Shakers - Simple/Cheap Hookup - Visual Guide - Page 19

Thank you. there are most of them pretty old. For the last 18 months, my efforts as far as Home Theaters have all been toward Front Projection, since the drastic drop in PJ prices occurred.

Don't dismiss JL's advice below. I did not intend to come off that way myself. But over the years, the circuits I use have far more power driven into them than normal. At those voltages, there are significant differences to the first load that occur during transients. Hardly nothing in use in a home produces instant like a LFE output.

We are not talking about constant voltages; these are not Christmas tree lights here. But in that vein, consider why, when a series String light is overloaded, (and there is no Fuse) that the first bulb in the series becomes the one that fails first? In such instances, the first device in the circuit will bear the brunt of the transient. Ohms law is a constant, but it deals with constants primarily. Transients can overwhelm the properties of any circuit.

It's happened to too many individuals using the same set-up over the last 30 years for me to judge it otherwise, and when the proper sequence of events is followed, the potential for a problem disappears.

I am going to be wiring 7 Pro shakers, but need an amp.
What is an economical way to power them. What have you guys been using? It needs to have an IR remote.
Thanks

Craig

I'm using an old Pioneer VSX-D1S Pro Logic Receiver. Works great.

I tried to pick up an amp at the local Pawn shop last weekend for $50. They weren't going below $79... I'll wait them out, and stop back in another week.

I looked through the ENTIRE stack of them before I found one that would handle as low as a 4 ohm load (which I feel is important, in case you don't have it matched exactly to 8ohms). Let's just hope none of you guys live near me and go to the same pawn shops.... hee hee

I think I saw that AMP and picked it up yesterday... works like a charm. Obviously just kidding.
Thanks for the input. I do have an eight + year old 100 watt per channel Dolby digital Pioneer receiver in my living room. I have been thinking of upgrading anyways it anyways.
Are you guys running pro shakers?


Craig

Many use Pro's, but some of us, myself included, use the regular Aura's.

I have 4 on a couch and most definitely feel the shake.

Price wise, they were the best bet for me. I could get 4 pair for around $100, where as 8 Pro's was going to run over $200.

sound great.

Craig

I should have posted my question here instead of on the main page.

Do you get any benefit with using shakers if you don't have a sub? Is it just going to shake my couch without the low-end sound? I assume that's all I'll get. That'd be a bit odd...

I think when they "extend" the bottom end of your sub is when they really get impressive.When you've got a decent sub that does a great job, then you add these and now you get that "feel it in your seat" type feeling is when they shine.

Unless your mains are super capable,i'd see the effect being unrealistic.Such as putting them all by themselves with a Bose system!They're not a replacement of a sub,just a good add on to it!

brickie

That's what I figured, but since I'm just now building my HT, I figured if I could add on something cool for under $100 I'd be all over it. I may buy the shakers right now anyway ($28 a set?!? Are you KIDDING?) and just hold on to them until I finally get my sub.

That I would do..Wish I had bought more of the pros when I had a chance.Now i'll just use some regular ones if need be, but most definitely not a bad idea to get some early.

brickie

Having read this thread, I couldn't resist and so ordered a 120 plate amp and two pros from PE.

A couple of nights ago I flipped the couch, screwed on some plywood across the frame members and screwed down the pros in series.

I was ready to cry when the test tone produced only the slightest rumbling effect, but I threw on a couple of DVD's and felt much better. The truck scene in i-Robot had me grinning like an idiot.

I am feeding the amp with the LFE pre-out from the main receiver (split with the regular subs).

Since the LFE channel is already subject to the main receiver cross-over, does it make much difference what I set the plate amp cross over at?

I assume that dialing it down will further limit the low frequencies that reach the amp and shakers, but that at a certain point, turning it up with have no further effect.

Is this correct? Thx.

Just wanted to let you all know, Parts-Express has the Aura Shakers in Stock again....for $38.88
very cool!
Check it out here:

Aura Pro Bass Shakers

Cheers!

Q: re: hooking up the shakers in serial/parallel:

All of the wiring schematics showing parallel hookups of serial chains show the wires just branching off somewhere at what appears to be an arbitrary junction point.

Does it matter where in the wire run that the parallel set is added?

In other words, can I connect a second series in parallel to the existing set but runing the new set off the terminals of the existing shakers (+ on one, - on the other), or do I litterally have to tap into the wires before they reach the first series set?

Thx.

Ok, just an update...(I know its been a long time). This is easily the best $100 I've spent on my HT. I can't tell you how many people have commented on the 'feeling' of watching movies at my place. For me, I think I enjoy them most when playing on the XBOX. The 'whump' of a good explosion or blast makes the games so much more immersive. Definitely worth the money!

You can parallel off of the + and - terminals. Electrically, it is the same.

I'm just laying down another "Thunder Floor" style Tactile system today. 16 Aura Pros.
8 in a 10" tall x 9' deep x 15' wide Seating Platform
8 in the Sub Floor 5' in front of the leading edge of the Platform.
Each grouping of 8 will be considered a separate channel, with separate EQ/Volume capability

Each channel will be a constant 2 Ohm load. 4 in parallel then 2 groups of 4 series-ed.

