That receiver will work fine. In fact, it's overkill, since it's actually a surround capable receiver (you really only need a stereo receiver - or even mono, if they made such a thing). According to this page (http://www.audioweb.com/Ad/AdInfo.asp?adid=76337), it's 65w/ch front, and 35w/ch rear. IF it has some kind of "all channel stereo" mode, or some other similar mode that gives the front and rear channels the same signal, you could use that to give you more options for splitting up shaker load. For example, using two shakers per channel is an easy load, so you could use three of the available channels for six shakers, or four for 8 shakers. The only concern would be if it had some kind of high pass filter on the main speaker channels that prevented them from getting the lowest of frequencies. Being an older pro-logic receiver, it's hard to say.

And no, one shaker per recliner would not be overkill, assuming you're talking about Auras. I have a sofa and loveseat, and I'm using 16 shakers between the two of them (so about three per seating position). If you were talking about the more expensive Buttkickers, then one of those per piece of furniture is ample. But then again, if you were talking about that, you'd be using their amp, because those things take a lot more power.

Thanks for all the help Darin. I really appreciate it. I guess the only question I really have now is how do you know how many shakers you can put on each channel.

I hear people talking about only needing a 100watt reciever. Do they mean 100 total? Or 100 per channel? The Pro Shakers say they take 50watts. My father's reciever has 65 front, and 35 rear. It would seem to me that I would only be able to use the front channels, as the rear ones only support 35?

This is probably an insanely elimentary question. After doing research on my Home Theater I decided to buy 3 books from Amazon so I can finally understand what everyone on this forum is talking about :).

I few things. First off, everything I've seen has indicated that the "pro" auras are the same on the inside as the regular ones. They can handle more power simply because they have the finned housing which dissipates heat better. But if you're driving these at the lower frequencies, they are going to reach their excursion limits at very low wattages. At 10hz, I could bottom them with less than 15 watts (per shaker). Keep in mind that these are also used in cars, and are often crossed over at higher frequencies than we would typically use. So the higher power rating may be more important there than for HT use. I originally had all 16 shakers powered off of a 100 wpc receiver, and could get them to to their limits at the lowest frequencies. I've since switched them over to a 500w (total, as it's mono) amp, and after some use, I've determined that they are a little stronger with the bigger amp, it's not a huge difference. They are much more limited by their excursion than by the amps power. It all depends on how you use these (i.e., what frequencies you run them at), but for 30hz and down, I think anything over about 20w per shaker isn't going to help much, because they will excursion limited.

As far as how many shakers to put on each channel... you have two goals: 1) keep the impedance load (ohms) within the range that the amp is happy at, and 2) distribute the power evenly between each shaker. It's kind of hard to give a thorough explanation of how to obtain that without a very long post, when there's already quite a few that touch on these subjects in this thread, but the high points are:

Series wiring: this is essentially wiring the "negative" lead of one shaker to the "negative" port on the amp, with the positive lead of that shaker wired to the negative lead of the next shaker, continuing on for as many as you wire together, until you're left with the positive lead of the last shaker, which gets connected to the positive port on the amp. So they are "daisy-chained", such that the current passes from one shaker to the next. If you wire shakers in series, their resistance (measured in ohms) will be the sum of the resistance of the shakers that are wired together. The Auras are 4 ohm shakers, so two shakers in series results in an 8 ohm load. 8 ohms happens to be the resistance most typical receivers are rated at, while most subwoofer amps (like plate amps) are rated at 4 ohms.

Parallel wiring: this would be wiring ALL of the negative leads directly to the negative terminal on the amp, and all of the positives to the positive terminal, such that the current is divided between all the shakers, and passes through them in parallel. When dealing with loads that are all the same impedance (in this case, the 4 ohm load of a shaker), you simply divide their individual impedance by the number of shakers wired in parallel. So two 4 ohm loads wired in parallel gives you 2 ohms. This is a problem for most amps - they will tend to overload or overheat. Amps generally don't have a "problem" with impedance that's too high, but their power rating will go down. An amp that's rated for 100w at 8 ohms might only put out 50w at 16 ohms. So obviously, you try to stick as close to their rated impedance as possible (don't overload, but don't lose power).

When you have a lot of shakers, you can mix parallel and series wiring to stay as close to your desired load as possible. For example, two shakers in parallel = 2 ohms, take two paralleled pairs like this, and wire them in series, and you're back to 4 ohms. When you start doing this, this is where you need to start being mindful of distributing power evenly. If you took a paralleled pair (2 ohms) and wired them in series with a single 4 ohm shaker, you'd get 6 ohms, BUT the single shaker would be getting twice the current of the two that are paralleled. You generally want to avoid this.

As you can see, once you get passed a couple of pairs, it gets kind of complicated if you don't have a basic understanding of parallel and series wiring. The easiest thing is to just post how many shakers you want to use, and what you want to power them with, and then we'll help. :)

Darin... Excelent description.
If you took a paralleled pair (2 ohms) and wired them in series with a single 4 ohm shaker, you'd get 6 ohms, BUT the single shaker would be getting twice the current of the two that are paralleled. You generally want to avoid this.
Actually, you ALWAYS want to avoid this. Not only is the one shaker getting twice the current, it also has twice the voltage across it.

Lets pretend the amplifier was outputting 12 volts. The voltage would be distributed across the shakers proportional to their resistance. So the two shakers in parallel would get 4 volts across them, and the one 4-ohm shaker would get 8 volts across it.

The current flowing = 12 volts / 6 ohms = 2 amperes of current.
The wattage disipated in the single 4-ohm shaker = 8 volts * 2 amps = 16 watts.
The wattage in each of the paralleled pair = 4 volts * 1 amps = 4 watts power.

16 watts vs. 4 watts... I'm guessing the shaking will be nowhere near even. :eek:

Worse yet, if you connected a more powerfull amplifier it might just result in one of the shakers getting far more power than it is rated for, and the others being underpowered.


As you can see, once you get past a couple of pairs, it gets kind of complicated if you don't have a basic understanding of parallel and series wiring. The easiest thing is to just post how many shakers you want to use, and what you want to power them with, and then we'll help.
Some numbers of shakers will be very difficult/impossible to connect to a single channel amplifier and have all shakers evenly shake. (Stay away from prime numbers, 5 and 7 are not easy to configure for even shaking and a good load to an amplifier.)

Joe L.

I thought I'd post my impressions of my new bass shakers - WOW! I wired two Aura pro units in series, and powered them with a 240w plate amp from Parts Express. I screwed the two shakers into the wooden frame of my reclining couch, set the controls for 50hz and 1/3 gain, and Holy Cow! I was running two subs behind my seating position, and had a fair amount of shake during LFE scenes, but nothing like this. I used the hallway gunfight scene from T2 for calibration, and when the shotgun was fired it almost knocked me off the couch! A little fine tuning and the shakers are now running at a lower gain setting, but are still moving with authority. This mod has been a great addition to my HT, and with a cash outlay of under $200 for the shakers, amp and cables, is a great bang for the buck addition. Highly recommended!

Arg! I can't seem to find the regular Aura Shakers anywhere. Anyone know of a site or store that sells them? Not much on ebay right now. i might have to fork over the cash and get Pros.

I got two bass shakers (25w, 4ohm) and a SONY STR-DE335 receiver (80wx5, 8ohm)

What's my best way to hook these up? Should I hook them up to front speaker output?

Arg! I can't seem to find the regular Aura Shakers anywhere. Anyone know of a site or store that sells them? Not much on ebay right now. i might have to fork over the cash and get Pros.

Click below:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=299-028

;)

Click below:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=299-028

;)

Yeah, i saw the Pros on parts express, but I'm looking for the regular "cheaper" ones. I know, I'm a tightass, but it will work better to have more standards for my setup than just a couple Pros. Last I saw the regular ones were out of stock. Anyone?

Yeah, i saw the Pros on parts express, but I'm looking for the regular "cheaper" ones. I know, I'm a tightass, but it will work better to have more standards for my setup than just a couple Pros. Last I saw the regular ones were out of stock. Anyone?

A few session on your bass-shaker filled sofa will soon relieve your "tight-ass" malady and you'll be all loosened up... :cool:

Anybody use a Samson pro amp to drive Buttkickers, Clark's, or Crowson's (I'm looking for more oomph than an Aura)? I just updated my old SVS passive sub to a new HSU powered sub. I now have the Samson amp feeling kind of lonely. It does 350 watts per channel @ 4 ohms. Is that enough juice to drive, say, two individual shakers (one to each couch)?

Do those F-Mod low pass filters work, especially paired up to do a steep 24 dB per octave slope (like the 50 Hz model-- do they make them any lower)? The Samson has no crossover and I don't want to shake the couches unless the scene actually calls for it. Too much shaking gets awfully distracting and gimmicy IMHO.

Dan

It does 350 watts per channel @ 4 ohms. Is that enough juice to drive, say, two individual shakers (one to each couch)?
You can bottom an Aura with 25w, so yeah, 175w should be ample. ;)
Do those F-Mod low pass filters work, especially paired up to do a steep 24 dB per octave slope (like the 50 Hz model-- do they make them any lower)?
IMHO, a 50hz fmod would not be enough to tame the huge mid-40s response peak of the Auras if you want to restrict their contribution to "shake-worthy" frequencies (personally, I like the effect when restricted to sub-30hz material). I'm not aware of any f-mods below 50hz, but I could be wrong. You could always build one though.

I'm almost positive that somebody replied a while back that had a 30 or 40Hz FMOD. If I find it I will link you to it.

I'm using the Samson SX1800 to power a pair of Crowson's, both of which are under my chair. I like oomph!

The Crowsons are rated at 500wpc at 6 ohms and I burned out my first pair, because I had the Samson showing solid red on the input lights. These are the clipping lights and the SX1800 is rated at about 500wpc at 6 ohms. So I was way past clipping and way past 500wpc. The Crowsons would occasionally shut down, then cool off and come back to life in 20-30 seconds. I figured that I could live with that. Crowson had never had any burn out before so I guess that they did not like this shut down cycle repeatedly.

I am more moderate with the gain control for my replacement Crowsons, only allowing the Samson to briefly show some flickering red at peak moments.

But here's the thing. I run my left,right,center and sub preouts from my receiver (all set to Large) to the ICBM. I run the sub preout from the Outlaw ICBM (left, right crossed at 80hz, center full range) to get the most lower bass actiivty, without getting dialogue low frequencies into the Crowsons. The Crowsons have some audible sound that deepens male voices (chestiness) if the center is allowed to low pass into them.

I use the Outlaw's 36db/octave slope rather than the regular 12db/octave, which helps keep upper frequerncies out of the Hsu MBM-12 as well as the Crowsons, explained more below.

The Outlaw ICBM runs into my Sony P9000ES, analog multichannel input preamp which allows remote volume control for the Crowsons. This in turn runs into the Crowson preamp which adds another low pass filter (500hz to 20hz as it allows for full range left,right inputs and can be used with music, which I don't). I also have the gain of the Crowson preamp turned up mid way between its 0 and max.

I regulate the volume with the Sony preamp. Every movie has different levels of low frequencies and I want to keep my gain at the bleeding edge just so an occasional red lamp flickers in the Samson amp. There is more response with the Crowson preamp gain control than with the gain controls on both the Outlaw ICBM and the Sony preamp. Maybe because it's the final link in the chain.

I can't imagine driving the Crowsons with anything less than 500 wpc.

Even with all this, the Crowsons are very quick and responsive, no overhang, stop and start instantly and offer a variety of movements, not just shaking. They roll a bit and even swirl sideways at times.

By the way, I also have an SVS 20-39PC+ on the front wall using its internal crossover at 50 hz and a Bag End Infra sub 18" on the back wall with a single 50 hz F-Mod low pass filter, and the Hsu MBM-12 running from 50-80hz right behind my chair. But my room is fairly large (27x15x91/2 high) with a 6' square opening for a spiral staircase so lots of bass energy escapes to other parts of the house. Concrete slab.

But no matter how much gain I give my subs, the walls never shake for some reason. I'm always amazed to read about other's experiences with the walls rumbling. And I turn the sub volume up many dbs for movies with the Outlaw (the OUtlaw has 2 sub outs, one of which goes to two subs and the other goes to one sub and to the preamp controlling the Crowsons). I keep the Outlaw gain at calibrated 75db for music. That's why the Crowsons are so important to me for movies. I occsonally turn them off (just by switching inpts on the Sony preamp remote) to get a better feel for what the subs are doing on their own.

Hope some of this helps.

Shelly

After reading much of this and seeing 50 watt, 100 watts and maybe 300 watts amp to run BK.

Why does BK sell a 1000+ watt amp to run their BK's

This is on their site:

"With 1000 watts into 4 ohms and 1900 watts into 2 ohms, the BKA1000-4A is able to power one or two 4 ohm ButtKicker Shakers "

Is that what it takes to run these? and how much Power consumption is involved to run these on a 15 amp breaker?

I recently finished my bedroom theatre installation. I have a Panny XR57 with four Polk R15's, a Polk csi25 Center channel, and a Dayton 10" Subwoofer. I was interested in the Auro Pro Bass Shaker to use under my bed. This is for my bedroom and I do all my movie/gaming from my bed. Would these shakers work well under a bed attached to the boxspring, and how would I mount it? My receiver has two open channels which can be configured to work with B speakers. Would using a Y split out of the sub out then going back into an unused input on my receiver work? How would I wire this? Would two Aura Pro Bass Shakers be fine or should one do? One shaker per open channel, or both shakers in series hooked up to one open channel? Thanks for the help guys!

Also, would I be better off with 1 aura pro shaker, or two regular aura shakers?

ok folks..im about to pull the trigger on 4 aura pro's and the dayton sa100 amp to push the shakers. Question.. I have 2 leather theater seats and two regular leather recliners. Will one shaker be enough for each chair? Looks like the 4 shakers and the amp will run about 230.00 plus shipping..

FYI, I just noticed that Aura Pro shakers are the deal of the day at Parts Express. Since it's the weekend, you have until 3/12/07 (4pm EST) to order. Limit 6.

got my aura bass shakers and the dayton sa100 plate amp. long story short, I packed them back up and sent them back via ups. The aura shaker seemed un-natural (for lack of better words). I tried different settings of the frequency and gain on the amp. Just didnt like it and thought the 200+ bucks could go towards something better for my dedicated theater. oh well...

Okay, I think I've got this right, but I'd sure like someone to check my work before I make a smoke generator out of my amp.

I've just purchased a Crown XLS202 amplifier that is rated at:
300 watts per channel @ 4 ohms
200 watts per channel @ 8 ohms
600 watts bridged @ 8 ohms

I'm installing one 50 watt rated Bass Shaker Pro into each of three chairs on each of two rows for a total of six 50 watt shakers.

