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Play that funky MP3--in 3D surround sound

Leslie Katz Former Culture Editor
Leslie Katz led a team that explored the intersection of tech and culture, plus all manner of awe-inspiring science, from space to AI and archaeology. When she's not smithing words, she's probably playing online word games, tending to her garden or referring to herself in the third person.
Credentials
  • Third place film critic, 2021 LA Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards
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Leslie Katz

If you buy all the recent talk of , you kinda got to wonder whether constantly blaring those tunes through your earbuds in amplified 3D surround sound could exacerbate that potential complication.

Boostaroo Revolution
Credit: UpBeat Audio
A Booster Revolution hooked
into a Creative Zen MP3 player

Aural concerns aside, sometimes you just want to crank that Nine Inch Nails way up. UpBeat Audio's new Boostaroo Revolution aims to overcome the low volume and flat-sound problems sometimes associated with listening to digital music and movies on portable players. The 6 ounce, pocket-size audio amplifier and two-way splitter drives high-end headphones or mini-speakers, quadruples (yep, quadruples) their volume and images high-definition three-channel surround sound.

The Revolution powers any portable player with a headphone jack, including all iPods and other MP3 players, DVD, CD and satellite radio players, laptops, Pocket PCs, handheld video games and motorcycle intercom gear. A tab and mounting hole allows users to attach the gadget to a belt or key chain or wear it around their neck.

The product, which retails for $79.95, is available now online and should hit the shelves later this month at Dr. Bott, ThinkGeek, effiliate.com, Airport Wireless, In Motion, AltiTunes, and Hedonics in Canada. Initial units feature the same high-gloss white plastic housing that iPods sport. Units in black, silver and a black/silver combination should appear on store shelves in time for the holidays.