justit

Also questioning the size of the amp/DAC vs the battery compartment. The smallest form factors seem to be coming from FiiO's lineup and if that's the case, that's compromised audio fidelity. In other words what am I gaining here? Issue of convenience of integrated packaging vs audio quality.

Interesting concept DAC/AMP+Battery case. Wondering about the audio quality when compared to my ifi iDAC. Here's their video: Here's the indiegogo description: ______________ iPhone gets better sound, bigger battery, stylish case. Turn your phone into an awesome music player The CEntrance HiFi-Skÿn is a sound system that fits right inside the phone case. It delivers your music in pristine audio fidelity and on top of that, packs a long-lasting battery to charge your phone while playing! Besides audiophile sound quality it features a powerful amp that works with most sophisticated headphones on the market. HiFi-Skÿn is perfect for those extended shifts at work, on long flights, or at home, when you need some quality tunes but the phone's buzzy sound just wouldn't cut it. No more compromises. Leave your music player at home. Now you can carry one device that's perfect for both music and communication—your existing phone in a HiFi-Skÿn. Why HiFi-Skÿn? Today's on-the-move audiophiles have to carry several devices with them, because no one device does everything right. But given the choice, which option would you prefer? ...Of course, a single device is the answer! Before and After (taa-daa!!) The smartphone is a great digital music player, but its audio quality sucks! You may have awesome headphones, but your iPhone won’t get the best out of them—the sound will be muddy, lack clarity and punch, to say nothing about bass. So we decided to change that. We engineered HiFi-Skÿn to take the digital signal out of your phone, process it using the same technology found in our award-winning audiophile products, and amplify it to a powerful, crystal-clear signal that will drive any headphones, with pristine highs and powerful bass. With HiFi-Skÿn, you can have a world-class music player in your pocket, occupying little more space than your iPhone! No bulk, no extra components, no unsightly rubber bands holding things together! Your phone will slide right into HiFi-Skÿn, and the built-in battery can recharge your phone, or allow you to listen for up to 10 hours! Besides that, HiFi-Skÿn acts as a shock-absorbing case for your valuable phone. Turn your iPhone into an audiophile music player—TODAY! What does HiFi-Skÿn do? HiFi-Skÿn does three things: It plays hi-res music: Your iPhone can store high-resolution music, but you won't hear it with the ear buds. To access your phone's true playback potential, you need an external DAC and a headphone amplifier. HiFi-Skÿn supports asynchronous digital streaming and mastering-level sound up to 24-bit / 192 kHz resolution, dramatically improving sound quality compared to your iPhone's audio jack. It charges your phone: We've built in a powerful, 1-Amp charging circuit that will recharge your phone TWICE AS FAST as a typical USB port. When on the go, HiFi-Skÿn can use its own battery to power-boost your phone, saving you in a bind. It protects your investment: We've chosen attractive, impact-resistant poly-carbonate plastic to make a phone case that is both stylish and tough under everyday use. The elegant enclosure protects the battery, audio electronics and controls inside—and keeps your investment safe. HiFi-Skÿn features at a glance Borrowing from our DACmini Desktop DAC and HiFi-M8 portable DAC, we used expensive, audiophile-grade components such as D/A converters, amplifiers and power supplies to dramatically raise the bar on sound quality. HiFi-Skÿn makes it possible to listen to hi-res files on your phone. Here are the main features: Now your iPhone can play better, longer, while staying safer! Who is HiFi-Skÿn for? You may have invested in awesome headphones, but when you plug them into the phone, something's missing from your music. It just doesn't sound the same as it does on your home system or your desktop system... It just isn't ALIVE. If this is painfully familiar, then HiFi-Skÿn is for you. It'll breathe LIFE into your music. A quick checklist: Not ready to give up your iPhone 5 yet? Add hi-res sound and an extra battery! Planning to upgrade to iPhone 6? Your old iPhone 5 can now become an amazing music player with extended battery life! Have an iPod Touch 5G with lots of music on it? HiFi-Skÿn will fit it perfectly, and is a great way to get a hi-res music player with a familiar interface, for less. The HiFi-Skyn story HiFi-Skÿn has been in development for well over a year. The design goal was always simple -- improve sound quality of the most popular phones in the world. But making the product so small was a challenge: components reserved for audiophiles are typically larger than consumer-grade parts. But nevertheless, we kept trying. First, we released HiFi-M8, a portable iPhone DAC/amp, which was extremely popular, but just a bit big. Then we released Mini-M8, which was 30% thinner, but STILL a little big for everyday use. We kept pushing the boundaries and eventually packed all circuitry into something as tiny as a phone case. We are finally happy with what we've got and cannot wait to bring this product to you! Miniaturizing HiFi-Skÿn required modern SMT technology and precision assembly equipment. Today we already have a network of reliable production suppliers. When planning this project, we worked to minimize any cost, logistics and quality risks. This reduces the "gotchas" and speeds up the delivery to you. As of today, we have fully functional samples and design is ready for production. The technology used in HiFi-Skÿn is already proven -- it comes from our award-winning HiFi-M8, Mini-M8 and other products. We showed HiFi-Skÿn prototypes at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver in October 2014, and the hardcore headphone enthusiasts at CanJam loved it! We made more tweaks and will be showing the updated product at CES, January 2015. What will I get? Until now, high-end sound carried a high price tag. We know—our own award-winning HiFi-M8 and Mini-M8 cost $700 each. That's because we make them in smaller quantities to satisfy the needs of audiophiles. This product is different. We are going to reduce the cost due to larger production volumes and pass the savings on to you. HiFi-Skÿn's retail price will be $399. But Indiegogo contributors such as yourself will have access to a limited number of attractive perks. These deals won't last, so act now to take advantage of exceptional savings! But it gets even better—you can make money by simply sharing this campaign with your friends across all of your social media channels (facebook, twitter, instagram, reddit, head-fi, etc.) Selecting the model to match your phone Selecting the model that fits your phone is simple—just let us know which phone you have and we will send you the correct HiFi-Skÿn model. After you contribute, we will contact you to clarify your phone's model. But if you change your phone in the meantime—don't worry—until we start shipping you can still change your mind. We currently support iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPod Touch 5th Generation. We plan to add more phones, including android phones, as we reach campaign milestones. Stay tuned for more info on that! Regarding the colors, we will start with black and will be adding new colors as campaign milestones are met. We will ask about your preference now and will give you a chance to change your pick, as more colors may become available later. Product Specifications [TABLE=width: 100%] [TR] [TD]DIMENSIONS:[/TD] [TD]172 mm x 64 mm x 20 mm (LxWxH) *[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]CASE MATERIAL:[/TD] [TD]Impact-resistant PC plastic, colors TBD[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]POWER:[/TD] [TD]AC adapter & rechargeable battery[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]BATTERY LIFE:[/TD] [TD]10 hrs on full charge (estimated)[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]AUDIO TRANSFER:[/TD] [TD]Lightning jack, asynch digital audio[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]OUTPUT JACK:[/TD] [TD]3.5 mm headphone plug[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]THD+N:[/TD] [TD].001% (estimated)[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]FREQ. RESPONSE:[/TD] [TD]20Hz...40kHz[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]OUTPUT POWER:[/TD] [TD]160 mW per channel (32 Ohm load)[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]COMPATIBILITY:[/TD] [TD]iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPod Touch 5G[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] * Dimensions listed for the Phone 5 model https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hifi-skyn-iphone-case-for-audiophiles/

