Phonofone II

What is the Phonofone you ask? In short, it's like a speaker for your iPod, only it uses no power. The form of the Phonofone may be completely retro, it has actually been designed to enhance the sound of your modern, audio accessories. Simply connect to your personal music player's earbuds and, all of a sudden, the audio output is transformed into a rich, resonant sound, amplified up to 55 decibels (about the maximum volume of laptop speakers). There's no need for batteries or any external power-source as the effect is achieved solely by virtue of good, old-fashioned, horn acoustics. An unusual sculptural audio consule that's a feast for the eyes - and the ears.

Available in black.

1) MP3 player – The output power of full size Apple brand iPods and iPod minis (HD size non specific) is ideally suited for powering a Phonofone. iPod nanos and shuffles are only recommended if used with an inline headphone amplifier (see point #5). It is also recommended to override your iPod volume restriction settings before hooking it up to a Phonofone.

2) Headphones - Only Apple Brand earbuds (with the adapters provided with your Phonofone) are recommended for this application. Be aware that after prolonged use at loud volumes, the earbuds can start to degrade in audio quality.

3) Types of music – The phonofone is excellent for amplifying Blues, Classical and Folk music, but is less ideal for Electronic music and Rock. This is because the heavy bass associated with both Rock and Techno can result in clipping (buzzing) when played at its loudest volume. If clipping is occurring in a song, it can be overridden by selecting the 'bass reduction' equalizer setting in your iPod or by playing the song at a slightly lower volume.

4) MP3 Quality – Not all music is mastered the same. That is, the baseline volume of each song can differ from each other significantly especially if your music library consist of illegally downloaded material (which we hope it isn't). If you are experiencing a large degree of variation in the listening volume of your MP3s try adjusting the gain (volume) of each file accordingly by using free 3rd party software. We will not assume responsibility for any damages that this software might incur.

5) Headphone Preamplifiers - If you plan on using your Phonofone with an iPod shuffle or nano, or are simply seeking more volume from this device, you can purchase a headphone amplifier. A headphone amplifier is small battery operated device that is placed in-line between your MP3 player and your earbuds. This device will increase the power of the signal to the headphones which will result in a higher volume (and actually makes the Phonofone sound rather loud). Please note that using a preamplifier can significantly limit the life of your earbuds and should be used with discretion. If you hear the earbuds 'crackling' then it's time to turn the volume down.