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Frequently asked questions about the Boostaroo® brand of portable headphone amplifiers and splitters.
If you have a question that you don't see listed here, please feel free to Contact Us and we'll get back to you right away. Scan the list of questions and click on any question to go directly to the answer. Or, scroll down the questions list and read all the answers as you go down the page.
- How much gain can I expect from the Original Boostaroo with my portable audio player?
- How does the Boostaroo help produce better sound?
- How can I get even more gain with the Boostaroo?
- Is it true that a Boostaroo can prolong the battery life of my portable player?
- Is there any difference in the output when more than one set of headphones are plugged in the Boostaroo?
- The Boostaroo does not have a volume control. Why?
- My life is active; how can I carry the Boostaroo around with everything else?
- Can I use a Boostaroo with my computer?
- I don't get much increase from my high-end audiophile headphones with the original Boostaroo. How come?
- Any other great products on the way?
- What is the strangest place the Boostaroo is used?
- What else can I use my Boostaroo for, other than my MP3 player?
- What's the best way of putting in the batteries and how do I know which way they fit?
- What is a AAAA Battery? Where can I find them?
- What is the difference between the Original Boostaroo and the Boostaroo Revolution?
- How does the Boostaroo Revolution produce surround sound to regular headphones?
- Can you recommend a good set headphones for the Original Boostaroo, or Boostaroo Revolution?
- What is a headphone amplifier?
- I'm having trouble opening the battery door on the Boostaroo Revolution. How can I easily get it open?
- Why am I hearing noises when I plug my AC/USB Boostaroo into my PC? Is my unit defective?
- Will an amplifier damage my hearing?
- How can I tell what my cost of shipping will be?
- Can I hard wire the 12 Volt Powered Boostaroo Revolution to my bike?
How much gain can I expect from the Original Boostaroo with my portable audio player?
The Original Boostaroo will provide your headphones with a 12dB increase at optimal transfer. The exact dB increase depends on the Ohm rating oh your headphones. For optimal results, we recommend not using headphones exceeding 32 Ohms. Please use the reference chart below.
- Into 8 ohm headphones - approximately 40 mW per channel, 12 dB gain in sound per channel. Or 100% boost in volume
- Into 16 ohm headphones, approximately 32.5 mW per channel, 12 dB gain in sound per channel
- Into 25 ohm headphones: approximately 28.5 mW per channel, 11.1 dB gain in sound per channel
- Into 32 ohm headphones: approximately 23.7 mW per channel, 10.9 dB gain in sound per channel
How does the Boostaroo help produce better sound?
Audio players start to generate distortion, when you have to increase the volume to max or near max just to hear them. This occurs as most audio drivers in portable players are not properly designed to produce clean audio at high volume levels. The higher the volume level, the greater the distortion. By using the Boostaroo, you can
leave the volume of your player at a lower level thereby reducing distortion and even increasing the battery life of your audio player. The Boostaroo makes less expensive headphones sound much better as well as the improving the driver performance of more powerful headphones.
How can I get even more gain with the Boostaroo?
There is no real way to get more gain out of a single Boostaroo Amplifier. We do sell a higher gain amplifier model that is twice as powerful as the Original Boostaroo. It's called, The Boostaroo Revolution Optionally, you can also daisy chain one or two Boostaroo Amplifiers together. This will provide you with a significant volume increase.
Is it true that a Boostaroo can prolong the battery life of my portable player?
It's a fact. Let's consider how a typical MP3 player works. In a MP3 player, at
least 70 percent of the battery power goes to running circuitry that produces the audio output for you to listen. As the battery power is drained. The audio signal is the first thing that diminishes.
When this happens, you have to crank up the volume
to make up for that loss, and then audio quality becomes more distorted. However, turning up the volume on your player also drains the batteries faster. It's a vicious cycle.
Our Boostaroo products let you leave the volume lower on your audio player, so less battery power is needed from the player to drive your audio. Under the correct conditions, you almost double the battery life of your player by using a Boostaroo.
Green Tip: The Boostaroo is a low power drain device. You can put used batteries from high power drain devices in the Boostaroo. There is plenty of life in them to run the Boostaroo. That's just another way you can save money and recycle with the Boostaroo.
Is there any difference in the output volume when more than one set of headphones are plugged in the Boostaroo?
No. There is uniform output based on 3 separate units each with our amplifier - it's like having 3 mini amplifiers in one package. The Boostaroo Revolution works the same, but has 2 available outputs.
The Boostaroo does not have a volume control. Why?
In most cases, you do not need an additional volume control. The volume can be controlled by the primary audio player.
My life is active; how can I carry the Boostaroo around with everything else?
Our Boostaroo portable amplifier products are about the size of a large pack of gum. So they easily fit your back-pack, shirt or pants pocket, or a purse. Our units are durable, you can sit on them, or even drop them, and they'll keep working.
Can I use a Boostaroo with my computer?
Absolutely! It's very simple to amplify the output of your computer's sound card. You just plug the Boostaroo into the output jack, usually identified as green, on your PC or laptop. Then plug your headphones and/or your speakers into Boostaroo. Our Boostaroo with a 3-foot cord makes it easier to connect to those hard to reach places. If you listen to a lot of audio on your PC, you'll appreciate the gain it gives.
How come I don't get much increase from my high-end headphones with the Original Boostaroo?
Well, high-end headphones traditionally have higher Ohm rating. The Original Boostaroo's dB output will decrease as the Ohm rating of your headphones increase. For higher-end headphones, we recommend purchasing The Boostaroo Revolution. The Revolution provides a more powerful output which will power headphones from 60-300 ohms.
Any other great products on the way?
Glad you asked! We are always working on something new. Feel free to join our product update mailing lists. We do not SPAM you, and we do not sell our lists. We only issue emails when a new product comes out, or if we are having a product special.
