# bass shakers or buttkickers



## Tommy

Anyone have or have used these things? 

I'm trying to decide if there worth investing in or at least wiring for now.


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## Phil M

Another toy:devil: 
I bought 6 bass shakers from Parts Express, and screwed them into a sofa and love seat in our family room. It was just for fun, to scare my wife, mother-in-law and unsuspecting visitors. After the novelty wore off I took them out - yes it was fun, they worked great and can add to the experience.


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## Tommy

Phil M said:


> After the novelty wore off I took them out


That's basically what I keep hearing that people stop using them. So if thats the case there not really worth it, eh? 

I just ordered my seating and I'm trying to decide if I should pay the extra for these things to be installed. But they seem to be pretty expensive for something I dont think everyone is saying is worth it.


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## Darren

My solution to lack of tactile feel is a bigger subwoofer  I've actually never tried bass shakers so I can't really say anything good or bad. I can say that I have an addiction to feeling my music and effects though. My solution has always been, um... a BIGGER subwoofer. I know, I have a problem but I like it.


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## Tommy

Oh I love my SVS sub already and I havent even adjusted or played with any of the settings yet


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## Darren

Tommy said:


> Oh I love my SVS sub already and I havent even adjusted or played with any of the settings yet


Cool, I know many people that are very happy with their SVS subs. I'm a DIY guy or I'd be broke


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## khellandros66

The Buttkickers are used in alot of theme parks to add to the effect. With an Fs of 5Hz and the price I would be worth it. I'd suggest using the Buttkicker system along with the Velodyne SMS-1 so you can crossover your sub at 15Hz and let rest below that felt.

~Bob


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## Jack Gilvey

I've got them both. The joy-buzzer feeling that Aura bass shakers give can't be compared to the much more powerful Buttkicker LFE. To experience infrasonics the way the LFE delivers them, you'd have to be going deaf with a sub.  Even the best subs can be augmented by these units.


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## Alaric

Hi There,

I have a pair of Buttkickers bolted to my 5 chair two tier riser and they are excelent. The LFE's and the BK amp can be had for almost silly money if your in the states, certainly compaired to when they first came out. They can really add to an action movie in the same way that a sub can. You can stop trying to hit silly lows with a sub as to be honest shifting air to shift mass is not particularly effcient. They will allow you to run the sub lower with more headroom and get a greater effect. They made AvP worth watching....a sudden LFE effect at a quiet point and you jump.

If you watch a load of Rom-coms or chick flicks then....what are you doing here :R 

I wouldn't bother with the aura ones, i had an interactor vest that i pulled apart to play with, they are more like a joke handbuzzer !

I have a pair of TT's that i will one day wire up and play with, they are also suposidly good, but the BK i'd say is king.

Cya,
Lee


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## Matteo

I think people can use these the wrong way. As stated by many above, you don't use these as bass-producers. They are not subwoofers. However, if set at a low level and low frequency they can both produce a very enhanced HT experience. Set them low enough that you only feel them with some very low frequencies, so they aren't going off all the time.


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## Guest

I've got three pairs sitting here for what seems like ages. As my HT is carpet on top of wood parquet on top of cement, I figured I needed to add something to the sofas for additional LFE. I've yet to install them. All this talk of them has me thinking I should get off my "butt" and install them!


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## Phil M

rolyasm said:


> I think people can use these the wrong way. As stated by many above, you don't use these as bass-producers. They are not subwoofers. However, if set at a low level and low frequency they can both produce a very enhanced HT experience. Set them low enough that you only feel them with some very low frequencies, so they aren't going off all the time.


Totally agree, but this forum is full of bass heads who are making butt kickers for their houses and calling them IB subs:shhh: Once you've mastered this concept then a butt kicker/bass shaker is a meare toy for them!


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## Sonnie

IB = Infinite Buttkicker onder:


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## Matteo

Hehe. 
My current project is putting 4- 15" drivers in the front of my HT riser. The riser is 18' x 9' x 21" high. Not quite an IB, but I bet it gits 15 Hz with some authority. Here are some pics.


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## RSH

I totally agree with Jack and Rolyasm.

The buttkickers can greatly increase your movie experience. It does not matter how perfect your subwoofers are, and it does not matter how low the subwoofers can go. You cannot really hear anything below 16hz anyway. The buttkickers are great complement to the existing subwoofers in your system. The key here is a properly tuned system. You do not want to have the buttkickers punching and shaking your chair destructing you from the movie when it is not necessary. The properly tuned system will only activate the buttkickers when intended. If your system tuned properly when the bullet hitting the wall, you may feel that it just went through your body. When there is an explosion in the movie, you can have a feeling that your house is coming down. 

I have 8.4 system. Yes, 4 subwoofers, and they are pretty good ones :jiggy:. I still love the buttkickers. If I turn them down, I feel that something is missing from the movie...


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## jagman

Do they require long speaker cables or is just a basic interconnect? I would imagine fidelity is of minimal concern when it comes to these.


