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They’re headphones when you wear them, and speakers when you take them off

Kris Wouk
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If you’re not sure whether you need a portable wireless speaker or just a set of wireless headphones, Boomphones asks the question: why choose? The company’s new Re-Up headphones, now seeking funding on Kickstarter, include a special type of case that allows the headphones to pull double duty as a portable speaker.

Starting with the headphones, the Re-Up pumps three watts through 40mm drivers as well as a pair of 28mm “micro-speakers,” offering a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Wireless connectivity is provided via Bluetooth 4.1 with aptX, though a cable is also available if you’d rather opt for a wired connection. A microphone is provided for speakerphone functionality, while the internal battery offers up to 10 hours of playback.

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The Active Speaker Case may be the major factor in what makes the Boomphones Re-Up so unique, but it’s not an especially complicated piece of hardware. The case connects to the Re-Up headphones via a HDMI to Micro USB cable, and makes use of the DSP and other components in the headphones, but doubles the wattage to 6 watts RMS, and adds an additional pair of speakers for bigger sound, while also keeping the headphones protected.

The case also features a battery of its own, making for 10 hours of playback, but this isn’t all it can do. Not only can the battery charge the Re-Up headphones, it can also charge your mobile device, making it a useful accessory for frequent travelers.

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The pricing for the Boomphones Re-Up is as just adaptable as the product itself. If you don’t need the case, you can opt for just the headphones, or buy both packaged together. The retail price will be higher, but Kickstarter backers can opt for the headphones alone for $100, or for the headphones and speaker case for $170, which is more than half off the planned retail price of $350.

The Kickstarter for the Boomphones Re-Up has been going for a while now, and has raised more than half of its $50,000 goal so far. Potential backers have until November 30 to participate, but we’d be remiss not to mention the possible pitfalls and risks associated with crowdfunding campaigns. Assuming the campaign is successful, rewards are expected to begin shipping to backers in August 2017. For more information, see the Boomphones Re-Up campaign page.

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Kris Wouk
Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
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