Drown Tactile Earphones Review

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Key Features

Acoustic Seals – Silicone seals fit comfortably to deliver a perfectly shaped audio wave.
Passive Noise Isolation – The snug fit helps feed sound directly into your ear while blocking out environmental noise. The better the fit, the more outside noise will be blocked.
Bass – Drown’s bass is deep without overwhelming the higher frequencies. The best of both worlds for the most authentic sound.
Graphene Driver – Drown uses a high-quality graphene dynamic driver. Dynamic drivers move more air, create more vibration, and deliver deeper bass. Our 14.8mm driver is precisely positioned to transfer vibration to nerves in the outer ear.
Wired for lag–free gaming – Wired headphones (with high-quality wires) give the best possible acoustic signal and eliminate lag for the highest quality gaming experience.
Detachable Boom Mic
USB-C Detachable Audio cable
Kevlar Coated Audio Cable

What’s In The Box?

The product itself is presented very smartly. Inside the box, you get the earphones, 4 sets of different sized seals, a detachable boom microphone, and a very neat case.

A Game Changer?

There are so many high-quality gaming headsets/earphones in the market that it must be hard to stand out from the crowd. Making the claim of being “game-changing” is a very bold claim to make. This is precisely what Scottish-based Drown Audio did.

I first heard about Drown after a fellow website owner, Kieran of Nintendad, popped up on my Twitter timeline, having used the earphones at Gamescom 2019. After doing some more digging and reading, and watching people’s reactions, I knew that I had to get my hands on a pair.

Fast forward to June 2020, and after many delays which were caused by issues out of Drown’s hands, a pair arrived at Rapid Reviews HQ.

I’ve been using the Drown Tactile Earphones for a few weeks now, and they have quickly become my earphones of choice. Read on to find out why.

Tactile Tactics

I’m not even going to pretend to understand the science behind the Drown Tactile Earphones. I’ll leave that to the team at Drown to explain in the video above. All I will say is that from the very first moment I tried the earphones on, I noticed a difference. The Drown team sum it up perfectly with their three keywords of; precision, immersion and connection.

A Forza For Good

The first game that made me sit back and say “wow” was Forza Horizon 4. Wearing the Drown Tactile Earphones makes the experience of driving the fastest cars on earth even more “real”. From the roar of the engine when accelerating to pulling off a handbrake turn, all while listening to your favourite song, felt far more immersive.

I was so blown away in fact, that I had to try two or three other headsets to check that I was hearing what I was hearing. The difference between a regular over the ear headset and the Drown Tactile Earphones is night and day.

Another game where the Drown Tactile Earphones show off the clarity in sound is Call of Duty Modern Warfare.

Thanks to the clarity of sound the earphones produce, I have been able to improve my kill/death ratio on Team Deathmatch. This was mainly because I was able to hear footsteps, and locate the direction of approaching enemies, with far more precision than I have been able to with any other headset before.

The sounds of war: bullets zipping through the air, bombs and grenades exploding, all sound as close to what I imagine the horrific realities of war sound like, and made me feel as close as I ever want to get to the real thing.

Not Just Games

Gaming is where the Drown Tactile Earphones genuinely shine. However, I have also used them to listen to music, podcasts, movies, and live sport. Music sounds fantastic with these earphones, and I was able to pick out details that I’d never been able to do. “Don’t Be so Serious” by Low Roar, and the Halo 3 soundtrack were particular highlights. When listening to podcasts, it felt like I was in the room with the hosts.

In terms of watching live sport, it has been an odd situation for fans at the moment with empty stadiums, and the option of listening with fake crowd noises or natural sound. Using the Drown earphones to watch live football has been an engaging, immersive experience. I was able to hear the thud when the ball was kicked, and the shouts, and occasional swears, from the players. I felt like I was there, alongside the players and the managers. I can’t wait to experience a full stadium with these earphones!

I’ve also used the earphones, with the microphone attached, during many Zoom meetings with colleagues. When I asked my workmates for feedback on my voice, they said that it was very clear.

Issues and Concerns

I only had a couple of tiny issues with the Drown earphones. The first was the seals themselves. It took me a while to trust that I had the correct size. At one point, I had a different sized seal in each ear. The Drown team are already addressing the seals, and are creating a softer, more moldable seal.

The second concern, which might turn out to be completely unfounded, is that I worry that folding the pliable wire over and over again will cause a tear.

Seal Of Approval

The Drown Tactile Earphones live up to the hype. It’s hard to justify the earphones in words. You have to try them on to experience them in all their glory. Normal headsets let you hear sound, the Drown Tactile Earphones make you feel the sound with precision, immersion and connection.

Rapid Reviews Rating

If you do want to experience them, and I strongly urge you to, as a fan of Rapid Reviews, we’ve got your back. If you apply the code ‘rapid reviews’ when checking out, you will receive a 10% discount. https://drownaudio.com/