Power Supplied by 1 Audio Source AMP 300 (300 Watts x 2 @ 2 Ohms per)

Pics tonight ifn' ya want 'em?

Please yes! I always love drooling over other's work.

Ok, final dumb question:

Can I add in parallel a series set of two regular shakers to my existing series set of two pros? Driving with a 120W plate amp.

My tenuous grasp of all that has been posted in this thread to date suggests that the ohms would be reduced to 4 and so my only concern would be overdriving the regular shakers.

Is this a problem?

Thx.

Yeah, I want to see pics of this myself!Sounds like this will give a buttkicker setup a run for it's money.

brickie

I just thought of a cool idea out of no where you know how at theme parks they have camera to show your face goin down like a log flum what if you set up a camera to go off the first time the shakers go off to see there face. I think it is a pretty cool idea? Anyone?

HH

That thar is lookln' lyke mu old friend "Little Bob" looks jus aforn' he chucks up dat ol' Plug he swallers sumtimes. A liddle bedder axtually.


Well guess what? I installed Full Range Transducers in a Water Park Amusement Ride back in 1982 in Fort Myers Beach, FL It was the expressions of the folks as they splashed to shore that were worth watching!

Much later (1994) at a large Custom Home Show, I set up a Sony Hi-8 Hi-Fi HandyCam up on a shelf and secretly recorded the expressions of the crowd as the Train hit the Berm Wall in the Fugitive. Eyes Popped! Jaws Dropped! People jumped backward or clutched the arm of the person next to them.

And all that from my just using 8 puny Rolen Stars being delivered LFE from the Sub-out jack on the very first Pioneer Dolby AC-3 Receiver to grace the streets of Memphis, TN (AC-3 LD Player too!) ( I had some pull with the Regional Rep.) The amp was a "hidden" Sansui Stereo Power amp 'circa 1978. Pawn shop acquisition. $80.00 I ignored the first Auras as being worthless, and laughed at the excessive cost of the Clarks. Aura Pros finally brought me around. by 1997. (Would that I had tried the Auras !!!)

The next year it was Jurassic Park, and the "Step on the Explorer" scene.
But actually, the scariest and most impressive part was when that big Gecko growled at the Kids through the Car door! You'd of thought you were standing in the monster's mouth. People actually turned pale, and left the room, it was so realistic.

Now that's "Tactile".

BTW, Memphis got caught by some "Tornado Weather" today that included torrential rains in places. One place it "Tsunamied" on was my Job site. The 2" x 8"s laid down into the house were submerged, and the concrete slab in the house was full of standing water in many places, one of which was directly under the sub-floor where 8 Aura Pros must go.

GFI or no, this Homey don't mess with 1/2" 6 Amp Drill Motors, or the Power cords that supply them, when the cords coming into the House and room are laying in water, and I have to work on a 8' Aluminum Ladder?

Yeah.

Right.

Ya' alls gotta wait 'till damorrow.

I'd LOVE to see pics!

I want to run three shakers on each couch. If I understand all of this
correctly, I should run three in series and run each series off each channel
of my stereo amp. Is this correct assuming my amp is 8 ohm and three
in series is 12 ohm? any harm?

lmao HUsker thatn would probably be just about it

Ok. here ya go.

I did manage to get 0ne Platform panel down before I realized I wanted to snap these shots, so obviously, you only see the remaining one featured. This Theater being upstairs, the standing water on the slab below wasn't a hinderence. however, the 8 Pros that must go under the Sub-Flooring must wait, and so being, the photos of that application as well.

But only a day or so.

PS, Note the "Lady" Technician. Invisible Stereo is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Especially when they wear Short Shorts in the summer.







In the Pic below, you see how the Platform, a 2" x 4" crossed layer on top of a "Floating Base" of 2" x 8"s, was first set on top of a healthy dollop of Liquid nails, then Nailed directly to the 2" x 8"s The 2" x 8"s are floating on top of Black Exterior Sheathing.

Very healthy..LOL

brickie

Ok, guys, time for me to ask a couple of questions. I got in my 6 Pro Aura's and 120w plate amp today. I have two rows of theater recliners, one row of three on a riser and one row sitting on a plywood floor. I cannot get under the floor to mount the front row there, so I am left with mounting them to the recliners themselves. The Lane recliners have metal pieces that are parallel to the floor that I could screw a 24 x 20 piece of 1/2" plywood to, then I can mount the Aura's to the top of the plywood. The plywood would lay flat on the carpet, kinda a base for the recliner. The Aura would be firing downward. My first question is, will this work good?
Obviously, I will mount the second row under the riser, firing up.

Second question, can someone tell me the optimum way of connecting these Aura's to the amp. I have read most of the thread, but I would really appreciate another tutorial that starts right at the amp and makes all six shakers work in an efficient and potent manner.
Thanks

If the amp is stereo wire 3 in series for a 12 ohm load and put 3 on each channel.If it's a mono amp then you could do 3 in series(twice) and then run 1 of those parallel which should be a 6 ohm load if my math is correct.Should give you nice even shaking at all shakers and load should be easy for amp either way.

brickie