SubPac

SubPac

Wearable audio tech delivering bass vibrations

Overview

Subpac designs wearable audio hardware that lets users physically feel bass frequencies to deepen their listening experience. Its flagship product, the Subpac X1, is a vest-like or backpack-style device that rests against the body and converts audio signals into vibrations you can feel, typically routed through the C1 Box and a companion app. This makes bass and low-end content tangible beyond traditional speakers or headphones. The system pairs with existing audio sources and software so creators and music lovers can experience immersive sound in a hands-on way. Compared with typical audio gear, Subpac emphasizes tactile feedback as a core feature and offers a complete ecosystem (hardware, a control box, and an app) sold directly to professionals and consumers, with limited-release drops that create urgency. Its goal is to change how people relate to sound by enabling physical sensation from music, with potential benefits for emotional, physical, and mental well-being.

About SubPac

Simplify's Rating
Why SubPac is rated
C-
Rated C on Competitive Edge
Rated C on Growth Potential
Rated D+ on Differentiation

Industries

Hardware

Consumer Software

Consumer Goods

Entertainment

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$6M

Headquarters

Palo Alto, California

Founded

2013

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Subpac posted Phase 3 reservations in July 2026, showing continued customer interest.
  • The 2026 Subpac Automotive site keeps JLR visible, supporting premium-car licensing opportunities.
  • Subpac’s limited-run model creates scarcity pricing and inventory discipline for a cash-constrained hardware business.

What critics are saying

  • Subpac’s 2026 website still sells reservations, signaling tiny volume and weak repeat demand.
  • The company relies on a single hardware category; a failed X1 cycle crushes revenue.
  • Sony, Apple, and automotive OEMs can integrate competing haptics, commoditizing Subpac by 2027.

What makes SubPac unique

  • Subpac’s X1 translates bass into body vibrations, not speaker-only playback, per 2026 site.
  • JLR’s 2023 Body and Soul Seat used Subpac tactile audio in Range Rover Sport.
  • Subpac targets creators and automotive, where tactile monitoring is harder to replicate than headphones.

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Funding

Total Funding

$6M

Below

Industry Average

Funded Over

1 Rounds

Series A funding typically happens when a startup has a product and some customers, and now needs funding to scale. This money is usually used to grow the team, expand marketing, and improve the product. Venture capital firms are frequently the main investors here.
Series A Funding Comparison
Below Average

Industry standards

$15M
$6M
SubPac
$8.2M
Discord
$15M
Canva
$30M
Kalshi

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-8%

1 year growth

-15%

2 year growth

-8%
Coventry University
Oct 19th, 2023
Coventry University and JLR collaborate to create innovative car seat which can help relax drivers in a heart...beat

JLR and tactile audio industry leaders SUBPAC, who are used by the world's top recording artists, collaborated with staff and students from the National Transport Design Centre and the School of Media and Performing Arts at Coventry University to develop the Body and Soul Seat (BASS).

PR Newswire
May 31st, 2023
Subpac And Jlr Partner To Bring A New Dimension Of Sound To Drivers

SUBPAC joins forces with JLR for first-of-its-kind Body and Soul Seat (BASS)in New Range Rover Sport SV EDITION ONELOS ANGELES, May 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SUBPAC , the industry-leading tactile audio company that brings reference-quality low frequency monitoring solutions to audio production, has partnered with modern luxury automotive business JLR for the company's first venture in taking the studio to the street. SUBPAC has continually pushed the boundaries in music production by creating the most advanced studio-grade solutions used by some of music's top creators. Now, SUBPAC technology is incorporated into the New Range Rover Sport SV EDITION ONE's Body and Soul Seat (BASS) system, a high-fidelity, tactile audio experience, complete with wellness benefits.New Range Rover Sport SV EDITION ONE’s Body and Soul Seat (BASS) system by SUBPACTogether SUBPAC and JLR are revolutionizing the in-vehicle audio experience with a whole new approach to sound, allowing front-seat occupants to actually feel the music. The new Body and Soul Seat (BASS) incorporates SUBPAC's AI optimizing software. This technology, coupled with transducers and membranes, delivers high fidelity audio vibrations directly to the driver and passengers. New Range Rover Sport SV's Body and Soul Seat revolutionizes the way in-car media is experienced

SUBPAC
Mar 22nd, 2022
SUBPAC, Inc. receives award NAMM Tec awards and CES Innovation awards

SUBPAC, Inc. has won NAMM Tec awards and CES Innovation awards along with 10 others and there are very few companies globally who have been innovative in both of these worlds.

SUBPAC
Sep 29th, 2021
SubPac, Inc. launches Immersed Digital event: Sound Environment

SubPac, Inc. is excited to announce its newest Immersed Digital event: Sound Environment.

MusicTech
Aug 28th, 2021
SubPac, Inc. partners with Sonarworks

Subpac, the maker of wearable, haptic subs, has teamed up with audio software company Sonarworks to integrate the latter’s SoundID Reference into Subpac products.

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