The Amplifiear from BiteMyApple is a nifty little accessory that clips onto the corner of your iPad and boosts its sound output. It’s specifically moulded to amplify and direct the sound from your iPad’s speaker, and it promises to increase its volume by up to 10 decibels.
Category: Accessories
Works With: iPads 1-4
Price: $24.99
While the iPad’s speaker might not need amplifying in a quiet room, add background noise — such as a busy street or children playing — and it becomes hard to hear whatever it is you’re watching or playing. But by projecting your iPad’s sound towards you, the Amplifiear is designed to be “perfect for these conditions.”
The Amplifiear comes in six colors — black, white, red, green, blue, and orange — and is priced at just $24.99. Let’s find out whether it’s worth it.
The Good
I was skeptical at first, but believe it or not, the Amplifiear really does make a massive different to your iPad’s volume.
Rather than having sound come from the back or the bottom of your device, the Amplifiear makes it seem like it’s coming from the front — like it’s being thrown into your face. And this makes it noticeably louder.
I found the Amplifiear was great for listening to music. I used to hook my iPhone up to a cheap wireless speaker dock when cooking or just before jumping into the shower, but that meant messing around with pairing them both and charging batteries. But the iPad with the Amplifiear is plenty loud enough.
It’s also great for watching movies or TV shows. When we want the kids to be quiet at meal times, we stick the iPad in front of them with their favorite show, and the Amplifiear means they no longer complain about it being too quiet.
And it’s really simple to apply — you literally just clip it on — and it has a little foam sticker inside it that prevents your iPad’s aluminum from getting scratched. The foam stickers come in different sizes, so the Amplifiear fits all 9.7-inch iPads, with or without a case.
The Bad
The downside to the Amplifiear is that although it makes your iPad louder, it doesn’t improve its sound at all. So you get the same quality you always did, just louder. That’s not always a bad thing — the iPad doesn’t have the worst speaker in the world, and improving sound quality isn’t something we expect from this accessory anyway.
But what I’m getting at is that in certain cases it’s worth the effort connecting to a wireless speaker. In other cases — like watching movies in bed — you still can’t beat a pair of headphones.
It’s also worth noting that the Amplifiear isn’t compatible with the iPad mini, which is a massive shame.
The Verdict
The Amplifiear is a great little accessory that does a good job of boosting your iPad’s volume when you need it to be louder. It’s certainly not a replacement for a proper external speaker, but often times it’s a suitable, easier alternative. And at just $25, it’s nicely priced, too.
 Product Name: Amplifiear The Good: Boosts sound volume, easy to apply, no batteries. The Bad: Sometimes better to use a proper speaker, no iPad mini compatibility. The Verdict: Certainly worth carrying around in your bag for those times when you want your iPad to be louder, without worrying about external speakers. Buy from: BiteMyApple |
[rating=good]
