Does Feeling Your Music Make It Sound Better? We Put the Basslet to the Test

Basslet is an unusual piece of wearable technology that lets you feel your music as you listen to it. But does that actually make music sound better?

To find out, I wore the Basslet for a month. Here are my findings.

So what exactly is Basslet? Well, it looks a bit like a sleek black watch, but instead of a clock face, it's got a flat, boxy shape on the top. Of course, this box isn't just for looks—it's actually a tiny silent subwoofer that reverberates on your wrist to the sound of whatever you're listening to.

These pulses are meant to replicate what it's like to feel bass moving through your body at a concert or when you're blasting music in your car without the side effect of blowing out your eardrums. In my opinion, it delivers. The vibrations in the Basslet have always felt precise and completely kept up with the pace of my music (and YouTube videos and video games and everything else).

But don't be fooled—the Basslet doesn't make any sound on its own. It's merely a physical complement to the music. This is nice, since it won't annoy anyone around you, but it also means that, your music isn't going to technically "sound" any better.

Still, I do believe that the Basslet does change the quality of the listening experience for the better. Wearing the Basslet, I found myself frequently getting goosebumps listening to tracks I've heard hundreds of times. Maybe it's a coincidence, but it does feel like the Basslet enhanced the sound overall.

It also made playing video games way more immersive. Rumble packs for games have been around for about 20 years now, but feeling vibrations beyond the controller is pretty special. I particularly like that it can also clue you in to subtle sound changes, so you feel that something is happening in the game before your other senses have time to notice.

The way it works is also interesting. Before I received my Basslet, I assumed it would utilize Bluetooth, but when I opened the box I understood why that wasn't the case. The Basslet's sender is critical to its use. To use the Basslet, you need to plug the sender into the headphone jack on your device, then plug your headphones into the sender. Then, once the Basslet is turned on, it's ready to start pulsing.

You also charge the Basslet through the sender. The two connect magnetically, so when you charge one, you can charge them both at the same time.

Though it would eventually be cool for Basslet to utilize Bluetooth (it's currently not compatible with wireless headphones) I think the way it works now is just fine.

I also enjoyed using Basslet for applications I'm guessing the creators didn't anticipate. Plugged into my phone, the Basslet silently alerted me to calls and texts I was receiving, even when my headphones weren't on. You can even unplug the headphones entirely from the sender if you just want to feel the vibrations.

Overall, I think Basslet is a really fun gadget, but it would be hard to call it essential. At $199, it might be on the expensive side for people who don't consider themselves major audiophiles. But if you're a music-lover looking for something that looks awesome on your wrist and will add an extra kick to your listening experiences, we can't recommend it more. You can grab your own here.

 

Love gadgets that are adorable and innovative? Click HERE to learn more about the incredibly cute Lofree mechanical keyboard.