Home Theater Forum  ›  Forums  ›  Home Theater Hardware  ›  Speakers and Subwoofers  ›  Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review
Hey There!

Thanks for checking out our community! We've got lots of great stuff going on around here... why don't you create an account and join the fun? Why?

Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review

#1
Rating: 0
Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review
ButtKicker®
By Brett A. DiMichele

Before I start with the review I would like to thank Parker Clack of HTF and Randy Mullins of Guitammer for allowing me the opportunity to review the new wireless kit from Butt Kicker.

I’ve been here on HTF for many years now and I have been familiar with the products from Guitammer for some time now, and had been interested in the experience that a tactile transducer could add to the Home Theater. If I had to describe myself I would have to say that I am a bass freak, I love the sound of bass but more so I love the feel of bass. My current Home Theater is situated in my Living Room and bass duty falls on my DIY subwoofer which is comprised of an Acoustic Elegance AV12 driver mated to an Acoustic Research ARS500 plate amp, all wrapped up nicely in a 3 foot cubed enclosure. The problem with a powerful subwoofer is that, while it makes tons of shake and vibration it will also make so much sound that you will soon be at odds with your neighbors. So what is a bass head to do? How can we fully experience that brand new Blue Ray movie with all it’s high definition picture and audio, without disturbing the neighbors and them subsequently calling the friendly local police?

Fear not my fellow bass heads, for Guitammer has the solution!
If you are not familiar with the Buttkicker product I will give you a quick, non technical description. The Buttkicker is a Tactile Transducer. We know a Transducer is a motor and they typically move air. A Tactile Transducer is a motor without a cone, it creates vibration and motion without moving air. You typically use the product under a couch or a chair or even risers if you have elevated theater seating. For this review I chose to mount the Buttkicker Advance under my “Cuddler” recliner since that is where I spend most of my time when watching movies and casually listening to music.

I am one of those odd guys that will judge a product by it’s packaging before I even see or hear it’s performance. I was delightfully pleased when FedEx showed up with the kit and everything was neatly boxed in a heavy corrugated shipping carton and each component was display packaged inside the shipping carton. Further down in the review you can see the photos as I unpackaged the components that make up the whole wireless system. The quality of the packaging is just the beginning. Once I dug into the boxes and started pulling out the components that make up the whole system I was thoroughly impressed. The transducer and mounting plate are constructed out of aluminum and finished in what looks like powder coat, they even went as far as putting a machine finish on the end cap of the transducer. All of the included cabling is of very high quality and is all branded Buttkicker (costs more than just off the shelf wire) again very nice.


I chose to install the kit under my recliner for the review, since it was much easier to work with my recliner than it is to move my reclining couch or love seat (those things are HEAVY!). I flipped my recliner and removed the stock feet and mounted three of the five isolators that are included in the kit. These feet raise the height of the chair or couch to the same height as the base of the Buttkicker and they help to mechanically decouple the chair from the floor. I was able to have the system in place and in use within thirty minutes. Most of that time was setting up the boxes and components for the photos to go with the review.


The only issue I had with the setup was the step where you have to sync the wireless transmitter and receiver. The transmitter was a snap to find the button to do this. The receiver which is a USB dongle that plugs into the power amp, was a little more confusing for me. Generally speaking, Guitammer’s instructions were top notch, with that being said, I was apprehensive about pushing the button on the receiver. The instructions did not clearly show where to push on the receiver and I was a bit afraid I was going to break it. I finally grabbed a paperclip and straightened out the paperclip and was able to push the recessed button in the transmitter. Honestly that is the only part I had any problems with at all, and one simple line art drawing or photo in an addendum for the instructions will resolve that minor confusion.

Once in place I ran the Buttkicker through it’s paces with Iron Man, Journey to the Center of the Earth and The Dark Knight, all on BluRay and also auditioned music from CD, MP3 and via TheRadio.com. One of the super slick features of the Advance kit is the included remote control which offers a power button, intensity controls and preset EQ slopes for Movies, Music and Games. I found these presets to be right in line with their respective functions. The included B.A.S.H amp never ran out of steam to drive the Buttkicker and it never got more than just barely warm. Guitammer gives you a ton of speaker wire to run from the transducer to the amp. I found that I barely used any of the wire since I put the amp between the chair and the end table and used the included amp stand to stand the amp on end rather than lay it down.

So how did it perform? I can’t think of enough adjectives to describe how fun this thing is! Subwoofers will always have their place in our home theaters for the audible sound that we need, but if you really want to “feel” that punch, that kick, that gun shot or missile blast, then you need one of these! I can’t be more honest than to say this just adds so much to the total experience, it’s a kick in the pants (or more precisely, the butt) it really is great fun and a great addition to any home theater, big or small and I’m sure the rest of the Buttkicker owners out there will back me up on this!


