buttkicker/aura shopping help

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mykflo

mykflo

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Mykflo
I'm looking to hook one of these devices up to my lazyboy. I've seen different models and prices of both but not sure how extreme I need to go. I'm looking have it add to my gaming experience... not just gt but also my shooter games and sports games as well.. looking to stay around $100. oh yeah do I need other equipment? Right now I have a home theater in a box on my gaming set. Do I need a dedicated amp or receiver? Thanks.
 
Aura AST 2B Pro4 bass shakers are just under $50 each from Parts Express.com. You will need a separate amp to power your shaker or shakers - subwoofer plate amplifiers work best because they are designed to amplify low frequencies. The Dayton SA70 would power a shaker and they are about $60. The Dayton SA100 has more power and better filters and could power at least 2 shakers if later on you want to increase the effect.

If your home theatre system has a dedicated subwoofer output (LFE) use a Y splitter and connect the signal to your subwoofer and the shaker amp. If your home theatre hasn't got an LFE output you can use the multi-out facility on the PS3 - there is an option to send signal to all the PS3 outputs simultaneously. Connect from the stereo RCA outs on the PS3 to the shaker amp. This is a full range signal so if going this route you will need an amp with a good low pass filter like the SA100 or you may get unwanted high frequencies going to your shaker - makes a sound like a cheap and nasty loudspeaker.

If your lazyboy has a reclining feature be very careful how you mount the shaker so that it doesn't unintentionally come in contact with the internal frame of the chair, potentially damaging the shaker, when you use the recline feature. I mounted an Aura shaker in each of the reclining seats of a sofa by bolting an offcut of kitchen worktop to the metal frame near the feet, then bolting the shaker to the top of the worktop. I removed the feet of the chair and replaced them with rubber door stops - it's very important to isolate the chair from the floor using rubber or you will lose most of the effect. You will get best results using Penn Elcom 9106 rubber feet which are about $1.60 from Parts Express.

Greekbull recently fitted Aura shakers to his system and commented that he got a better effect from them than a previous Buttkicker Gamer system. If you search for Greekbulls posts you should find details of how he fitted Aura shakers if you need more info.

Good luck - I am certain you will be more than satisfied with the effect and extra immersion with driving and shooting games.
 
Thanks! Excellent info.. I am familiar with your recommended items tho I saw them on amazon. I.ll check out parts express. I didn't expect such a detailed response but sir I thank you!


Sick Cylinder
Aura AST 2B Pro4 bass shakers are just under $50 each from Parts Express.com. You will need a separate amp to power your shaker or shakers - subwoofer plate amplifiers work best because they are designed to amplify low frequencies. The Dayton SA70 would power a shaker and they are about $60. The Dayton SA100 has more power and better filters and could power at least 2 shakers if later on you want to increase the effect.

If your home theatre system has a dedicated subwoofer output (LFE) use a Y splitter and connect the signal to your subwoofer and the shaker amp. If your home theatre hasn't got an LFE output you can use the multi-out facility on the PS3 - there is an option to send signal to all the PS3 outputs simultaneously. Connect from the stereo RCA outs on the PS3 to the shaker amp. This is a full range signal so if going this route you will need an amp with a good low pass filter like the SA100 or you may get unwanted high frequencies going to your shaker - makes a sound like a cheap and nasty loudspeaker.

If your lazyboy has a reclining feature be very careful how you mount the shaker so that it doesn't unintentionally come in contact with the internal frame of the chair, potentially damaging the shaker, when you use the recline feature. I mounted an Aura shaker in each of the reclining seats of a sofa by bolting an offcut of kitchen worktop to the metal frame near the feet, then bolting the shaker to the top of the worktop. I removed the feet of the chair and replaced them with rubber door stops - it's very important to isolate the chair from the floor using rubber or you will lose most of the effect. You will get best results using Penn Elcom 9106 rubber feet which are about $1.60 from Parts Express.

Greekbull recently fitted Aura shakers to his system and commented that he got a better effect from them than a previous Buttkicker Gamer system. If you search for Greekbulls posts you should find details of how he fitted Aura shakers if you need more info.

Good luck - I am certain you will be more than satisfied with the effect and extra immersion with driving and shooting games.
Click to expand...
 