I've played around with the impedance calculations and think that I should bridge the connections and wire like this:

|||+ ----------------------|----------|
| |
O O
| |
O O
| |
O O
| |
|||- ----------------------|----------|

Which gives me:

1 1
I = ------------------------------ = -------------------- = 6 Ohms
1 1 2 * (0.083333)
------------- + --------------
4 + 4 + 4 4 + 4 + 4


At the bridged setting of 600 watts @ 8 Ohms, this would provide:

600 x 8
Po = ---------- = 800 watts
6


That's 133 watts per shaker...slightly above the rated 50 watts!!

It seemed this was better than putting three in series on each of the channels, as that would be a 12 Ohm load and would only provide 100 watts per channel, which is only 33.3 watts per shaker.

So, how do I keep from frying my Bass Shakers? I was going to feed the Crown the LFE pre-out from my 7.1 amp. Should I put some type of resistance inline to increase the impedance and prevent overloading the shakers? Would it help to run the output through my Feedback Destroyer (maybe use it to limit output to <80Hz?).


Thanks for any thoughts!

Micco

Oh, and this is my first post (been lurking a while!) Woo-hoo!

Okay, I think I've got this right, but I'd sure like someone to check my work before I make a smoke generator out of my amp.

I've just purchased a Crown XLS202 amplifier that is rated at:
300 watts per channel @ 4 ohms
200 watts per channel @ 8 ohms
600 watts bridged @ 8 ohms

I'm installing one 50 watt rated Bass Shaker Pro into each of three chairs on each of two rows for a total of six 50 watt shakers.

I've played around with the impedance calculations and think that I should bridge the connections and wire like this:

|||+ ----------------------|----------|
| |
O O
| |
O O
| |
O O
| |
|||- ----------------------|----------|

Which gives me:

1 1
I = ------------------------------ = -------------------- = 6 Ohms
1 1 2 * (0.083333)
------------- + --------------
4 + 4 + 4 4 + 4 + 4


At the bridged setting of 600 watts @ 8 Ohms, this would provide:

600 x 8
Po = ---------- = 800 watts
6


That's 133 watts per shaker...slightly above the rated 50 watts!!

It seemed this was better than putting three in series on each of the channels, as that would be a 12 Ohm load and would only provide 100 watts per channel, which is only 33.3 watts per shaker.

So, how do I keep from frying my Bass Shakers? I was going to feed the Crown the LFE pre-out from my 7.1 amp. Should I put some type of resistance inline to increase the impedance and prevent overloading the shakers? Would it help to run the output through my Feedback Destroyer (maybe use it to limit output to <80Hz?).


Thanks for any thoughts!

Micco

Oh, and this is my first post (been lurking a while!) Woo-hoo!first... your math is some of the best i've seen. You are correct, your likelihood of frying your shakers is too high...

Connect them as 12 ohms strings, one string to each channel. Don't bother with bridging...

Don't bother with an in-line resistance unless you realize the wasted energy is converted to heat. Ever grab hold of a 100 watt light bulb after is on for a while??? Well, Some of that 100 watts is light, the rest is heat. Imagine if it was all heat! Now Imagine that same amount of heat bolted in your chair... a hotseat perhaps at the least, and a potential fire hazard if not done right. (And remember, you are trying to dissipate 600 watts or so in your in-line resistor...think 6 100 watt blubs... ouch... sizzle...)

Also (an error in your math), 200 watts into 8 ohms would be 150 watts into 12 ohms and 100 watts into 16 ohms. (a series string of three would result in roughly 50 watts each to your shakers)

50 watts each is FAR MORE than needed to bottom out the shakers. You will be fine with it connected that way and you will barely be getting the amplifier warm, nor your bottom. You could even put 4 in each string to get 100 watts of power (25 watts per shaker) and still bottom out the shakers on some material.

You can use a BFD to equalize the response of the shakers, I've read of at least one person who did.


Joe L.

Thanks for catching my math error Joe! Now you see why I write everything out...when I don't I make silly math mistakes.

So putting each row on a channel gives me

I = (4+4+4) = 12 Ohms.

Each channel can provide 200 watts @ 8 Ohms, so:

Po = (200 x 8) / 12 = 133.3 watts.

That's across three shakers, so that's ~44 watts per shaker, which is below the rated power. If, as you say, you can bottom the things out with 25 watts that should be plenty of omph for each row.

Thanks again!

Micco

Well, just got my 4 Aura Pros hooked up to a Dayton 240w amp (300-804) and all I can say is WOW!!!

Now I can enjoy my bass at night when the kids are asleep. Just turn down the sub a little and turn these up and off I go!

I have mine wired like figure 3A with the positive and negative wires going to the corresponding +/- on the back of the plate amp.
Gain at half way and crossover at 80.

Is this the correct way? Don't want to fry anything...

I think it's 60w per shaker...

http://www.termpro.com/articles/images/image35.gif

Well, just got my 4 Aura Pros hooked up to a Dayton 240w amp (300-804) and all I can say is WOW!!!

Now I can enjoy my bass at night when the kids are asleep. Just turn down the sub a little and turn these up and off I go!

I have mine wired like figure 3A with the positive and negative wires going to the corresponding +/- on the back of the plate amp.
Gain at half way and crossover at 80.

Is this the correct way? Don't want to fry anything...

I think it's 60w per shaker...


You connected the 4 of them them correctly, if you followed the wiring in 3A. Now sit back and revisit your DVD collection.

Awesome!

I ordered 4 aura pro bass shakers and a 250w sub amp. What are you guys doing with your plate amps? Are you mounting them some how or building a housing for them or what? Thanks.

I built a box to screw it into and then just put it on a shelf.

Ok I have my 4 bass shakers and sub amp but I'm a little confused. The second diagram has 6 wires and the first only has 3. I'm assuming that the 3 wires in the first diagram are 2 in 1 (speaker wire that has not been seperated) and the 6 wires in the second diagram are speaker wire that has been seperated which means both diagrams are using 6 wires or am I missing something? Thanks.

http://4seating.com/images/ConnectionHookup.jpg

http://www.dallasguitarrepair.com/speakers_4_series_parallel.gif

You are correct. For simplicity / to minimize confusion, just split your speaker wires into single conductors (wires) and follow the second diagram.

Thanks for the reply.
I fired it up last night and was very disappointed! Four pro shakers on a 250w amp were giving me less shake than when I had two 25w shakers with the el cheapo plastic amps that came with them. I started to think this is a different couch so maybe it’s crap for bass shakers but then I remembered that my receiver’s MCAA auto calibrates the LFE very low. I boosted the bass level back to default, manually balanced my sub and boom! These things are rocking now! Thanks.

I finished hooking up 2 bass shakers to my couch this weekend. These things are cool! I am really happy with the amount of "shake" they provide. I can feel it through out the entire couch, the bottom and the back.

got my aura bass shakers and the dayton sa100 plate amp. long story short, I packed them back up and sent them back via ups. The aura shaker seemed un-natural (for lack of better words). I tried different settings of the frequency and gain on the amp. Just didnt like it and thought the 200+ bucks could go towards something better for my dedicated theater. oh well...

Sorry you weren't happy with the bass-shakers, I found they really helped make action movies more exciting. One thing, they need to be properly calibrated and used with a fairly steep x-over. My plate amp has a 24db per octave x-over, and I was able to set it up so it didn't feel unnatural. I used Terminator 2 for reference, the hallway gunfight scene. When the "cop" terminator is shooting his gun you barely feel the shakers, but when Arnold blasts his shotgun the couch really jumps! I think that's the key, without a steep x-over and a good cal the couch would be shaking for everything, not good.

Currently I am running an AudioSource 300 in stereo mode with 2 sets of 9
aura pro bass shakers. I want to connect the two sets in series to create (I think) one set at 8 ohms (as shown).

The Amp will drive 470W Bridged Mono into 8 ohms. I am hoping to see some additional movement at the bridged level.

I currently run the two sets in my platform. This forum has always been a wealth of information and I would have had a heck of a time trying to design my theater without it! Thanks.

http://www.tarogers.com/images/shakersetup.jpg

Is it possible to separate the two strings in the photo above and add a resistor to one in-order to raise the ohms to 8 and drive each string separately? The AudioSource 300 requires 8 ohms when bridged.

Thanks.

Is it possible to separate the two strings in the photo above and add a resistor to one in-order to raise the ohms to 8 and drive each string separately? The AudioSource 300 requires 8 ohms when bridged.

Thanks.I'm a bit confused by your question. The shakers as pictured will present an 8 ohm load to the amplifier.


(3 shakers in series = 12 ohms)
(3 parallel sets of 3 in series = 4 ohms) <- the left or right half of your drawing
(2 series 4 ohm sets = 8 ohms)

From the top leftmost plus-sign on your drawing to the top-rightmost minus sign will be an 8 ohm load, exactly as you are requesting. No resistor needed (or desired)

Joe L.

I'm a bit confused by your question. The shakers as pictured will present an 8 ohm load to the amplifier.

(3 shakers in series = 12 ohms)
(3 parallel sets of 3 in series = 4 ohms) <- the left or right half of your drawing
(2 series 4 ohm sets = 8 ohms)

From the top leftmost plus-sign on your drawing to the top-rightmost minus sign will be an 8 ohm load, exactly as you are requesting. No resistor needed (or desired)

Joe L.

Sorry, What I want to do is remove one of the strings entirely. It sounds like either one or two shakers on my back row of seats are loose or just broken. They appear to rattle rather than shake. It is very annoying. Iv'e thought about opening up the back platform but that would be a major undertaking.

what my plan was is to disconnect the back row, Put the Audiosource in mono mode, (requires 8 ohm), and run one odf the strings.

I could then either A) attempt to repair the back platform , B) go "shakeless" or C) place some buttkickers on the rear platform.

I have 6 theater style chairs on the back row and the buttkickers could set behind the chairs.


P.S. I reviewed your thread about your candy case. I have a friend that builds custom cabinents and gave him a copy of that thread. He is going to make me one! Thanks for sharing.

Sorry, What I want to do is remove one of the strings entirely. It sounds like either one or two shakers on my back row of seats are loose or just broken. They appear to rattle rather than shake. It is very annoying. Iv'e thought about opening up the back platform but that would be a major undertaking.

what my plan was is to disconnect the back row, Put the Audiosource in mono mode, (requires 8 ohm), and run one odf the strings.

I could then either A) attempt to repair the back platform , B) go "shakeless" or C) place some buttkickers on the rear platform.

I have 6 theater style chairs on the back row and the buttkickers could set behind the chairs.


P.S. I reviewed your thread about your candy case. I have a friend that builds custom cabinents and gave him a copy of that thread. He is going to make me one! Thanks for sharing.
According to the manual i found on the audiosource web-site that amplifier can be used as follows:

150W per CH into 8 ohm loads with less than 0.2% THD+N
235W per CH into 4 ohm loads with less than 0.2% THD+N
470W Bridged Mono into 8 ohms with less than 0.2% THD+N

I would suggest you take the unit out of bridged mode, connect 1 channel to half of your shakers (wired in series/parallel to produce a 4 ohm load)

Today you are splitting 470 watts between 18 shakers for approx 26 watts per shaker.

9 shakers wired as a 4 ohm load connected to one channel would share 235 watts between them, or approx 26 watts per shaker... (hey... look familiar :cool: )

No need to use a resistor... Now, if you did it would have to dissipate 235 watts as heat. ever grab a 100 watt light bulb after is has been on a while? Think more than twice as much heat... We're talking a very nice space heater...

Split your front and back rows into two strings and put each string on its own channel as a 4 ohm load... the result is exactly the same amount of shaking as you have now with a single 8 ohm string and bridged mono mode. if you want to disconnect the back string because it is rattling, just disconnect it and run with only one channel of the amp. The front seats will still shake exactly as before.

Thanks for the compliment on my Candy Counter... It was a lot of fun to build and was a great excuse to buy a Creg pocket-hole tool. It will be easy for your friend... it was my first piece of furniture.

No need to use a resistor... Now, if you did it would have to dissipate 235 watts as heat. ever grab a 100 watt light bulb after is has been on a while? Think more than twice as much heat... We're talking a very nice space heater...



Ouch!, Didn't think about the heat! Well, running at 26 watts per channel has done well for me to this point. I'll probably disconnect for now and run just one channel. I was trying to utilize the amp at mono to see how much more "kick" I could get. I certainly don't need to generate more heat in my HT. Thanks.

--Tom

I have a question in regards to setting up Crowson TES 100 Shakers with 2 berklines in a Wedge shape.

My chairs will be setting on a padded carpet.

Questions:

1. would it be better to build a platform for these so the padded carpet doesn't act like a shock absorber ruining the effect?

2. being that most say to have 1 TES under each arm of the rear of the chair (in this case 3 would be needed) to get the best results. How would you hook up 3 of these?

3. would it be better, or more balanced to have a platform 4' x8' built under the seating and have 4-6 Aura Bass Shakers built inside? The way MississipiMan has described in this thread?

thanks

Can anyone comment on the tactile difference between the buttkickers and the pro shakers? I realize that the buttkickers can handle gobbs more power, but is the actual shake different too? Longer throws perhaps in the lowest frequencies?

heres an odd question. Has anyone mounted these under their bed or just thrown one inbetween the matresses? My mom has one of those beds that has built in massage and it really gets down, I'm gonna go over and check out the placment of the motors.

Well, I decided to replace my AudioSource AMP300 with a Crown XLS402, doubling the power output to 450 watts per channel into 4 ohms. I also decided to disconnect the back platform due to either 2 faulty shakers or faulty installation (mine).

I have since installed 2 buttkickers (will add one more) behind the theater type chairs directly on top of the platform. I am very pleased with the results. While not quite as "clean" installation as before, it was either that or totally tear down the rear platform and fix what is probably my screw-up.

Now both platforms "perform" equally and I can quit worrying about the problem!

I just recieved/purchased 4 VWS-100 by .2sr, found on ebay http://cgi.*********/BASS-SHAKERS-like-Aura-Pro-100-watt-each-NIB-subwoofer_W0QQitemZ190112035893QQihZ009QQcategoryZ3275QQssPa geNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem for $70/pair. Anyway, I didn't realize that thease bass shakers are rated at 2ohms. I have a Pio Elite TSX82 amp, which I will use the pre-amp output to connect my old JVC 887 (110w/channel)? Dolby digital amp to run the shakers. I have a question on connecting these shakers. I believe that the JVC is rated at 8ohms, but believe that it is switchable to 4ohm capability for front speakers, I may be wrong though. This is how I plan to connect them for 4ohms: I will split the LFE cable out of the Pio Elite, then input them into the JVC DVD terminal w/ another split. I will then connect JVC + to + in 1st shaker, then - from shaker to + in OTHER shaker, then - from shaker to - in JVC, do this w/ R/L channels. Is this correct? will this then output at 4ohms? If I decided to do 8 ohms, would I do this same thing, but w/ all 4 of the shakers into just 1 speaker terminal? What would be the most effecient way? thanks for the help!!

