Buttkicker worth it?

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Is the Buttkicker worth it for racing games?

I have been thinking about getting a ButtKicker BK-GR Gamer for sometime now, but never really knew if they worked that good in racing games.

Thanks for any input
 
It adds greatly to games and not just racing games.
Their is a new gamer 2 model out now thats improved over the original model.

BIG thumbs up from me...
 
Hell yes is the simple anser. Hit the rumble strip and you can feel which side it is. Get in someone's draft (slipstream) on GT5P and you will know, Hit that jump at NORDWAND
and it will rattle your teeth. My son love's it playing shootem up's, The wife thinks I'm mad.
Pearsonally I'm with the boy. Just for the record I have mine fixed to the lower seat brace
on a playseat evo.
 
Mr Latte
No but actually what happens is your brain is fooled into thinking it is by combining the video, audio and vibration together.
Click to expand...

Thank's MR Latte.
I was puzzeled as to how it worked aswell. But would the fact I play in headphone's magnify this?
 
I had an original Buttkicker Gamer and just had it replaced with the BKG2 under warranty. The original model's amp suffered a high rate of failure and Guitammer has been quite good about keeping their customers happy by replacing bad amps that are long out of warranty. Kudos to them. 👍

I certainly have no qualms about recommending it and have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of mine. But I do want to offer a disclaimer about the product and it's use as I think people above have been a little too quick to praise it without commenting on the downside.

There's no magic in how it works. It runs and generates vibration based completely off of sound output. And it works best with heavy base tones. Think of it as a subwoofer that physically shakes and rattles instead of putting out low frequency noise. And when connected to a chair (as it's designed to do) or slightly less successfully to a Playseat or other driving rig, it will vibrate and shake, offering a more 'visceral' feel.

But since it operates purely on sound, it tends to vibrate and shake at the wrong time and place. Vibrating over rumble strips, during collisions, during hard shifts, it works well. But it also vibrates if you have any kind of music playing in the background, or if you have windshield wipers on or if somebody speaks with a deep voice. And it's kind of silly when it vibrates to the beat of background music and not to what your vehicle is doing.

I'm not much of a gamer outside of driving games but it does work quite well with IL2 where the more consistent and low frequency droan of the aircraft engines keeps it at a constant buzz as opposed to racing games where it has a tendency to feel like you're driving in a car with a honking stereo if you have background music.
 
jjaisli
I had an original Buttkicker Gamer and just had it replaced with the BKG2 under warranty. The original model's amp suffered a high rate of fa(...)
Click to expand...

Very good commented. I have the gamer 2 too. I love it. The soundproblem is easy to fix. Shut of the sound. I had a big problem with that in dirt2, but turning the sound off, and know it rocks.
A bigger problem is when you fix it on normal office chairs. On mine, the armrest is shaking and making noise. This problem is pointed out by the designer and can be fixed with a bit of rubber or foam.

For fixing the BK on my driving rig i cut of a metal table foot (available for a few bucks in all DIY shops) and screw the foot onto to rig and than you have a round bit of a pole which is ideal for the buttkicker fixing.

depending on the purpose and/or size of your room you can also consider the movie buttkicker (LFT ?) which is bigger and upgradable (more kickers). This can also be done with the gamer as it is a lot cheaper.

BTW i have mine mounted on the AVR and use it for tv ,BR, ps3 and xbox with no problem.

I can recommend it, it is worth every penny ( for the very cheap or if you want a bad ass DIY setup, buttkickers system can also be done with kickers and car amplis but it is a lot more work and probably end up with the same price)
 
Indded guys to point out..

Any ingame audio will trigger this device.
If music is playing then yes it will bang to the beat.

You really will need to alter the menu and ingame music turning it off for ingame races is best of course and lowered a bit for menus and replays. Music you see can be quite annoying with it if turned up too much.

It is also possible to buy Buttkicker Transducers on their own and use seperate amplification. Please BEWARE these units can require heavy amplification (mini LFEs are not so bad). Check their website though as many of the Buttkicker range are 4ohm and not the typical 8ohm speaker rating.

DJ class amplifers are commonly 4ohms so thats the best place to look. Ebay etc will have models around $60/ £60+
Incar amplifers are not very good for homes using 110/240V so dont consider car amplification for in the home.
 
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Thanks for the input guys, i ordered one today. Should be here some day next week.

After hearing the praise here, I CANT WAIT!!!
 
Mars Attacks
How? :confused: Is there a "stereo" function?
Click to expand...

You need two buttkickers for that purpose. Just require that the games in question don´t render the cerb sounds in both channels of course.

But yes the gamer was nice it went one to one with my momo force red cerb effects in GTR 2 I remember. I currently run with the LFE and on a new chair. It´s a bit different more oomph but slightly less speed since there is more mass involved I suspect. Office chair versus 90 kg cockpit ;)

The gamer was efficient enough for the Playseat Evo but then I was really running on it´s max in many games. The LFE have power to spare that´s for sure.