Parts Express give free postage to the USA and there is only a discount if you buy 4 or more shakers at a time so it doesn't make any financial difference whether you get one now and another later or both now.

Without experimenting it is difficult to know how much effect you will get in a chair - a metal frame will transmit the vibration better than a wood one, so for instance I get a bigger effect with one shaker in each recliner than I get with four shakers in the centre, wooden, non-recliner part of the sofa.

You could start with one or two depending on preference, but I think you are going to like the effect so much that you will end up with two! It also depends on how much room / clearance you will have for mounting.

The effect is variable within games and from one game to another - GT5 is generally good, but varies from car to car - strong effect from Audi R8 V8 and all Mercedes Benz V8's, weak effect from most six cylinder cars. Very poor effect with Dirt 3. I haven't tried Forza, but have heard the tactile effect is good. So bearing in mind the variability I suppose it would be best, subject to finances and fitting space to get two shakers. If using two shakers wire them in series if using the Dayton amp to get an 8 ohm load.

You can mount the shakers with screws, but M4 bolts with nylok nuts and mudguard washers will give the best results. Use decent thickness speaker wire to prevent loss of signal - the standard home cinema stuff is ok for testing, but not for a permanent install.

Keep us updated with your project!
 
My lazy boy is pretty big so I think I.ll do 2. Not sure what u mean by wiring in succession but I'm sure I.ll figure it out. I.ll keep u posted. Jusy curious.. what chair/ stand/ wheel do u use for your racing games?




Sick Cylinder
Parts Express give free postage to the USA and there is only a discount if you buy 4 or more shakers at a time so it doesn't make any financial difference whether you get one now and another later or both now.

Without experimenting it is difficult to know how much effect you will get in a chair - a metal frame will transmit the vibration better than a wood one, so for instance I get a bigger effect with one shaker in each recliner than I get with four shakers in the centre, wooden, non-recliner part of the sofa.

You could start with one or two depending on preference, but I think you are going to like the effect so much that you will end up with two! It also depends on how much room / clearance you will have for mounting.

The effect is variable within games and from one game to another - GT5 is generally good, but varies from car to car - strong effect from Audi R8 V8 and all Mercedes Benz V8's, weak effect from most six cylinder cars. Very poor effect with Dirt 3. I haven't tried Forza, but have heard the tactile effect is good. So bearing in mind the variability I suppose it would be best, subject to finances and fitting space to get two shakers. If using two shakers wire them in series if using the Dayton amp to get an 8 ohm load.

You can mount the shakers with screws, but M4 bolts with nylok nuts and mudguard washers will give the best results. Use decent thickness speaker wire to prevent loss of signal - the standard home cinema stuff is ok for testing, but not for a permanent install.

Keep us updated with your project!
Click to expand...
 
I copied this definition of series wiring:

The positive output terminal from the subwoofer amplifier is wired to the positive terminal of Shaker A and the negative terminal of Shaker A is connected to the positive terminal of Shaker B. A loop is created by wiring the negative terminal of Shaker B to the negative output terminal of the subwoofer amplifier.

I would like to have a proper rig, but space, wife, family etc. conspire against this. The seat is the middle seat of a modular three seat sofa, but I've just obtained an E46 BMW seat, which hopefully can be swapped over after a bit of modification. I use a wheelstand pro with T500RS and shifter which is built into a sort of centre console - I'm currently in the process of trying to add tactile to the shifter - to date without success, but if results improve I'll post some pictures of the mount.

GT5 Shifter 1.jpg
 
Ok thanks.. I.ll order around cyber monday to see if there are any price breaks then keep u posted.. I've been debating the wheel stand pro as well but wasnt surr if its playable from the lazyboy. I'm also thinking of mounting rear left n right speakers directly to the lazy boy as it is my dedicated gaming chair. Thanks again!
 
The wheelstand pro is very adjustable - it adjusts to my sofa, which is medium height and I sold my old one (with DFGT) to a friend who uses his with an office chair which is quite a bit taller. I also have a friend who uses his with a car seat from a scrapped car, which as it sits direct on the carpet is very low. So, I would expect it to easily adjust to fit a lazy boy.

What wheel will you use? If it has a shifter, the bracket which comes with the stand places the shifter quite high up (especially a long shifter like the TH8RS) so you don't get a vey natural hand position - it is like the shifter position in a modern Ford Transit van rather than a car - that is why I built a centre console.