I just recieved/purchased 4 VWS-100 by .2sr, found on ebay http://cgi.*********/BASS-SHAKERS-like-Aura-Pro-100-watt-each-NIB-subwoofer_W0QQitemZ190112035893QQihZ009QQcategoryZ3275QQssPa geNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem for $70/pair. Anyway, I didn't realize that thease bass shakers are rated at 2ohms. I have a Pio Elite TSX82 amp, which I will use the pre-amp output to connect my old JVC 887 (110w/channel)? Dolby digital amp to run the shakers. I have a question on connecting these shakers. I believe that the JVC is rated at 8ohms, but believe that it is switchable to 4ohm capability for front speakers, I may be wrong though. This is how I plan to connect them for 4ohms: I will split the LFE cable out of the Pio Elite, then input them into the JVC DVD terminal w/ another split. I will then connect JVC + to + in 1st shaker, then - from shaker to + in OTHER shaker, then - from shaker to - in JVC, do this w/ R/L channels. Is this correct? will this then output at 4ohms? If I decided to do 8 ohms, would I do this same thing, but w/ all 4 of the shakers into just 1 speaker terminal? What would be the most effecient way? thanks for the help!!Sounds correct. Two of the 2 ohm version shakers in series would be a 4 ohm load. A series pair on each channel of your amplifier would probably work just fine.

make sure you set the front loudspeakers on the JVC to 'large' otherwise, it will route the low frequencies to its subwoofer output jack instead of to the shakers. (It might anyway, but you will need to test this...) for this use, an older, dumber receiver without built in bass management is better to drive the shakers.

Front row: large microfiber reclining couch
Back row: 4 leather Berkline 078s, "straight w/ love seat" arrangement

How many shakers do I need? 8 seems like overkill.

PLEASE HELP ME!!!! I have four 50 watt Aura bass shakers and I need to know how to connect them to this Pioneer receiver. I am splitting off of my Subwoofers signal using a Y adapter. The amp is old sx-850 ac120volts 60hz 180 watts. two shakers are going on my couch the other two are in seperate chairs. And the couches shakers how would I hook them up. I don't do well with electronics please make it simple.
I have other options if this receiver isn't compatable with the shakers. It's a pioneer vsx-605s dolby pro logic 4 channel ac120volts 60hz 340 watts. Which is one is my best bet.

I have 2 pairs of bass shakers connected to an old JVC 5.1 amp. I have the sub cable split from my Pio Elite going into the JVC split again into the DVD input. The problem is, is that there is a noticable hum from the speakers when these are connected, but when I remove the split from the back of the Pio Elite and just run the sub, I have no hum from all of the speakers. My sub doesn't hum at all. I've tried to cable, and still, I have a loud hum. What is this hum and how can I get rid of it?
Any suggestions would help!!

Good evening all,

i bought a polk audio psw200 subwoofer amp to use with my bass shaker. I hooked it up this weekend and notice that no sound or vibration is coming out from the shakers. The red powerl ight on the amp is on so i know power is working and i run a sub cable from the sub out of my avr635 to the input of the polk amp then connected the shakers to the speakers out terminal.

Is there something i am doing wrong , how can i test the sub AMP to make sure it is working properly

Alain

Are Aura Bass Pro worth it? I mean it is better than nothing, but should someone be looking at something else around the Aura Bass Pro price point? Thanks.

I have 2 pairs of bass shakers connected to an old JVC 5.1 amp. I have the sub cable split from my Pio Elite going into the JVC split again into the DVD input. The problem is, is that there is a noticable hum from the speakers when these are connected, but when I remove the split from the back of the Pio Elite and just run the sub, I have no hum from all of the speakers. My sub doesn't hum at all. I've tried to cable, and still, I have a loud hum. What is this hum and how can I get rid of it?
Any suggestions would help!!

Do you have the other amp plugged into a different power outlet? That is what happened to me with a seperate sub. When I plugged them into the same power conditioner everything was fine.

Good evening all,

i bought a polk audio psw200 subwoofer amp to use with my bass shaker. I hooked it up this weekend and notice that no sound or vibration is coming out from the shakers. The red powerl ight on the amp is on so i know power is working and i run a sub cable from the sub out of my avr635 to the input of the polk amp then connected the shakers to the speakers out terminal.

Is there something i am doing wrong , how can i test the sub AMP to make sure it is working properly

Alain

I can't be sure for your equipment, but most sub amps have an LED that turns from red to green when they receive a signal. It sounds, then, as if you are not getting the LFE channel signal to your new sub-amp.

can someone tell me if i can use shakers in my current system? i have a pioneer XV-HTD540 receiver/ HTIB. It is a 5.1 system and each speaker and the sub get 100 watts for total system power advertised of 600watts. my sub is connected from the back of my receiver with a + and - terminal simple speaker wire. someone please help me find out if and how i can incorporate the shakers into my system, thank you!

Neat stuff.

I just got a new AVR so ive got an Older Sony 50ES 5.1 receiver that I can use to power the shakers.

Might have to get a pair to play around with.

Where is good place to buy the Shakers?

Parts Express

I'm looking at doing this shaker mod to my couch and my only question is using a second receiver as the power source for the shakers, do you have to constantly adjust the volume on the secondary receiver to make feel right or do you just leave it at a constant volume?

I'm looking at doing this shaker mod to my couch and my only question is using a second receiver as the power source for the shakers, do you have to constantly adjust the volume on the secondary receiver to make feel right or do you just leave it at a constant volume?

If you plan on splitting the subwoofer output from the primary receiver, it will be a variable output and will vary accordingly.

I plan on doing this- see attached.

I think it looks OK. If I am reading the diagram correctly, the one shaker will be presented with twice as much power as the others. Of course, you could adjust the volume accordingly to that channel if that the route you are going.

Just finished installing two Aura shakers on my couch.
Wife is napping so I tested at low volumes, but it certainly works! Very cool.:cool:

Just finished installing two Aura shakers on my couch.
Wife is napping so I tested at low volumes, but it certainly works! Very cool.:cool:

Ya, they work well especially considering the price and ease of installation.

Ya, they work well especially considering the price and ease of installation.

Yep, got them on eBay for $40 a pair and had some left over plywood laying around.
I just screwed the wood right over the backing and mounted the drivers took all of 20 minutes.

I'm looking to do two shakers on my couch and one on my love seat do you think that would still give a decent affect?

I just built a riser for the first time, to put my couch on in the rear row of my seating. I used 8 standard aura shakers, two in each truss space. Powered by my old Sony receiver which is definitely temporary, as I have it cranked to 90% since it's an 8-ohm load and I'm running only off of the left channel (balance trimmed all the way to the left as well).

The rumbling at my feet is quite realistic - only during special effects. I have an inline 50Hz low pass FMOD after the 80Hz crossover in the main receiver, so it's filtered relatively low. There's almost no rumbling of the couch itself, but that's probably because it has four legs, so I think I'll either take them off, or put some kind of furring board to contact the couch with the riser. I'll also be getting a better amplifier, but not until I have more room in my rack sometime this winter.

Just thought I'd share.. maybe I'll post pictures sometime as well.

Well I finally got around to installing a pair of Bass Shakers in my couch.

I used the multi-zone feature of my H/K 247 Receiver....since I only have 5.1...the 2 surround back speakers outputs can be switched to be used as multi-zone....I split the sub out from the AVR...then looped it back into a unused input on the AVR. Works great....

Still trying to "calibrate them"... the multi-zone feature of the 247 lets me adjust the level gain for the mz source up to +10db.

Not really sure how to calibrate these things...so far im going by "feel"?

I also think I need to somehow filter the signal...the xover for the sub out on the receiver is 80hz....probably need to only pass below 50hz to the shakers?


Ive read posts in this thread about people with 8+ shakers...my 2 shake the couch alot...I can only imagine what 8 is like =P

That is a great way to utilize the additional unused zones! I had never thought of that one.:cool:

Yes, 2 per seating segment is usually enough. I have 8 but it is still two per section. There really is no way to callibrate per se, just go by what feels right as you mentioned. You can pick up different RCA F-mods to put inline with the input to cross things lower. I like mine around 60Hz and below....]

Check Parts Express for a wide range of FMODS in stock.

That is a great way to utilize the additional unused zones! I had never thought of that one.:cool:



Well I got the idea from a post way way early in this thread.

It helps that HK is honest with their watts/amp specs.

I installed 2 Aura Pro Bass (50 watt ea.) shakers in my couch at the cost of $38 ea. Got these from Parts Express and am powering them with an old 100 watt sub amp from MTX. Install them flat to the floor so that they go up and down. You will get the best effect that way. Run them with my 3.3 Turbo/MBM-12 subs setup and it is like being there!

Bill

Well I finally got around to installing a pair of Bass Shakers in my couch.

I used the multi-zone feature of my H/K 247 Receiver....since I only have 5.1...the 2 surround back speakers outputs can be switched to be used as multi-zone....I split the sub out from the AVR...then looped it back into a unused input on the AVR. Works great....

Still trying to "calibrate them"... the multi-zone feature of the 247 lets me adjust the level gain for the mz source up to +10db.

Not really sure how to calibrate these things...so far im going by "feel"?

I also think I need to somehow filter the signal...the xover for the sub out on the receiver is 80hz....probably need to only pass below 50hz to the shakers?


Ive read posts in this thread about people with 8+ shakers...my 2 shake the couch alot...I can only imagine what 8 is like =P


It definitely helps if you can vary the level and x-over of the shakers independent of your sub. I split the sub out with a y and send the shaker signal to a Parts Express plate amp, which lets me control the shakers by themselves. My shaker x-over is at 50 hz, and I used the hallway shootout scene from Terminator 2 for calibration. When the "bad" cop terminator is shooting his sidearm my couch gives a bit of a response, with my subs (80 hz x-over) doing most of the effect. When Arnold lets loose with his shotgun, however, the couch really jumps! Just don't set the x-over or level too high, or every time a car door closes you'll be bumped out of your chair!

It definitely helps if you can vary the level and x-over of the shakers independent of your sub. I split the sub out with a y and send the shaker signal to a Parts Express plate amp, which lets me control the shakers by themselves. My shaker x-over is at 50 hz, and I used the hallway shootout scene from Terminator 2 for calibration. When the "bad" cop terminator is shooting his sidearm my couch gives a bit of a response, with my subs (80 hz x-over) doing most of the effect. When Arnold lets loose with his shotgun, however, the couch really jumps! Just don't set the x-over or level too high, or every time a car door closes you'll be bumped out of your chair!

I put a in-line 50hz xover on the signal going to the shaker input.

I think I have the levels too high at the moment because I was trying to make them shake as much as possible to make sure how I ended up mounting them to the couch was solid.

Need to spend some time with a few movie tracks...T2 probably a good one...to fine tune them.

Miltimj or anyone
Please show me the wiring of Aura shakers power by old Receiver.
I have extra and powerful Reciever laying around and planning to use it to power some Aura shakers (yet to buy).

May Thanks in advance!!!!!!! Kev.

I just built a riser for the first time, to put my couch on in the rear row of my seating. I used 8 standard aura shakers, two in each truss space. Powered by my old Sony receiver which is definitely temporary, as I have it cranked to 90% since it's an 8-ohm load and I'm running only off of the left channel (balance trimmed all the way to the left as well)..................

bump.........

I haven't read to many posts here, but I've ordered 4 Aura bass
shakers, and a 240w plate amp to power them. These shakers
are to go under a couch (attached to internal boards that make
up the couch). The couch is approx 7 ft long.

Does anyone think I will need more shakers or a more powerful
plate amp? I believe the amp will be powerful enough, but wonder
about the shakers.....thanks in advance, vardo

I haven't read to many posts here, but I've ordered 4 Aura bass
shakers, and a 240w plate amp to power them. These shakers
are to go under a couch (attached to internal boards that make
up the couch). The couch is approx 7 ft long.

Does anyone think I will need more shakers or a more powerful
plate amp? I believe the amp will be powerful enough, but wonder
about the shakers.....thanks in advance, vardo

Yes, plenty for both. You won't need any more of either.

Thanks for the quick reply jpmst3. Appreciate it...vardo

Thanks for the quick reply jpmst3. Appreciate it...vardo

No problem! I have two of the Aura Pros in each love seat/couch and it is plenty. So having four will allow some more freedom in placement and be able more effectively balance the butt vs. back shaking.

Enjoy your shakers!

Miltimj or anyone
Please show me the wiring of Aura shakers power by old Receiver.
I have extra and powerful Reciever laying around and planning to use it to power some Aura shakers (yet to buy).

May Thanks in advance!!!!!!! Kev.

Hey Kev, if you take a look through this thread you will find what you are looking for. There are several ways you can wire them...

I believe this is the image you are looking for.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r146/Dizyer/shakerbox.gif

I just purchased 4 aura bass shakers (50w, 4 ohm ea) and a
and 240w plate amp (170W @ 8 ohm, 240W @ 4 ohm).

I have two questions. Do I wire the shakers in series, or series and
parallel?

Also as mentioned by me above I have a seven foot couch but
it has three sections (seats) in it. I want the seat as well as the
back to vibrate. Do I need to order 2 more shakers?

Any suggestions would be appreciated, and thanks in advance,
vardo

This is what I was planning to do:
http://4seating.com/images/wiring-diagram-C.jpg

Thanks, tradewinds, that is series/parallel wiring, which I figured
(finally) out that's the way to hook the shakers up from a plate
amp.....vardo

I would just try to mount the shakers closer to the bottom back of the couch. This will give the overall sensation that the entire couch is shaking. You should be able to get away with 2-3 shakers per couch but i've seen up to 12 on one couch done.

Mount them on a flat board so that the shaker action is up and down. If you mount on the side, the action will be side to side and will not feel right. I mounted the same shakers on my couch and used just two in the center seat. It is the way to watch a action flick late at night when the sound is turned down.

Bill

Triaxtremec & bsoko2 thanks for the suggestions. I appreciate it...
I'm gonna try the 4 auras I have, and if that is not enough then
I'll order a couple more.......vardo

Anyone have any they want to sell me cheap?

What am I doing wrong? Finally got one shaker under the couch
(had to add a flat board to the frame). I wanted to see how the
position was, before I hooked up the 3 other shakers.

So I ran a "Y" adaptor from LE out from my a/v receiver, one sub cable to my HSU 3/3 and another to the imput on the Dayton 240W plate amp input I'm using for the shakers..

Then from the output of the plate amp I ran a cable with two RCA
jacks (one for left, one for right). I cut the two wire ends and
stripped each one to go to the left and right of the Aura shaker.

Ran a test signal from my amp. No sound came out of the HSU
or vibrations on the single shaker. I switched out the HSU and
replaced with a Parts Express Dayton Titanic sub, same thing
happened. I have tried about a dozen things including hooking up
a passive speaker instead of the shaker, with the same results.
No sound from the sub. Used different cables just to make sure
I was using a bad cable.

