Arcam today introduced MusicBOOST, a genuine new category product, which combines a portable headphone amplifier with a high-precision DAC and powerful battery pack for the Apple iPhone 6, all in one sleek protective sleeve case weighing just 100 gms. The almost $200 accessory turns an iPhone 6 into a serious music player and ends battery anxiety for headphone listening.
Arcam says the sound from an iPhone is good, but the sound quality of all mobiles is compromised by build budget, battery life requirements, space constraints and interference from the radio and digital components of the phone. The MusicBOOST cuts through the noise (literally) by extracting pure digital audio from the iPhone Lightning Port, feeding it via a high-performable Texas Instruments DAC and then amplifying it with a powerful Arcam headphone amplifier.
How does it work?
- The powerful MusicBOOST battery drives the audio system directly
- The DAC and Amp are designed by Arcam; world leaders in Digital Audio
- Utilizes a fully licensed Apple Lightning Audio Module to extract the pure sound from the iPhone
Arcam further claims you can appreciate the remarkable improvement in sound quality, even with basic White EarPods and a Spotify stream. When you plug in serious £30 – £100 in-earphones the benefits are huge and if you like big over-the-headphones, the MusicBOOST will give them a kick that no phone can match.
Totally transparent to the source. If an app can play audio, the MusicBOOST will upgrade it. The performance boost is there for Music App, Spotify, Tidal, SoundCloud YouTube, Movie Soundtracks, FLAC Player and much more.
Features
- Combined Digital Audio Converter (DAC) powerful headphone amplifier and battery pack
- Advanced Lithium Polymer battery doubles iPhone battery life and drives the music system
- Up-to 120 Hours Music Replay with the iPhone in Airplane mode
- Upgrades all iPhone audio from Apple Music, YouTube, Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz etc
- Can play FLAC, WAV music files etc via 3rd Party iOS Apps such as FLAC Player
- Arcam quality DAC & Amplifier markedly improve sound quality
- Four LED charge indicators
- Micro USB charging with lead supplied
- Soft touch sleeve case protects iPhone
Quote from Charlie Brennan – Arcam MD
“With the MusicBOOST, we’ve applied our serious audio engineering talents to the iPhone. The improved sound will make you want to listen to more and more music, so even better that it also doubles iPhone battery life.”
Price and Availability
Arcam MusicBOOST will be available January 2016 for $189 in the US, and is currently on sale for £120 inc VAT in the UK.
Specifications
- Headphone Impedance: Output Power
- 16 Ohm: 44 + 44mW
- 32 Ohm: 22 + 22mW
- 64 Ohm: 11.5 + 11.5mW
- 300 Ohm: 2.5 + 2.5mW
- Battery: 2800 mAH Lithium Ion
- Dimensions: WxHxD 69 x 153 x 14mm.
- Weight: 100g
Notes:
- iPhone 6s fits with a push and eases after a few uses
- Not planned for 6 Plus at this time
- There is no control path back to the phone via the Lightning Module so remote volume, FF etc can’t function
About Arcam of Cambridge – 40th Anniversary Year 2016
One of the pioneers of real Hi-Fi, Arcam have been building world-class products for over 40 years. Now one of the world’s most prestigious AV engineering companies and a noted authority on Digital Audio, Hi-Fi and Home Cinema, Arcam is headquartered near Cambridge UK.
