What does the ButtKicker feel like?

[Scuba Diver]

What makes buttkicker different from others?

I see several types of shakers out there that all claim they are the best. Several reviews claim one seems to work better than other. But I have not seen anything about what makes one feel different from the other.

I do not need a vibrating chair. Does the Woon, and Aura type found on ebay provide the same type of shake or is it a vibration pad.

Does the Buttkicker give you that gut sinking feeling of deep pounding bass or does it rattle your brain?

[rcarlton]

Great question. Never auditioned one. I tend to think of it as more of a gimmick. Wish I knew more.

[Scuba Diver]

Yes, it is a question that has been on my mind for a while.

[Josuah]

Go for acoustic vibrations, instead of kinetic ones. That equals a really powerful subwoofer that goes super low.

That's what I did. I didn't want 20Hz vibrating my chair. I wanted 10Hz vibrating my house. War of the Worlds at reference level faithfully reproduced an earthquake at my seat.

[YW84U]

I can't comment on the Buttkicker line, but I do have 4 Aura Pro shakers - 2 for each sofa. I wanted to take the plunge without spending a ton of cash, so I opted for the 'cheap' solution.

For myself, I do think they add to the movie experience - with the caveat that they have to be done 'right'. Initially, I had them running with my sub xo at 80hz or less - for me, this was too much - they would actuate with door slams, deep voices, and other events that didn't necessarily tie in with deep bass or an impact. I used the other channel in my BFD to have them roll off at about 45hz, and now find them integrating better with the audio. Some have used inline low pass filters to achieve the same results. Additonally, setting the output level I think is crucial - not so much that it feels like you dropped a coin into a slot in the arm of your chair, but just enough to 'add' to the audio without being really obvious. When you first install them, you're likely to crank 'em up for the first while until the novelty wears off Another plus, is that if you're watching something at reduced volume (people sleeping), it at least still gives you a sense of bass without flexing the walls.

Test drives with guests always sparks positive comments - they do know something's up, but are never quite sure......

They certainly do not pound your chest, or inject that visceral feeling, but the nuance of physical rumbling when something explodes or crashes I think does add to the experience. But as with all things, it's a matter of taste and may not be all things to all people. 10hz at 105db is a way different thing, and I don't believe any shaker can mimic that!! But it could possibly serve as a 'seasoning' for your auditory meal.

Cheers,

[salvasol]

I have one on each row (three seats each row).

I don't know anything about the other shakers, I think you need to test each to really know which one is better ... I think that the size matters for installation, but it also helps with the power to move the seat

I'm happy with my Buttkickers ... I can feel the seat moving during the movies, and to shake the room I have my Subs ... a couple of weeks ago I got a demo DVD, and it has the scene from Nemo when the girl tap the tank ... What I surprise was for me when the room and seats were shaking ... it felted so real, like I was inside the tank ...

Like any speaker or sub, you need to set up the crossover properly or to your taste to have a good experience ... if you don't want your seat moving all the time, you can set the crossover of the buttkicker to respond to only the frequency you want (let's say less than 40, 30, 20, etc..) I have mine set at 80 and the volume is like a third of the dial ...

[Scuba Diver]

Thanks for your thoughts.

It sounds like they do provide a good effect to the listener. I hope someone that reads this has tried both.

I have tried to figure out the difference. The one thing I hear often is that when shakers like Aura are used the term vibrates and buzz was used. Except here where yw984u used the word rumbling which is completely different IMHO then buzz. And the term rattles, or shakes your insides out if to loud is used with Buttkickers. I would rather be rattled or shook then buzzzzed. However, since I have yet to hear a side by side comparison of the sensation provided by these "other than they let you feel the bass", or that one is more accurate with less lag time, no one has compare the sensation.

[YW84U]

Here's a couple of links i dug up that go into some on the finer points of tactile transducers:

http://www.baudline.com/erik/bass/tactile_faq.html

They went to the trouble of some comparisons between the 'usual' brands based on specs

http://www.baudline.com/erik/bass/tactile_report.html

The terms vibrate and buzz are kicked around quite often, regardless of brand - I think that is perhaps based on a person's misconception that these things are designed to make your house shake like an import car at a red light If you want chest-pounding bass at high spls, you're going to need way more than one or two 6" round metal disks strapped to your chair.

These articles seem to do a fair job at describing the ins and outs of transducers. For some people, they will consider them 'gimmicky' and dismiss the idea as crazy - others will start pumping you for info how to deploy them in their own theaters......We watched the movie 1408 last night with some friends - not a terribly 'bass-laden' show, but the audio mix with 'the things that make you jump' was good. My guests commented at the end how the seating had a huge impact on them for those scary parts (they know that the sofas are wired) and they loved it!

Again, I went with Auro Pro's since I wasn't prepared to spend big bucks for something I wasn't sure was right for me. After living with them for a year, I'm quite happy with them. You will get better quality/quantity by going with the bigger brands - it all comes down to how much money you want to throw around

[RSH]

What makes buttkicker different from others?

The buttkickers are extremely fast and powerful. You really need to compare different products to feel the difference, but from my experience in the properly set up and tuned system - the buttkickers can be scary. I have seen people jumping off the chairs not realizing what was going on

And none of the most powerful and expensive subwoofers can replace the effect that the buttkickers produce. The never replace the subwoofer, but they will definitely greatly supplement them. And because they are very fast, the result is great and very realistic. Again the key is a properly tuned system.

[salvasol]

RSH wrote:

The buttkickers are extremely fast and powerful. You really need to compare different products to feel the difference, but from my experience in the properly set up and tuned system - the buttkickers can be scary.... Again the key is a properly tuned system.

I agree ... it adds to the experience.

I read the links in the previous post ... How do you recommend to calibrate the buttkicker???
according to the link, we can use the SPL meter ... I calibrated my subs, but didn't do anything to the buttkicker (I think I have the crossover at 80Hz and the volume 1/3 up) ...

[RSH]

Well,

You calibrate it to a personal taste. There are no meters at least from what I know (what do I know? ) to measure the vibration, nor a recommended specific level it should be at. I would recommend setting the crossover as low as possible, so you only activate the buttkickers with very low frequency effects. You do not really want to have your chairs shaking when some with very low voice speaks, do you? Hmm.. some people do, and they like to actually have the buttkickers on during the music videos as well. As a matter of fact the Guitammer Company started as bunch of musicians who wanted to add a feel to the base and drums while playing on stage.

Anyway, put a very familiar movie, and try to adjust the crossover and volume to the level when the buttkicker is not too distracting, and at the same time you still feel the effects. you will know when it right
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