Probably a bad plate amp...I don't know. Will find out tomarrow
cause the Dayton Titanic 10" sub I have has the same plate
amp...so I'm gonna pull that one of the sub and try using it.
If that does't work, I'm a jerk......any suggestions, comments,
or even criticisms would be appreciated.....thanks, vardo

Hook it to a normal receiver in like the center channel output and just see if any output is transfered to the shaker. Did you somehow shut the sub preout off?

What am I doing wrong? Finally got one shaker under the couch
(had to add a flat board to the frame). I wanted to see how the
position was, before I hooked up the 3 other shakers.

So I ran a "Y" adaptor from LE out from my a/v receiver, one sub cable to my HSU 3/3 and another to the imput on the Dayton 240W plate amp input I'm using for the shakers..

Then from the output of the plate amp I ran a cable with two RCA
jacks (one for left, one for right). I cut the two wire ends and
stripped each one to go to the left and right of the Aura shaker.

Ran a test signal from my amp. No sound came out of the HSU
or vibrations on the single shaker. I switched out the HSU and
replaced with a Parts Express Dayton Titanic sub, same thing
happened. I have tried about a dozen things including hooking up
a passive speaker instead of the shaker, with the same results.
No sound from the sub. Used different cables just to make sure
I was using a bad cable.

Probably a bad plate amp...I don't know. Will find out tomarrow
cause the Dayton Titanic 10" sub I have has the same plate
amp...so I'm gonna pull that one of the sub and try using it.
If that does't work, I'm a jerk......any suggestions, comments,
or even criticisms would be appreciated.....thanks, vardo

I have the same setup, using a 240 watt plate amp from an old Dayton sub. But, I wired (spliced) the shaker wire to the speaker wire (+ & -) from the plate amp. Do that and you should have all the shaken you want!

Bill

Hello everyone. 1st time poster. I am thinking about getting 3 Aura shakers for a couch. I have a Denon 2307 AVR 7.1 and currently using it as a 5.1 surround setup with a powered sub. Is it possible to use the other 2 channels from tha Denon to power the 3 Aura's? If so how would I wire them? Thanks for any advice!

Hello everyone. 1st time poster. I am thinking about getting 3 Aura shakers for a couch. I have a Denon 2307 AVR 7.1 and currently using it as a 5.1 surround setup with a powered sub. Is it possible to use the other 2 channels from tha Denon to power the 3 Aura's? If so how would I wire them? Thanks for any advice!

It is possible, but 4 would work better. No, matter how you wire 3, two of them will be more powerful. Get 4 and wire 2 of them in series to each of the extra channels.

Correct me if I'm wrong Joe, but if I have my receiver crossed at 80hz won't the shakers be receiving unwanted frequency's?

They might sense alittle bit of vocals but I think you would have to have them cranked.

Thanks Triax. So should i hookup the shakers in series to my Denon utilizing the "y" spliter and the sub as others have? A little more detail on how to complete my setup, please. Thank you all.

I believe this is the image you are looking for.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r146/Dizyer/shakerbox.gif

Hook it up similar to this. The y splitter is off to the left of the picture.

I appreciate your help Triax, I have seen this setup before but in my case i am using my existing 7.1 receiver as the only amp. I don't have a second amp to use as illustrated in the wiring setup. As stated in my 1st post, I want to use the 2 unused channels of the 7.1 receiver. I hope i am being clear in my wording and don't want to confuse anyone. Thanks again.

Correct me if I'm wrong Joe, but if I have my receiver crossed at 80hz won't the shakers be receiving unwanted frequency's?

Well, you really won't know until you try it out. Some people prefer to cross them at the same freq as their sub. I prefer lower like 60 Hz. You can always get FMODs from Parts Express. They are in line low pass filters that you can use to filter them lower.

Of course, getting a seperate amp and crossover is always the best scenario. But, I would suggest trying it first.

Well, you really won't know until you try it out. Some people prefer to cross them at the same freq as their sub. I prefer lower like 60 Hz. You can always get FMODs from Parts Express. They are in line low pass filters that you can use to filter them lower.

Of course, getting a seperate amp and crossover is always the best scenario. But, I would suggest trying it first.

Thanks Joe. I am familiar with the FMODS from what i have read in this thread. Ok now I want to be clear with your tip from your previous post, wire the shakers in series, right? Now will I be splitting the LFE sub out from the receiver with "Y" splitter? If so where are the connections going using the "y" splitter?Or am I hooking up the shakers just like another surround speaker? This is the part that is not clear to me.

Thanks Joe. I am familiar with the FMODS from what i have read in this thread. Ok now I want to be clear with your tip from your previous post, wire the shakers in series, right? Now will I be splitting the LFE sub out from the receiver with "Y" splitter? If so where are the connections going using the "y" splitter?Or am I hooking up the shakers just like another surround speaker? This is the part that is not clear to me.

Yes, you could split the sub out/LFE out and run that through the unused channels on your receiver. Most receivers have pre-amp inputs for each channel. So, yes if the unused channels are surrounds then use those. You will want to wire them in series resulting in an easy 8 ohm load for your amp. If you reciever is 100w per channel each will get up to 50 watts. The shakers work great with as little as 25w if mounted properly.

Yes, you could split the sub out/LFE out and run that through the unused channels on your receiver. Most receivers have pre-amp inputs for each channel. So, yes if the unused channels are surrounds then use those. You will want to wire them in series resulting in an easy 8 ohm load for your amp. If you reciever is 100w per channel each will get up to 50 watts. The shakers work great with as little as 25w if mounted properly.

I looked at the back of my receiver and all I see is PRE OUT. You said, most receivers have pre-amp inputs. Sorry I don't understand, did you mean pre-amp outputs?

I looked at the back of my receiver and all I see is PRE OUT. You said, most receivers have pre-amp inputs. Sorry I don't understand, did you mean pre-amp outputs?

Bummer. I was thinking pre-in, mine has both. :o Sorry.

Well, then I would run your extra channels full range and go the FMOD route. Or get an external amp with built in crossover. That would be the best solution. There are some low cost plate amps out there.

Thanks Joe I will try the FMOD route. The holidays are around the corner so I can't spend any $ and more equipment.

Thanks Joe I will try the FMOD route. The holidays are around the corner so I can't spend any $ and more equipment.

I hear ya. Another cheap option, did you ever consider picking up an extra receiver on ebay? You can pick an old one up for less than $50 and it would give you a lot of flexibility with volume, calibration etc.

I did not consider getting an amp. I though I would facilitate the set up by just buying the shakers and using what i have. I came across a post today where a poster said he used the "y" splitter. 1 end from the LFE/SUB OUT, 1 to the powered sub and the other end to an unused input being VCR IN. This is what he said in his post...

"My main reciever is a Harmon Kardon AVR525...

Now it's a HK, so it has 7 independent amplifier channels, each can be driven symultaneously at 70w. Now I only use 5 of them, as I do not have a 7.1 set up.

I've read the manual and you can switch two amplifiers from being 'surround back left' and 'surround back right', to being 'zoneII left' and 'zone II right'. The 525 has multizone support. So I should be able to use this to drive some shakers right?

Does this make sense?
I thought I could take my subwoofer out (.1 channel) and split it with a Y, one connection sent to my powered sub, and have the other loop back to the amp into an input I don't currently use (say VCR). I can use the OSD to set whatever input I want to be "multiroom input". So I would select VCR in to be the source for the multiroom then connect two bass shakers in series to zoneII left, and two bass shakers in series to zoneII right."

I have a similar multi-zone AVR. I am wondering if I should try this?

Parts Express had a sale for a 250 watt plate amp for $98 last month. Check their catalog or monthly specials.

Bill

Thanks Bill. Iwill keep an eye out for a good deal.

I did not consider getting an amp. I though I would facilitate the set up by just buying the shakers and using what i have. I came across a post today where a poster said he used the "y" splitter. 1 end from the LFE/SUB OUT, 1 to the powered sub and the other end to an unused input being VCR IN. This is what he said in his post...

"My main reciever is a Harmon Kardon AVR525...

Now it's a HK, so it has 7 independent amplifier channels, each can be driven symultaneously at 70w. Now I only use 5 of them, as I do not have a 7.1 set up.

I've read the manual and you can switch two amplifiers from being 'surround back left' and 'surround back right', to being 'zoneII left' and 'zone II right'. The 525 has multizone support. So I should be able to use this to drive some shakers right?

Does this make sense?
I thought I could take my subwoofer out (.1 channel) and split it with a Y, one connection sent to my powered sub, and have the other loop back to the amp into an input I don't currently use (say VCR). I can use the OSD to set whatever input I want to be "multiroom input". So I would select VCR in to be the source for the multiroom then connect two bass shakers in series to zoneII left, and two bass shakers in series to zoneII right."

I have a similar multi-zone AVR. I am wondering if I should try this?

I have a H/K 247 and have a pair of Bass Shakers hooked up using the Multi-Zone feature of the 247. Works great. I have the Subwoofer out split...one going to my SUB...the other going into the CD-IN on the 247..I select CD has the MZ input and all works great. The receiver also has a gain adjustment for the MZ input which adds a little more capability. All in all in works great and let me make good use of the surround back channels that were not being used at all since I am just 5.1

Thanks RafaelSmith. This is exactly what i was looking for in my setup. So how many "y" splitters did you use?

This month Parts Express has a 240 watt plate amp for $98.

Bill

I am using 2 "Y" splitters downline from each other with no problems. 1 & 2 splitters at my HSU 3.3 TURBO going to my MBM-12 and then to my 240 watt plate amp for my Aura Pro (2) bass shakers in the couch. Everything is calibrated and have experiencved no loss of signal.

Bill

This month Parts Express has a 240 watt plate amp for $98.

Bill

Thanks Bill. Sounds like a good deal. But $98 could fill my kids stockings for Christmas. Know what i mean?

I am using 2 "Y" splitters downline from each other with no problems. 1 & 2 splitters at my HSU 3.3 TURBO going to my MBM-12 and then to my 240 watt plate amp for my Aura Pro (2) bass shakers in the couch. Everything is calibrated and have experiencved no loss of signal.

Bill

Does it really matter if the splitters are gold platted?

Thanks Bill. Sounds like a good deal. But $98 could fill my kids stockings for Christmas. Know what i mean?

Hey, I hear you and I was there once. I'm 64 now so I can afford to do some of this stuff within some reason (Still the WAF). It will happen for you down the road.

Bill:):):)

Does it really matter if the splitters are gold platted?Gold does not tarnish, it is not a better conductor than many other metals, it just does not tarnish.

If the splitter is being plugged into a jack that is also gold plated, then the plating might keep the connection from degrading over time. If the jack is NOT gold plated, then it will tarnish and the connection will be the same as if no gold plating existed at all.

Now, all that said, most jacks are not gold plated and do perfectly fine, even over many years of use. So no, there is no need for gold plating. If the connector happens to have it, fine... it won't hurt anything, but other than to command a 30-50 percent premium for a fraction of a cent's worth of gold plating (read "more profit for cable manufacturer and retailer") it does not do much either.

What is most important is a tight connection, one that keeps the metal surfaces in good contact with each other. That is sometimes hard with really cheep connectors and plugs if they do not mate properly, so check to see if they fit well and you will be fine.

I realize others may argue with what I've written, and that is their right, but I have plenty of connections and cables that work perfectly fine without gold plating.

Joe L.

Gold does not tarnish, it is not a better conductor than many other metals, it just does not tarnish.

If the splitter is being plugged into a jack that is also gold plated, then the plating might keep the connection from degrading over time. If the jack is NOT gold plated, then it will tarnish and the connection will be the same as if no gold plating existed at all.

Now, all that said, most jacks are not gold plated and do perfectly fine, even over many years of use. So no, there is no need for gold plating. If the connector happens to have it, fine... it won't hurt anything, but other than to command a 30-50 percent premium for a fraction of a cent's worth of gold plating (read "more profit for cable manufacturer and retailer") it does not do much either.

What is most important is a tight connection, one that keeps the metal surfaces in good contact with each other. That is sometimes hard with really cheep connectors and plugs if they do not mate properly, so check to see if they fit well and you will be fine.

I realize others may argue with what I've written, and that is their right, but I have plenty of connections and cables that work perfectly fine without gold plating.

Joe L.

Well Joe L. I'm glad you said that because I ordered 2 $1.20 splitters from parts express and not the more expensive ones along with 4 Aura shakers. Can't wait to set this up. And since the wife is away at work in the evenings I can do the install without her knowing. So next we all sit to watch a movie we will feel it and not just see it.:D. Thanks

Hey, I hear you and I was there once. I'm 64 now so I can afford to do some of this stuff within some reason (Still the WAF). It will happen for you down the road.

Bill:):):)

Bill I hope that when I'm 64 I will still have hometheateritis. Long way for me to go as I'm only 35.

God willing, you'll get to my age and beyond!

Best to you, Bill:):):)

Long time reader (Favorite damn site for audio/video) but first time poster.

Hey guys, quick question, I have two Aura Bass Shaker Pros (50W) and two MTX
Sub8s. The subs are 120w each.

I had read somewhere a while back where someone took out the plate amp out the sub, soldered speaker wire to the woofer and ran the wire out the air tube and connected it to a bass shaker.

I am planning to do the same but one sub for each bass shaker for my gaming chairs in my office. Would this work? Does the speaker in the sub have to be wired in series with the base shaker or do I just hookup pos with pos and neg with neg.

Thanks

Any help or advice is appreciated.

Luis

Luis,

Don't do that. Get a small amp to run the shakers, you don't want to increase the load on the Sub8 amps, they are designed to operate at a certain impedance and you will change that if you connect a shaker.

Ok, Thanks for the quick answer. I will try to find a small amp so I can mount it in between the chairs for a manual volume control.

Should I go this route:

http://4seating.com/images/wiring-diagram-A.jpg

or just use left and right and wire them up like a normal set of speakers since I only will have two.


Thanks again for the info. Very much appreciated.

Luis

If you get a small amp that can handle 4 ohm load then wire them up as though they were a pair of speakers. Audiosource amp100 would be under 100 bucks.

Or if you get a mono amp wire them in series for an 8 ohm load. To get the max power ability of the shakers you would need 100 watts @ 8 ohms.

OK, I finally got my Aura bass shakers hooked up to the $98 amp
from Parts Express. The four shakers on the seven ft. couch is plenty,
and gives of a more realistic bass response that you can feel.
(Lotsa fun)....but a question, I would like to know if there is some
kind of digital delay I can use between the main sub (VTF-3/3) and
the shakers. The sub is up front in the right corner, and the listening area is some 12 ft away. I would like to delay the signal
to the shakers 12 milliseconds (one millisecond per foot).

Also today I bought an HSU MBM-12 sub which will be set directly
behind the couch. I also would like a delay for that.

