Which of these bass shakers should I get? (AuraSound/Dayton/ADX)

[Hexus_One]

Hi guys,
Getting started with sim games (already have Elite: Dangerous, eyeing up Assetto Corsa and Dirty Rally) and building a cockpit; I'd like to get 4x bass shakers to use with SimVibe/X-Sim in Chassis Mode. I've seen a recommendation for the ADX shakers although I'm uncertain about their price - is it worth it? I've yet to buy more equipment (seat, frame materials, HOTAS, SimVibe, HDMI-Displayport adapter) and I'd like to keep the total cost below $300 if possible.
* 4x Aurasound AST-2B-4 Pro - $170.00
* 4x Dayton Audio BST-1 High Power Pro - $119.60
* 4x ADX Maximus - $258.88
Existing equipment:
* PC (i7-2600K, 12GB DDR3)
* GPU: Windforce GTX 970: 1x HDMI-out, 2x DVI-out, 3x DisplayPort-out
* Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Pro3-M, has optical SPDIF output
* Oculus Rift + Touch + 3 sensors - apparently the Rift has its own internal sound controller, so can I use the MoBo's sound controller for the shakers?
* Some 7.1-channel AV receiver from an old Hi-Fi setup - will double check the model at home. Is this sufficient to replace a dedicated amp?
* Logitech DFGT wheel + shifter(up/down) + pedals

 

[wajdi]

ParteExpress offers this bundle
I ordered it today ( I have already 2 BKG2 ) so I can run them in chassis mode.
https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-apa150-amp-with-2-bst-1-bass-shakers-bundle--300-9018

 

[Mr Latte]

Hi guys,
Getting started with sim games (already have Elite: Dangerous, eyeing up Assetto Corsa and Dirty Rally) and building a cockpit; I'd like to get 4x bass shakers to use with SimVibe/X-Sim in Chassis Mode. I've seen a recommendation for the ADX shakers although I'm uncertain about their price - is it worth it? I've yet to buy more equipment (seat, frame materials, HOTAS, SimVibe, HDMI-Displayport adapter) and I'd like to keep the total cost below $300 if possible.
* 4x Aurasound AST-2B-4 Pro - $170.00
* 4x Dayton Audio BST-1 High Power Pro - $119.60
* 4x ADX Maximus - $258.88
Existing equipment:
* PC (i7-2600K, 12GB DDR3)
* GPU: Windforce GTX 970: 1x HDMI-out, 2x DVI-out, 3x DisplayPort-out
* Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Pro3-M, has optical SPDIF output
* Oculus Rift + Touch + 3 sensors - apparently the Rift has its own internal sound controller, so can I use the MoBo's sound controller for the shakers?
* Some 7.1-channel AV receiver from an old Hi-Fi setup - will double check the model at home. Is this sufficient to replace a dedicated amp?
* Logitech DFGT wheel + shifter(up/down) + pedals

Based on reports I've seen and peoples feedback from tests they did.
The ADX is a good performing unit for the money. Not heard any owner of it criticise their quality.

It improves a bit over the older Aura Pro model but does not deliver a massive increase in performance. For the difference in price I'd pick it over the older Aura Pro though. In UK Europe we find the most recent "Reckhorn" model is much cheaper than the ADX and it offers better value to the more costly ADX on this side of the Atlantic.

For those on a budget, a TST 239 Silver may give more refined detail but these are more audible and cost almost $100 more. So don't fall well into consideration for a CM installation as much as some others.

A BK Gamer at $99 will give more punch than any other unit at this price point but then you have the common or frustrating issue with the unit bottoming and piston pang. This can be controlled with iNuke DSP but not on a typical amp without much more hassle with specialised EQ software on PC. Additionally, these are harder to power for an amplifier and require more wattage.

The BST1 are not that good from users comments I had last year. Although at $30 what should someone really expect?

Be Careful:
Regards an AV amp for powering these, two factors you need for Simvibe or SSW
The amp needs:

1) Multichannel INPUTS (5.1 or 7.1) (no longer a common thing since HDMI)
2) 4ohm speaker compatibility (Either via switch or system menu)

An amp upscaling stereo to multichannel eg (Prologic II) etc is not the same thing as discrete channel inputs of which you need at least 4 for CM. Standard RCA inputs are STEREO only.