Removing all of the display packages from the shipping carton



Components removed from display packaging


The muscle of the system, the transducer on it’s mounting pad (not shown in the correct orientation or bolted down)


The wireless remote control


Front shot of the B.A.S.H amp and cabling (notice how nice the included patch cables are?)


Shot of three of the isolators installed, one corner does not have an isolator, this is where the transducer sits and the
Chair sits on top of the transducer pad.


Shot of the transducer under the chair, I slid it up to take the photo, you do not know it’s under the chair when it’s in place.
Brett DiMichele
brettd@nospamyukonwaltz.com (remove nospam)

Too Much to list!
My PhotoBucket              My Buttkicker Wireless Advance Kit Review
Export to Wiki
#2
Rating: 0

Re: Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review

Bump,

Any comments or questions please post them up!
Brett DiMichele
brettd@nospamyukonwaltz.com (remove nospam)

Too Much to list!
My PhotoBucket              My Buttkicker Wireless Advance Kit Review
Export to Wiki
#3
Rating: 0

Re: Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review

Brett,
Thanks for the review. I was really interested in using something like this. I remember the contest for the review. However, I went home and looked over my theater seats real good and thought now way can I bolt anything in these. So, based on your review, I am really surprised that there is nothing to bolt on. If I understand correctly, you just put something under the legs. If that is the case, I will definitely check it out. How would it work for theater seating where I have 4 chairs connected together? Would I need 4 different kits? Also, the legs on the chairs are really thick wooden blocks.

Jeff
Export to Wiki
#4
Rating: 0

Re: Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review

Jeff,

The Advance transducer *can* be bolted in if you chose to install it that way. Out of the box the Advance Transducer comes with a Couch/Chair mounting kit which consists of the cast alloy pad (shown in the review) and five isolators. You can install the isolators on each corner of the chair or couch and leave one corner without an isolator and that corner "sits" on the alloy mounting pad for the transducer.

I haven't tried the Advance driver on a whole couch, I do want to try it there to see what the result is. I "personally" feel that the Advance transducer has the guts to rumble a whole couch and it may even rumble a whole elevation platform, but Guitammer does makes a "larger" transducer for bigger applications and that is the BK-LFE. *shown below, with specs*



ButtKicker LFE Specifications:


Dimensions: 5.375" H x 5.375" W
Frequency Response: 5 - 200 Hz
Weight: 11 lbs / 5 kgs
Nominal Impedance: 4 ohms
Power Handling: 400 watts min. /1500 watts max.
Brett DiMichele
brettd@nospamyukonwaltz.com (remove nospam)

Too Much to list!
My PhotoBucket              My Buttkicker Wireless Advance Kit Review
Export to Wiki
#5
Rating: 0

Re: Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review

I notice you have it on carpet. (pink carpet?)

What about those of us with hardwood floors? Will the vibration cause abrasion to our lamination? Is there a footing which would prevent this?

Martin Luther observed that the human race is like a drunkard who falls off his horse on the left and makes up for it by falling off the next time on the right.

Export to Wiki
#6
Rating: 0

Re: Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review

Eric,

I wondered how long it would be, before someone commented on the carpet. No it's not pink and I've tried everything to adjust the WB on my camera so it does not look pink, it still comes out pink... *shrugs*

The kit comes with five isolation feet (soft rubber) and the underside of the Buttkicker Advance transducer foot also has rubber inserts. I do not think you would have an issue with hardwood or laminate flooring.
Brett DiMichele
brettd@nospamyukonwaltz.com (remove nospam)

Too Much to list!
My PhotoBucket              My Buttkicker Wireless Advance Kit Review
Export to Wiki
#7
Rating: 0

Re: Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review

How are these Buttkickers with reproducing the lowest bass...say, 25Hz and under? I'm using a Clark Synthesis TST-429 tactile transducer...and while the product wasn't designed specifically for LFE, the product claimed a 20Hz response... I'm disappointed withe the product in that the amount of "vibration" it makes below 30Hz seems to drop dramatically...and that's where most of the fun is in the soundtrack. My fear is that many of these tactile transducers may be similar in that it specifies to 5Hz, but much like a +/-dB response for speaker, maybe it's 30Hz-200Hz with extreme shaking, and below that it'll do 20Hz, but at a magnitude far less than what it does at 30Hz.

When I redo my theater in my new place, I'll put a little more effort into selecting the right device. With the Clark Synthesis, it was a blind buy with no chance of auditioning it before purchase, so I'll make sure I don't do that a second time around. ...still, it's a fun product.

