Should I buy Buttkicker

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Australia
Australia
I am considering purchasing a buttkicker. To my understanding its best to pair it with 'simvibe' software, and you need a second sound card. The "Buttkicker Gamer 2" seems the popular one and comes with an amp. I have several questions.

(1)Is the Buttkicker Gamer 2 the way to go? Or are other products better?

(2) To get it working well I will need three items the Buttkicker with amp, simvibe software, and sound card is this correct?

(3) Does the simvibe software work with: Assetto Corsa, Dirt Rally, and PCars? And if anyone knows about flight sims does it work with DCS world?

(4) Does it make alot of noise? Would you hear it over your game sounds, assuming its quite high?

(5) Would it last long?

(6) Is having several buttkicker/transducers significantly better than just 1?

And finally do you guys think its worth it?
 
I am considering purchasing a buttkicker. To my understanding its best to pair it with 'simvibe' software, and you need a second sound card. The "Buttkicker Gamer 2" seems the popular one and comes with an amp. I have several questions.

(1)Is the Buttkicker Gamer 2 the way to go? Or are other products better?

(2) To get it working well I will need three items the Buttkicker with amp, simvibe software, and sound card is this correct?

(3) Does the simvibe software work with: Assetto Corsa, Dirt Rally, and PCars? And if anyone knows about flight sims does it work with DCS world?

(4) Does it make alot of noise? Would you hear it over your game sounds, assuming its quite high?

(5) Would it last long?

(6) Is having several buttkicker/transducers significantly better than just 1?

And finally do you guys think its worth it?
Hi mate.

I have a Buttkicker Mini LFE mounted directly to the bottom of the racing bucket in my rig (which is attached to the frame of the rig using rubber vibration insulators). I have only used it with Simvibe and a dedicated rack mount amplifier mounted under my seat.

In terms of whether or not the Gamer will do the job depends on your setup. What kind of seat do you have? It obviously lacks power compared to a larger unit which requires more power.

I believe if you have Usb headphones you won't need the second sound card as you can use your on board sound for Simvibe and your headphone sound card for audio. Personally I went for a cheap second hand Sound Blaster Live! 24Bit sound card for about 12 bucks and it's brilliant. I use my on board mother board sound for audio.

Sim Commander 4 (the software that is SimVibe) only recognises racing sims as far as I know, as it uses the data available to convert it to audio pulses you can feel. Obviously flight sims don't have the same data. You could however connect the Buttkicker up in non Simvibe fashion for flight sims relying on Bass signals from the normal audio to create the tactile feedback.

I have Simvibe working in all the games you mentioned, plus others.

The noise it makes is dependant on your shaking level and sturdiness of your setup (whether things will have vibration noises etc). I always run with headphones so the noise isn't an issue for me, but in saying that if I remove by headphones, during heavy shaking it can be fairly loud. I mean it's a large shaker and it's vibrating a lot, you have to expect some noise.

It's just a speaker, really, designed for vibration as opposed to driving a cone that makes audio. Those are the moving parts so effectively it should last as long as a speaker does. Ages.

I have found myself wanting more than one, and for my next build I will incorporate an allowance for mounting more. However, with just one, you still get the gear shift kick through your seat (my favourite effect) engine vibration, road feel etc. Feels fantastic. With more you are able to isolate the effects in certain areas etc which would be nice.

To me, totally worth it. Adds a lot of immersion just for that engine rumble and gear kick especially.
 
Hi thanks for your answer. I have the NextLevel GT Ultimate 2 rig and it came with some parts to help you mount it under the seat easily. Apparently x plane 10 is on the game list for SimVibe so I assume it works for that. If you were to use speakers as loud as you'd expect it to be, or almost as loud, would do buttkicker still seem too noisy? I don't really like playing with headphones.
 
Hi mate.

I have a Buttkicker Mini LFE mounted directly to the bottom of the racing bucket in my rig (which is attached to the frame of the rig using rubber vibration insulators). I have only used it with Simvibe and a dedicated rack mount amplifier mounted under my seat.

In terms of whether or not the Gamer will do the job depends on your setup. What kind of seat do you have? It obviously lacks power compared to a larger unit which requires more power.

I believe if you have Usb headphones you won't need the second sound card as you can use your on board sound for Simvibe and your headphone sound card for audio. Personally I went for a cheap second hand Sound Blaster Live! 24Bit sound card for about 12 bucks and it's brilliant. I use my on board mother board sound for audio.

