El Cheapo Bass Shaker experiments - promising! (1 Viewer)

[Jonathan M]

Hi All,

After completing (Except for the Linkwitz Transform) my DPL12 based sub running off my DIY sub amp I found a rather attractive price on the Aura Interactor Vests here in New Zealand.

They were going for NZ$15 each - that's around US$8 a pop. This includes the vest (Has a single 25W shaker in it), a small amplifier and it's power supply, plus a bunch of connecting cables including an RCA set, RCA to 3.5mm mini plug, RCA to just about anything else, and 2 y-splitter RCA sockets. A pretty good deal IMO. These can be found really cheap in close-out houses. I got mine from Jaycar

First thing I did ofcourse was try it out. Needless to say, I wasn't too impressed - the main problems were that there is basically no low-pass filter in place, so you can hear dialog etc. from the "shaker", and the plastic vest rattled like nothing else!

Last night, I ripped open the vest, and extracted the shaker, then bolted it to a piece of 18mm MDF and screwed it up under the seat of a Lazyboy. I then powered it off it's small amp, set it's level to around 3 on it's scale (Goes to 10) and ran it off the sub-out of my DIY sub-amp (Effectively crossing it at 80Hz with a 4th order low pass).

WOW!! With just the single shaker, and such little power (I estimate only a few watts) the effect was really good. It only shook during really loud, deep passages, and really added to the experience - especially at low volumes. My wife, who came home at a rather inappropriate time (seeing the lazyboy which was only purchased at Christmas upside down, and me drilling away inside the thing), also thought it was great - once she'd had a go!

I now plan to put 2 shakers in each Lazy Boy that we have - probably positioned towards the back of the seat, as there is plenty of room there and it doesn't interfere with the mechanism. I found that the place where I first tried the shaker, you could just feel it through the cushioning when you sat down - not acceptable. Hopefully I'll have time tonight to do up a nicer, more permenant mounting system with the 2 shakers.

I'll be sure to post pictures and a description of the process and effect once I get it working nicely!

 

[TimForman]

I love a wife with an open mind. I wonder what response you would've got if you made her wear the little backpack!
I would love bassshakers but at $100 a pop I hesitate. This could be the answer. Thanks.

 

[Cam S]

$8 bucks a pop? Geez, that sounds like a killer deal for some extra LFE effects. Make sure to get those pics up!

 

[Ashley Carr]

Jaycar Australia is selling them for AU$10, which would make them around $5-$6 US. Only problem is they'd cost a fortune to ship overseas, as the whole unit is fairly bulky and heavy.

They're also selling cushion versions, I've got one of those. For the money you can't complain, but I found that just when you start getting the power you want, the amp starts clipping.

 

[jeff lam]

Check ebay.

Got a set of Aura Pros off ebay for $65. The 25W ones and vests can be found much cheaper.

 

[Jonathan M]

For the money you can't complain, but I found that just when you start getting the power you want, the amp starts clipping.

I thought this too - before I ripped the transducer out and mounted it solidly to the furniture. LazyBoy's are great for this, as they are isolated a bit from the ground due to the spring system. Thus the whole chair vibrates quite nicely. I find I only have to run a single unit on a setting of between 3 and 4 on the amp - no clipping then. This is only for 1 chair, though.

I'm gonna try 2 shakers per chair tonight to see if I can get a bit more dynamic range. I fitted the chair out with the mounting gear - just need some more bolts to mount the second shaker.

I have 2 extras available if anyone is after them. It'll cost far too much to send overseas if they're complete, but it shouldn't be too bad for just the shaker units (No vest, amp or power supply). They don't need much amplification. Just a small 4 ohm capable amp is fine (10-20 watts will be more than enough). I'll put an add up in the by/sell/trade forum.