What is the strangest place the Boostaroo is used?
Believe it or not, Boostaroo has been used by U-2 pilots who listen to books on
tape while on long flights. And we've also heard from some sport fishermen who use them with their electronic fish finders to help them spot the big lunkers.
What else can I use my Boostaroo for, other than my MP3 player?
You can use a Boostaroo with portable CD and DVD players, GPS System, and Satellite Radios. Boostaroo also enhances TVs, race scanners, and motorcycle intercom systems. It's also used in a number of schools to triple the availability of listening stations in computer, music, and media labs.
What's the best way of putting in the batteries and how do I know which way they fit?
When you take the battery cover off, look in the bottom for the + and - markings, place one battery with the positive end in place, next take the negative end and place it into the opposite end. If you place the batteries in the wrong direction the Boostaroo won't work. Warning: Never place batteries improperly, or mix different batteries in an electronic device. The batteries may leak or explode.
What is a AAAA Battery? Where can I find them?
AAAA Batteries are a little smaller than a AAA Battery, but still provide the same amount of power and battery life. These batteries can be easily purchased at the following stores: Ace Hardware, Best Buy, CVS, Fred Meyer, Fry's, HEB, Kroger, Longs, Meijer, Menards, Radio Shack, Target, Tru Value, Walgreens
What is the difference between the Original Boostaroo and the Boostaroo Revolution?
The Original Boostaroo is an audio amplifier with a built in 3-channel splitter. The Boostaroo will double the available volume output of your audio player, with less than .3% harmonic distortion. The 3-channel splitter will allow you to connect up to 3 sets of headphones, or small speakers. The Boostaroo only has enough gain to power headphones up to 32 ohms without gain loss. The Boostaroo Revolution is a High Fidelity audio amplifier with a built in 2-channel splitter. The Revolution will quadruple the volume output of your audio player, with less than .3% harmonic distortion in headphones up to 600 ohm's. The High Fidelity sound is achieved by our proprietary circuitry that separates the audio signal. This allows you to hear high, midrange, and low audio signals much more clearly.
How does the Boostaroo Revolution produce surround sound through regular stereo headphones?
The Boostaroo Revolution's patent pending circuit is an adaptation of cross feed circuitry. A cross feed circuit combines parts of the left stereo channel and the right stereo channel. This combination of sound fields alters how your brain perceives what you are hearing. This will make the music seem to come from all around you, rather than just regular left and right. This effect is more apparent in higher grade headphones, and speakers.
Can you recommend a good set headphones for the Original Boostaroo, or Boostaroo Revolution?
There are a lot of different types of headphones out in the market. We recommend anything from Sony MDR-XD300's ($60), to BOSE Quiet Comfort II's ($300). Keep in mind, when choosing, that the Revolution is designed to power headphones 32 Ohms and greater. So try not to choose anything under 16 Ohms, otherwise the Revolution may overdrive them. One of our favorites are the Sony MDR-CD300's. They are well built 70 ohm headphones and only cost around $60 US. Click Here for a list of our recommendations.
What is a headphone amplifier?
A headphone amplifier, or headphone amp, is simply a small amplifier specifically designed to drive the miniature audio drivers inside headphones. Because headphones are often used in portable applications, many headphone amps are conveniently battery powered. Headphone amps can also be used in a work station or desktop setting where they sometimes act as a switch between various sound sources or as a pre-amp for powered desktop speakers. Dedicated headphone amps may also include USB connections for direct power use. Other dedicated headphone amps may use AC/DC power supplies as well.
I'm having trouble opening the battery door on the Boostaroo Revolution. How can I easily get it open?
We recommend using a small flat head screw driver or keys to open the battery door. Insert the screw driver or keys between the case and the lip of the battery cover; apply light pressure toward the center and pull straight up. The battery cover will pop open. Doing this a few times will allow the battery door to open freely. Please take caution when opening the battery door with sharp objects.
I am hearing noises when I plug my AC/USB Boostaroo into my PC. Is my unit defective?
The answer is no, your AC/USB Boostaroo isn't defective. What you are hearing is the transient noise that your PC produces naturally through oscillation of your power supply and the hard drive whine caused by its mechanical spin. These noises are much more common in older PC's, but a lot of newer PC's have noise filters built into the PC's USB ports, which eliminates these noises. If this problem is occurring, we recommend using the AC power supply for your Boostaroo instead of the USB cable. You will still be able to use the Boostaroo with your PC, and will not hear the unwanted noises.
Will an amplifier damage my hearing?
An amplifier has the potential of raising the decibels or (dB) of your audio to a point where you can damage your hearing. However, the purpose of an amplifier is not to harm you. An amplifier is a device created to provide enough power to allow an audio device to properly drive headphones or speakers. If used correctly, amplifiers can actually help prevent hearing loss. Through an audio amplifier, a user can achieve a higher quality audio signal at a lower volume level. This allows the user to better hear their audio with more clarity, detail, and fullness that would normally only be heard at higher volume levels through the audio device without using an amplifier.
How can I tell what my cost of shipping will be?
Our shipping rates are flat fees, based on the shipping destination of your order. Your available shipping options and rates will appear to you once the shipping destination form has been completed. International customers are responsible for all Value Added Taxes (VAT), customs, and brokerage fees that may apply.
Can I hard wire the 12 Volt Powered Boostaroo Revolution to my bike?
You can hard wire the 12 Volt Revolution to your bike by following these simple steps:
1. Remove the cigarette lighter head from the power cable.
2. Screw on a 1-5 amp inline fuse to the positive cable of the power cord. (This isn't completely necessary, but is recommended)
3. Connect the wire leads to the positive and negative leads on your accessories panel or wire harness.
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