So if you have a cockpit heavier then the Evo mini LFEs may be a better option.
 
Well it arrived today, and I eagerly hooked it up. So far I am a bit disappointed with it for GT5P.

Not sure if I got a lemon or if I got something hooked up wrong. The darn thing runs all the time even when going straight down the track, I can hit rumble strips, and it doesnt raise the or lower the vibration. I can slam it into a wall and about pop blow my sub, but the kicker does nothing but get quiet.

I have 2 stereo receivers and I have tried both with the same effect, so I am ruling out comparability issues there.

I had very high hopes for this thing.

EDIT:
Been Playing with the settings a lot, and starting to get some where. I turned my crossover on the amp to 100, and now I can feel the rumble strips if I am going 60mph/95km/h or less. Still havent been able to dial out the straight line rumble though at speed.

Anyone have any settings they would like to share that there using?
 
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Okay will try to help you out mate...

1) Put GT5P Sound Settings To Smallest Room Setting
(I found on my system it gives more bass)

2)If you can set your AV LFE to +10 or MAX output and lower the speaker volume to -5. The test with a higher volume level.

3) 100Hz Crossover should be fine
(The higer hte more it will rumble with standard noises like wind etc)

4) Read the manual regards the high/low filters


It will take time to get this tweaked for your own system and preference.
Take a note of the settings you like and for that game, sometiimes you may find you want different settings for different games.
 
Mr Latte
Okay will try to help you out mate...

1) Put GT5P Sound Settings To Smallest Room Setting
(I found on my system it gives more bass)

I have mine on "small" right now, but there is option for Living room. Not sure if this is smaller or not.

2)If you can set your AV LFE to +10 or MAX output and lower the speaker volume to -5. The test with a higher volume level.

I have my AV LFE to +12 (max). What I didnt do was lower the others.

3) 100Hz Crossover should be fine
(The higer hte more it will rumble with standard noises like wind etc)

I got something right :)

4) Read the manual regards the high/low filters

If your talking about the manual for the receiver/amp I got about as good of luck finding that as a needle in a hay stack. Have moved twice since I bought either one.LOL


It will take time to get this tweaked for your own system and preference.
Take a note of the settings you like and for that game, sometiimes you may find you want different settings for different games.
Click to expand...

The only game I really play is GT5P where I would use this, so when I get it set, its set.....lol

Thanks for all the tips. I will try them out in the morning, pulling graveyard shift at work this week. Will let you know if I made any headway.
 
Honestly GT5P is a trick to setup and I am hoping that GT5 will be easier and have more audio control. Don't forget to turn the music volume all the way down (off) and increase the sound effects all the way up. Keep tweaking you will get it dialed in. I actually didn't get mine right till Mr.Latte had me try some testing back before he bought his.
 
I done some testing this morning in a few other games and it seems to work great.

I tried it in NFS:S, WoO: Sprint Cars, Dirt2, F1:CE.

I got it pretty close in GT5P but still not quite there. I can feel the curbing at anything slower than 70mph but i I am going faster its like there not there. I could probably get this better if I had a clue how to set-up my stereo receiver.
 
.Boss429.
I done some testing this morning in a few other games and it seems to work great.

I tried it in NFS:S, WoO: Sprint Cars, Dirt2, F1:CE.

I got it pretty close in GT5P but still not quite there. I can feel the curbing at anything slower than 70mph but i I am going faster its like there not there. I could probably get this better if I had a clue how to set-up my stereo receiver.
Click to expand...

Here is the original link I posted for the BKA300. Starting on page 2 post #28 I have the start of settings, It continues on when I did some audio and car testing for Mr.Latte. I think you might find some useful info there while you tweak in the gamer for GT5P. Remember that some of the red/white curbs are not raised on the tracks and you will not feel them. I had the same problem at first with the walls as they were non existant. After I performed the testing and experimenting as requested by Mr.Latte I finally had found the intensity I was missing while playing GT5P. I have not played GT5P in over 6mos, I am going to have to break it out and run a few laps:tup: You should be able to find online manuals for your receivers on the manufacturers website. What receiver are you currently using?

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=112868
 
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Yeah jswilli1 was a great help to me and the person that got me into Buttkickers...

Read the manual of the BK regards the cut off filters think you might have to mess around with them and crank the juice a littlemore than normal on the amp. Thats why if you can reduce your main speaker volumes having the LFE get more of a boost to help it.
 
jswilli1
What receiver are you currently using?
Click to expand...

I currently have the Onkyo TX-SR501 hooked up.
I also have a Samsung AV-R730 that I could use.
Not sure what one is better.

Thanks for the help guys, this thing will be awesome when/if I ever get it adjusted right. :scared:

EDIT:
I am starting to think I have a bad amp for the Kicker. The high cutoff frequency knob basically does nothing. Its almost like turning air. It doesnt seem to do anything. I can set where ever I want, and it does nothing to change it. Also pushing the High Frequency knob in/out does nothing either to change anything. I guess its time to call Amazon and try to return it.