Not looking for something expensive. I've searched the net (sort
of) and most seem over the $100 mark. Any suggestions would
certainly be appreciated......thanks in advance, vardo

Hey vardo, congrats on your recent upgrade. I too ordered 4 shakers. My plan is to mount 2 shakers to each couch. My question to you is, do you feel 4 shakers are necessary for 1 couch or can 2 do the trick? I plan to feed 100watts each pair connected in series. Did you happen to mount 2 and felt it wasn't enough, then you went with the four?


Miguel

mad080572, I am new to this shaker thing. I wired 4 shakers to
a seven foot couch in series/parallel. I mounted them slightly towards the rear of the couch, on a flat MDF board I bought from
home depot. I reason I mounted them slightly to the rear is from another suggestion
from another poster here, who said that mounting them that way
would produce more vibrations from the back of the couch as well
as the bottom.

The thing is that right now I feel that 4 aura 50w shakers from
parts express, along with the 240w (4 ohm) plate amp is just about
right for a seven foot long couch. But I've only had that hooked up for
a couple of days, and at first you think that the vibrations are great,
cause it's different. But I know in a very short while the novelty
will wear off.

Alot depends upon how your couch is constructed. Mine had no flat
boards to attach the shakers, and had 3 sections to (seats) it.
I figured, what the hell, put in a seven foot flat board, 4 shakers,
and three equal spaces between them.

In your situation I would try the 4 shakers that you have purchased,
and if not suitable, order a few more.....my two cents, (I'm new to
all of this) and good luck, vardo

Ok vardo, I guess I am going to have to experiment with my setup. Don't know if anyone has done this but I have come up with an idea to use 2 shakers on my 3 seater couch. Once I receive and install them I will post my results. It consists of mounting 2 of the shakers with 4 rubber spacers under each shaker at each screw location. I plan to adjust the torque on the screws to achieve my personal feel. My idea is the the more tight the screws are, the more rigid the shakers will be, giving me low shake effect . Reversing the screws will probably give me high shake effect. Again this is all an idea as I have not put it to test. I'm looking forward to the install.

Ok vardo, I guess I am going to have to experiment with my setup. Don't know if anyone has done this but I have come up with an idea to use 2 shakers on my 3 seater couch. Once I receive and install them I will post my results. It consists of mounting 2 of the shakers with 4 rubber spacers under each shaker at each screw location. I plan to adjust the torque on the screws to achieve my personal feel. My idea is the the more tight the screws are, the more rigid the shakers will be, giving me low shake effect . Reversing the screws will probably give me high shake effect. Again this is all an idea as I have not put it to test. I'm looking forward to the install.

Try it first without the spacers. Bass is done on a ratio of how much bass to transmit to any movie scene. If you dampen it, you might lose some to the subtle bass in the scene like the attack in the movie Pearl Harbour. Once you watch the scene you will see and feel what I am talking about.

Bill

Thanks RafaelSmith. This is exactly what i was looking for in my setup. So how many "y" splitters did you use?

I use 2 "Y"s


http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/9820/bsvt4.jpg

Ok vardo, I guess I am going to have to experiment with my setup. Don't know if anyone has done this but I have come up with an idea to use 2 shakers on my 3 seater couch. Once I receive and install them I will post my results. It consists of mounting 2 of the shakers with 4 rubber spacers under each shaker at each screw location. I plan to adjust the torque on the screws to achieve my personal feel. My idea is the the more tight the screws are, the more rigid the shakers will be, giving me low shake effect . Reversing the screws will probably give me high shake effect. Again this is all an idea as I have not put it to test. I'm looking forward to the install.

You won't know until you can do some testing. I started off with 4, one for each seating section. Then I went to 8, 2 per. Adding another 4 really helped to even out the response for the back and butt. It really depends on your furniture is constructed as well.

But, like I mentioned earlier, adding another amp or receiver if you can swing it is the way to go. It give you the flexibility to add more and/or upgrade later, which usually ends up being cheaper in the long run anyway.

Ok, I finally got my 4 shakers. I only installed 2 to the bottom of my 3 seater recliner couch. Easy install by the way. I wired them up in series like the diagram in link 1376 but without the FMOD to my 7.1 receiver. I used the multizone feature of the receiver to power the 2 shakers, 100watts per channel. I only used 1 channel. My receiver is crossed at 80hz. I was watching Transformers, 4th time. WOW!!!:eek: I did not expect such of an effect. It was durring the slow motion scene where to Bot flies over the woman in the street that my receiver shut off, I guess it started to heat up? I had the volume for the multizone to max position as I wanted to see where it would take me. I guess I can avoid this in the future by turning it down. But I really liked the effect I got at max volume. What do you guys suggest? Did I do something wrong? Do I need an FMOD? I don't want to buy a seperate amp.

Ok, I finally got my 4 shakers. I only installed 2 to the bottom of my 3 seater recliner couch. Easy install by the way. I wired them up in series like the diagram in link 1376 but without the FMOD to my 7.1 receiver. I used the multizone feature of the receiver to power the 2 shakers, 100watts per channel. I only used 1 channel. My receiver is crossed at 80hz. I was watching Transformers, 4th time. WOW!!!:eek: I did not expect such of an effect. It was durring the slow motion scene where to Bot flies over the woman in the street that my receiver shut off, I guess it started to heat up? I had the volume for the multizone to max position as I wanted to see where it would take me. I guess I can avoid this in the future by turning it down. But I really liked the effect I got at max volume. What do you guys suggest? Did I do something wrong? Do I need an FMOD? I don't want to buy a seperate amp.


Well, that is where the complications come in. You can try to use the other two to add to the response. But, yes, you probably don't want to have the receiver cranked at full volume.

Ok, I finally got my 4 shakers. I only installed 2 to the bottom of my 3 seater recliner couch. Easy install by the way. I wired them up in series like the diagram in link 1376
post 1376 does not show shaker wiring. 1369 does.
Did you wire the shakers like the illustration in 1369?
If so, did you wire both shakers (an 8 ohm load) to one channel of your reciever?
Or, did you wire one 4 ohm shaker to each channel?
but without the FMOD to my 7.1 receiver. I used the multizone feature of the receiver to power the 2 shakers, 100watts per channel. I only used 1 channel. I did not read far enough ahead... one channel used. Good.My receiver is crossed at 80hz. I was watching Transformers, 4th time. WOW!!!:eek: I did not expect such of an effect. It was durring the slow motion scene where to Bot flies over the woman in the street that my receiver shut off, I guess it started to heat up? I had the volume for the multizone to max position as I wanted to see where it would take me. I guess I can avoid this in the future by turning it down. But I really liked the effect I got at max volume. What do you guys suggest? Did I do something wrong? Do I need an FMOD? I don't want to buy a seperate amp.About all you did wrong was to turn the multizone volume to max. I doubt a FMOD will make much difference (other than since it is a passive device, the level fed to the multizone input will be less overall, with the same effect as turning the volume down on the multizone input)
Easiest fix might be to mount your other two shakers to the couch and wire them to the other multizone channel. Then turn the volume on the multizone channels way down. Each multizone channel will heat up less as the work is shared between the two channels. Odds are it will not shut down on you.

You would need an FMOD if the crossover frequency of your subwoofer was high enough where male voices and other higher pitch bass vibrated the couch when not appropriate. Since your subwoofer out is already crossed over pretty low at 80Hz, I doubt you need one.

post 1376 does not show shaker wiring. 1369 does.
Did you wire the shakers like the illustration in 1369?
If so, did you wire both shakers (an 8 ohm load) to one channel of your reciever?
Or, did you wire one 4 ohm shaker to each channel?
I did not read far enough ahead... one channel used. Good.About all you did wrong was to turn the multizone volume to max. I doubt a FMOD will make much difference (other than since it is a passive device, the level fed to the multizone input will be less overall, with the same effect as turning the volume down on the multizone input)
Easiest fix might be to mount your other two shakers to the couch and wire them to the other multizone channel. Then turn the volume on the multizone channels way down. Each multizone channel will heat up less as the work is shared between the two channels. Odds are it will not shut down on you.

You would need an FMOD if the crossover frequency of your subwoofer was high enough where male voices and other higher pitch bass vibrated the couch when not appropriate. Since your subwoofer out is already crossed over pretty low at 80Hz, I doubt you need one.

Yes I wired just like 1369.
I did notice some shake with Optimus Prime's voice coming through.

Well, that is where the complications come in. You can try to use the other two to add to the response. But, yes, you probably don't want to have the receiver cranked at full volume.

I will test more movies tonight with the volume on the shakers at minus 25% or so. I will also try to add the other 2 shakers if my 1yr old and 4 yr old allow me to:o. Thanks guys!

I've got 4 aura bass shakers from Parts Express (50w @ 4ohm)
hooked up to a Dayton SA240 240w @ 4ohm, 170w @ 8ohm.

Wired in series/parallel these do great, but the concern I have is
about the amp. It needs to be turned to about 3/4 quarters of
the way up for you to really feel the shakers. The amp gets pretty
hot when turned up to that volume.

I listen to alot of DVD concerts, where the bass is almost constant,
rather than a movie, where the bass is off and on. I'm concerned
that I am overdriving the P. Express amp, it gets hot to the touch.

Being new to this, maybe I'm enjoying the novelty of the shakers,
and have the volume of the amp turned up to high.

Anyways, was wondering if any one could shed some light on the
amp overheating. It cost $98 dollers from P Express, so if it goes,
it's not that big of a deal....but I'd like to get some opinions on this
if possible.....thanks in advance, vardo

I've got 4 aura bass shakers from Parts Express (50w @ 4ohm)
hooked up to a Dayton SA240 240w @ 4ohm, 170w @ 8ohm.

Wired in series/parallel these do great, but the concern I have is
about the amp. It needs to be turned to about 3/4 quarters of
the way up for you to really feel the shakers. The amp gets pretty
hot when turned up to that volume.

I listen to alot of DVD concerts, where the bass is almost constant,
rather than a movie, where the bass is off and on. I'm concerned
that I am overdriving the P. Express amp, it gets hot to the touch.

Being new to this, maybe I'm enjoying the novelty of the shakers,
and have the volume of the amp turned up to high.

Anyways, was wondering if any one could shed some light on the
amp overheating. It cost $98 dollers from P Express, so if it goes,
it's not that big of a deal....but I'd like to get some opinions on this
if possible.....thanks in advance, vardo

The amp should have a thermal protection circuit that will shut it down if it gets too hot. If it is not shutting down then all should be well.

Thanks for the reply jpmst3...appreciate it...vardo

The amp should have a thermal protection circuit that will shut it down if it gets too hot. If it is not shutting down then all should be well.I've seen schematics of a lot of plate amplifiers... most are very similar. Some have thermal protection,it is usually a thermal switch bolted to the heatsink. If the heatsink gets too hot the switch opens and the amplifier shuts itself off to cool down. Some amplifiers do not have a thermal cutoff and just self destruct, sometimes with great drama. (read smoke and flames)

From the description on the PE website it looks like your SA240 amplifier has a thermal cutoff. You will probably be fine.

Joe L.

Thanks, JL. Guess I missed this in the description of the amp:

"crossover is fully adjustable between 40 and 180 Hz, and of course the amp has built-in protection against internal and external faults".

I've had my 4 aura shakers hooked up for a few weeks now, and
I'd have to say it's one of the best upgrades to my system for the
price paid (about $260 for shakers and plate amp).

Now if I could just get the floor to vibrate lol, don't think so cause
my foundation is a slab.......vardo

I've had my 4 aura shakers hooked up for a few weeks now, and
I'd have to say it's one of the best upgrades to my system for the
price paid (about $260 for shakers and plate amp).

Now if I could just get the floor to vibrate lol, don't think so cause
my foundation is a slab.......vardo

Hey vardo, I have also had mine for a couple of weeks and my family and I are happy as well. Originally I was going to build a dual 12" subwoofer to get more punch out of my home theater because my Tivoli single 10" powered 100 watt sub wasn't giving me enough. So now with 2 shakers on my couch (planing to add the other 2 soon) I feel like I don't need to build such a big sub, maybe single sub. I payed $160 for 4 shakers and used the multi-zone on my receiver to power them. Half hour install. Win win situation for me.:)

Build yourself a riser to vibrate your feet.

I've thought about a riser, but then my wife thinks I'm truly nuts
with what I have. HSU VTF-3/3 with turbo, HSU MBM-12 behind
the couch, and four shakers in the couch. I'm getting 2 Onix speakers for rear 7.1 (I use axiom QS4's for surround). All this
in a smaller (second) home theater (10' x 16').......ah hell, think
in the near future I'll build a riser, and order more shakers.
God help me.....vardo

I've had my 4 aura shakers hooked up for a few weeks now, and
I'd have to say it's one of the best upgrades to my system for the
price paid (about $260 for shakers and plate amp).

Now if I could just get the floor to vibrate lol, don't think so cause
my foundation is a slab.......vardoYou can get the slab to vibrate, but it will take a lot more than 4 shakers.

A few years ago I replaced my old 10" 100 watt sub with a 260 Liter sonosub with a 15" driver powered by a 250 watt plate amp. It could displace 2.5 liters of air. When it was not enough to keep up with the more aggressive sound tracks I replaced it with a pair of 18" drivers, each in a 12.5 cubic foot sealed enclosure, each fed with roughly 750 watts of power. Their response easily goes down into the sub-audible, but very tactile single digits. Together the new subs can displace 13 liters of air. They are down-firing, so they couple a lot of energy to the floor. (basement concrete slab)

Now, the slab floor vibrates, the walls vibrate, the doors rattle in their frames. The shakers on the seats complete the experience.

Oh yes, my wife knows I'm crazy.

Joe L.

Now, the slab floor vibrates, the walls vibrate, the doors rattle in their frames. The shakers on the seats complete the experience.

Oh yes, my wife knows I'm crazy.

Joe L.

You are not alone in crazy-ville. :p

DIY does that to the best of us.;)

Anyone have pics of their shaker set ups?

I just hooked up 2 of the Aura pro's to a 240w subwoofer amp all from PE. I currently love the effect, but need some advice on setting the frequency and volume, at least where to start.

I split my pre-out subwoofer between the main sub and then ran the shakers in series from the amp.

Do I start by just turning down the frequency all the way and start moving up as needed? I was watching transformers to test, and a bit too much shaking going on.

Thanks!

I just hooked up 2 of the Aura pro's to a 240w subwoofer amp all from PE. I currently love the effect, but need some advice on setting the frequency and volume, at least where to start.

I split my pre-out subwoofer between the main sub and then ran the shakers in series from the amp.

Do I start by just turning down the frequency all the way and start moving up as needed? I was watching transformers to test, and a bit too much shaking going on.

Thanks!

That's up to you. Some like 60 Hz, some 80, some in between. Only you know.

beartooth, I've set the frequency to 90 HZ cause that's what my
receiver sends out for the LFE. The volume is something you have
to play around with.

On some DVD's, Hi Def programs, on TV, the amount of bass being put out varies quite a bit. The couch I have my shakers
in is old (but in good shape). I'm thinking about actually mounting
the plate amp on the side of the couch I sit on so I can adjust the
volume on the fly....according to the material being played.

