Anyone else use these? I just slapped some together using 4" drivers and amp from an old set of computer speakers I had lying about. Instead of adding mass on a leaf spring connected to the voice coil and mounting the woofer frame to the furniture as is common I decided to do exactly the opposite - voice coil bolted to the furniture and the whole magnet/frame assembly moving. Seems more effective to me. I use a free channel on my DCX2496 for processing and after some experimenting with EQ I have to say I like it for music (haven't played any movies yet). Unobtrusive, but adds nice live-like tactile response around 30 Hz without antisocial SPL. Cannons on 1812 made me smile 🙂 Only "but" is that they doesn't seem to do much below 25 Hz, guess I have to tune the springs (stainless steel strips from hose clamps) to lower the resonance frequency.
So what's your opinion about these? Would it be worth it to get Aurasounds or Buttkickers instead of these DIY jobs?
So what's your opinion about these? Would it be worth it to get Aurasounds or Buttkickers instead of these DIY jobs?
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From your description, the minimal excursion and stiff spring probably severely limit the frequency range of excitation.
The purpose built design of Aurasounds or Buttkickers allows a much wider frequency range, "worth it" if you like the tactile approach.
Hi,
Yes, that's what comes to my mind too. Other thing is that my couch has two distinct very strong resonances, one at around 14 Hz and other double of that at around 28 Hz. So it's a double whammy as my transducers have the resonance at around 30 Hz (measured using Mk. I Eyeballs and sinewaves). I'll try and modify the suspension system to lower resonance. As for excursion limits, it seems to be around 1,5 mm one-way and I doubt that these cheap drivers have more than 2...2,5 mm coil overhang anyway. But suspension can be modified for higher excursion too, just by bending the springs a bit more.
One other thing I can do is damping the springs to lower Qms. Some bitumen or silicone should work. Or use plastic springs instead of steel. Nylon, polyethylene or polypropylene should have higher internal losses and work fine.
Experimenting with these is fun and cheap, that's for sure 🙂 And what makes me hesitate to pull trigger on these Auras is the price here in Europe (90€ + shipping vs. 40$ in US).
If only I had that much disposable income 😀 One day, though, but not this day 🙂
I went over my transducer install and discovered a shameful wiring mistake. This happens when you build stuff at 1 AM. After correcting this and installing foam rubber isolation pads under the couch's feet I get much better bandwidth, down to approximately 15 Hz, and efficiency. Now I can reproduce the ripples in the glass of water when the t-rex stomps around 🙂
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