IF you’re looking for an extremely portable amp to augment the sound being fed into your ‘phones from a portable audio device, here’s something that’ll do the job for a ridiculous price – the new Brainwavz AP001, retailing at a lowly US$30.
This is the first audio amplifier from the Hong Kong-based company that’s better known for its headphones and earphones.
This “ultra portable headphone amplifier” will pump more power into your headphones, earphones or other portable speakers than the standard fare from a smartphone or MP3 player. The AP001 has an op amp on board to deliver “powerful audio amplification and bass enhancement, without much colouring or distortion to the original audio signal.”
The square body weighs a mere 15.5g, including the 120mAh battery that’s good for 12 continuous hours of play; charging is via a micro USB port. No power switch is present – the unit senses when an audio signal is input and turns on automatically. If there’s no signal, it powers down.
The amp features a stereo line in and two stereo line outputs so you can use up to two headphones, earphones or speakers at the same time – connectivity is via 3.5mm jacks (input and outputs). It supports 16-150 ohm earphone and headphones.
Check here for details if you want to buy a unit.