Bass shakers (1 Viewer)

[Reid K]

I have heard a few people talking about these and have a couple of questions.
1. What is a good place to look for them?
2. What should you look for in a bass shaker?
3. How much does the average one cost?
4. How would you set it up? (like the reciever, do you have to plug it into a wall etc)
thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

 

[Brian Johnson]

Hey Reid. I can tell you where to get them.

Ebay. Search for bass shakers, then look for the PRO model, then look for a seller named: phoenixbaymart He is selling them for $74 + $10 to ship. I was the first to buy from him (see feedback) and everything was great. Looks like 100 other people have had the same great service.
Setup is easy. You need an external amp (or an old receiver) to power the speakers. I went the easiest route and bought a 100w monoblock amp, ran a RCA from my subs line-out to the shaker amp line-in. Mounted the shakers to the couch, wired in a series (the shaker manual explains) and your done.
Total cost for the project was about $180 and well worth it.

 

[John H]

Here are some
Aura units on sale.

You may also want to look at the big tactile transducers. There is a dramatic price increase when you step up to these manufactures. There is a large performance increase as well.

Clark Synthesis
The Buttkicker

All TT's are passive and require amplification to drive.

I have been using TT's in my system for 5 years or so. I started with an array of 8 RBH FX80 units. (ultra high performance Aura's). I upgradded to Clark Synthesis 329F's and Platinum models. I am currently using a pair of original Buttkickers.

John

 

[Reid K]

Okay thanks for the help. So if say I have an old receiver from a home theater in a box would that do the trick? And what kind of cables would i have to buy? Finally just how much do they rumble your sitting device?

 

[DonnyD]

Set up correctly, you will get a big laugh at the look on your friends face when they feel the couch shake under their butt.
Personally, I will not do with out my shakers.... I've had a pair of Pro Auras pushed by a 150 mono amp for over 2 years. Great addition to HT............

 

[Reid K]

do you think the aura's john mentioned would be good? For 30 some dollars I really like that price tag. And how much would a decent amp for them be? Or could I just use my old RCA reciever?

 

[James Zos]

Forgive my ignorance, but I've never looked into this topic. You use bass shakers ALONG with a sub? Or do you just use them if you don't have a sub?

 

[Doug_B]

James,

I am assuming that the best config utilizes both a sub and bass shakers.

This may be my next upgrade, as I have just about everything else. I assume that the spare channel of my Samson S1000 would do just fine for one (or more?) of these babies.

Doug

 

[Alan M]

Reid,yes ,you can use your old receiver to power bass shakers.Im using an old sony 60watt receiver to power mine.
James,Doug is correct,you use a sub and bass shakers for the best config.
I own aura pros which come as a pair,and I think i paid about $100 for the set.what shakers have done to my system,is allowed me to turn the volume down on my sub(no more boominess out of it),I no longer need to feel the sub.the sound from the sub was cleaned up and I still get to feel the movie from the shakers.
Besides,the look on your friends faces the 1st time they feel the shakers is well worth the upgrade,lol.
Good luck and happy shaking.

 

[James Zos]

Thanks Alan and Doug for your replies!
Looks I might be looking into getting these as well. I don't have an extra reciever but my 7.1 receiver doesn't have anything running off the extra two channels - could I wire bass shakers up through those? I don't really understand how you wire these suckers up, I guess.

 

[Reid K]

okay thanks. One last thing can someone tell me if the ones john gave a link too are good? And is that a reliable site to order from?

 

[Alan M]

James,bass shakers need to be run off your lfe channel coming from your receiver.They are bass speakers(sorta),as is your subwoofer.Aura's come with a wiring diagram,so wiring becomes very simple.They are usually connected by a y connector split from your LFE channel.1 connect goes to your sub,the other to whatever amp is powering the shakers. Reid,I'm sorry,but I dont know how the 25 watt shakers do,I have the aura model above those,the 50 watt models.
Good luck and may the shaking force be with you.

 

[Reid K]

Okay cool, how much do the 50 watt ones shake the couch? And do you think it will be too much to put them on a recliner?

 

[James Zos]

Thanks for your answer, Alan!

 

[WilliamM]

I have installed the 25 watt Bass Shakers with excellent results. You can find them at partsexpress.

 

[Rex Quinn]

A question, click the "related items" tab in the Parts Express link above, the third item is a 120W Subwoofer Amplifier. Would this be ok to power the shakers? I know nothing about external amps so any info would help

 

[Alan M]

Well Reid,from Williams post,sounds like the 25 watt are perfect for your recliner.
Rex,shakers need power,and it doesnt even need to be clean power.Ive seen posts from people using sub amps like the 1 your looking at,and they say it works great.Just dont over power them.They are speakers of a sort and can be blown.
Btw,when you get your shakers,calibration is done w/your butt,not an spl meter.You'll know when they are set right,lol.

 

[Reid K]

Okay thanks. Just wondering ill be using an old reciever to power them so I got two questions
1. Should I just get 2 pairs if ill be using them on a couch later down the road?
2. Where do they plug into the reciever?
3. How would I prevent them from being blown?

 

[Chuck Bogie]

They don't just plug into your AV receiver. You've got to run 'em off an amp. A cheap yard sale/goodwill receiver will work just fine - just make sure that it'll work down to about 20hz or so - some PA amps only go to 50.

What I did:

Ordered one pair from Parts Express for $30, and set 'em up (as outlined below). Ordered a second pair, cuz the first pair was just so cool!

Now... The couch is about 7' long, and relatively lightweight compared to the foldabed couch next to it.

The shakers are _securely_ bolted to a pair of 24" 1x12s, which are then _securely_ screwed under the frame of the couch. Ain't nothin' moving.

They're wired in two series for a pair of 8 ohm loads. They're run by splitting the LFE going from my Denon 1803 to my DLS-10 sub, and running it into a Marantz 2230 I had sitting around. I split it into both the right and left channels. Receiver is set for mono, bass is cranked, treble is cut, and the volume is at about 66%. I may experiment with moving the bass knob back to the "zero" position.

Volume was arrived at by properly calibrating my subwoofer, then putting the Dino on Dino attack scene from Jurassic Park III on repeat, and wandering back and forth between the Marantz and the sofa until I was satisfied.

Latest mod was putting several layers of the neoprene pads that PE is floggin' in their monthly sale flier under each couch leg - I think it added a little to the vibration.

They appear to have a rather noticeable peak around 50hz, which may be due to the fact that they're designed to augment automotive subs... Not good for music, GREAT for stuff blowing up.

 

[Reid K]

Thanks for all the help. One thing confused me though so can I or cant I use my old RCA reciever?