Could we get a dedicated audio processing System on Chip (SoC) in future iDevices? Apple is continuing to expand its digital audio expertise with the recent addition of digital signal processing (DSP) expert Dana Massie to its team as an SoC Audio Architect. Massie has over 30 years of extensive experience working with DSP hardware and software architecture with high-profile companies such as Audience and Waves, as well as prior brief stints at Apple and NeXT. While at Audience for the past nine years, Massie was the Director of DSP chip architecture, focused on developing "the most advanced audio processing algorithms available for speech enhancement." Massie also formerly worked at Apple starting in 2002 as the manager of audio hardware. In his year-long stint, Massie was responsible for the audio input/output system on Apple desktops and notebooks. Apple and Audience have a history of working together, with Apple licensing Audience's voice processing technology to use in its iPhone 4 and 4s. The Cupertino company used a standalone voice processing chip from Audience in the iPhone 4 and opted to incorporate this signal processing functionality directly into the A5 chip used in the iPhone 4s. Audience's earSmart noise cancellation technology was a key component powering Siri in the iPhone 4s. Massie joined Apple this month as an SoC Audio Architect following a six-week sabbatical upon leaving Audience. It's unclear what his exact duties at Apple will involve, as Massie not surprisingly only says he will work on "audio stuff" in his LinkedIn profile. Given his work history, Massie may be tasked with improving either voice recognition technology or audio quality in upcoming Apple hardware. Massie joins other audio pioneers employed by Apple in recent years. The growing list includes Audio expert Peter Eastty of Oxford Digital Limited who was hired earlier this year and THX pioneer Tomlinson Holman who joined Apple in 2011. Source Apple Continues Beefing Up Digital Audio Expertise by Hiring Dana Massie From Audience - Mac Rumors