Shakers are alot of fun, and really add to the overall bass experience. At first I had the volume up to high, but it's the novelty and such that makes you do that. Now the volume is
reduced, and more in sync with my HSU subs.

Takes a little experimenting........good luck, and have fun with the
shakers.........vardo

I read in here 80 was the THX spec, so I started there, and it really helped. My sound card in my htpc lets you customize the crossover, and boost the bass, which works pretty well. In an upright position, my chairs push a little more into the butt than I like, but reclined (normal viewing position for us), they shoot to the lower back, which is great. I tested with T2 and Pearl Harbor the other night, and it's pretty cool. Thanks for the info!

KD

Glad you're enjoying the shakers, beartooth. Yes the 80 HZ crossover
is from THX spec. But alot of a/v receivers LFE output is adjustable,
or is set, like my low cost Yahama @ 90 HZ. Haven't really thought
about it but you could set the freq to the max......you LFE is gonna
cut it off at 80HZ, 90HZ or whatever it's specs are for LFE output.
I've turned up the frequency all the way, and it didn't matter....
the shakers didn't "shake" anymore than at 90 HZ. But your setup
is a little different than mine (sound card and all).

If you want a little more shaking in the back, remount the shakers
towards the back of the recliner. That's what I did to my couch, and the vibrations on the seat and the back of the couch are equal.
You say reclined is the normal position, so this probably doesn't
matter as you are getting some vibarations in the back......anywasys enjoy the shakers, they are a very good investment, and to bad alot of people don't use 'em cause it really
adds to the bass experience........vardo

Seriously No one has any pics of these installed in there furniture??

Seriously No one has any pics of these installed in there furniture??

I'll see if I can take some today...

Vardo: Thanks for the info. I tried the shaker on the back, and I still might play around with positioning. My chairs are pretty thick in the cushion, and I found that the shaker was a little too thick as well, so you could feel them through the back.

I definitely notice a difference when I adjust either the sound card or the sub amp from 40hz to 180hz, so it seems my receiver is sending a pretty low signal. I'll keep playing with it. Netflix sent me Live Free or Die Hard, so maybe tonight I can see how that plays.

Hello all, Parts Express has the Aura Bass Shakers on sale today for $25. Deal expires 12/09.

Happy shopping:)

Thanks miguel! Wish this would have been a week ago, but I'm in for 2 more!

KD

Seriously No one has any pics of these installed in there furniture??

Took some pics of my install. I just used miniture bungee's to secure to the bottom of the chair. When my 2 new ones I just bought today get here, they'll go on the back, probably put on a mounting board attached to the back of the chair.

You can see each chair plus the sub amp. I just split the signal coming out of the wall (I ran coax, then converted) for the powered sub and 2nd amp. This gives me easy access to the amp controls as well.

As you can see, my HT chairs have powered backs and feet, so running wires isn't a big deal since they need power.

http://www.y4hdesigns.com/images/bass_shaker_1.jpg
http://www.y4hdesigns.com/images/bass_shaker_2.jpg
http://www.y4hdesigns.com/images/bass_shaker_3.jpg

Keven, it looks like you monted the shakers to the springs of the
chair. I was gonna do that, but read somewhere in this thread that
was not a very good thing, as the springs take up alot of the vibration. I mounted a Meduim density fiber board just underneath the the springs and secured it to all of the frame parts that make
up the couch. When the shakers are on I can feel the arms, bottom,
and back of the couch vibrate....anyways something to think about.
Obviously not all recliners or couchs are made the same.

Anyways you are gonna mount your next shakers to a board,
in the back. This should propel you out of the chair if you have
them thrned up to high, lol.

So now Parts express has a sale on shakers....I can't resist, although I may have to buy another plate amp, because the one
I have gets pretty hot, even though the 4 I have are wired in
series/parallel. Oh well...partsexpress here I come....vardo

Thanks for the pics!

OK I finally got a day off to install my shakers. I put two in my couch and they really add that extra punch to the movie going experience. I wired them in series and used a older Sony receiver to power them which is nice because I can shut them off and turn them up or down at will.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r146/Dizyer/Chicago204resize.jpg

Ok Guys,
I can't get mine shakers to work.

-2 pairs of 2 shaker pro's in series (to give me 8ohm)
-Recevied used is H/K AVR300

-Can you guys please explain where to put in these RCA cables?
I've got a Y-splitter from my main H/K AVR635 to the sub and then another RCA to go the Shaker amp. But where am I plugging in these RCA's?


I've played around with cables and reading the thread. I just get a hum from the shakers, if I play around with the RCA's i nthe back my receiver goes into "Protect" mode.

S2G - sounds like you've got wiring mixed up somewhere. If you are splitting the sub out of the H/K into the sub and then to a shaker amp, you should be good to go, assuming the wiring out of the amp is right.

What type of amp are you using, a dedicated bass amp? Seems like you're overloading the receiver, so I'm confused how you have it all wired up. Sounds like at some point, you're getting less than 8ohms which is overloading the circuit. Do you have a drawing?

S2G I have mine wired up very similar as you can see in the above pic. I have a sub cable with a Y splitter connected to my sub with only one connection going into the sub itself. The second connection has a single RCA cable running into the left audio input of my video one pre-out. I have my shakers wired in a series (+ to - to + to -), with a + and - lead going into my front left speaker input. The old receiver is set on video 1 with everything set to the left, I simply turn the volume up or down to get the proper effect I'm looking for out of the shakers.

Ok Guys,
I can't get mine shakers to work.

-2 pairs of 2 shaker pro's in series (to give me 8ohm)
Assuming you have 4 shakers in total, then there is no way to get them to be equal to an 8 ohm load.

Each shaker is 4 ohms. 2 shakers in series are 8 ohms.

4 shakers in series would be 16 ohms ( a safe load for most any amplifier)

Two sets of 2 series connected shakers in parallel would be 4 ohms. (ok for most amplifiers)

All 4 shakers in parallel would be 1 ohms. (not a good load for almost any amplifier)

None of the possible arrangements are equal to 8 ohms. Perhaps you can do a drawing of how you connected the shakers and how you wired them to the subwoofer amplifier.

Also, describe how the sub amplifier is connected to the main HT Reciever.

Joe L.

Assuming you have 4 shakers in total, then there is no way to get them to be equal to an 8 ohm load.

Each shaker is 4 ohms. 2 shakers in series are 8 ohms.

4 shakers in series would be 16 ohms ( a safe load for most any amplifier)

Two sets of 2 series connected shakers in parallel would be 4 ohms. (ok for most amplifiers)

All 4 shakers in parallel would be 1 ohms. (not a good load for almost any amplifier)

None of the possible arrangements are equal to 8 ohms. Perhaps you can do a drawing of how you connected the shakers and how you wired them to the subwoofer amplifier.

Also, describe how the sub amplifier is connected to the main HT Reciever.

Joe L.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/11/web/2747000-2747999/2747202_13_full.jpg

Here is how the sub is connected. Obviously the AVR300 is the same in both photos
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/11/web/2747000-2747999/2747202_14_full.jpg
Alright, maybe when I hooked them up I didn't understand the ohms.

I thought that with the way I have them hooked up
-each pair would wired in series for a total of 8ohms.

I was trying to connect each pair of shakers to LF & RF seperately on the receiver.
Should I have only 1 RCA going into in shaker amp? Should that 1 cable be hooked up the left audio input of say CD, then shaker wires plugged into L? ( is that clear?)

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/11/web/2747000-2747999/2747202_13_full.jpg

Here is how the sub is connected. Obviously the AVR300 is the same in both photos
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/11/web/2747000-2747999/2747202_14_full.jpg
Alright, maybe when I hooked them up I didn't understand the ohms.

I thought that with the way I have them hooked up
-each pair would wired in series for a total of 8ohms.

I was trying to connect each pair of shakers to LF & RF seperately on the receiver.
Should I have only 1 RCA going into in shaker amp? Should that 1 cable be hooked up the left audio input of say CD, then shaker wires plugged into L? ( is that clear?)
Nice drawings... they really helped me to understand what you were doing.

First, I did not understand you were using a stereo amplifier with two channels. (the HK/300)
Each pair of shakers results in an 8 ohm load to their respective channel of the receiver. your understanding of ohms law was good, your initial description had me confused how you hooked them to your receiver.

It looks like you are feeding only the left channel of the HK/300. You probably need to use a second "Y" splitter and use it to feed both the left and right channel of the CD input.

Use one "Y" to split the sub out of the main receiver. One leg of the "Y goes to your subwoofer. The other leg of that "Y" goes to the other "Y" splitter. Its two outputs go to the left and right channel CD inputs of the HK/300 receiver.

Then, you need to set the HK/300 so it does not do its own bass management. In other words, if it is doing bass management and it is routing all the bass frequencies to its subwoofer output there will be nothing sent to the shakers. There might be a setting on it to indicate the main speakers are "large" or "full range" and a second setting to indicate that a subwoofer is NOT connected to it. Those are the ones you will need to get everything shaking.

Joe L.

Nice drawings... they really helped me to understand what you were doing.

First, I did not understand you were using a stereo amplifier with two channels. (the HK/300)
Each pair of shakers results in an 8 ohm load to their respective channel of the receiver. your understanding of ohms law was good, your initial description had me confused how you hooked them to your receiver.

It looks like you are feeding only the left channel of the HK/300. You probably need to use a second "Y" splitter and use it to feed both the left and right channel of the CD input.

Use one "Y" to split the sub out of the main receiver. One leg of the "Y goes to your subwoofer. The other leg of that "Y" goes to the other "Y" splitter. Its two outputs go to the left and right channel CD inputs of the HK/300 receiver.

Then, you need to set the HK/300 so it does not do its own bass management. In other words, if it is doing bass management and it is routing all the bass frequencies to its subwoofer output there will be nothing sent to the shakers. There might be a setting on it to indicate the main speakers are "large" or "full range" and a second setting to indicate that a subwoofer is NOT connected to it. Those are the ones you will need to get everything shaking.

Joe L.

Right now the RCA is going into the AVR300 in the L or R of my CD input.
So it seems like I am missing a 2nd Y splitter to split the last RCA into BOTH L+R on the CD input?

Right now the RCA is going into the AVR300 in the L or R of my CD input.
So it seems like I am missing a 2nd Y splitter to split the last RCA into BOTH L+R on the CD input?yes, in addition to turning off the bass management by setting the speakers to large and telling the HK/300 unit you have NO subwoofer connected to it.

Finally got em going,

Was missing 1 RCA splitter.

Thanks guys

Alright I'm at the shakers again.
Now hte problem is I can't searc the thread wit hthe word "6" because I need to hookup 6 shakers to my H/K AVR 300.

I was playing around with the receiver and it seems like I cannot set both the FRONT and CENTER speakers to LARGE and have bass come out of both channel to the shakers? Does that seem right.

Anyway, how do I wire the shakers to keep 8ohms all the way through?
The first 2 i've hookedup wiring in series to one channel at ohms.

How about for the other 4?

Where is the best place to get a good quality Y splitter?

I just got mine from radioshack for something like $2.

Have a look at the picture, is this how I would hook up 6 shakers?
if not please explain how to hook them and keep the rating to 8ohms.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/11/web/2747000-2747999/2747202_23_full.jpg

Have a look at the picture, is this how I would hook up 6 shakers?
if not please explain how to hook them and keep the rating to 8ohms.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/11/web/2747000-2747999/2747202_23_full.jpg

You are close... Right now you have two shakers in series on one channel, and four in series on the other. If you have the balance control centered then the channel with two will be shaking a LOT more than the one with four. This is because 4 in series will result in a 16 ohm load while 2 in series is an 8 ohm load.

If for example, at a given volume setting the amplifier output 10 volts, then for the channel with 2 shakers, each would have 5 volts across it. Power = voltage squared divided by resistance or (5*5)/4 or about 6.25 watts per shaker.

On the side with 4 shakers, each would have 2.5 volts across it. (same 10 volts divided by 4, since they are all in series, and all the same resistance)

Power on that side would be (2.5*2.5)/4 or about 1.56 watts per shaker. Yup... not too even.


The only good way for your equipment would be to put 3 in series on each channel instead of 2 on one channel and 4 on the other. Then, each channel would have a 12 ohm load (three shakers in series = 12 ohms and receiver would be happy)

Then, all the shakers would shake the same amount.

Now, for that same 10 volts, and same volume setting as before, each shaker would have 3.3 volts across it and power to each would be 2.77 watts.

Now, odds are you will turn the volume up on that shaker receiver (I used 10 volts to make my math easier). At 20 volts out, each shaker would have about 11 watts... just about perfect...

Joe L.

Try this:
http://4seating.com/images/wiring-diagram-E.jpg

Try this:
http://4seating.com/images/wiring-diagram-E.jpg
Tradewinds,

Your drawing will work very well if he had a single channel amplifier as it would be a 6 ohm load to the amplifier. (Two 12 ohm series strings of three shakers, in parallel)

He has a two channel amplifier, so one series string of three shakers on each channel uses his equipment better.

Just an FYI... most of the drawings for shaker connection on that same site selling seating will result in grossly uneven shaking (uneven distribution of power to them)

You happened to pick one of the few that is correct and a good load for most amplifiers.

I just realized that he had 2-channel. You're right. Sorry about the confusion.

With this amp (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-804) and 6 aura pros i will not have need for an fmod, correct?

Try this:
http://4seating.com/images/wiring-diagram-E.jpg

Ok, I will try that. Now it won't a be a problem for the ohm loading on my 5 channel receiver that handles 8 ohms?

Ok, I will try that. Now it won't a be a problem for the ohm loading on my 5 channel receiver that handles 8 ohms?Putting all the shakers on one channel would work...as illustrated it is a 6 ohm load. It will put all the stress on one channel rather than sharing the work between two. Since you have two channels, it is not your best wiring arrangement.

Additionally, If your receiver wants an 8 ohm load, don't put them all on one channel. It is lower than the RX is rated for.

Instead, wire three shakers in series on each channel. That would be a 12 ohm load and safe for any receiver rated for 8 ohms.

You may or may not need an fmod. They are needed to keep the higher frequencies from the shaker amplifier. It really depends on what you have the LFE crossover frequency set to in the main reciever. It already has a low-pass filter feeding its subwoofer output jack.

Try the shakers without any additional filter first. Odds are you will not need one.

Joe L.

Just an FYI... most of the drawings for shaker connection on that same site selling seating will result in grossly uneven shaking (uneven distribution of power to them)

You happened to pick one of the few that is correct and a good load for most amplifiers.

J.L.,
I will need to ask you how to hook mine up, I will need to check but I think I bought 5 shakers and I have a 1 channel amp. I am still a few weeks before getting to that point but if you don't mind helping with some diagrams on how to correctly connect those, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.

