This iPhone case plays the music you want to hear, the way your ears want to hear it

By Andy Boxall Published October 9, 2014

Music is a very personal thing, and so is our hearing. SoundFocus has come up with an iPhone case which not only has two speakers built-in for improved audio performance, but also software which actually tailors the sound produced specifically for your own ears. It’s called the Amp, and it makes music sound exactly the way you want it to.

By using the same technology which drives hearing aids, the Amp case performs an audio test to measure your hearing patterns, backed up by your own list of preferences when it comes to listening to music. Finally, it’ll keep notes on your environment, and change according to what’s going on around it. Once it’s done, music played through the Amp will be specially tuned for you, your ears, and your surroundings.

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What’s more, this isn’t just a fancy tech demo for the speakers inside the case, SoundFocus’ wizardry also works through the headphone socket. Because of this versatility, the Amp case should enhance audio across all aspects of the iPhone – from video to calls – no matter how you’re listening to it.

The case has a pair of 14 x 20mm speakers built in, along with a battery large enough to provide seven hours of playback through them, or 20 hours when using a set of headphones. The battery can also be used to top-up your iPhone’s battery, but don’t expect much more than 25-percent, so it’s more for emergency use than anything else. An ARM M4 processor, a 24-bit DAC, and a headphone amplifier are all hidden inside, taking care of the audio tweaks.

SoundFocus’ Amp case will be released around spring 2015, but it can be pre-ordered for $70 now, through the company’s own website. Cases compatible with the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be joined with versions for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S. If you’d like to hear SoundFocus’s audio enhancing tech in action before then, the firm has an app which does just that, and it’s available as a free download through the iTunes App Store now.

Former Senior Mobile Writer

Andy has written about mobile technology for almost a decade. From 2G to 5G and smartphone to smartwatch, Andy knows tech.

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