Re the speaker mounting - that should work well. Some people mount a bass speaker under their seat which adds to the tactile experience, I haven't tried it yet myself, but it is recommended by Mr Latte and Carson79 who are tactile transducer experts.
 
Nice.. I have a g27.. yea I've seen the shifter bracket sits kind of high... but the wsp seems like cheapest option considering I need something that I can fold up n put away when not in use.. I need something that I can put in the corner when not in use. I have a pretty big family room and in one corner I have a "gaming corner"... basically a lazyboy facing a tv stand with a 37" tv. My wife doesn't want any gaming stuff on the main tv in the same room so that's why I need everything compact.. I do have a home theater in a box on that tv but don't have the rear speakers hooked up yet.. hence the idea of mounting the rears to the chair. A cockpit is only an option once my garage/ mancave is built. Do u recommend another stand besides the wsp for my situation?
 
I can only recommend the WSP as I've had two and been completely satisfied. Also I have three friends who bought WSP and are satisfied.

The quality and standard of finish is amazing, which means it looks attractive - not like a bit of cheap office furniture.
 
ok I ordered the Dayton SA100 with 2 Aura bass shakers AST 2b pro 4... I also ordered a wsp v2 deluxe... everything is scheduled to get here DEC 4.. gt6 release right after so perfect timing. I have also attached 2 surround speakers (RL and RR) to the lazy boy itself. Im waiting to run the wiring until the Auras and Dayton get here. I'll put up pics and let you know how i like it.
 
these are just the rear speakers. As you can see, the front center, left and right speakers fit right beneath the tv set, the subwoofer is on the side of the stand. So all thats left is the aura shakers when they get here. The speakers look a little off angle but i think its the angle i took the pic because when sitting, they are correct. I'll update once the auras are here.
 
Another option on those shakers. If you are running off the multi out, and have a left and right channel, you can create a stereo effect with the shakers, and say you run over a rumble strip, you will feel the rumble on the proper side, instead of just feeling it in the chair.
 
That stereo effect is a great idea. I just got everything from UPS.. Now just to hook it up. My Reciever has a "sub out" with only speaker wire portals "+/-".. no dedicated coaxial cable.... So i need to run speaker cable fro the reciever "sub out" portal. How do I hook up the amp/ 2 aura shakers/ and my subwoofer? I was thinking of going from reciever "sub out" to the Dayton amp "+/-" labeled "FROM AMPLIFIER". Then from the Dayton amp "TO SPEAKERS" to the 2 aura shakers since there are two sets of "+/-". The only thing left out now is the subwoofer itself. Do i go from "TO SPEAKERS" to the subwoofer using the "+" on "TO SPEAKERS (A) and the "-" on "TO SPEAKERS (B)"? Hope that made sense. Heres a link to the dayton sa100. By scrolling over picture it zooms in and you can see all the connections. Please let me know the best way to hook all this up. thanks.

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton...late-amplifier--300-802#lblCustomerDiscussion
 
That amp is 100w, and those two shakers are 50w RMS. You wouldn't want to run the sub off of that as well. Use this to run the two shakers. And split the two RCA audio cables. Get another amp for the sub and run it off that alone. This amp here won't be able to power three speakers.
 
Hi Mykflo - my understanding is that you have a home cinema in a box so presumably it comes with its own amplified subwoofer.

Your receiver has a subwoofer output so as suggested in my first post use a Y splitter to split that signal so that it goes to both your home cinema subwoofer and the Dayton Amp. I suggest you stick with one Dayton amp for now and have a mono shaker system - you can upgrade to a stereo shaker system at a later date.

Experiment with the location of the shakers under the seat to see what gives the best effect - ideally mount one or both directly under the buttocks.

You can also experiment with the audio source for the Dayton amp - start with the Y splitter as suggested above, then see if you prefer the effect using the RCA stereo output from the back of the PS3 - remember to set the PS3 to multiout.