Quite a lot of AV receivers will not have this.
Although I have used some Sony and Yamaha models with smaller tactile from many years ago with no problems. Such amps may struggle with 4x Mini LFE but not the models your considering.

ParteExpress offers this bundle
I ordered it today ( I have already 2 BKG2 ) so I can run them in chassis mode.
https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-apa150-amp-with-2-bst-1-bass-shakers-bundle--300-9018

Oh darn, I think your crazy considering that.
Inuke DSP 1000 would wipe the floor with that amp for not much more money. It's also capable and potentially future proof to power bigger, units like a BK Advance or BK LFE if ever needed.

If it was me, or looking more long-term at this. I would have a iNuke DSP1000, 1x BK Advance and a 1x TST 239 over say two AP150 amps and 4x ADX or smaller tactile.

From an immersion perspective, just my opinion here on own experiences but not being able to feel or use the lowest Hz with good energy (that the BK Advance brings) is a "bigger loss" than missing out on CM with 4 fairly average units.

Everyone to their own preference though.

 

[wajdi]

Based on reports I've seen and peoples feedback from tests they did.
The ADX is a good performing unit for the money. Not heard any owner of it criticise their quality.

It improves a bit over the older Aura Pro model but does not deliver a massive increase in performance. For the difference in price I'd pick it over the older Aura Pro though. In UK Europe we find the most recent "Reckhorn" model is much cheaper than the ADX and it offers better value to the more costly ADX on this side of the Atlantic.

For those on a budget, a TST 239 Silver may give more refined detail but these are more audible and cost almost $100 more. So don't fall well into consideration for a CM installation as much as some others.

A BK Gamer at $99 will give more punch than any other unit at this price point but then you have the common or frustrating issue with the unit bottoming and piston pang. This can be controlled with iNuke DSP but not on a typical amp without much more hassle with specialised EQ software on PC. Additionally, these are harder to power for an amplifier and require more wattage.

The BST1 are not that good from users comments I had last year. Although at $30 what should someone really expect?

Be Careful:
Regards an AV amp for powering these, two factors you need for Simvibe or SSW
The amp needs:

1) Multichannel INPUTS (5.1 or 7.1) (no longer a common thing since HDMI)
2) 4ohm speaker compatibility (Either via switch or system menu)

An amp upscaling stereo to multichannel eg (Prologic II) etc is not the same thing as discrete channel inputs of which you need at least 4 for CM. Standard RCA inputs are STEREO only.

Quite a lot of AV receivers will not have this.
Although I have used some Sony and Yamaha models with smaller tactile from many years ago with no problems. Such amps may struggle with 4x Mini LFE but not the models your considering.





Oh darn, I think your crazy considering that.
Inuke DSP 1000 would wipe the floor with that amp for not much more money. It's also capable and potentially future proof to power bigger, units like a BK Advance or BK LFE if ever needed.

If it was me, or looking more long-term at this. I would have a iNuke DSP1000, 1x BK Advance and a 1x TST 239 over say two AP150 amps and 4x ADX or smaller tactile.

From an immersion perspective, just my opinion here on own experiences but not being able to feel or use the lowest Hz with good energy (that the BK Advance brings) is a "bigger loss" than missing out on CM with 4 fairly average units.

Everyone to their own preference though.

Based on reports I've seen and peoples feedback from tests they did.
The ADX is a good performing unit for the money. Not heard any owner of it criticise their quality.

It improves a bit over the older Aura Pro model but does not deliver a massive increase in performance. For the difference in price I'd pick it over the older Aura Pro though. In UK Europe we find the most recent "Reckhorn" model is much cheaper than the ADX and it offers better value to the more costly ADX on this side of the Atlantic.

For those on a budget, a TST 239 Silver may give more refined detail but these are more audible and cost almost $100 more. So don't fall well into consideration for a CM installation as much as some others.

A BK Gamer at $99 will give more punch than any other unit at this price point but then you have the common or frustrating issue with the unit bottoming and piston pang. This can be controlled with iNuke DSP but not on a typical amp without much more hassle with specialised EQ software on PC. Additionally, these are harder to power for an amplifier and require more wattage.

The BST1 are not that good from users comments I had last year. Although at $30 what should someone really expect?