Warner Bros. Blu-ray Reviewer
Anchor Bay/Starz Entertainment Blu-ray Reviewer

THX/ISF Professional Video Calibrator
HIGHEST FIDELITY CALIBRATIONSCelebrating Ten Years of Serving Southern Ontario!thehighestfidelity@hotmail.com

Export to Wiki
#8
Rating: 0

Re: Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review

My opinion is that 5Hz is hard to do, you can bottom out this smaller transducer trying to go that low. But 15Hz, 20Hz etc... Very impressive! 20Hz is actually very impressive
Brett DiMichele
brettd@nospamyukonwaltz.com (remove nospam)

Too Much to list!
My PhotoBucket              My Buttkicker Wireless Advance Kit Review
Export to Wiki
#9
Rating: 0

Re: Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review

Nice review. Would really like to have one!
Export to Wiki
#10
Rating: 0

Re: Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review

Hello Brett,

Please excuse the excessively late reply.

I am glad you were able to experience the world of tactile transducers.

I have been using them for over 10 years.

My first installation was an array of 8 RBH FX-80's. (ultra high performance Aura units)
I used these for about a year and replaced the array with a pair of Clark Synthesis TST 329 Gold models and then stepped up to their TST 429 Platinums. I used these for about a year as well.
For a brief period I installed four Crowsen Tech TES-100's when they were released.

When I moved on to the ButtKicker I started out with a pair of original models. I drove each with a Carvin DCM-1000 stereo amplifier bridged mono. (1000 w @ 4 ohms) This was well before the release of the ButtKicker amplifier. Shortly after I purchased another pair of ButtKicker original models. The ButtKicker II/ButtKicker LFE model had not made it's debut yet.

I couldn't tolerate the fan noise of the Carvin professional amplifiers so I picked up a pair of also professional but convection cooled Crown K2 stereo amplifiers (800 W @ 4 ohms per ch) and have been using them to drive my BK's ever since.

At one point I have driven a single Buttkicker with a bridged K2 (2500 W bridge-mono @ 4 ohms)
They always stayed cool to the touch and never bottomed out. I have also used an Audio Control Phase Coupled Activator subharmonic synthesizer on their signal for a couple of years. This was before the release of movie material that contained more low frequency information in the sound track.

I started using the ButtKickers in conjunction with a pair of Velodyne HGS 18 subwoofers. I have also used them paired with duel 200 lb 18" Epik Conquest models.

Currently I am using them with duel Velodyne DD-18 series and duel HGS-18 subwoofers in my 13' 10" W x 21' 7" L x 8' 6" T (2537.84 cf) dedicated home theater room.

What ever subwoofers I use in my system I have never stopped using tactile transducers along with them. They add an extra dimension to the movie experience that subwoofers can never accomplish. I have tested the original Buttkicker with a 10 Hz sine wave and they produced it with authority. I did not have anything lower for testing. My favorite movie material test and demonstration is WOTW pod emerging from underneath the ground scene.

Even though I am using an Integra DHC-9.9 processor I still use my Parasound C2 processor in my system. I utilize it's programmable channels on the ButtKickers signal. I have them lowpassed at 20 Hz. I blend them with the subwoofers output. They hide in the system and extend the subsonics when necessary. If the tactile transducers are driven with to much output it is a distraction. After all it's not a carnival ride.

In my opinion high performance tactile transducers are an essential component of a home theaters sound.

I don't have experience with the ButtKicker LFE yet. I have had one for over six months and haven't hooked it up yet to test.

Here is a size comparison of the Original ButtKicker I to the smaller ButtKicker II (LFE) model. I have been told they are more efficient and just as powerful.

Specifications:

ButtKicker I
Size: 7.13" H x 7.5" W
Weight: 18 lbs

ButtKicker II LFE
Size: 5.375" H x 5.5" W
Weight: 11 lbs

John





Pictured on my temporary uncovered platform. 4' x 38" x 3/4" fitted with Kinetics noise isolation feet.




Quote:
Originally Posted by Brett DiMichele
Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review
ButtKicker®
By Brett A. DiMichele

Before I start with the review I would like to thank Parker Clack of HTF and Randy Mullins of Guitammer for allowing me the opportunity to review the new wireless kit from Butt Kicker.

I’ve been here on HTF for many years now and I have been familiar with the products from Guitammer for some time now, and had been interested in the experience that a tactile transducer could add to the Home Theater. If I had to describe myself I would have to say that I am a bass freak, I love the sound of bass but more so I love the feel of bass. My current Home Theater is situated in my Living Room and bass duty falls on my DIY subwoofer which is comprised of an Acoustic Elegance AV12 driver mated to an Acoustic Research ARS500 plate amp, all wrapped up nicely in a 3 foot cubed enclosure. The problem with a powerful subwoofer is that, while it makes tons of shake and vibration it will also make so much sound that you will soon be at odds with your neighbors. So what is a bass head to do? How can we fully experience that brand new Blue Ray movie with all it’s high definition picture and audio, without disturbing the neighbors and them subsequently calling the friendly local police?