The reasons I suggest sticking with a mono shaker system at first are several - until you try it you won't know how much you like the effect or how well your seat transmits the effect. Also if you go with a stereo shaker system you double the cost as you need two amps and two (or four) shakers, plus to get a good stereo effect you need to think about and experiment with how you isolate one shaker(s) from the other - so for example if you had two shakers mounted to a piece of wood under your chair when you go over a left kerb you will feel the kerb on the left of the chair, but you will also feel it nearly as strongly on the right of the chair because the vibration will be transmitted there by the wood. I got round this problem by using two boards each with one end solid mounted and the other end rubber mounted. Finally other posters with mono shaker systems have posted that it feels like they have a stereo system because of the way the effect combines with the visuals from the game.
 
my home theater in a box sub woofer out is only speaker wire... not a single black cable. thats why i'm having trouble figuring how to hook it up... however, you mention using the ps3 out and multi-out. So in this case could I go Ps3 straight to the amp to power the 2 shakers. Then to power the sub, just leave it alone meaning bluray player to subwoofer bypassing the amp all together? But if I go ps3 straight to amp, how does it seperate the low frequencies from the high?
 
Also just noticed the wires sticking out of the back of the dayton amp... do I HAVE to use those or can I use the "to speakers" connections?
 
Don't alter how your home cinema system is connected, leave your subwoofer connected as it is at the moment.

Use a stereo RCA cable to connect from the back of the PS3 to the front of the Dayton - although using a stereo connector the amp will combine the signals into a mono output to the shakers.

The wires at the back of the Dayton amp should be extended to the appropriate length and connected to your shakers in series - chocolate box connectors are easy to use and save soldering (thick speaker wire is hard to solder)j. Although the Dayton will be receiving a full range audio signal, this is not a problem for your amp - set the low pass filter to 80 or 100 Hz (from memory I think it goes up to 150 Hz). The filters in the Dayton amp will stop the high Hz signals from reaching the shakers.

The PS3 needs to be set to multi-out in the audio menu. Turn up the game sound effects from 90 to 120 to get maximum signal and either turn off the game music completely or set it very low.
 
Ok Sick, I can follow all your instructions but one more question.. i don't mind having the mono setup.. but the back of the amp only has one set of black/ red wires... how do i attach this to 2 aura shakers? split them or something? will that "choco box connectors" split the 2 wires to 4? and can i find that box at radioshack? thanks again..
 
Sorry for delayed response.

Snip off the crimped connectors on the back of the Dayton amp and extend the wires by connecting to a chocolate box connector (technical name I think is lustre connector). These are only a few cents from any hardware or electrical store and come in lengths - just trim to length with scissors. Picture attached.
Choc Box Connector.jpg


Connect the positive (red lead) from the amp to the positive of the first Aura shaker, then connect the negative of that shaker to the positive of the second Aura shaker. Connect the negative of the second shaker to the negative (black lead) on the amp. The shakers will now be wired in series to create to create an 8ohm load. Your amp is rated at 75W RMS with an 8 ohm load. The shakers are 50W so to avoid damage don't turn the gain knob on the amp up beyond about two thirds. The following picture is of another Dayton amp with binding post connectors, but it shows the correct way to connect your two shakers. Let me know if you have any more problems / queries.

Tactile transducer series.jpg



Aura Pro Bass Shakers.jpg


Happy shaking!
 
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Thanks again..you said my amp is rated at 75watts. i have the dayton sa100.. isnt it more? also, what is the point of the chocolate boxes? is it splicing the signal from the amp? cant i just go direct from the amp to the + and - on opposite auras? The pictures helped a lot thanks.
 
The SA100 is rated at 100W RMS with a 4 ohm load and 75W RMS with an 8 ohm load.

If the leads from the amp are long enough to reach the shakers then you won't need to use the choc box connectors - I suggested them because the leads on these amps are quite short as they were originally designed to fit into the cut out in a subwoofer cabinet and connect to the loudspeaker from inside the cabinet.
 
Sick Cylinder
The SA100 is rated at 100W RMS with a 4 ohm load and 75W RMS with an 8 ohm load.

If the leads from the amp are long enough to reach the shakers then you won't need to use the choc box connectors - I suggested them because the leads on these amps are quite short as they were originally designed to fit into the cut out in a subwoofer cabinet and connect to the loudspeaker from inside the cabinet.
Click to expand...


Perfect... thank you. And yes I saw the 75 watts on the spec sheet.
 
I.ll try hooking it all up tomorrow or saturday.. I'm not off work until tuesday but I can't wait to try it all. Thanks again for all your help.. couldn't have gotten this far so quick without your help.
 

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