J.L.,
I will need to ask you how to hook mine up, I will need to check but I think I bought 5 shakers and I have a 1 channel amp. I am still a few weeks before getting to that point but if you don't mind helping with some diagrams on how to correctly connect those, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.As I said, that web-site sells chairs and has a lot of really bad diagrams of how to connect shakers... electronics is NOT their strong point. The diagram they show for 5 shakers is one of those that could be harmful to many amplifiers. It has two sets of two shakers in series paralleled with the fifth shaker.

two shakers in series = 8 ohms.
two sets of two in series = 4 ohms, put that in parallel with a single 4 ohm shaker and the result is a 2 ohm load to the amplifier.

If your amplifier is rated for 2 ohm loads, fine... otherwise, expect it to either overheat and shut down if it has overheat protection ( or self-destruct if it does not).

Just as bad, one half of the power will be used by the single 4 ohm shaker in parallel with the others. This leaves the other half of the power to be shared by the other 4 shakers. (They each get 1/8th the total power) Not exactly even shaking. Odds are high you will burn out the one getting half of the power trying to get the others to shake enough.

Now, for the bad news... there is no good way to hook up 5 shakers to a single channel amplifier and to get then to be a good load to the amp AND to all shake evenly.

Actually, there are two ways to get them to all shake evenly:

All the shakers in parallel .... resulting in an amplifier killing 0.8 ohms. (note the decimal point. This is way too low for almost any amplifier)

All 5 shakers in series. This would be a 20 ohm load and safe for any amplifier. However, the power delivered to the shakers will be far less than than its rating at 4 ohms. An amplifier rated as 250 watts into 4 ohms might deliver 50 watts into 20 ohms.... and thinking about it, divided between 5 shakers... about 10 watts per shaker might be perfect, so maybe this is a good way, it just needs an amplifier rated for more power than you otherwise might think. The amp will loaf with the 20 ohm load and barely get warm, but it will work just fine.

If you have a two channel amplifier, put two in series on one channel, and three in series on the other and THEN move the balance control off center to get them to shake evenly.

Joe L.

Putting all the shakers on one channel would work...as illustrated it is a 6 ohm load. It will put all the stress on one channel rather than sharing the work between two. Since you have two channels, it is not your best wiring arrangement.

Additionally, If your receiver wants an 8 ohm load, don't put them all on one channel. It is lower than the RX is rated for.

Instead, wire three shakers in series on each channel. That would be a 12 ohm load and safe for any receiver rated for 8 ohms.

You may or may not need an fmod. They are needed to keep the higher frequencies from the shaker amplifier. It really depends on what you have the LFE crossover frequency set to in the main reciever. It already has a low-pass filter feeding its subwoofer output jack.

Try the shakers without any additional filter first. Odds are you will not need one.

Joe L.


Done, perfect....all is well at 12ohms

Have you guys compared the aura pro to the buttkicker mini? I am looking to add some more shakers and I have 2 aura pro's.

Have you guys compared the aura pro to the buttkicker mini? I am looking to add some more shakers and I have 2 aura pro's.

I would also like to know.
In particular I am interested how they handle the lower frequency range. The specs for Aura Pro have a "usable" frequency response down to 20 Hz. The minis have a frequency response down to 10 Hz. Reason I ask is that I recently spoke with an individual who upgraded from the Auras to the LFEs because he did not like the fact that the Auras did not respond in those lower frequencies while his subs were still outputting. (The LFEs are spec-ed to go down to 5 Hz, which leaves plenty of safety margin - at least in my room.)
____
Axel

With this amp (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-804) and 6 aura pros i will not have need for an fmod, correct?

I have that amp hooked up to 4 aura bass shakers. Works
great (wired in series), and the vibrations are equal to all
4 shakers. The plate amp gets pretty hot because it has to
be turned up to about 3/4 of the way to really feel the vibrations. (depends on the source material, sometimes
I have to turn it down a little if the source material is bass
heavy). That Parts Express amp gets pretty hot when
turned up that way.

I say try one PE amp in question, and if it gets to hot with
six shakers, it will shut down. Alot has to do with how
your shakers are positioned within your seating area, and
how much vibration you want. If the PE amp shuts down due to much heat, then I recommend a second PE amp.
Or you could go with a more powerful plate amp.......

I don't know much about fmod (I'm not a gamer) so I really didn't
answer your question...just thought I'd give you my impression of
the Parts Express amp mentioned in your post....vardo

Alot has to do with how
your shakers are positioned within your seating area, and
how much vibration you want.

Hi,
Can someone elaborate (pics would be great) more on this? I have seen people position these in many different ways however I am not sure which ones gives better performance vs. the other. Thanks.

There are several pics in this thread. Look up above for my first 2. I have since added 2 more. I have them in the bottom of the chair, bungeed to the cushion and then mounted on a board for the back. This was essential for me for even distribution in my big chairs.

Have you guys compared the aura pro to the buttkicker mini? I am looking to add some more shakers and I have 2 aura pro's.

I would also like to know.
In particular I am interested how they handle the lower frequency range. The specs for Aura Pro have a "usable" frequency response down to 20 Hz. The minis have a frequency response down to 10 Hz. Reason I ask is that I recently spoke with an individual who upgraded from the Auras to the LFEs because he did not like the fact that the Auras did not respond in those lower frequencies while his subs were still outputting. (The LFEs are spec-ed to go down to 5 Hz, which leaves plenty of safety margin - at least in my room.)
____
Axel

Anybody??
Thanks!
____
Axel

I have 4 Aura pros in my setup. They work well for what I want them to do. The LFEs are much more expensive so I imagine they would perform better as long as you have the amp to push them. I bought the Aura Pros to save money while testing out the effect. So far, they are all I need.

recon;
What do you shake with your setup? Is it 1 Aura per chair?

You mentioned the LFEs, which are in a different league. Did you ever consider or even try the Minis? Those are more comparable with the Aura Pros.
____
Axel

recon;
What do you shake with your setup? Is it 1 Aura per chair?

You mentioned the LFEs, which are in a different league. Did you ever consider or even try the Minis? Those are more comparable with the Aura Pros.
____
Axel

I have 3 on a three-seat recliner sofa and one on my recliner next to the sofa.

I did not know about the minis... hmmmmm... I may have to spend money.

Thanks! :( :D

I purchased 4 Aura AST-1B-4 (the 25 Watt model) and I want to but 3 on my couch and 1 on my recliner. After reading through a lot of this thread I THINK I know what to but I'd like some confirmation. :)

1) I do not think I can use my Onkyo 705 (I'm using 7 speakers) or my powered SVS sub to power the shakers. I need a separate amp/receiver. I'll need to split out the sub signal from the 705 and run it to the amp/receiver. Then run the shakers from one of the speaker channels.

2) Each shaker does 4 Ohms so I want to connect them in series, 2 sets of 2, to produce an 8 Ohm load.

3) What type of cable or wiring do you use to connect these? They came with blue rubber connectors that have a circular metal opening on one end. I don't think a RCA cable will fit in that opening. Do I need to solder some 14 gauge speaker wire into it?

Thanks!

Tony

Those should be springloaded terminals, press down and slip your 12/14awg wire in from the side.

Those should be springloaded terminals, press down and slip your 12/14awg wire in from the side.His description sounds more crimp terminals. as shown on this link:
http://www.bitsen.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=91

The 25 watt style of Aura shakers used that style of connector, the 50 watt style use the push style binding posts as you described.

I got my hands on a pair of used Aura AST-1B-4. They come with a pigtail made of a copper and a silver wire, but no info, which one is plus or minus.

I was wondering if anyone could help me out here.

Thanks!
____
Axel

His description sounds more crimp terminals. as shown on this link:
http://www.bitsen.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=91

The 25 watt style of Aura shakers used that style of connector, the 50 watt style use the push style binding posts as you described.

Yes, they are the crimp style terminals. Thanks for the correct verbiage!

Tony

Yes, they are the crimp style terminals. Thanks for the correct verbiage!

Tony

Tony;
It sounds like you have the same shakers. However yours seem to still have connectors attached. Could you tell me if yours have different color cables (copper/silver). If so could you tell me which one is + or -? If it is not specifically called out, the crimp style connectors may be or different size (the smaller ones are usually +).

Thanks!
_____
Axel

Tony;
It sounds like you have the same shakers. However yours seem to still have connectors attached. Could you tell me if yours have different color cables (copper/silver). If so could you tell me which one is + or -? If it is not specifically called out, the crimp style connectors may be or different size (the smaller ones are usually +).

Thanks!
_____
Axel

Axel, no problem. The larger crimp is connected to the copper colored wire and the smaller one is connected to the silver colored wire. According to the manual, the larger connector is positive and the smaller connector is negative.

Hope that helps!

Tony

Axel, no problem. The larger crimp is connected to the copper colored wire and the smaller one is connected to the silver colored wire. According to the manual, the larger connector is positive and the smaller connector is negative.

Hope that helps!

Tony

Got it:
copper is +,
silver is -

Thanks much Tony!
____
Axel

I have two couches in my HT. One is hardly ever used. I'm on a budget. I have planned on buying 2 Aura pro bass shakers and putting them both on the main couch. I figure I might get lucky and be able to put one on each couch and still have good effects, but the main thing is to have the main couch rocking.

I recently read some sites that basically said the Aura's are garbage compared to a buttkicker. What are your thoughts on this? I'd much rather pay $80 for 2 Auras vs. $140ish for a buttkicker. Even if the buttkicker is worth the extra money, it seems like I'd have to buy a 1000w amp just to run it... I guess you can't run buttkickers off old receivers you have laying around? :)

Depends on how much shaking you like....Aura are great for natural shake, BK can do that also and more. Some of us just want the natural so no need to invest in BKs.

You will need to put both on the main couch and be sure to mount them so that they affect the entire couch and not just one or two seats. Might need to add a support underneath to do that. The BKs obviously will do the job but are as you pointed out twice as much for one versus two. I bought two and put one on my recliner and one on my recliner couch and wound up buying two more to get the couch evenly and completely covered.

Auras work, and on a tight budget get the job done!

I have two couches in my HT. One is hardly ever used. I'm on a budget. I have planned on buying 2 Aura pro bass shakers and putting them both on the main couch. I figure I might get lucky and be able to put one on each couch and still have good effects, but the main thing is to have the main couch rocking.

I recently read some sites that basically said the Aura's are garbage compared to a buttkicker. What are your thoughts on this? I'd much rather pay $80 for 2 Auras vs. $140ish for a buttkicker. Even if the buttkicker is worth the extra money, it seems like I'd have to buy a 1000w amp just to run it... I guess you can't run buttkickers off old receivers you have laying around? :)

You may want to consider a BK Mini LFEs as a compromise. Those retail for some $70 to $80/each. Spec-wise similar to the Aura Pros, but go down to 10Hz.
____
Axel

What size amp would the mini's need? similar to the Aura Pros also?

They're completely different levels of quality, so to speak. Similar to the difference between connecting shakers directly to furniture versus a platform (such as a riser).

You'll pay more, and get more, with the buttkickers. But you'll get "something" with the Auras as well. I have a combination of the above.. Auras connected to a platform, with a low quality amp (receiver). It's much better than when I had them directly connected to the couch, but not as powerful as I'd like (it's a 200lb platform).

What size amp would the mini's need? similar to the Aura Pros also?
You will need a little more wattage going to the LFE minis but you could drive a platform with them. I'm pushing all four of my Aura Pros with a 100watt sub amp from Parts Express.

I have got 5 Aura Pros and a 5 x 10 riser I will be building with Auralex U-Boats. Is this not enough to give it a natural shake?

I have got 5 Aura Pros and a 5 x 10 riser I will be building with Auralex U-Boats. Is this not enough to give it a natural shake?

5 should work fine, it's just that 2 mini LFEs or one regular LFE would also probably work. I don't need them but I'm thinking about trying the mini LFEs. Forum membership is expensive... :D

What size amp would the mini's need? similar to the Aura Pros also?

The Aura Pros are spec'ed at power handling: 50 watts RMS/100 watts max.
For the BK Mini-LFE the specs say Power Handling: 50 watts min. / 250 watts max.

Both are 4 ohms impedance.
____
Axel

thanks for all the responses guys. i think for now i'll just get a couple aura pros and see go from three. much easier to spend $80 and use an old receiver i have than buy a buttkicker and new amp. thanks again.

5 should work fine, it's just that 2 mini LFEs or one regular LFE would also probably work. I don't need them but I'm thinking about trying the mini LFEs. Forum membership is expensive... :D

My concern with using less shakers was even shaking of the riser (don't want one guy getting kicked hard and the others not much)

The Aura Pros are spec'ed at power handling: 50 watts RMS/100 watts max.
For the BK Mini-LFE the specs say Power Handling: 50 watts min. / 250 watts max.

Both are 4 ohms impedance.
____
Axel

The issue with watts and a transducer is blurry to me. Given my 5 x 10 riser, I wanted to have even distribution. I am not sure what two mini-LFE getting 200 watts each vs. 5 Aura Pros getting 50 watts each really boils down to in terms of movement. I don't want the riser to shake like something from Disney's Tower of Terror ride but just that slight jolt and hit based on what is being viewed. The difficult part with the riser is that it will be hard to replace them once sealed.

The issue with watts and a transducer is blurry to me. Given my 5 x 10 riser, I wanted to have even distribution. I am not sure what two mini-LFE getting 200 watts each vs. 5 Aura Pros getting 50 watts each really boils down to in terms of movement. I don't want the riser to shake like something from Disney's Tower of Terror ride but just that slight jolt and hit based on what is being viewed. The difficult part with the riser is that it will be hard to replace them once sealed.You can always turn down the gain on the amplifier feeding your shakers if they are shaking too much. Once a given shaker has reached its excursion limits it will not help to give it more power if the shaking is not enough.

With that in mind, I would go with more shakers than I think I need.

As far as 2 Mini-LFE shakers vs 5 Aura-Pro models...
It will be very difficult to wire 5 shakers to present a decent load to a single channel amplifier and get them to all get the same amount of power and shake evenly. You can put two in series on one channel and three in series on a second channel on a receiver and then turn the balance control off-center to get even shaking.

If I was you, and the shakers were going under a platform
I would go for either 6 or 8 Aura shakers. (or 10, or 12 if the platform was big enough) OR
I would possibly think of 4 of the Buttkicker Mini-LFE shakers, or one or two of their full size shakers if I was going to shake a platform with multiple seats mounted on it.

That's the real issue for me is that I would not know how this will perform until it is all mounted and seats in place. For the money spent to get mini-LFE or the big ones and then have to turn them down to get the level of desire shake seems, even though it will lessen the risk that they will not work, might equate to what a Aura Pro will provide.

The issue with watts and a transducer is blurry to me. Given my 5 x 10 riser, I wanted to have even distribution. I am not sure what two mini-LFE getting 200 watts each vs. 5 Aura Pros getting 50 watts each really boils down to in terms of movement. I don't want the riser to shake like something from Disney's Tower of Terror ride but just that slight jolt and hit based on what is being viewed. The difficult part with the riser is that it will be hard to replace them once sealed.


