Buttkicker G2 has “kicked” the bucket?

[DaveTheStalker]

I’ve had my Buttkicker Gamer-2 for 12yrs now. When it works, it works well! So much so, I wanted to get another socket to mount it to my Lazy Boy and swap back and forth between my Obutto oZone. I think the amp has finally crapped out for good. I can only get it to engage when tapping a volume button. It hasn’t been used in 10yrs. I had to use contact cleaner on the high pass switch to get it to work a couple of weeks ago. It was working great getting signal from my SVS PB1000 Pro. It’s the only sub I have that has an RCA out to daisy chain them. The feel was much better than using one of the pre-outs on the AVR.

It has always been a finicky thing! Engaging when it decided to was the usual issue. So far, my research is only leading me to amps for the far more powerful transducers Buttkicker sells without amps. I was thinking about contacting Buttkicker, it seems the BKA-130-C amp is notoriously unreliable and is known to catch fire!!! Great, screw that!!!

I was just looking for specs, it seems they went bankrupt in 2021?

What alternative amp would you all recommend?

Here’s a screenshot of the specs.

 

[Juris]

As you said the BKA-130-C is a notoriously unreliable piece of crap for many. This includes myself. Mine died after about 8 months and has been sitting in a closet for years.

I'm hunting for a replacement myself to get my Gamer 2 back in action. The big thing is getting an amp that supports 2 ohms as the Gamer 2 demands. Many transducers including Buttkickers other models run at 4 ohms but the Gamer series requires 2.

There are numerous mini Class-D amps from companies like Nobsound, Douk (same parent as Nobsound), Fosi Audio, Dollatek and others on Amazon and eBay that should do the trick. Just remember if getting a stereo amp and not a dedicated single channel subwoofer-amp (the transducer is using the lower end frequencies) get one with at least 2x100W output as your 90W Gamer 2 will be attached to only one of the outputs.

Getting an amp with dedicated front bass and gain controls on the front is preferable. Many of the cheap Chinese Class-D's have this.

Also make sure its supplied with a power supply that can actually drive the amp to the rating they claim. Some of the amps don't come with a PSU at all and you buy your own. Many other Class-D Chinese amps give you a lesser rated power supply. eg a 2x100W amp supplied with a 65W PSU. Check the small print in the listings. Most of these amps accept voltage from 8v to 24v and some 32v. You are looking for a PSU at the highest rated voltage & amps needed to drive the Gamer 2's 90W output with some headroom left over so as not to overheat the PSU. I recommend at least 120W if not more for reliability.

Example of sub or full frequency switching amps

Fosi Audio M02 Subwoofer Amp 100W Full-Frequency & Sub Bass

Enhance your audio experience with the powerful Fosi Audio M02 Subwoofer Amp, featuring 100W output and switchable full-frequency and sub-bass modes.

fosiaudioshop.com

Nobsound G2 Mini 100W Mono Channel Digital Amplifier Subwoofer/Full-Frequency Power Amp for Home Stereos

Features A WORKING MODE SWITCHER: convenient to use it as subwoofer bass amplifier or full frequency amp, and you can use two Nobsound G2 to drive left and right channel independently, and the mutual interference between the channels is suppressed. GAIN CONTROL: a gain switch on the bottom of...

www.doukaudio.com

 

[DaveTheStalker]

As you said the BKA-130-C is a notoriously unreliable piece of crap for many. This includes myself. Mine died after about 8 months and has been sitting in a closet for years.

I'm hunting for a replacement myself to get my Gamer 2 back in action. The big thing is getting an amp that supports 2 ohms as the Gamer 2 demands. Many transducers including Buttkickers other models run at 4 ohms but the Gamer series requires 2.

There are numerous mini Class-D amps from companies like Nobsound, Douk (same parent as Nobsound), Fosi Audio, Dollatek and others on Amazon and eBay that should do the trick. Just remember if getting a stereo amp and not a dedicated single channel subwoofer-amp (the transducer is using the lower end frequencies) get one with at least 2x100W output as your 90W Gamer 2 will be attached to only one of the outputs.

Getting an amp with dedicated front bass and gain controls on the front is preferable. Many of the cheap Chinese Class-D's have this.

Also make sure its supplied with a power supply that can actually drive the amp to the rating they claim. Some of the amps don't come with a PSU at all and you buy your own. Many other Class-D Chinese amps give you a lesser rated power supply. eg a 2x100W amp supplied with a 65W PSU. Check the small print in the listings. Most of these amps accept voltage from 8v to 24v and some 32v. You are looking for a PSU at the highest rated voltage & amps needed to drive the Gamer 2's 90W output with some headroom left over so as not to overheat the PSU. I recommend at least 120W if not more for reliability.

Example of sub or full frequency switching amps

Fosi Audio M02 Subwoofer Amp 100W Full-Frequency & Sub Bass

Enhance your audio experience with the powerful Fosi Audio M02 Subwoofer Amp, featuring 100W output and switchable full-frequency and sub-bass modes.

fosiaudioshop.com

Nobsound G2 Mini 100W Mono Channel Digital Amplifier Subwoofer/Full-Frequency Power Amp for Home Stereos

Features A WORKING MODE SWITCHER: convenient to use it as subwoofer bass amplifier or full frequency amp, and you can use two Nobsound G2 to drive left and right channel independently, and the mutual interference between the channels is suppressed. GAIN CONTROL: a gain switch on the bottom of...

www.doukaudio.com

Thanks for the heads up! I spoke with Buttkicker and they were saved from bankruptcy as part of the Covid small business assistance.

It really sucks not having it on my Obutto.