Brainwavz AP001 Portable Headphone Amplifier

I got this little amp for very cheap and wasn't having any big attempt.
First time I try it it was with my Grado 325 and Ibasso Dx90 and to be honnest it sound quite good, the little push was just enough to give them more air and warmth. Anyway, I fastly discover the limits of this little amp because it make distortion time to time depending of the type of music you play. Because of the clumsy bass boost things can got ugly. When the music suit it's irreversible bassy style, the AP001 can make shine some headphones I guess, but not in a trustworthy way. As they weren't able to drive my Fostex Tr-40 rp (distortion) and Sennheiser HD-480 (100ohm), i'm really not sure it will drive 150 ohm headphones as it clame.
 
I already have a Fiio E7 that still do well and other amps sources so the need wasn't really there too. The Fiio E7 do not have the distortion problem and drive headphones of higher impendance too. COmparing both, it is clear the the Fiio E7 is way better and clearer, it's like comparaing Hifi to Lowfi, yes, I dare to say the Brainwavz AP001 sound like a cheap no-name amp because it is NOT properly fonctional an can make your gear sound WORSE than without the amping. Finally, with further test, the distortion problem occur too with the Grado Sr325, it is not just the bass that make it distort but the high too, both bottom of the frequencies range is know to be hard to drive fully and this is why we need portable amp for portable player, the 120% more power that give the AP001 is an amateurish one and it caricature the overall sound perception with clumsy OP amp.
 
Still, the ultra light portability make the Brainwavz Ap001 interesting in some way and as I said, it-can-sound-good.
The construction is plastic and metal, quite solid but don't step on it. The battery life is supposed to be up to 12h wich is alot.
 
In conclusion, I think this Brainwavz AP001 Amp have potential and can be improved but for now it is easily beated in sound quality and trustability by others amp brands.
 
I do not suggest you to buy it, grab the Fiio E6 instead.

my first amp was the fiio e11. it was a high quality product but the bass effect wasn't enough for me. of course it was helping with the bass by reducing distortions on high volume levels but ap001 felt different to me. it's not a miracle device but you feel like you're getting all of the bass you can get from a little amplifier, undoubtfully (when used with a matching, easy to drive phones like koss kdx200).
 
i recently used fiio's e06, e11k & e12 but still couldn't able to get the same bass taste on the ap001. i don't know if my ears are fooled me but ap001's deep bass (30-60hz) was really felt a little fuller (especially when used with koss kdx200, the deep bass monster).
 
probably due to that dual output thing, it does not provides enough improvement to a single extremely power hungry devices like havi b3 pro I or brainwavz r3 or even devices like r1 (which has moderate needs). on the other hand, fiio e06 which is a similar small & cheap device, helps a lot to anything you throw on it. i tried to power both koss kdx200 and brainwavz s1 (this two are already very easy to drive earphones) with ap001 and that worked very well.
 
by the way, both e06 & ap001 produces a lot of signal noise when used while charging, but i think e06 is slightly worse because it ruined some songs i've tried. e11k is certainly better on this but pricier at the same time...
 
another concern of mine about the functionality of the device is, automatic on/off thing. it was opening itself when plugged into a powered sound source but not closing itself when there's was no song playing at all. for it to close itself, you need to shot down your sound source or unplug the cord. i was expecting something more complex. maybe i was expecting too much ?
 
here's the conclusion:
 
* it's not good for powering a single power hungry device, you should use e06 or something instead
* it's enough for powering 2 easy to drive devices simultaneously without showing any weakness
* it's deep bass boost is better than if not equal to what fiio offers
* i didn't felt any easy to notice difference in sound quality between ap001 & e06, e11, e11k and e12
 
note: this device carries a significant amount (~6 db) of ~125hz strong bass amplification by default (this has nothing to do with the 30-60hz deep bass feel i mentioned) i posted an explanation about this in the forum thread, here's the link: http://www.head-fi.org/t/735914/brainwavz-new-portable-headphone-amplifier-ap001/285#post_11088747
 
note 2: you do not need to worry and change your buying decision because of it's always on 125hz boost. if you do not want any bass boost, just use your equalizer setting and lower the frequency/frequencies near to ~125hz and you'll be fine.
 
note 3: i'm using old computer sound cards and especially audigy 2 zs when testing, which has a similar output power to the well known sansa clip series.

AP001 is a battery powered headphone out splitter and amplificator. The first amp that Brainwavz have ever produced (as far as I know). It has a relatively cheap price around 29 USD.
 
 
There are many amplification solutions on the market now for headphones and iem's. I sometimes tend to choose a smaller amp over a large one while I am on a trip or outside the home. So I need enough volume with good sound quality. But battery life is also very very important. When I started to evaluate the Brainwavz AP001 from this perspective it has some pros and cons.
 
Before getting on the review (pros/cons) I have to mention: Anyone who needs bass boost with a tight budget and who needs an headphone out splitter can consider the AP001 without many questions in mind. It ticks the boxes of the "bolded" parts very nicely.
 