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## RSH

Think about the buttkickers as speakers - you need speaker wires. The Guitammer Company also offers wireless connect package where the signal can be passed wirelessly from the receiver/preamp/processor sub out to the buttkicker amplifier which in this case is placed next to the chairs. You still need to use the wires to connect the amp to the buttkickers (can handle up to 4).


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## Jack Gilvey

rolyasm said:


> Hehe.
> My current project is putting 4- 15" drivers in the front of my HT riser. The riser is 18' x 9' x 21" high. Not quite an IB, but I bet it gits 15 Hz with some authority. Here are some pics.


 Now that is cool. Nice job. 



> The buttkickers can greatly increase your movie experience. It does not matter how perfect your subwoofers are, and it does not matter how low the subwoofers can go.


 I got a chuckle at this post...there's apparently _no_ sub that can't be nicely augmented by a Buttkicker or two:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/showpost.php?p=2968213&postcount=96


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## Guy Kuo

Yes, but I'd go with the higher output and lower frequency extending Buttkickers. They do add considerable enjoyment even with good subwoofers in a system. The key is correct setup. They are to extend response to subsonic frequencies and reinforce the low frequency effect you hear. Don't turn them up too high or you'll ruin the effect and make them seem gimicky. They should add palpable thump and shudder when appropriate and be virtually non-existent otherwise. Once dialed in correctly they area definite plus. Turn them back off and you really miss them. If otherwise, you did something wrong with the setup.


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## Alan Brown

> The key is correct setup. They are to extend response to subsonic frequencies and reinforce the low frequency effect you hear. Don't turn them up too high or you'll ruin the effect and make them seem gimicky. They should add palpable thump and shudder when appropriate and be virtually non-existent otherwise. Once dialed in correctly they area definite plus. Turn them back off and you really miss them. If otherwise, you did something wrong with the setup.


Exactly! No single component in a home theater system should call attention to itself. The principle objective in cinematic storytelling is to persuade the audience that they are a part of the story. Thrills and emotional involvement start when you begin to forget that you're in a home theater. The hardware is never an end in itself but a means to that end. Our goal in successful home theater design is not to convince the audience they are in a movie theater. The goal should always be to convince the audience that they are in the story being told by the movie.

I have yet to be a part of a demonstration of these devices that was anything other than a distraction from what's happening on the screen. The theory is promising but the implementation has not persuaded me yet to include such equipment in any theater I've been asked to design. 

Most recently, the D-Box motion system demonstration in the Runco/DaLite/Krell booth at CEDIA EXPO was only gimmicky. The demo was actually less effective than the one I experienced for an hour in Widescreen Review's reference theater 4 years ago. They have had all these years to make it better but have failed to impress me that their system is anything other than a very expensive compromise to any movie viewing experience.

Perhaps all the demonstrations I've encountered were poorly set up. This happens in my industry far too often. I'll support any technology which genuinely enhances the movie experience, but I can't honestly recommend something to my customers that I've found not to contribute toward that end.

Best regards,
Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
ISF, THX, SMPTE, CEDIA

"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"


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## RubiconAlpha

Alan Brown said:


> Exactly! No single component in a home theater system should call attention to itself. The principle objective in cinematic storytelling is to persuade the audience that they are a part of the story. Thrills and emotional involvement start when you begin to forget that you're in a home theater. The hardware is never an end in itself but a means to that end. Our goal in successful home theater design is not to convince the audience they are in a movie theater. The goal should always be to convince the audience that they are in the story being told by the movie...I have yet to be a part of a demonstration of these devices that was anything other than a distraction from what's happening on the screen...The theory is promising but the implementation has not persuaded me yet to include such equipment in any theater I've been asked to design...This happens in my industry far too often. I'll support any technology which genuinely enhances the movie experience, but I can't honestly recommend something to my customers that I've found not to contribute toward that end.
> 
> Best regards,
> Alan Brown, President
> CinemaQuest, Inc.


I know this post is a few years old but I have to say that was the best way to put how a real movie experience should be. I plan on using some type tactile transducers for some of my theater seating but would use them more for gaming and big action movies. I use them currently on my gaming chair and the effect is great. A little goes a long way and setting them up correctly is key. I'm sure the demonstrations at trade shows are over the top for the "wow" factor and agree that much "enhancement" would get old fast.


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## putox1051

I've got 11 of the cheapest Aura bass shakers installed in my living room system, (powered by a Kenwood KA-8100 integrated amp from the late '70s), coupled with dual Epik Empires & an Emotiva Ultra 12. I've had the shakers for 7-8 years now and absolutely love them. 90% of the time you don't even know they're there, but when called upon to deliver a tactile response to music/movies with strong LF content, they respond magnificently . I've also got 12 NIB Aura Pro shakers in storage in my basement. I consider the shakers to be the best enhancement to music listening / movie watching I've ever made, & I've been involved in this hobby since the mid '60s, starting with an old Dynaco ambience recovery system.:hsd:lddude:


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## superedge88

I gotta agree, the aura pro shakers are probably the best investment dollar for dollar in my home theater. The trick is getting them dialed in to where you only really notice them when they are really needed, and not when shaking would be distracting.


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