Review : Enermax DreamBass Genie AP001

Enermax, a company that maufactures PSU's, has released it new DreamBass Genie AP001 Audio Amplifier. The DreamBass amplifier is a small plastic thing that looks like a old vacuum tube. it has a mic and a headphone jack located on the side as well  as a mini usb port on the bottom for attaching a "L" shaped mini usb to usb adapter, so it can stay upright when plugged into your laptop. The DreamBass Genie really helps improve the sound from your laptop without any drivers.

The DreamBass uses VIA's VT1620 audio chips to run your audio stream through a handful of post processing algorithems and backs it with a +6dB boost at 80Hz. Using the ClarityOne EB110 erabuds and sennheiser HD540 Reference gold's, I put the DreamBass Genie to the test. I used an older Acer netbook to test the DreamBass Genie because the only other two notebooks I had actually have decent sound cards (ASUS G53, MacBook Pro). The difference between the integrated audio on the Intel Atom processor and the DreamBass were shocking, The DreamBass provided alot more clarity and better lower ranges than the integrated audio. The bass is significantly richer and fuller than it was before, it also eliminated the "hollow" feeling that come with integrated audio. The DreamBass Genie doesn't change the highs a lot but the improved channel separation makes them cleaner.

We also tested the DreamBass Genie with several HD movies as well as games such as Despicable Me, Mission Impossible III, and Battlefield 3 (all obviously not done on the netbook). The difference was clear with all three of the tests. Although the ASUS G53 already had decent audio, the DreamBass proved far more superior sound than the netbook and more bass so it felt like the explosions were happening right in front of you, as opposed to in your el cheapo speakers. The DreamBass has support for all platforms such as Windows, MacOS, and Linux without any drivers. You can get really big sound from this tiny little device.

The Good:
-Small form factor
-Big sound
-Cheap
-No drivers needed
-Attractive

The Bad:
-N/A

The Enermax DreamBass Genie AP001 costs $ 29.99 and can be purchased from www.ecomastertek.com

Overall, I would rate this a 9.5/10

Martin Tam

Martin Tam is an editor and the Director of Video Production at [blank]’s Universe. He is also a technology enthusiast that particularly enjoys computers and photography. He enjoys breaking things and sleeping in his spare time.