Let’s start with practicality. This thing is unwieldy for use in the studio. As I mentioned, Unless Im a dunce and can't figure out how to properly configure the bluetooth connectivity, and my assumptions about bluetooth latency are incorrect, wireless usage is simply not practical for the average studio engineer on any level, unless you happen to be using your computers integrated or native soundcard. This means you now have an audio cable that is permanently wired to your chair, not to mention, while the unit does have a (non-user accessible) rechargeable battery housed in the control box, it nevertheless requires power at some point to recharge the battery, which may or may not occur when you're mixing, limiting your movement, or potentially requiring more cabling in the form of an extension cord. With respect to the rechargeable battery pack, battery life is quite good... for now. I don't have hard numbers on battery life, but I haven't had to recharge during any of my, often lengthy, mixing sessions. However, all rechargeable batteries lose charge retention over time, and there may come a time when the unit needs to be permanently plugged into its adapter, creating a mobility limiting trip hazard, ready to potentially destroy hundreds of dollars worth of gear or more, depending on exactly how clumsy or scatterbrained you are.

So far, I've been hyperaware of my new leash, and don't necessarily anticipate troubles with the unit, given my rigging and cable management, but you never know. Im sort of a genius when it comes to fouling things up that require attention to background hazards. Speaking background hazards, placing the control box is an inexact science, and if you happen to have a chair that lacks arm rests, prepare for regular control box migrations as you move about and potentially readjust the positioning of the unit itself on the chair.

This leads into the strapping system. There's probably no better way to firmly attach this thing to a relatively fixed location on a chair than the strapping system the unit makes use of, which is to say that it will probably work in most situations, but if you have a high backed chair, or a chair with an irregularly shaped back, prepare to get creative with keeping the thing in position.

So there's that. There's also the issue of build quality. The unit itself feels quite sturdy, however, I have no idea how long the transducers will continue to produce bass that feels accurate and focused, as listening to the device with the mains off, and no tactile pressure (i.e. not pressed up against the unit) reveals something of a distorted sound coming from the transducers. Something akin to what one would hear outside of a car outfitted with a serious sub system whose windows are closed and the bass is cranked. For the record, this rattling distortion is nearly undetectable at all but the lowest of playback volumes, and can be dialed back with either the output volume on your soundcard, or the intensity knob on the unit.

Sensible engineering dictates that you should design a product that is as difficult to destroy by the user as possible, but as we all know, output transducers have a finite range of tolerance and can be damaged, even by people who generally know their shit, and if there's one thing you can very seemingly do with the Subpac, it's turn the intensity up to eviscerating levels of bass response. I mean, not even kidding, you may very well be able to get someone to shit their pants while the unit shreds itself to pieces with the amount of intensity the unit can produce, merely with the intensity control on the unit itself. Reasonable usage seems to dictate the device should hold up to constant usage, but especially with regard to super deep bass work, I can only hope the internal parts used were of high quality.

Why would I suspect they're not? Well, because the control box itself is of decidedly NOT high quality material and feels for all the world like a rubberised Altoids box with some knobs on it and a few janky input ports. Further frustrating matters is the lack of a TRS input (but a Kensington lock slot… really?), requiring the usage of an 1/8th inch adapter, making the control box itself an even more cumbersome and generally delicate method of interfacing the product with professional audio gear.

If it was not ascertained before, I do not endorse the headphone amp on this wobbly piece of condom coated tin, and the audio it did pass through was the left channel only and sounded like refried ass. Furthermore, there is no independent volume control for the headphone output, which shouldn't necessarily be a problem for the casual user, or to simply readjust with the Subpac's intensity knob, but this then necessitates further level matching for the pro audio user with limited hardware output options who wants to switch between both headphone and mains mixing in the same sessions.

Final verdict

For all that is glaringly wrong with the Subpac, especially given its $370 USD price tag, I will impart this wisdom right here and now: I simply will not, by choice, mix without a Subpac ever again. I am even going to purchase a mobile unit so I can mix with it live. It is that fucking good. In a matter of hours, my mixes had improved dramatically, and over a period of days and compatibility checks on a variety of systems, I can tell that my mixes are continuing to improve dramatically. Issues I had with what seemed like an inability on my part to eq correctly, despite hours and hours of practical experience and ear training were resolved in a few short reference sessions with the Subpac against material with the desired bass frequency content, and some very intuitive correctional measures on the mixes that were deficient. Similarly, it has helped to reveal problem areas of bass buildup in my room, irrespective of the extensive room treatment I’ve applied to my room (which has helped immensely, but practicality prevents aggressive bass treatment addressing the lowest fundamental of the room, which still results in a significant misrepresentation of bass in my non-ideal, repurposed bedroom studio), and has massively reorganized my understanding of how bass sounds in a room I’ve been mixing in for the better part of half a decade.

Scientist and Cevin Key are both proponents of the Subpac, a fact which largely informed my purchase decision. Scientist said in a promotional video that he relies on the Subpac to mix bass now. I agree with him wholeheartedly, and he has access to well treated, professional studios, not mention, bass is kind of his thing. For the home studio producer, the Subpac is nothing short of a godsend.

If I had to come up with a tagline for them, it would be “Subpac – We won’t help you use it, or even print a manual that will, but you might as well throw it into your shopping cart with a decent pair of monitors and some room treatment.” If you made it this far, reward yourself with another Oreo and then buy a Subpac. Goodnight and good lulz.