Be Careful:
Regards an AV amp for powering these, two factors you need for Simvibe or SSW
The amp needs:

1) Multichannel INPUTS (5.1 or 7.1) (no longer a common thing since HDMI)
2) 4ohm speaker compatibility (Either via switch or system menu)

An amp upscaling stereo to multichannel eg (Prologic II) etc is not the same thing as discrete channel inputs of which you need at least 4 for CM. Standard RCA inputs are STEREO only.

Quite a lot of AV receivers will not have this.
Although I have used some Sony and Yamaha models with smaller tactile from many years ago with no problems. Such amps may struggle with 4x Mini LFE but not the models your considering.





Oh darn, I think your crazy considering that.
Inuke DSP 1000 would wipe the floor with that amp for not much more money. It's also capable and potentially future proof to power bigger, units like a BK Advance or BK LFE if ever needed.

If it was me, or looking more long-term at this. I would have a iNuke DSP1000, 1x BK Advance and a 1x TST 239 over say two AP150 amps and 4x ADX or smaller tactile.

From an immersion perspective, just my opinion here on own experiences but not being able to feel or use the lowest Hz with good energy (that the BK Advance brings) is a "bigger loss" than missing out on CM with 4 fairly average units.

Everyone to their own preference though.

hi
Yes I know about this Amplifier , but this amplifier alone with shipping and import tax would cost me more than the Partexpress bundle.

 

[Hexus_One]

Just double-checked the model of receiver, it's a Yamaha Aventage RX-A3060. Shipping to Australia presents some prohibitive costs, sadly, so I might have to stick with just one or two shakers in EM for now as per your recommendation. MoBo soundcard says it uses Realtek ALC892, and the manual/spec says that it supports 7.1, so would I be able to connect MoBo->AV through the SPDIF/HDMI ports and have full 7-channel control?

Just a note: I've posted this one question in different places to get a wider response:
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/thre...ers-should-i-get-aurasound-dayton-adx.376199/
http://www.racedepartment.com/threa...ers-should-i-get-aurasound-dayton-adx.148388/
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/84b7kl/which_of_these_bass_shakers_should_i_get/
https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/84b74h/which_of_these_bass_shakers_should_i_get/
https://www.reddit.com/r/simracing/comments/84b4wa/which_of_these_bass_shakers_should_i_get/

Also re: cockpit frame, I'm planning to go with wood (not sure which though) since it's cheap and I have a crapton of woodworking tools at home. However I've seen some builds done in 80/20 and PVC and welded steel - would any of these present a superior medium for sound/vibration propogation?

 

[Mr Latte]

Just double-checked the model of receiver, it's a Yamaha Aventage RX-A3060. Shipping to Australia presents some prohibitive costs, sadly, so I might have to stick with just one or two shakers in EM for now as per your recommendation. MoBo soundcard says it uses Realtek ALC892, and the manual/spec says that it supports 7.1, so would I be able to connect MoBo->AV through the SPDIF/HDMI ports and have full 7-channel control?

Just a note: I've posted this one question in different places to get a wider response:
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/thre...ers-should-i-get-aurasound-dayton-adx.376199/
http://www.racedepartment.com/threa...ers-should-i-get-aurasound-dayton-adx.148388/
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/84b7kl/which_of_these_bass_shakers_should_i_get/
https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/84b74h/which_of_these_bass_shakers_should_i_get/
https://www.reddit.com/r/simracing/comments/84b4wa/which_of_these_bass_shakers_should_i_get/

Also re: cockpit frame, I'm planning to go with wood (not sure which though) since it's cheap and I have a crapton of woodworking tools at home. However I've seen some builds done in 80/20 and PVC and welded steel - would any of these present a superior medium for sound/vibration propogation?

Simvibe connectivity works I believe on the basis of using the soundcards analog outputs (green/black) jacks. Supporting only 4 channels per soundcard (2 channels from each jack). Also, unfortunately, it seems your Yamaha does not have multichannel inputs.

You could have Simvibe stereo output going into the amp and have A/B stereo to form 2 identical stereo pairs for the front and back of the rig.

*
You can enjoy "Audio Tactile" over 4 channels with stereo front and rear even with stereo RCA input and then upscale the audio via various DSP but this is not the same thing.

