install advice for bass shaker

27dnast

I've been looking at these Aurasound bass shakers...

https://www.madisound.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1667

Basically, if I want to install 3 of these I would:

1)Run an LFE cable from my amp to a separate amp.
2) Run speaker wire from the separate amp to the first bass shaker...
3) Daisy chain (by hooking speaker wire up to the inputs of the first bass shaker where the incoming speaker wire from the amp is connected) the second bass shaker to the first.
4) repeat step 3 with the third and second bass shaker.

Is this correct??

20hz

27dnast wrote: »

I've been looking at these Aurasound bass shakers...

https://www.madisound.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1667

Basically, if I want to install 3 of these I would:
Is this correct??

Sounds correct they are just like any other speakers just watch your impedance !
I would contact Aurasound and ask them .
About 15 years ago a buddy (he had a extreme HT system) put a few bass shakers under his couch sounded good but his subs went to 20hz so it was kinda drowded out .
I have seen setups on ebay with a couple shakers and A plate amp .
Remember if they 8 ohms each each 3 in parallel will go below 2 ohms and that will kill just about any amp , be carefull ask a bunch of questions !

Almadacr

Did you check Butkickers ??? I`m on the same page as 20hz or you can ad a amp like This .

27dnast

I'm wondering if this amp might be able to handle it... It says it outputs at 2 ohms...

27dnast

I did check buttkickers, by the way... I was hoping to keep the cost at about $200

Buttkickers will push it closer to $300 to $400 for 3 kickers...

20hz

27dnast wrote: »

I'm wondering if this amp might be able to handle it... It says it outputs at 2 ohms...

That buttkicker amp ??
its a d-class and is safe w/2 ohms , so 2x4 ohm in parallel is 2 ohms , I saw a nice wiring diagram online at rockford fostgates subwoofer wiring guide .
If you have any questions just buy a $2 digital volt/ohm meter from ebay , they are brand new come from china it will awnser all hookup questions .
That shaker amp has tons of power , I recall those shakers dont require a ton of power , check into that before you buy a amp !

27dnast

I ended up buying some aura pro's that I will wire in series (two to a channel) to an old Pioneer vsx1019 amp that I have.

My understanding is exactly what you were eluding to... these shakers (outside of some of the really large thumping buttkickers and clarks) don't need tons of power and frequently are run at very low volume levels to keep them from being over bearing.

So I think my pioneer amp will be enough to make them work.

Besides... i'm only looking to slightly enhance the bass experience. Not make my family sick!

20hz

27dnast wrote: »

I ended up buying some aura pro's that I will wire in series (two to a channel) to an old Pioneer vsx1019 amp that I have.

Besides... i'm only looking to slightly enhance the bass experience. Not make my family sick!

My only experiance w/the shakers is they enhace the sound (like you said) it sounded like the bass was faster but still blended nicely , I would try to try some also .

sda2mike

i put 2 of these in my couch...great addition! i have an amp out of a blown sub...50 watts, i think...adds the right amount of enhancement

27dnast

sda-

Can you give some details about where (location-wise) you mounted them? the tech at parts express said that he has heard customers had better luck with mounting near major framing points (like a vertical board near a leg).

Also, are you using an vibration isolators (rubber feet or rubber mats) under you chairs???

sda2mike

it was kinda tight in there to mount them directly to the frame....so i mounted half to the frame and cut some boards to make a bridge for the other half...seems to work well..i have no unwanted vibrations at all...i'm not using any isolators

27dnast

cool, thanks

20hz

whats hard to beleive is how much some of those cost !
like the the clark models , I really think buying 2 smaller ones would do the job as the one MUCH more expesive one .

27dnast

I wonder what happens if you mix and match different brands of shakers....

Will that muddy up the effect or enhance it?

20hz

27dnast wrote: »

I wonder what happens if you mix and match different brands of shakers....

Will that muddy up the effect or enhance it?

I think one will just bottom out first .
The basic rule is if you double your speakers and have enough amplifier you will gain 6 db,
but if you cant drive one shaker you will loose a couple decibles , so I think what you will end up with is a more even filling sound but it wont be like having twice as much subwoofer .

maxima

27dnast,
I put 4 of the Aura Pro's in the couch of my last HT. They augment low end bass very nicely if not run too hot. The DC resistance of these is actually about 3.5 ohms so I would run them in series with any amp you choose. The four of them I ran in series off of one channel of a QSC RMX2450 presented a 14 ohm load to that channel and about 75 watts to each shaker which is plenty.

27dnast

So, if I run 2 on each channel, wired in series, each set will have a 7 ohm load?

My AVR has a setting that will allow it to run speakers at 6 or 8 ohms. Does this mean that I should set it at 6?

maxima

Actually, either setting should work just fine. 1 ohm difference (DC resistance) is hardly noticeable. The resistance of the shakers (this is known as impedance) varies with frequency anyway.