Sim Commander 4 (the software that is SimVibe) only recognises racing sims as far as I know, as it uses the data available to convert it to audio pulses you can feel. Obviously flight sims don't have the same data. You could however connect the Buttkicker up in non Simvibe fashion for flight sims relying on Bass signals from the normal audio to create the tactile feedback.

I have Simvibe working in all the games you mentioned, plus others.

The noise it makes is dependant on your shaking level and sturdiness of your setup (whether things will have vibration noises etc). I always run with headphones so the noise isn't an issue for me, but in saying that if I remove by headphones, during heavy shaking it can be fairly loud. I mean it's a large shaker and it's vibrating a lot, you have to expect some noise.

It's just a speaker, really, designed for vibration as opposed to driving a cone that makes audio. Those are the moving parts so effectively it should last as long as a speaker does. Ages.

I have found myself wanting more than one, and for my next build I will incorporate an allowance for mounting more. However, with just one, you still get the gear shift kick through your seat (my favourite effect) engine vibration, road feel etc. Feels fantastic. With more you are able to isolate the effects in certain areas etc which would be nice.

To me, totally worth it. Adds a lot of immersion just for that engine rumble and gear kick especially.

Hi thanks for your answer. I have the NextLevel GT Ultimate 2 rig and it came with some parts to help you mount it under the seat easily. Apparently x plane 10 is on the game list for SimVibe so I assume it works for that. If you were to use speakers as loud as you'd expect it to be, or almost as loud, would do buttkicker still seem too noisy? I don't really like playing with headphones.
 
Hi thanks for your answer. I have the NextLevel GT Ultimate 2 rig and it came with some parts to help you mount it under the seat easily. Apparently x plane 10 is on the game list for SimVibe so I assume it works for that. If you were to use speakers as loud as you'd expect it to be, or almost as loud, would do buttkicker still seem too noisy? I don't really like playing with headphones.

I don't use headphones and I play quietly so as not to disturb my children or annoy my wife - tactile transducers should not be noisy. I have a Buttkicker Advance, Aura Pro AST2B and Sinus Live Bass Pump 3's. If you have excessive noise it will be either the piston of the Buttkicker bottoming out - they do this if the amp is turned up too high / signal too strong or part of the rig or chair is vibrating - it is very important to isolate the rig from the floor and the seat from the rig so that all the shaking energy goes into the right areas and is not lost.

If you are buying a Gamer make sure you get the Gamer 2 - the previous model featured an amp which over heated. The Buttkicker transducers are good, but the amps are not as good quality and are expensive. The transducers are a safe secondhand buy, but personally I would avoid the amps if they are secondhand. They are sometimes personally imported and people forget that when changing the voltage to suit a non-US country the internal fuse must be changed - if it isn't the amp blows and is unrepairable.

The shaker unit in the Gamer is small and if you like the effect you will probably want to upgrade it for something more powerful. I don't know what is available in Australia, but the Behringer INuke DSP amps are probably the best for transducer use - I would favour getting the INuke 1000 with two Mini LFE's or one and a second one later or a couple of Aura Pro AST2B over a Gamer setup.
 
I don't use headphones and I play quietly so as not to disturb my children or annoy my wife - tactile transducers should not be noisy. I have a Buttkicker Advance, Aura Pro AST2B and Sinus Live Bass Pump 3's. If you have excessive noise it will be either the piston of the Buttkicker bottoming out - they do this if the amp is turned up too high / signal too strong or part of the rig or chair is vibrating - it is very important to isolate the rig from the floor and the seat from the rig so that all the shaking energy goes into the right areas and is not lost.

If you are buying a Gamer make sure you get the Gamer 2 - the previous model featured an amp which over heated. The Buttkicker transducers are good, but the amps are not as good quality and are expensive. The transducers are a safe secondhand buy, but personally I would avoid the amps if they are secondhand. They are sometimes personally imported and people forget that when changing the voltage to suit a non-US country the internal fuse must be changed - if it isn't the amp blows and is unrepairable.

The shaker unit in the Gamer is small and if you like the effect you will probably want to upgrade it for something more powerful. I don't know what is available in Australia, but the Behringer INuke DSP amps are probably the best for transducer use - I would favour getting the INuke 1000 with two Mini LFE's or one and a second one later or a couple of Aura Pro AST2B over a Gamer setup.


I am a first timer in those sort of thing. It seems the Buttkicker is sold out. In any case what kind of keyword search can I use in google to find these transducers? I'm just not sure paying quite a bit of money for something I have tried yet is a good idea, but then again I dont want to pay money for something that isn't very good. Do you feel a big difference between your multiple transducer setup and just one gamer 2? I have GT Ultimate v2 Rig, http://www.pagnianimports.com.au/media//3_screens.jpg
As you can see there quite a bit of room underneath. Also how do you mount your transducers to your rig?
 
