Buttkicker or Alternate Brand??

[lamont360]

Hey guys,

I'm looking into getting a buttkicker or other type of bass shaker device. I will be using it on either 2 couches or 1 couch and 2 recliners. I don't want to spend too much money on this. But just for kicks what would your answers be to my "needs". Here are my questions:

1. Should I buy the buttkicker or the Aura Pro Bass Shakers?

http://www.amazon.com/Aura-Sound-Pro...0700813&sr=8-1

2. How many would I need for the desired seating?

3. What amp should I purchase to power the device?

Thanks for any help that you can give me.

[jlafrenz]

I haven't tried the Buttkickers, but I do have 4 of the Aura Bass Shakers on my couch. They seem to do the trick. I think they would be better if I could find a way to mount them on the back portion of the couch instead of just the bottom. I use the Audiosource AmpOne to power them. It works great because it has gain control on it so it can be adjusted to your liking. An old receiver would work too.

I would say at least one for each seat. I had two on my couch to start with and it just wasn't enough. (for my tastes anyway) That is what is nice about the gain adjustment on the amp.

[Fors*]

Buttkickers are more powerful, and you need only one to really get the type of vibration you want. The kit comes with everything you need. The amp is powerful, 2100 watts at 2 ohms, so the transducer that is included, which goes under or attached to the couch, really does the trick with the amp powering it. They are easy as hec to set-up and despite the price tag, I think they are the best "accessory" you can add to enhance the movie watching experience.

[lamont360]

thanks for your input guys. --- Fors*--- If my couch has legs that elevate the couch above the floor do I need to screw the buttkicker into the couch? Also how well does the low frequency filter work? I would like it to only accompany the largest explosions/moments in a movie or game.

Thanks

[philwell]

Originally Posted by lamont360

thanks for your input guys. --- Fors*--- If my couch has legs that elevate the couch above the floor do I need to screw the buttkicker into the couch? Also how well does the low frequency filter work? I would like it to only accompany the largest explosions/moments in a movie or game.

Thanks

http://shakemycouch.com/blog/?tag=buttkicker-lfe-kit

[ChadFL]

Sorry if this sounds like a noob question but what exactly is a "buttkicker"? Is this a stand alone subwoofer or some sort of thing that works to improve a subwoofer? I'm not exactly sure what they do even reading on Amazon about it.

[Adam.C]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

Sorry if this sounds like a noob question but what exactly is a "buttkicker"? Is this a stand alone subwoofer or some sort of thing that works to improve a subwoofer? I'm not exactly sure what they do even reading on Amazon about it.

its basically something that connects to your couch or chair, that adds a shaking effect to it. Kinda like force feedback for you seating. At least I think thats what it is.

[lamont360]

yea. You attach it to your seating and if responds to low frequencies sent from your sub. Instead of converting the signal to an audio output, it creates a physical one. Shaking your couch, chair, etc... The idea is to create a 4D experience in gaming and movies. I've never tested one, but am very anxious to. Also the designers pitch the product as a cheaper answer to a second sub. You can get that BIG movie experience without having the volume turned all the way up.

[Kryptron]

I use the Aura pro bass shaker with a small subwoofer amp which i mounted to a small table that sits next my chair. It works excellent and was a lot less than the butt kicker. If you don't want to spend a lot i highly recommend the aura. If i remember correctly I'm using the dayton 25watt amp to power it lol and it's plenty. I keep the volume on the amp at half or less.

[lamont360]

Does the Aura respond with different levels of "shaking intensity"? What I'm asking is does the Aura shake harder for deeper, larger explosives and softer for smaller ones or does it just shake at a specific intensity?

[Driver_King]

As an alternative to the Auras, I'd suggest one of these. They are claimed to be 10 times as powerful as the Aura's and go significantly lower than the Aura's. They are also power efficient and easily mountable, like the Aura shakers.

[Kryptron]

Originally Posted by lamont360

Does the Aura respond with different levels of "shaking intensity"? What I'm asking is does the Aura shake harder for deeper, larger explosives and softer for smaller ones or does it just shake at a specific intensity?

It does vibrate more aggressively with larger explosions etc and softer with other things it's pretty dynamic. I like mine. I have a bedroom setup so i have my aura under my "one-person couch" you may need a few for a bigger couch.


I haven't experienced the ones Driver King linked but they do look good. There are a lot of different and good options for transducers out there.

[kingofgrills]

If you want some of the best tactile transducers on the market, check out the models offered by Clarke Synthesis. They provide accurate tactile representation down to 20 Hz.

I'm not sure how much they cost, but they've been featured in a number of custom home theater rooms. Here's some info:


http://www.clarksynthesis.com/home_t..._products.html

http://www.clarksynthesis.com/lib/pd...uyersGuide.pdf

[GAWD]

Would this amp http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=300-380
be enough to power these? http://www.parts-express.com/pe/psho...61&ctab=5#Tabs

[GAWD]

Anyone?

[ZIPPO]

I have one of those T amps. I've used it to power bookshelf speakers. It surprised me with its performance, especially when powering in battery mode.
To get the best performance from your transducer I wouldn't use this T amp.
The transducer manufacturer suggest • Power handling of 100 watts continuous—recommended amp 150 - 250 watts
.

[lamont360]

Another Question: Should I buy a buttkicker or should I buy a second SVS PC12-NSD sub?

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by lamont360

Another Question: Should I buy a buttkicker or should I buy a second SVS PC12-NSD sub?

You should buy the second SVS subwoofer first. It will make the most difference of the two and will make your other guests happy as well.

[DIGITALBATH]

So, if I did this, I would want it to be a low cost enhancement. I have a spare Sony STR-DG500. My couch is a 3 seat leather couch with about 3 finger lengths on the front and 2 fingerlenghts on the rear wooden posts for fastening purposes. http://www.amazon.com/Aura-Sound-T2B...1966065&sr=1-5

I was thinking that 2-of these for $90. Do you need a crossover? My receiver for my theater is the onkyo in my signature, and the sub is my velodyne V-1012-b. How would you even hook everything up?

The buttkicker option seems insanely expensive @ $500.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by DIGITALBATH

So, if I did this, I would want it to be a low cost enhancement. I have a spare Sony STR-DG500. My couch is a 3 seat leather couch with about 3 finger lengths on the front and 2 fingerlenghts on the rear wooden posts for fastening purposes. http://www.amazon.com/Aura-Sound-T2B...1966065&sr=1-5

I was thinking that 2-of these for $90. Do you need a crossover? My receiver for my theater is the onkyo in my signature, and the sub is my velodyne V-1012-b. How would you even hook everything up?

The buttkicker option seems insanely expensive @ $500.

You need an external amp to go with it as well, or it won't work. Then speaker wire does the rest between the amp and transducer. The more powerful the amp, the better the effect, the more expensive it will get. That is why the Buttkicker Kit is worth it IMO.....you get a lot back in the experience that you can't experience with other transducers.