If you're going to run them full range off of a receiver, you may want to invest in these:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=266-252

27dnast

Well, the amp will be taking an LFE line from my primary AVR crossed over at 80hz.... I did buy some fMOD 50hz low pass jacks that I thought I'd try out if the 80hz x-over was too much. Was 50 hz too low? Did you fund 80 hz too high?

maxima

I think you'll be in good shape with the 80hz crossover. Some people have reported even better integration using a crossover in the 50hz range. I didn't try it but if you've already got them, give em' a shot. You may like the result!

27dnast

Cool. Think at this point I need to set them up! ;-). Just need some time...

27dnast

Btw, have you experienced the bass shaker prematurely delivering the bass (because they deliver faster than the sound traveling from the sub? I've read some complaints about this.... My sub, though, is on 12 feet from the listening area. Anyhow, I wonder if there is a way to slightly delay the signal the shakers are getting from the AVR?

maxima

Using the lower crossover to the shakers (the 50hz Fmods you already have) can help resolve this issue. I think it would be difficult to do it any other way unless your AVR offered multiple subwoofer crossovers independently.

27dnast

I almost have these guys fully installed... All the drilling, cutting and wiring is done... Just need to hook up the amp. I'll let you know what happens tomorrow once I have them calibrated and running. Of course, chapter 4 of master and commander ought to give a good show. Fingers crossed!

27dnast

Okay... gott'em hooked-up.

My first impression: Not as much kick as I was hoping for. Perhaps this is due to how I am powering them. I ***thought*** that I'd have some room to increase or decrease the tactile sensations. But, as of now, I have to keep my amp cranked to +10 (which is the maximum volume setting) to get some mid to low vibration through my chair.

This is the set-up. I have 2 aura pro bass shakers wired in series for each chair (total of 3 chairs... or 6 bass shakers). I mounted each shaker to ply wood and then mounted the plywood with 6 wood screws securely to underside of the seat bases of my chairs (the chairs are the LoveSac Sactional chairs).

See the photos to see the installation.

I tightened the screws (both auras to plywood and plywood to chairs) as tight as I could.

The speaker wire from the bass shakers is connected to a Pioneer VSX 1016... which runs at 120W per channel at 8 ohms OR can be switched to run at 120W per channel at 6 ohms.

I have them wired to the front right, front left and front center channels. These channels are all set to LARGE... all other channels are turned off and sub is set to NO.


I do feel a slight rumble... nothing overly dramatic. But, as I said, I have the volume on my VSX-1016 cranked to +10. Because the LFE line that feeds the VSX-1016 is coming from a splitter connected to the LFE line coming from my primary amp, as I turn the volume down on my primary amp, the bass shakers naturally get less juice and are more quite.


So, couple of questions:

Did I mount these correctly?

Are they getting enough juice from my 110w amp?

Is there a way to get more juice out of my amp??? Will setting the speaker output to 6ohm give me more juice?



My initial thought (and I haven't had time to try this...) is that I should try adjusting the bass control and the loudness control. The specs say that the bass control can add 6dBs and the loudness control can add 4 dBs.

Anyhow... I know a lot of people run these bass shakers off subwoofer plate amps or stand-alone amps that can pump out wattage at 4 ohms.



Thoughts? Observations? Suggestions

27dnast

Here are photos:

madmax

20hz wrote: »

whats hard to beleive is how much some of those cost !
like the the clark models , I really think buying 2 smaller ones would do the job as the one MUCH more expesive one .

I have a couple of the bigger Clarks under my seating area (used to have 6 of them in my old house) and the difference I notice between them and some of the other ones is the bass is extremely well defined and detailed, less of a one note sorta thing. Certainly worth the extra $$ if used with music as well as movies. I agree that two smaller (of any brand) is just as good as one bigger.

madmax

Those are mounted in an incorrect direction, I'm surprised you get much of anything from them. They must face your weight. For example, sitting in the chair your weight is towards the floor. The perfect solution is your chair sitting on a wood platform with the transducers mounted to the platform pointed upwards which vibrates the floor up and down. The way you have them in your chair vibrates back and forth, not up and down like they must do to create the proper feeling. You will have to decide how to implement, play around a bit.

madmax

Try this,
With the chair in the same position as in the pics sit down on the base above the transducer and give it a try, you will be amazed at the difference.

BWilberg266

Do you have the LFE line split three ways to each corresponding "channel input"? Didn't see anywhere in your posts that you exactly specified that this is how you connected your LFE output to the Pioneer 1016. I'm assuming you did, but just thought I'd check to make sure. I know when I get into a project it's often the littlest thing that I miss.

*edit*
After reading the above posts, I'm sure they hit the nail on the head.

27dnast

No... I didn't....

I have the LFE split (one cable going to my sub and the other going to another splitter that I attached two heavy-duty RCA cables to)... the two RCA cables are plugged into the DVD red and white line-in's.

Is this wrong?????

What should I do?