Where abouts are you in Australia mate? You can click on the link in my signature for photos of how I mounted mine. My rig is completely made by myself.
 
I bought mine from Pagnian Imports. I was just going to say if you were in Brisbane you could have stopped by to check mine out in person.
I was referring to other transducers that are not buttkicker like:Aura Pro AST2B, that people seem to recommend.
 
Sorry, can't help you there. They are probably something you would need to import from the US from a vendor over there.
 
I am a first timer in those sort of thing. It seems the Buttkicker is sold out. In any case what kind of keyword search can I use in google to find these transducers? I'm just not sure paying quite a bit of money for something I have tried yet is a good idea, but then again I dont want to pay money for something that isn't very good. Do you feel a big difference between your multiple transducer setup and just one gamer 2? I have GT Ultimate v2 Rig, http://www.pagnianimports.com.au/media//3_screens.jpg
As you can see there quite a bit of room underneath. Also how do you mount your transducers to your rig?

Hi Helios - I can't help you with suppliers in Australia as I am from the UK. I used to recommend Parts Express.Com in the USA as they held a large range of tactile transducers, but I notice they have stopped selling Buttkicker and Aura. I got my Aura Pro's from them and a relative from Texas brought them over. The Auras have become virtually unobtainable in Europe for some reason so when I wanted more I bought Bass Pump 3's from Conrad - they are a copy, but not as good. My Buttkicker Advance was secondhand (but unused) off ebay - the previous owner had blown the amp by running it at the wrong voltage.

In the UK there is a company called the Shaker Centre which specialises in transducers for gamers and AV (home cinema) use. If you have a look at their website you will learn a bit about what is available. There is probably a similar company in Australia which you could use - obviously it would be ridiculously expensive to import stuff from the UK or the USA (the stuff is already overpriced in the UK).

I haven't tried the ADX Maximus transducers, but have heard good reports about them from other GT Planet members - they are similar to the Aura shakers, but a more modern design and rated for a higher wattage. The Reckhorn BS200 is another transducer to consider.

Regarding mounting - have a look at Punknoodles thread. You may have to make mountings - you can use metal, but I used off cuts of kitchen worktop - I have found that they work well. Mountings may take some experimentation to get right.

I learnt a lot from GT Planet's Mr Latte - if you look for threads by him you will learn about tactile, but he tends to go for the high end equipment - It is possible to get good results on a tight budget.

http://www.shakercentre.co.uk/aspbite/categories/index.asp?intCatID=16&content=gaming
 
Hi Helios - I can't help you with suppliers in Australia as I am from the UK. I used to recommend Parts Express.Com in the USA as they held a large range of tactile transducers, but I notice they have stopped selling Buttkicker and Aura. I got my Aura Pro's from them and a relative from Texas brought them over. The Auras have become virtually unobtainable in Europe for some reason so when I wanted more I bought Bass Pump 3's from Conrad - they are a copy, but not as good. My Buttkicker Advance was secondhand (but unused) off ebay - the previous owner had blown the amp by running it at the wrong voltage.

In the UK there is a company called the Shaker Centre which specialises in transducers for gamers and AV (home cinema) use. If you have a look at their website you will learn a bit about what is available. There is probably a similar company in Australia which you could use - obviously it would be ridiculously expensive to import stuff from the UK or the USA (the stuff is already overpriced in the UK).

I haven't tried the ADX Maximus transducers, but have heard good reports about them from other GT Planet members - they are similar to the Aura shakers, but a more modern design and rated for a higher wattage. The Reckhorn BS200 is another transducer to consider.

Regarding mounting - have a look at Punknoodles thread. You may have to make mountings - you can use metal, but I used off cuts of kitchen worktop - I have found that they work well. Mountings may take some experimentation to get right.

I learnt a lot from GT Planet's Mr Latte - if you look for threads by him you will learn about tactile, but he tends to go for the high end equipment - It is possible to get good results on a tight budget.

http://www.shakercentre.co.uk/aspbite/categories/index.asp?intCatID=16&content=gaming

Hi do you mean this product: https://www.parts-express.com/aurasound-ast-2b-4-pro-bass-shaker-tactile-transducer--299-028? Seems they still sell it. Would two of them would be good for chassis mode? Or is four much better?
 
Hi do you mean this product: https://www.parts-express.com/aurasound-ast-2b-4-pro-bass-shaker-tactile-transducer--299-028? Seems they still sell it. Would two of them would be good for chassis mode? Or is four much better?