EDIT II:
Got in touch with Amazon, and a new one is being sent out. After some more time messing with it, it seems the High Frequency Cutoff knob is broke. It moves around a lot, is sloppy when turning. Also the High Frequency Button does nothing. It doesnt change a thing weather its pushed in or out. I think on of those is broke or maybe both. New one should be here Friday. Thanks for the help guys.
 
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Boss

Although you have a replacement ordered try changing your amps crossover again to 250HZ . Then see if the highcut still does nothing mate.
You really should look in ebay etc for a cheapo graphic equaliser, it gives these so much more control in games.

Keep us informed when you get the new one.
 
Mr Latte
Boss

Although you have a replacement ordered try changing your amps crossover again to 250HZ . Then see if the highcut still does nothing mate.
You really should look in ebay etc for a cheapo graphic equaliser, it gives these so much more control in games.

Keep us informed when you get the new one.
Click to expand...

I tried the crossover in every setting it had, anywhere from 40 to 200 and the dial still done nothing. The Highcut control knob was very loose and wobbled side to side and in and out. It didnt matter where I put it, the response from the kicker was exactly the same.

I cant try anymore with it now, I dropped it off for shipping back this morning. New one should be here tomorrow.

I am also thinking of maybe getting a Yahmaha RXV665 receiver. Going to try the new one with what I have now, but neither of them have very many settings to play with. The Onkyo I have is about 6 years old, and it was the entry level one at the time, and the Samsung came in a Theater in a Box setup that I bought for my son. So I am sure its very limited in what it can do too.
 
.Boss429.
I tried the crossover in every setting it had, anywhere from 40 to 200 and the dial still done nothing. The Highcut control knob was very loose and wobbled side to side and in and out. It didnt matter where I put it, the response from the kicker was exactly the same.

I cant try anymore with it now, I dropped it off for shipping back this morning. New one should be here tomorrow.

I am also thinking of maybe getting a Yahmaha RXV665 receiver. Going to try the new one with what I have now, but neither of them have very many settings to play with. The Onkyo I have is about 6 years old, and it was the entry level one at the time, and the Samsung came in a Theater in a Box setup that I bought for my son. So I am sure its very limited in what it can do too.
Click to expand...


Okay hope then this arrives and you get it working fine.
The Onkyo should be fine tbh.
 
I had an issue with my first BKA300, it didn't work at all. The Transducer was bad from the start. I contacted Guitammer and was in touch with Mark which I still have his email. He sent me a new unit basically overnight and told me to ship him back the defective one which included prepaid postage. Don't hesistate to contact them if you have any issues, they are extremely helpful and back their products.

This could explain why you were having a really hard time adjusting it for GT5P. Let me know if you want Mark's email and I can PM it to you.
 
Mr Latte
Okay will try to help you out mate...

1) Put GT5P Sound Settings To Smallest Room Setting
(I found on my system it gives more bass)

2)If you can set your AV LFE to +10 or MAX output and lower the speaker volume to -5. The test with a higher volume level.

3) 100Hz Crossover should be fine
(The higer hte more it will rumble with standard noises like wind etc)

4) Read the manual regards the high/low filters


It will take time to get this tweaked for your own system and preference.
Take a note of the settings you like and for that game, sometiimes you may find you want different settings for different games.
Click to expand...

smallest room does indeed give some more bass compared to large theater but setting my front speakers (and rear should also be on small I think) to small on my receiver gave a me huge bass improvement, so I set gt5p back to large theater and it still bassy enough...

large theater should be the best option to use since it gives more dynamic.
 
JosVerstappen
smallest room does indeed give some more bass compared to large theater but setting my front speakers (and rear should also be on small I think) to small on my receiver gave a me huge bass improvement, so I set gt5p back to large theater and it still bassy enough...

large theater should be the best option to use since it gives more dynamic.
Click to expand...

The setting in the game likely just sets a small + / - of a few DB to the games output.
They may be concerned people with large systems and rooms dont damage their hearing etc.

I actually think their setting does the opposite to what you think, by giving a small boost in SMALL room setting and a slight reduction in LARGE room setting.

Your amps speaker config settings has nothing to do with this "Room" mode in game. If your speakers are full range speakers set them all to large.
Also with GT5P the games audio cant be full uncompressed PCM as its also a downloadable title of only approx 4 gig.
Some PS3 games that use fully uncompressed audio have audio using 20Gigs + of disc space.

Other guys with Buttkickers can confrim if they get more Bass with "SMALL" room setting over the larger one.
It easier to determine a difference with a Buttkicker than it is with a normal subwoofer etc as you feel the small difference the room settings can make.

.Boss429.
I noticed the "gamer" is actually very limited in its power with only 90 watts.
Thats quite a difference to the mini models supporting upto 250 watts of amplification and the BKA 300 model supporting upto 400 watts.
Gamer works upto a max of 200Hz so Id recommend a cut off on your AV amplifier to this at max or even 150HZ this will give enough mid range rumble as too much is when these units bottom out or can sound/feel bad.
 
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