Gizmodo
It's kind of hard to warrant the purchase of strange, single-use devices like the Boostaroo Revolution. We like our toys to do all sorts of things. If it doesn't play WMA, have built-in GPS, and vibrate, we don't want it. That's why the Boostaroo Revolution is so strange and so compelling.
This stick-like amplifier/audio processor runs on two tiny AAAA batteries—that's not a typo, they actually exist—and can amplify and improve audio from any source as well as split your outputs so you can share your music with your friends.
Without Boosteroo, my own iPod sounded fine. I have some nice Ultimate Ears ear buds and they have kept me happy for almost two years now. However, once I plugged in the Boosteroo stick, I realized most of the music I was listening to had originally sounded like a truck backing over gravel.
The amplification alone was enough to clarify a lot of the music I had on the iPod. While higher-quality recordings sounded just about the same, low quality recordings began to pop and "sparkle" as they say in the audiophile magazines. This is not to say that they "sounded" better, but whereas before they were muddy and distorted, now you could pick out individual instruments and voices and hear all of the noise and artifacts left over from the compression process.
While I don't pretend to be kind of high-end audio ninja nor do I pretend to be able to tell the difference between a $100 2.1 system and a $10,000 woofer, I saw a noticeable improvement in the quality of the audio that passed through the Boosteroo. While it could have been just the amplification, the overall experience was quite different with and without the Boostaroo.
At $59.99, this is kind of a tough sell. It's about as long as a standard iPod and adds one more thing to carry. It's also specially designed for 60-Ohm headphones like the Sennheiser PX200 although standard headphones and earbuds work fine. If you would like to brighten the audio coming out of your iPod, this is strange white stick for you.
Product Page [Boostaroo]
Comments
Surely not handling wma is a good thing, no? ^_^
This is a good little product. It's pretty distortion free, so it's both better than a y-splitter or the el-cheapo amplifier. If you do recording with your iBook, PowerBook, MacBook, or MacBook pro, this would allow one to add a headset or a secondary solid-state recorder, or feed out a mixer and still get a "truer" sound. Better than carrying around large headphone monitor amp, which I when work requires.
AAAA Batteries? That's just obscene.
You would be completely shafted by the AAAA batteries if you bothered to actually purchase them boxed. I, too, though that anything using them was absurd until I found that they're in every store that sells batteries and relatively easy to find. You see, odds are, if you pull back the wrapping on a 9-Volt, you'll find six little AAAAs inside, which is a hell of a lot cheaper than buying them packaged. I have a cheaper Boostaroo, and it does the job. Uses AAs, too, so rechargables are easy. Also has three holes, and not just two, for sharing.
That's one chunky-ass iPod. Looks just about as chunky as my 40GB Photo. Is that one 40GB or 60GB?
First post, so thanks for the invite. Just for clarification for those that might own the PX-200's and thinking of purchasing the Boostaroo Revolution; the PX-200's are actually at 32 ohms, not 60 ohms, and using them with the Revolution is way too powerful and will probably reduce the life of the Sennheiser's. The standard Boostaroo is probably the way to go ( setting aside all the other excellent portable amps as an alternative ) and uses double AA batteries instead of those weird AAAA batteries which I didn't even know existed until I bought the revolution. Bottom line is the product is solid, there is very little hiss and it does make the music sound better. Downside is its just another added thing to carry around making a mockery of the term portable entertainment.
Honestly, just make your own Chu-Moy Altoid Amp. Look it up! its not that hard
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