You can use two or four for chassis mode and if you add extension mode I think you can add another three. If you are able to try Punknoodles system you will know whether you like tactile or not. I would start small if possible - I started with one shaker and a subwoofer amp stripped out of an old sub bought cheap secondhand - I was up and running with a single shaker system for less than £50

If you get two you will need two channels of amplification - bass amps are normally mono so that means two amps unless you get a dual channel amp like the Behringer INuke. If you get four you will need four channels of amplification - not many amps are suitable for the low frequencies required. The Behringer EPQ 304 is powerful enough to run multiple Auras.



http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004W4TYMA/?tag=gtplanetuk-20
 
Tactile is one of the most demanding things on an amp, continually used in only low HZ and especially if used on something like Simvibe with constant effects for bumps/engine/suspension. The Aura Pro are not very demanding, if anything one of the least and the ADX units while nobody ever bothered to open one up, to share on here I still expect the ADX models to be similar to the Aura Pro. THIS

Parts Express still sell BK/Aura Pro not sure if Slick Cylinder just made a mistake earlier. They are one of the fastest I have ever used, they typically ship from USA-UK/Europe in 3 days. Import duty may also be added but your alternative is maybe finding European suppliers that might also ship worldwide. Although I doubt any cheaper than Parts Express may work out.

My advice is to stick to quality amplifier brands, I still cant recommend anything better than the inuke dsp that I am aware of at this time that has come to market but understand AUS prices for it may be higher. Really if looking comparisons locally your best bet is sourcing 4ohm PA amplifiers. These are what is commonly used by live bands, church halls (Public Address) and the music scene.

You will have websites for on-line sellers that specialise in this market/field and will stock reputable brands not just budget crap from china etc. Many such amps need to be heavy duty and reliable under continued usage. They are used to power larger subs or speakers but importantly these use 4ohm rating (same as most tactile) that is now very uncommon for home AV/Hifi speakers. The downside is many such amps may have fan noise for continued cooling and this includes the inuke series.

I personally can't recommend the SPL type amp as a quality unit. It may be fine for 50w Aura etc but the model I owned once had a supposed 700watt rating which caught fire under usage from my BK Advance at the time. The truth is however that a piston based tactile unit (Buttkicker/EarthQuake) require much higher demands from an amplifier.

Aura Pro ADX Clarke Synthesis all utilise much less. They also will operate with only a few watts, yet a BK Mini needs approx 50w just to start to operate (energy to begin moving the piston). As for noise even Berney Villers stated that the Clarke Synthesis and Aura Pro make more user noise. I am not referring to the piston over-driving or clacking on a Buttkicker but audible sound of the audio emiting from the tactile unit. You can address this with the DSP on inuke using the PEQ by lowering around the 60Hz+ frequencies while not effecting others. It is not a Simvibe issue but how actual different tones when shifting out of low bass Hz begin to become more audible. They can be, if not addressed perhaps quite audible a bit like say low TV speaker volume might sound. I like it myself as it helps give the felt sensation additional presence, but more so in a stereo or directional configuration like CM. Yet lost with Headphone users.

Personally I would recommend @Punknoodle or yourself goes for at least STEREO L/R tactile. It adds a good deal more immersion over just mono based effects, even multi-mono in pedals/seat. As example on a track like Spa with big kerbs that often you go wide onto or over you will feel both the Left/Right wheels independently go over and of course only directional bumps to the appropriate sides. This is much more satisfying than just a non directional felt vibration. Also gear changes and engine on multiple units rather than just one can have better dispersion of the effects throughout the users seat or say pedals.

*From my understanding if a user sets Simvibe to CM but sets "windows speaker config" to only STEREO then this will produce proper STEREO from the Simvibe Chassis for all games. If like you said via PM you may not be yet ready for full CM configuration.

These guys are a good example in UK/Europe of a music specialist store. They also stock Buttkicker under the "Fisher Amps" name. They usually are cheaper than UK Butt kicker dealer previously mentioned (Shaker Centre).

Edit: dude how many threads or you going to create regards this topic?
 
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I am pretty sure he is referring to these. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_7?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=plate+amplifier&sprefix=plate+a,aps,219 They do a great job, you just need to sort out the mounting of the amp/amps.


Edit: Not refering to those Lepy/Lepia amps. Those are junk and not even worth the $30 asking price.

Nope, DIY plate amps

Class D, 4x100 or 6x100 if you want, for under 100$.....Big 500$ amps are So overkill for shaker's imo.

Id Much rather see a Racer PAY a DIY guy to build him motion for 500-700$ rather than buy a Single amp and shaker for tactile.
 