Given that you are going to mount these on a platform you have to consider inaccessibility, maximum effect, and failure. 5 Aura Pros could do the job because even though they are lower wattage, you have more of them. You are NOT going to push them at 50 watts, my 4 don't get anywhere near that much juice, and you probably don't need to push them that hard.

BUT

The BK equipment is designed to be used where you will need more effect to give you what you need. Heavy furniture and platforms will reduce what an Aura can do because of its voice coil design. You need fewer BKs because they are designed to give you more potential at a wider range.

For a platform if you wanted to try it and already have them, 5 Auras could work out fine. But, if you want to be sure it works and is not going to fail you, two full size LFEs with the appropriate amp will allow you to install and forget about it.

in that case I wish I had not already bought the Auras and plate amp.

in that case I wish I had not already bought the Auras and plate amp.

You have them, try them out. They will work I'm sure and who knows if and when you would need to replace them.

Don't give up yet!

I guess I will. I am hoping the U-Boats help a lot with this.

I guess I will. I am hoping the U-Boats help a lot with this.


I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Like I said I'm driving my 4 off of a 100watt plate amp and I have the power turned up to about half and the crossover set at 80hz. I had it up to 3/4 power but my wife asked me when did I put the back massager into the sofa so I had to turn down the power and drop the cross over from 100 to 80. :D

reconlabtech, I know you said you have 3 Aura pros on a sofa. Did you ever just use 1 or 2 and find it wasn't enough? Just curious because I have a 3-person sofa as well and am about to order some. Of course I'd like to just buy 2 if I can get away with it :) I know it will vary some from sofa to sofa but just trying to get an idea.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Like I said I'm driving my 4 off of a 100watt plate amp and I have the power turned up to about half and the crossover set at 80hz. I had it up to 3/4 power but my wife asked me when did I put the back massager into the sofa so I had to turn down the power and drop the cross over from 100 to 80. :D

Yes, I have a feeling it will work.

What is the correct way to mount them? facing up or facing to the side?

---- Riser top
---- Aura Pro

OR

---- Riser top
| Auro Pro

reconlabtech, I know you said you have 3 Aura pros on a sofa. Did you ever just use 1 or 2 and find it wasn't enough? Just curious because I have a 3-person sofa as well and am about to order some. Of course I'd like to just buy 2 if I can get away with it :) I know it will vary some from sofa to sofa but just trying to get an idea.

I think if you place the 2 on a support that spans the entire sofa, you could probably get away with 2. I have three on mine because I only needed one on my separate recliner so the other three went on the sofa.

Yes, I have a feeling it will work.

What is the correct way to mount them? facing up or facing to the side?

---- Riser top
---- Aura Pro

OR

---- Riser top
| Auro Pro

I would mount them to the riser top.

Good day to all ,

i need your input on how to calibrate bass shakers? Should they be calibrated to the same level as the subwoofer?

If not how do you detrmine te proper sound level for the shakers ?


Thanks in advanced


Alain

Good day to all ,

i need your input on how to calibrate bass shakers? Should they be calibrated to the same level as the subwoofer?

If not how do you detrmine te proper sound level for the shakers ?


Thanks in advanced


Alain

I have been using my 'butt-meter' :). I simply dialed in the volume/gain to a level where the shakers complemented the overall LFE experience. I have seen (felt) too many, which were dialed in too hot for my taste. YMMV
_____
Axel

i am ready to get some bass shakers, i have a denon 6.1 surround sound system, i am going to split the signal going to the sub and run it into a crown 150 power amp.. the amp will run mono or stereo. would it be best to just run mono and hook the 4- 50 watt shakers in parallel or series? or would it be best to split twice and run stereo. running 2 shakers on each channel? also i should not need a crossover right? thanks in advance

I would run two in series, thats how i did mine and i love them.

split the signal to feed both channels of you amplifier, then put two shakers in series on each channel.

Each channel will then get an 8 ohm load.

Joe L.

Total newb question:
Just picked up 2 Aura Pro's to play with (50W each)
I have an old POS RCA 60W subwoofer (from the apartment days). I was thinking about taking the driver out of it and using the plate amp. Is 60w enough to drive 2 of these things?
TIA

Total newb question:
Just picked up 2 Aura Pro's to play with (50W each)
I have an old POS RCA 60W subwoofer (from the apartment days). I was thinking about taking the driver out of it and using the plate amp. Is 60w enough to drive 2 of these things?
TIAyes

i got my shackers installed last night have 4 50 watt shakers hooked up in series 2 per couch hooked up to a crown 150 watt amp. first i have to crank the crown all the way up to get them to hit at all and when they do it is only on the lowest of lows. ok questions for the ones with the "know". my sub is a defineitve technolgy 500 watt powered 15 it has 4 knobs on the back. top knob is variable low pass crossover goes from 40-150
second knob is variable phase alignment goes 0-180
third knob is variable high pass crossover 40-150 and one level knob
i have no idea what setting these should be at ?
is this crown amp enough power to run these things? is there anyway to make them hit at a little higher freq? they come on in extrmely low scenes no bass drum on music or bass guitar. should i try to go into the sub settings on the receiver and pump it up there ? by changing the knobs on the sub does it have any effect on the shakers? thanks as always you guys are great...

i got my shackers installed last night have 4 50 watt shakers hooked up in series 2 per couch hooked up to a crown 150 watt amp. first i have to crank the crown all the way up to get them to hit at all and when they do it is only on the lowest of lows. ok questions for the ones with the "know". my sub is a defineitve technolgy 500 watt powered 15 it has 4 knobs on the back. top knob is variable low pass crossover goes from 40-150
second knob is variable phase alignment goes 0-180
third knob is variable high pass crossover 40-150 and one level knob
i have no idea what setting these should be at ?
is this crown amp enough power to run these things? is there anyway to make them hit at a little higher freq? they come on in extrmely low scenes no bass drum on music or bass guitar. should i try to go into the sub settings on the receiver and pump it up there ? by changing the knobs on the sub does it have any effect on the shakers? thanks as always you guys are great...

Sounds like your crossover is set too low. However, please explain how the LFE signal is getting from your receiver to your shakers.

I have 4 shakers hooked up to 100 watt plate amp and I have the amp set to about 50% of full power because the shakers work so well.

My crossover on the plate amp is set at 80hz.

i have the sub lfe signal split , then split again to get to 2 channels. i just looked at the def tech website and it said when you use the line level lfe in that the crossover is bypassed, is there any way to put a crossover on the shakers to get them to kick in sooner ?

i have the sub lfe signal split , then split again to get to 2 channels. i just looked at the def tech website and it said when you use the line level lfe in that the crossover is bypassed, is there any way to put a crossover on the shakers to get them to kick in sooner ?


Ok, so you are splitting the line coming off the receiver LFE so that one line goes to your sub and one goes to the Crown amp?

Give a good verbal picture, point to point.

yes that is how i have it hooked up lfe out of rec to splitter out of splitter one to sub split again and run stereo to the crown left and right in

yes that is how i have it hooked up lfe out of rec to splitter out of splitter one to sub split again and run stereo to the crown left and right in

Ok, so the sub would have no effect on the signal going to the Crown amp since you split before the sub. You are getting no crossover but if you have your receiver set to send only 100hz and below, you probably don't need another crossover. Some receivers will let you change that value to something lower also.

You are running one series pair per channel off the amp for a total ohm load of 16 ohms. What is your amp ohms output? If it is 4 ohms, then it makes sense that you are having to crank the amp all the way up to get any effect since you are cutting the watts by 4 with your ohms load, that is if I am remembering this ohms thing right! :)

I would run mono output and tie the two series pairs together in parallel.

Anyone see a problem with that recommendation?

thanks that is what i am going to try next called parts express and he said be sure to turn the sub output all the way up on the receiver and then just split the signal one time instead of twice and run it mono bridged hook both positives to one side and both negatives to the positive post of the other channel.. negatives on the amp are not used.. that sound right?

I can't get mine to work, any ideas anyone?
I just hooked up 2 of the 50 watt aura shakers in a series, per the very first post of this thread. I used the exact same setup. I can't figure out why they are not working.
My receiver says "min 6 ohms" by the speaker posts, is it not working because these are 4 ohms a piece? I thought it would appear as 8 to the receiver since I've got 2 4 ohm ones in a series.

Edit: Well, it was actually working, but it was just doing so little I couldn't feel them. I assumed if I had my amp down low it would at least do something. I had to crank my levels on the old receiver to +12, then I had to turn it up to 60 to feel anything. Does this make sense? I turn it up to 80 (out of 90 max) and it feels about right.

LFE on my main receiver is set to -5, I have it split going to dual SVS subs, and then split again going to my old Onkyo AVR.

Anyone know why I have to crank it like this? Is this ok?

mine are doing great now after i went in and turned the sub output all the way up on the receiver and control the sub with the sub volume, also when i hooked them up bridged mono the signal was much stronger they fire much better now was able to tune the sub with the shakers and get a good blend..

mine are doing great now after i went in and turned the sub output all the way up on the receiver and control the sub with the sub volume, also when i hooked them up bridged mono the signal was much stronger they fire much better now was able to tune the sub with the shakers and get a good blend..

OH I see. I worry though if I crank my sub vol on my first AVR it will mess things up with my subs. I guess everything sounds and feels good. But I just worry, I'm running that second avr almost all the way up to get the desired shaker effect.

OH I see. I worry though if I crank my sub vol on my first AVR it will mess things up with my subs. I guess everything sounds and feels good. But I just worry, I'm running that second avr almost all the way up to get the desired shaker effect.perhaps your second AVR is routing all the bass to its subwoofer output? Make sure to set it to think it has no sub so it routes the low frequencies to its front channels.

The new Denon 5308ci has 3 sub outputs, of which one can be used as a dedicated tranducer channel (with crossover and volume settings!).... very exciting!
page 40 of online menu...
http://usa.denon.com/AVR-5308CI-OM-E_003.pdf

Quick question for the other guys with shakers:

I have my LFE channel split with a Y-adapter to my shaker amp and to my subwoofer amp. Is there any easy solution for eliminating the "pop" that occurs in my subwoofer when I power on my shaker amp? I know I could just turn on the shakers first and then turn on the subwoofer but there are some situations where I don't run the shakers until I watch certain types of materials, and power cycling the sub amp seems like a wasted step.

I guess what I'm envisioning is some kind of RCA line-level 'diode' that only allows signal to travel one direction but without reducing the volume output much. My main receiver doesn't cause a pop so it's the fault of the cheap shaker amp. If I can isolate that one branch of the Y-adapter my sub shouldn't pop anymore, right?

I finished my setup last night and have this same annoying "POP" everytime I turn on the receiver/bass shakers.

I have the sub signal split and then going into a 2 channel receiver. From there to the shakers. Any way to eliminate the "POP"?

Tony

Good day to all ,

i need your input on how to calibrate bass shakers? Should they be calibrated to the same level as the subwoofer?

If not how do you detrmine te proper sound level for the shakers ?


Thanks in advanced


Alain


I think the only way to do it is by "feel".

I am using the multi-zone feature of my AVR to drive my seat shakers.

I simply calibrated my mains and sub as usual..using test tone and SPL...then I played a few movies clips that have good LFE and adjusted the seat shaker output such that it "felt" blended with the rest of the system. I like the seat shaker effect to be subtle...instead of turning my sofa it a massage chair.

I currently have two base shakers hooked up to an old sherwood receiver in stereo, one per channel. I have to put the volume on max to feel anything. Anyways, I am changing this around and going to have 4 with 2 subs for my mini-theater room. This is what I have now, just wondering if I should hook each pair in series and run one pair off of channel A and the other off channel B. Any advice is highly appreciated.

Thank you

Luis

https://eservices.okaloosagas.com/base.jpg

Not sure about your Sherwood receiver. I don't think you can run
channels A and B at the same time.....how many watts does you
Sherwood put out? If you can barely feel anything on max volume,
then the Sherwood might not be the receiver to go with. I'm no
expert at this........but this is what I have in my shaker system.
For the amp I use this Parts Express plate amp:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-804

It powers four Aura 50w bass shakers and does a nice job.
Granted it cost was about $100, but was a good investment IMO.

My shakers are in a 7' couch, mounted on a board (MDF) and both
seat shake, the back does also. Shakers are wired in series.

Maybe using the Parts Express amp I use would be the way to go.
Just my 2 cents......vardo

If you are running two shakers right now and are having problems with only those two not producing a strong enough feeling. Then added two more in order to try and run a total of four, is only going to make it even worse. And as for the speaker A&B,function/switching. Even if you can run them both at the same time, (some AVR's can not) all it will really be doing is still using the exact same two stereo amplifier channels. Speaker output "B" will not give you another additional extra amp over using just "A", all they really do is just share the same stereo amp. So if you double them up by using both A&B at the same time, you also double the total load on that one stereo amp that drives them. And the draw of two pairs of 4ohm shakers (4) on that Sherwood, will probably cause it to go into a thermal shutdown.

I've added this thread to my Setting Up Your Home Theater Audio 101 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10118822#post10118822) and Setting Up Your SubWoofer 101 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1004573)

Can someone please post some links on how to's for the beginner and enthusiast.


I would like to add them to my threads for useful info.

Thanks

I know we have had a lot of discussions on how to hook up 4 bass shakers to a plate amp, have we determine the best way to do so? I'm quite frankly not sure which is the correct hook-up anymore. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

BTW - is using 4 better than using 6 shakers (in riser)?

BTW - is using 4 better than using 6 shakers (in riser)?You need a lot of shaking to be able to feel it with the mass of most risers. I would go with 6.

This following drawing shows two sets of shakers, one a set of 6, the other a set of 4, each connected to a channel of a two channel amplifier. If the balance control on the amplifier was set off center, the set of 4 would shake the same amount as the set of 6.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=15463&d=1070324386

For your plate amplifier, either use the "left" channel drawing, or "right" channel drawing, depending on if you decide on 4 or 6 shakers and connect them to your single channel plate amplifier.

Joe L.

Most of the plate amps people are using have more than enough for 4 shakers. Like my situation. I have a Bash 300W so each shaker is getting 75 watts. I likely never feed them more than 35W a piece. So with 6 shakers, the ohm are going to increase on the amp, but if you have one that has enough reserve you will definately be better off with 6 for a riser.

I would make sure that the amp has enough power to provide each shaker is a full 50W though.

What type of amp are you using?

In my application above, if I added two more shakers (therefore increasing to 6 ohm) my plate amp would be putting out approximately 230W so that would be about 38W per shaker and not enough power in a riser application. IMHO

B

Hi, I have an older receiver to run the shakers. The fronts can be set for4 or 8 ohms. So far I only have 2 shakers. Is it better for me to run one to each front, or use one and put them in series? Thanks