 
Pros:
Small, lightweight, can be charged from any 5V adapter or a computer USB port (via the included micro USB cable). Groove on the body can be used for winding up an iem cable. Relatively cheap price. Auto ON and OFF feature. Double headphone out feature. Adds same volume level to the both headphone outs. Seems like that adding 2 iems to the headphone outs doesn't effect the battery life. Adding the second iem after the first one doesn't lower the volume output. Boosts the bass and adds more body to the sound (If you need more bass from your HP or iem you can consider the AP001). Clarity is nice for the price range but not perfect. Low distortion level.
 
Cons:
No volume control. Bass boost effect is always ON and can't be turned off. Adds some coloration to the sound. Slightly narrows the sound-stage. Not as transparent as the Topping NX1 but better than E5's transparency. According to my tests around 8-9 h of batter life. Back of the unit easily scratches. Collects EMI like crazy. Can't be used with or near an active cell phone (or anything produces EMI). Adds only about 8-9 dB of extra volume to my Havi B3 Pro1 iem (out of a Sansa Fuze).
 
EDIT: Can be used while charging.
 
 
On the below I provide information with photos, for Conclusion go to bottom of the page:
 
Unit itself (back of the box)

 
 
Features and Specs (according to Brainwavz web site and the back of the box):
 

1. OP AMP for powerful and clean volume, with bass enhancer
2. Stereo line in and dual stereo line out
3. No degradation of low or high frequency response
4. Supports 16 ohm - 150 ohm earphone & headphones
5. Built in 120 mAh rechargeable battery, provides 12 hours of continuous usage
6. Automatically defects audio to power on and off.
7. Playback: 12+ Hours on full charge

1. Charging interface: Micro USB Port
2. Input: 1 Line in, works with any 3.5mm audio plug from audio source (line in cable included)
3. Output: 2 audio out, works with any 3.5mm audio plug
4. Frequency Response: 10Hz - 100 kHz
5. Suitable Headphone Impedance: 16 ohms - 150 ohms
6. Build-in Rechargeable Battery: 120 mAh
7. Dimension & Weight: 38 x 38 x 12.7mm - 15.5g
8. 1 Year Warranty

 
 
Side view of the box (note 12 months guarantee)

 
 
Other side of the box

 
 
I like these special box stickers.
They allow you to know if someone opened the box before you

 
 
Front of the box

 
 
Inside of the box

 
 
Very small and lightweight splitter/amp
(note the front has a nylon cover to eliminate scratches during packing)

 
 
After removing the nylon cover surface is very clear
(but there were a narrow glue residue on the bottom of the faceplate, can bee seen on some photos)

 
 
Faceplate looks great but the back of the unit already did have scratches.
No shielding for preventing EMI. This limits its use with cell phones.

 
 
Double headphone out (3.5mm stereo jacks) on one side

 
 
There were no explanations on the box but I think this groove
is for winding cable of your headphone/iem

 
 
Line in (accepts 3.5mm jacks, plugging in a source doesn't
turn the unit to ON position but playing music does, nice feature)

 
 
Very common micro USB port for charging. A welcome feature.
Unit plays while charging. But you have wait for a little to get it start
(I believe the battery inside collects some voltage at that period).

 
 
Back of the unit has a shiny black surface which easily scratches.

 
 
Accessories are a very short and cheap (about 10cm) 3.5mm to 3.5mm
stereo mini jack (no gold plating) and a very nice, shielded 28 AWG micro
USB charging cable (about 15-20cm). I wish the mini cable were a little
better quality. But can't complain at the price point... On the bottom you
can see the line in and on the top there are two headphone outs.

 
 
Connected to my LG G3. Havi B3 Pro1 is plugged in as an iem.

 
 
Unit turns itself to ON position when you hit the play button and
nice blue led start to glow inside which shows the unit is ON position.

 
 
From another angle you can see the led inside better...

 
 
The groove on the body of this splitter/amp can be used for winding an iem cable.
Fat cables are not so good for winding up BTW.

 
 
When you plug the micro USB cable unit starts to charge and
an orange led starts to glow inside.Unit can be used while charging.

 
 
Connected to my Sansa Fuze. You can see that the AP001 is very small.

 
 
Conclusion: 
 
If you need an amplification solution to share your music out of your portable audio player and don't want to hurt your pocket, this one may be the thing what you're looking for. Especially "couples", think of this device as a lovely gift. Because of the two headphone out feature, you can listen to your famous tracks with your partner
 
If you need pure HiFi audio quality and very long battery life without EMI then AP001 is not for you. Because AP001 is not intended for those people in mind (IMO). Price point also speaks for it...
 
From my perspective, it can be a great gift (budget but effective) for "couples/lovers" and also bass heads
 
 
 
Acknowledgements:
Thanks for Audrey from Brainwavz for sending me this AP001 review unit!