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Nope, DIY plate amps

Class D, 4x100 or 6x100 if you want, for under 100$.....Big 500$ amps are So overkill for shaker's imo.

Id Much rather see a Racer PAY a DIY guy to build him motion for 500-700$ rather than buy a Single amp and shaker for tactile.

Sorry, do you mean making your own amplifier? Doesn't that require some expertise? What kinda amp have you made? Is there a guide for this sort of thing?
 
Sorry, do you mean making your own amplifier? Doesn't that require some expertise? What kinda amp have you made? Is there a guide for this sort of thing?


DIY is just part of the description to easily find them. but technically They do come either way if your an electronics geek and want to assemble it yourself or if you just want to mount it and use it.

Sure its not a fancy looking Slim Amp rack style amp, but it Aint 500$ and overkill at the same time.

YES required a power supply on top of the unit itself.
 
Edit: With some confusion over the PLATE and d.i.y SURE amps from above, so wanted to edit this post.


Sorry but I have to disagree with you @Nick Moxley that Plate amps or those d.i.y amps (edit) THESE are such a good solution or generally better in terms of performance/cost.

The SURE amps I am not so convinced on their quality for tactile purposes, especially if using Buttkickers. I know these do support multiple channels and in the past we had a member years ago built a cockpit with several of the SURE amps in below it and using Aura PRO models. I doubt they would handle any more than those.

The specs for the SURE models are not very good however looking into the power ratings and with high distortion levels too from what I seen of these.

Regards PLATE Amps (as I and some thought you were referring to originally) most internally operate with MONO combining the L/R inputs. This is also the case for many of the "Dayton" subwoofer amps. To my knowledge they are NOT designed to handle multichannel individual inputs, with only some being STEREO at best like the Dayton APA150 with a rather crap 75watts each and costing $158.

Additionally while not all, many of these are rather budget amps and will not perform very well much below 40Hz. You only have to read the specs to see this with some of the models available.

The PLATE amps are mostly aimed for enthusiast d.i.y hobbyist sub-woofer builders. Any amp being CLASS D has no reference on their quality or suitability at performing well down to or below 20Hz for the best felt bass.

Said this before, starting over 3 years ago, many have followed the advice given about these inuke models and their suitability for tactile. You or anyone else can compare to try and find something better if you wish.

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I personally cannot recommend or find a better value/performance amp for tactile than the inuke DSP 1000 @ $199 or the non DSP variant @ $149. Well below your mentioned $500 to be fair. These will work with Aura Pro like a breeze, Mini LFE and even power upto dual Buttkicker Advance units @ 300w each. Or power even a single fullsize BK LFE unit upto 1000w (bridge mode). These amps also operate with with 2/4/8 ohm loads so suitable also for Buttkickers 2ohm Gamer/Concert model shakers. Also ideal if a users starts with a pair of basic Aura Pro but then wants to at some point later upgrade to a better Buttkicker or other tactile unit, this same amp is more than capable and offers class leading power at the price.

* The DSP variant is well worth the extra $50 even for the digital wattage limiter to ensure you do not over-drive the tactile you have connected. Yet the DSP features with the PEQ equaliser gives the user more personal control of how their tactile operate/handle the Simvibe output. IMPORTANT NOTE: Simvibe does NOT give control of individual Hz frequencies between start/end Hz settings for its TONE based effects. Inuke DSP with PEQ does. In simple laymans terms it allows the user to tune YOUR tactile hardware on YOUR cockpit in how it operates. It is an added bonus of control.

btw, is a simple reason why "Parts Express.com" promote and do bundles of tactile with Dayton Audio products (Plate Amps / Sub Amps etc). I wonder if anyone twigs on why this is? ;)
 
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Hell to everyone, I'm new to all of this I only joined the forum this morning. I have spent the last three days scouring the internet looking for answers and someone who seems to know what they are talking about. I also looked at the bkg 2 but they seem to be as rare as hens teeth for some reason. Unfortunately I don't have a rig due to a lack of space and just bought a GT Omega racing office chair. (Please don't laugh lol) but now I have stumbled on the idea of fitting a Transducer. I like Mr Latte's idea of the Inuke DSP1000 and maybe a Buttkicker mini LFE and then maybe a couple of aura's so that would be the buttkicker in the middle and an aura either side or is this absolute overkill for an office chair? Thanks in advance for your help!
 
I've heard bodyshakers are better than buttkickers, good vibration without much sound. I bought 4 of these and installed them on my buquet seat. I'm using Simvibe and the result is excellent.
 
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