Fear not my fellow bass heads, for Guitammer has the solution!
If you are not familiar with the Buttkicker product I will give you a quick, non technical description. The Buttkicker is a Tactile Transducer. We know a Transducer is a motor and they typically move air. A Tactile Transducer is a motor without a cone, it creates vibration and motion without moving air. You typically use the product under a couch or a chair or even risers if you have elevated theater seating. For this review I chose to mount the Buttkicker Advance under my “Cuddler” recliner since that is where I spend most of my time when watching movies and casually listening to music.

I am one of those odd guys that will judge a product by it’s packaging before I even see or hear it’s performance. I was delightfully pleased when FedEx showed up with the kit and everything was neatly boxed in a heavy corrugated shipping carton and each component was display packaged inside the shipping carton. Further down in the review you can see the photos as I unpackaged the components that make up the whole wireless system. The quality of the packaging is just the beginning. Once I dug into the boxes and started pulling out the components that make up the whole system I was thoroughly impressed. The transducer and mounting plate are constructed out of aluminum and finished in what looks like powder coat, they even went as far as putting a machine finish on the end cap of the transducer. All of the included cabling is of very high quality and is all branded Buttkicker (costs more than just off the shelf wire) again very nice.


I chose to install the kit under my recliner for the review, since it was much easier to work with my recliner than it is to move my reclining couch or love seat (those things are HEAVY!). I flipped my recliner and removed the stock feet and mounted three of the five isolators that are included in the kit. These feet raise the height of the chair or couch to the same height as the base of the Buttkicker and they help to mechanically decouple the chair from the floor. I was able to have the system in place and in use within thirty minutes. Most of that time was setting up the boxes and components for the photos to go with the review.


The only issue I had with the setup was the step where you have to sync the wireless transmitter and receiver. The transmitter was a snap to find the button to do this. The receiver which is a USB dongle that plugs into the power amp, was a little more confusing for me. Generally speaking, Guitammer’s instructions were top notch, with that being said, I was apprehensive about pushing the button on the receiver. The instructions did not clearly show where to push on the receiver and I was a bit afraid I was going to break it. I finally grabbed a paperclip and straightened out the paperclip and was able to push the recessed button in the transmitter. Honestly that is the only part I had any problems with at all, and one simple line art drawing or photo in an addendum for the instructions will resolve that minor confusion.

Once in place I ran the Buttkicker through it’s paces with Iron Man, Journey to the Center of the Earth and The Dark Knight, all on BluRay and also auditioned music from CD, MP3 and via TheRadio.com. One of the super slick features of the Advance kit is the included remote control which offers a power button, intensity controls and preset EQ slopes for Movies, Music and Games. I found these presets to be right in line with their respective functions. The included B.A.S.H amp never ran out of steam to drive the Buttkicker and it never got more than just barely warm. Guitammer gives you a ton of speaker wire to run from the transducer to the amp. I found that I barely used any of the wire since I put the amp between the chair and the end table and used the included amp stand to stand the amp on end rather than lay it down.

So how did it perform? I can’t think of enough adjectives to describe how fun this thing is! Subwoofers will always have their place in our home theaters for the audible sound that we need, but if you really want to “feel” that punch, that kick, that gun shot or missile blast, then you need one of these! I can’t be more honest than to say this just adds so much to the total experience, it’s a kick in the pants (or more precisely, the butt) it really is great fun and a great addition to any home theater, big or small and I’m sure the rest of the Buttkicker owners out there will back me up on this!


Removing all of the display packages from the shipping carton



Components removed from display packaging


The muscle of the system, the transducer on it’s mounting pad (not shown in the correct orientation or bolted down)


The wireless remote control


Front shot of the B.A.S.H amp and cabling (notice how nice the included patch cables are?)


Shot of three of the isolators installed, one corner does not have an isolator, this is where the transducer sits and the
Chair sits on top of the transducer pad.


Shot of the transducer under the chair, I slid it up to take the photo, you do not know it’s under the chair when it’s in place.
The Bedroom
Export to Wiki
#11
Rating: 0

Re: Buttkicker Advance wireless kit review

John,

Thanks for the in depth reply and I agree 100% that the tactile transducer is an integral part of the whole setup. Subwoofers are great, no doubt about it. But the transducer just "adds" that last little bit (ok, it's a lot more than a little bit) to the experience!
Brett DiMichele
brettd@nospamyukonwaltz.com (remove nospam)

Too Much to list!
My PhotoBucket              My Buttkicker Wireless Advance Kit Review
Export to Wiki