If high-resolution music wasn’t on anyone’s mind last year, it sure will be this year with the onslaught of products aimed directly at the seemingly growing market, like the Pono Music Player and Sprout. It’s a great idea. Who wouldn’t want music to sound its absolute best? However, audio quality requires costly equipment to get the best sound.
This is doubly true for smartphones as none have the capability to do just that, leaving music lacking oomph even with the best quality headphone connected. The HiFi-Skyn wants to outfit all those sorry iPhone 5s, 5Ss, 6s, and iPod Touch 5Gs with the proper equipment. The product is a combination polycarbonate phone case, 12-hour spare battery, and high resolution amplifier. The amplifier routes all audio through proprietary technology and turns it into a powerful, clear signal a range of headphones can really take advantage of. A switch customizes the product to certain, popular headphones on the market to make the most important thing nothing but the music.
Unfortunately, the product’s ergonomics are a bit awkward-looking. Early birds can grab the product for $199, $200 off its expected retail price. A successful $12,000 Indiegogo campaign will have the product shipped by March 2015.
Even though audio technology has taken leaps and bounds over the past half-century, it seems to move more towards convenience and away from the pure listening experience. Audiophiles are all too commonly putting on their boxy retro headphones and dropping the needle on a vinyl record to get the sound they want. 
The patented