallen a little short, at least in part. Because, as I’m about to show you, it’s not all sound systems for selling the car and remortgaging the house. No, while these products will certainly make their way to the party, some hi-res audio upgrades will set you back as little as $85/£85 (or around AU$120).

But before we get to the budget, let’s go big, shall we? Elite UK audio outfit AMR (Abbingdon Music Research) has unveiled its Luna Series to mark the brand’s official relaunch into High End, with the company calling it its “most ambitious expression of ultra-luxury British audio design to date.”

And now, the pocket option for those who lack very deep pockets.

iFi Go Link 2 Max coming out of a woman's pocket, with a phone attached

(Image credit: iFi)

At the other end of the scale, British audio brand iFi revealed its iFi Go Link 2 Max DAC at the show. It’s advertised as “smaller, sharper and stronger” than the model it replaces, the five-star Go Link Max (not to be confused with the iFi Go Link 2, which also earned five stars under intense review recently).

What has changed? The Go Link 2 Max features significantly lower distortion than the model it replaces, plus selectable digital filters and over-the-air updates via the iFi Nexis app, all in a smaller and lighter form factor than its previous generation. I have the original Max and I love the way it enhances the level of music on my phone, so I’d love to try this one out.

And with the best wired headphones enjoying a vinyl-style comeback (iFi tells me searches for wired headphones are up 88%), I think the Go Link 2 Max could be the relatively affordable upgrade that Gen Zers could, ahem, choose.

Add to all this its humble price, at just $85/£85 (or around AU$120), the Go Link 2 Max could be my top-of-the-range pick in Vienna. That being said, if anyone wants to buy me the AMR Luna series so I can listen to it, I’m very open to that too.

Google logo on black background next to text that says