I Just Picked My First iPhone 6 Plus Case

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And unfortunately, its going to take months to get here. But because I typically like my iPhones naked for day to day use, and like battery based cases when I know I'm going out all day, this case (for $59 with this link for the next 15 days, its a referral link that saves you $10, and I get $10 off my case) should be worth the wait.

It adds a nice set of stereo speakers, active sound enhancements, batteries to extend and power it all, and a decent enough case to protect from 'bend-gate'.  Of course I will have to put it through some tests and sound samples before I can make a final judgement call on it but the speaker / speakerphone enhancement is something I'm definitely looking forward to.

Amp Audio Coupon: www.ampaudio.com/r/okhFgtlT

Press release follows:

SOUNDFOCUS LAUNCHES SMARTPHONE CASE WITH INTELLIGENT SOUND SYSTEM

 

Amp smartphone case is the first in a series of personalized audio products to usher in a new era of sound on mobile devices

 

San Francisco, CA – October 8, 2014 – SoundFocus, the company building the next generation of personalized audio products, today announced Amp, an intelligent sound system in a case that slides on to your smartphone. Amp uses a sophisticated audio engine and two high­quality speakers to deliver crystal clear phone calls, vibrant music and immersive sound for videos, movies and more.

Using a science­based approach, Amp combines the technology behind hearing aids and professional audio production. With precision engineered hardware and software, Amp’s personalized sound experience vastly improves the audio quality on mobile phones. The Amp case uses an audio test that creates a fingerprint of a user’s hearing pattern and listening preferences, so all sound from the phone is tailored specifically for them, not the masses.

“Everyone hears differently,” said Alex Selig, co­founder and CEO of SoundFocus. “To create amazing sound, you need audio products that are tailored to each person’s hearing, tastes and the environment around them. With Amp, individuals can customize sound exactly the way they want it, so it sounds great no matter where they are.”

Amp personalizes audio by learning a person’s hearing pattern, musical preferences and adapting to his/her changing environment. Using these three things, Amp is able to remaster the audio output from smartphones on the fly – both through Amp’s high quality speakers and through headphones plugged into the headphone jack.

“Over the past decade everything about smartphones has improved exponentially with the exception of sound quality,” said Varun Srinivasan, co­founder and Head of Engineering at SoundFocus. “These devices have become our primary channels for media consumption but the sound half of the equation has been completely ignored. We want to personalize audio to you, your tastes and your environment, so that you can have a great listening experience whether you're listening to Spotify, watching Netflix or taking a phone call.”

Amp’s sophisticated audio engine and high quality speakers create an unparalleled experience for phone calls, music, games, and movies. The Amp case includes powerful 14x20 mm drivers and a 6 cubic centimeter acoustic backflow volume to deliver warm, rich bass notes and crisp highs. Amp’s audio architecture is complete with ARM M4 processor, 24­bit digital­to­analog converter and a headphone amplifier. It provides 7 hours of audio playback through the speakers or 20 hours from headphones. Additionally, Amp also increases a smartphone’s battery life by more than 25%.

 

Amp is the first in a line of personalized audio products from SoundFocus, the company behind the popular music app of the same name that tunes music to your hearing. The app has been downloaded over 150,000 times, has a 5 star rating and personalizes over 1.5 million songs per month for 18,000 monthly active users. The SoundFocus team has used the app to refine its hearing test and build a database of thousands of hearing patterns over the last year to create intelligent audio products for mobile devices.

 

The Amp case will be available for the iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and will begin shipping in the spring of 2015. Pre­sales starting at $69 and are available today at www.ampaudio.com and will be powered by Tilt.

 

SoundFocus is supported by an impressive list of technical advisors including Robert Jackler M.D., Sagar Savant, and Shu­En Lim Au. D, and Paul Beckmann. Investors included Kapor Capital, Y Combinator, VegasTechFund, OVO Fund, RTA Capital and August Capital Partners of Singapore [1].

 

 About SoundFocus

SoundFocus is a San Francisco, CA­based startup creating the next generation of personalized mobile audio products. The company was founded by Alex Selig and Varun Srinivasan in September of 2012 with the mission of helping the world hear better. The company is a graduate of the Y Combinator summer of 2013 batch and announced their first hardware product, the Amp smartcase, in October 2014. Investors include Kapor Capital, Y Combinator, VegasTechFund, OVO Fund, RTA Capital and August Capital Partners of Singapore. Hear more at www.ampaudio.com.