Every once in a while, a new Kickstarter project goes under the spotlight for promising to achieve something that has never been achieved before. Sometimes these ambitious projects prove to be quite successful, while other times they simply fall flat on their face. The Kickstarter project we are about to discuss in greater detail is known as The Basslet, and needless to say, it has yet to prove itself. Although the first Basslet prototype was built in 2014, the project was first launched on Kickstarter earlier this month and has already topped the goal of €50,000 with 20 days to go. What is it, exactly? Well, the Basslet is simply described as “the world’s first watch-size subwoofer for your body”, and comes in the form of a wrist device.
At first glance, the Basslet looks an awful lot like a square smartwatch similar to the Sony Smartwatch 2, or a square fitness tracker without a display. But don’t let the way the device looks deceive you because the Basslet is anything but a conventional smart device for your wrist. What it is, according to its creator, is “a masterpiece of engineering”. Hardware wise it incorporates a so-called LeSound engine, which is a proprietary haptic engine developed for the sole purpose of reproducing the full bass spectrum (10-250 Hz) “with maximum precision”. The haptic engine occupies roughly half the area inside the Basslet’s chassis, with the other half accommodating a battery rated for up to 6 hours of usage, and a small circuit board. The Basslet works hand-in-hand with a “Sender” unit that connects in-between your music playback player – be it a smartphone, laptop, dedicated music player etc. – and your headphones. The Sender sends information to the Basslet, and the Basslet uses that information to recreate lower frequencies (bass line, drums and so on) in very accurate physical vibrations. It may sound gimmicky but apparently the effect this has on the listener is much more powerful and surprising. Basically, the Basslet’s creators say that the gadget was designed to recreate the “physical experience of music” and “the energy” you would get in clubs or at a concert when listening to music on large speakers. It is, after all, a “watch-size subwoofer for your body” according to the Kickstarter page. But of course, without experiencing the Basslet first hand, it’s very much impossible to determine whether or not the product delivers on its promises. Either way, it’s worth noting that the product is not targeted only at audiophiles, but at music creators and gaming enthusiasts alike.
The Basslet had a Kickstarter goal of €50,000, but so far backers around the world have managed to pledge a total of over €335,000, which should very much secure the product’s launch. Unfortunately, the “Super Early Bird” and “Early Bird” pledges have already been covered, but prospective backers can still pledge €139 or more in order to reserve their Basslet at a discounted price. The product has an estimated delivery date of December 2016, and the retail package contains the Basslet, a microUSB charging cable, an additional strap, and the Sender which also acts as a charger for the unit powering the Basslet.
