V-MODA VAMP | US$599.99 | v-moda.com
the iPhone 4 or 4S is the last thing you would list as an audiophile grade equipment. while we can’t do anything to improve its build-in speaker without docking it to an almost unportable sound system, we can certainly do something about the sound that’s coming out of its audio jack and at the same time, provide our iPhone with enough juice for us to enjoy the grooves. the V-MODA VAMP is the accessory that is going to make the it happen. for a hefty $600, you will get a sleek, aircraft-grade brushed metal iPhone case (albeit being slightly bulky) with integrated headphone amplifier and an audiophile-grade, high fidelity Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC). yes. you heard that right. V-MODA has bravely put a 150mW x 2 amplifier and a DAC processor to extracts the digital signal of the iPhone, bypassing the iPhone’s internal DAC. a rotary volume knob let you fine tune the volume and a hi/lo gain switch adjusts the output level. it offers two audio processing modes: the PURE mode let you listen to the audio’s original form and the VQ (V-MODA eQualizer) mode adds “a spatial 3D soundstage, tightened bass and increase treble attack that invigorates an all around sensory experience.” additionally, this case/audiophile equipment hybrid features an Optical audio output for connecting your VAMP to your A/V receiver via a Toslink/SPDIF optical cable, turning your iPhone into a hi-fidelity source. last but not least, it is packed with a 2,200 mAh lithium-ion battery that can be used to juice up your iPhone, providing you with some extra hours of audiophile music enjoyment out of your iPhone 4/4S. check out a few more look of the VAMP after the break.
