Thump, rumble, and roll with BackBeat's wearable subwoofer
If you’re reading this, you already know that bass isn’t just a frequency and a sound: It’s also a sensation. There’s nothing quite like standing in front of a big-ass amp and letting the sound rattle your bones and fill your soul. In-ear monitors may be better for the sound guy and the rest of the band, but if you’ve grown accustomed to really feeling the bass, IEMs don’t even come close.
Which is why the BackBeat G2, a compact, wearable subwoofer that attaches to your strap and vibrates with every note you play, sounds like a dream. For those of us who have to stay at low volume (or use only in-ear monitors), the BackBeat promises to restore punch and bottom to what can be an otherwise anemic experience. With help from a couple other testers, I took it through its paces to see whether it lived up to the hype.
How It Sounds
The first moment I turned on the BackBeat, plugged in my bass, and felt it vibrate, I was in heaven. Playing bass with the G2 on my strap gave me a feeling I hadn’t known I was missing. It made me listen differently, too—I found myself exploring note length and noticing how each octave vibrated differently. Even without headphones, playing while watching TV was suddenly a whole new experience, and when I did plug in earbuds, I noticed that my tone was all there.
I prepped for a string of gigs with an indie-rock band on a 30″-scale, small-bodied SX bass. The 4-string was easy on my shoulder, but I missed the presence of a bigger, heavier instrument. The G2 filled in the blanks. At home, I plugged in my phone to play along with tracks; I used it during rehearsal to keep me consistent on unfamiliar backline; and I used it as a headphone amp for backstage warmups. Now if it only had a tuner!
At a backyard birthday party gig with a 1984 Yamaha BB2000, Epifani Piccolo 600 head, and Bergantino HT112 1×12, the BackBeat helped me feel the pulse despite wearing earplugs, playing at a low volume, watching the bandleader, stepping on effects, and reading charts. At another quiet outdoor gig/video shoot, I used the G2 with a 1962 P-Bass, a Mesa/Boogie Bass 800D head, and the Bergantino 1×12; the drummer played a stand-up cocktail kit, but even without a kick drum, I was connected to each low note. I felt like I had a secret weapon, and it made me grin.
In the interest of traveling light, I decided not to take the G2 to a 30-minute hotel gig with backline, but when I saw the tiny Fender Rumble 40 1×10 I’d be using, I couldn’t help wishing I’d brought the BackBeat.
What’s Hot
The BackBeat is easy to get around. The unit’s touchpad has LED indicators that make it a breeze to control volume and rumble level for bass and the AUX IN (Spotify, phone, IEM, whatever). When I talked to a couple players who used the BackBeat with IEMs, one told me that it allowed him to “get deeper in the pocket and lock in with drums even more.”
The G2, made of thermoplastic and boasting a rubber edge, feels solid and built to last. (Some folks might consider the 11-oz. unit heavy.) I love that it uses a common USB-C cable, the same one I use to charge my Android phone. The battery life depends on how strong you have the “rumble” set; on average, the unit lasts 3-5 hours between charges—one tester told me that his BackBeat lasted for an entire four-hour wedding gig. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery is standard and easily replaceable, but even after extensive use, the other two testers hadn’t needed to change the battery.
What’s Not
Although I didn’t find it a problem, one user spoke of experiencing the slightest bit of latency with the BackBeat; for him, the separation of the bass sound in his in-ears and the throb on his back was noticeable.
And then there are the cables. Using the BackBeat means plugging one cable into your bass and plugging another cable from the unit into your amp; if you’re using headphones and a phone to play along, or if you’re using effects, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by cables. For one tester—who plugged into the BackBeat with the Y-cable, ran another cable to his effects/DI, and then ran a third cable from his in-ears to his Aviom monitor—a wireless BackBeat would be a dream come true.
Although it can be awkward to turn the unit on and off while you’re wearing it, it does turn on easily enough that it got turned on by mistake in my gig bag. (I began bringing a charger to gigs, just in case.) Another tester wished it held its charge longer, especially when he had back-to-back gigs over the course of a weekend.
I attached it to my strap using the three strong “teeth,” which are ruthless, especially with a padded strap. On the plus side, you’ll never worry about it slipping off.
How It Compares
There are headphone amps and there are rumble boards you can stand on, but there’s nothing that does exactly what the BackBeat does.
If you’re ready for a full-body experience, bolting the ButtKicker LFE ($349) or something like the Dayton Audio BST-1 Bass Shaker ($60) to a platform can get the job done. On the high end are the Porter & Davies KT Concert Platform ($1,790) and the KT Platform ($1,580), as well as the Eich Bass Boards ($820 to $1,400).
When it comes to wearable haptic feedback, Woojer makes a strap ($99) and a vest ($299) for gamers. SubPac’s vests are more popular among musicians and DJ’s, but they’re rare.
If you look hard enough, you can find a used BackBeat G1, released in 2018, but the three-year-old G2 is sleeker, smaller, and lighter, and its USB charging port eliminates potential adaptor issues.
Buy This If…
•You use in-ears and miss feeling the bass
•You have to play quietly and you miss the bass
•You like the idea of a headphone amp/subwoofer combo and you never want to miss the bass
The BackBeat G2 might seem like a serious investment, but when it comes to price and portability, there’s nothing like it. It’s designed well and it delivers on its promises. Once you’ve experienced it, you won’t want to play without it.
Gear Name BackBeat
Price $399
By: E. E. Bradman