Not many professionally based cockpits sold, are made from wood.
Man made woods like MDF are common from d.i.y stores, cheap and yeah lots of people have them with tactile. Though these can bring issues of reverb,

Steel or 8020 may be the best way to go.

It has taken me a long time to amass the tactile I too have.
Much of it bought via ebay with some good bargins. Although I think its better to get the better thing and slowly work towards something overall better. Just depends if the person has the foresight to do this or is more impatient.

 

[Hexus_One]

Update: there's a guy here on Facebook marketplace selling Buttkicker BKA 130-C amps, $35 each. How safe is it to buy 2nd-hand amps? I've yet to find out the condition/age of these amps. Would these be decent for an entry-level setup?

 

[Hexus_One]

Update: bought the BKA amps, $120 for 4, also turns out the spare receiver is a Yamaha RX-V2065 which indeed has multi-ch inputs (I was only looking at the label on the box, pretty sure my dad did the ol' put-old-equipment-into-the-box-of-new-equipment). So I guess now I have the ability to output to 8 shakers (also purchased a Xonar DGX), but I'm yet to find somewhere to buy them at decent price's in Australia...

 

[Mr Latte]

Update: bought the BKA amps, $120 for 4, also turns out the spare receiver is a Yamaha RX-V2065 which indeed has multi-ch inputs (I was only looking at the label on the box, pretty sure my dad did the ol' put-old-equipment-into-the-box-of-new-equipment). So I guess now I have the ability to output to 8 shakers (also purchased a Xonar DGX), but I'm yet to find somewhere to buy them at decent price's in Australia...

Good price on the BK amps.

As for the Yamaha 2065, check your regional PDF for the product.
I owned several of the Yamaha AV Receivers over the years with a past hobby in home cinema but specs could vary on the amplification on some models based on different regions. Eg USA would often have more wattage than the same UK model counterpart.

PDF I found is recommending only the front channels are used with 4ohm.
Although it may be fine if using smaller tactile on the other channels and not models like BK units that are potentially more demanding on amps.

Take note that when using "Multichannel Input" you have no control over the bass/treble or DSP controls, it will amplify only whatever the source input is.

 

[Hexus_One]

Thanks for the tips as for the shakers, I've found listings for used Alpine Bass Engine shakers (about $30-40 each) - this would be much cheaper than buying new shakers, but what would be your advice re: these used ones? Would their age show in any way or would I be OK to use these in a rig without any major issues?

 

[Mr Latte]

Thanks for the tips as for the shakers, I've found listings for used Alpine Bass Engine shakers (about $30-40 each) - this would be much cheaper than buying new shakers, but what would be your advice re: these used ones? Would their age show in any way or would I be OK to use these in a rig without any major issues?

No problems, if you push the amp too hard it will trigger the load protection and likely power off. Of course it's not recommended to have this happening too often. I have had Yamaha and Sony 4ohm supported models with @100 wpc operating with 4-6 tactile in the past. This includes Aura Pro and Clark TST models. I would avoid trying to power perhaps more than 2 Buttkickers with such amps.

As for the Alpine, several companies may use an oem based tactile component but then each may have its own individual casing or branding. At that price, your going to find performance based on I'd expect an Aura Pro.

The Alpine seems to be one such model and I would assume similar to others that come to mind like K-woon / Reckhorn / Aura Sound AST models as well as other clones.

Alpine is likely old, but you have to determine how much cheaper it is, if its worth the "risk element" being 2nd hand.

I think the popular ADX and possibly the more recent 200i Reckhorn could be similar as a newer revised version of Aura Pro. Yet I have not personally used them to compare.

Keep in mind a speaker based transducer such as these can be smoother in their delivery than a piston based unit. Yet a piston based unit like a BK can bring much harder punch.

 

[Scott Barton]

When setting up SimVibe, you can set up different frequency ranges for different effects, such that ABS feels different than traction loss (oversteer) or hitting curbs for example. Most of the settings are in the 20-130Hz range. Most of these LFE's only have a frequency response of 20-80Hz though. The ADX is 20-100Hz. Buttkicker says the Gamer2 is 5-200Hz. Having a wider dynamic range in order to have noticeably different vibration feedback for different effects seems like it should be as important if not more import than which LFE is slightly more powerful? Thoughts?