Want more Bass on a budget

[cravenkay]

I wish i had $10k to create a home theater but i don't so im looking for a little bass rumble on a budget. as part of a birthday gift to myself my wife agreed to allow me to upgrade our HT and this is what i came up with.

SAMSUNG 50" 1080p 600Hz Plasma HDTV PN50B550
YAMAHA YHT-391BL 5.1-Channel Home Theater System
WDTV Media player with 1.5TB drive for all my Bluray, DVD, MP3 and Pics.

I bought all this at the egg spending a little over $1600 im no rich man so already this is turning into an expensive birthday present. I got the system all setup plasma nicely mounted on the wall so for the most part im very pleased with the video and sound however i feel im not quite there.

This 8in subwoofer although its nice it just isn't quite doing it for me i want more shake to really get into the action movies. If money grew on trees no problem id just buy the best subwoofer out there and shake the house down but i can't so tell me if this works.

replace my 8" subwoofer with a Dayton SUB-120 HT Series 12" 150 Watt
2 Aura Pro Bass Shaker
this would run me about $270 which i can do but really im already spending to much but i got to have more feel of bass.

cant really spend more money but i know i'll need to power the bass shakers so im wondering if i could use the 100w amp/crossover that is powering my 8" subwoofer that came with the yamaha system?
if this works how would i run it parallel or series?

I did some homework and this is what i came up with. is there really anything else i could have did better for under $300? thanks everyone

 

[adwilk]

I personally think you'd be much better off with a pair of the 12" daytons. But, I'm not a fan of the bass shakers. The Dayton 12 is a pretty good sub for the price. If you could extend the budget a bit, a DIY option could be the winner.

 

[lsiberian]

I personally think you'd be much better off with a pair of the 12" daytons. But, I'm not a fan of the bass shakers. The Dayton 12 is a pretty good sub for the price. If you could extend the budget a bit, a DIY option could be the winner.

Well let's not kid ourselves. DIY is nice, but the hidden costs add up quickly.

I personally have a dayton 10" and can vouch for their capability for producing good bass. For the average Joe a Dayton 12" will beat the subs he's probably heard.

 

[adwilk]

Well let's not kid ourselves. DIY is nice, but the hidden costs add up quickly.

Instead of blowing 3 hundy now, when he does have a sub, why not start piecing together a nice DIY unit that will keep him happy for years, even if its 6 months before it can be completed? Immediate gratification is one of the most expensive components in any hobby.

 

[cravenkay]

well this is what was going through my mind. 1 i don't have a lot of money and 2 if i used bass shakers with a nice sub i would get both a nice sound with the feel. i think if i just got 2 12" dayton's and watched the action movie at night time i would have some unhappy neighbors. my wife sleeps much earlier then me so if i could get the same effect without annoying people then everyone will be happy.

my subwoofer is probably no further then 20ft from my neighbors house so adding another sub might not be the best idea.

 

[adwilk]

In that case, the bass shakers might not be a bad idea. They serve the purpose if integrated correctly. I'd skip the new 12 sub and get a decent amp for the shakers.

 

[lsiberian]

Instead of blowing 3 hundy now, when he does have a sub, why not start piecing together a nice DIY unit that will keep him happy for years, even if its 6 months before it can be completed? Immediate gratification is one of the most expensive components in any hobby.

Wise words. Patience leads to great results.

 

[lsiberian]

well this is what was going through my mind. 1 i don't have a lot of money and 2 if i used bass shakers with a nice sub i would get both a nice sound with the feel. i think if i just got 2 12" dayton's and watched the action movie at night time i would have some unhappy neighbors. my wife sleeps much earlier then me so if i could get the same effect without annoying people then everyone will be happy.

my subwoofer is probably no further then 20ft from my neighbors house so adding another sub might not be the best idea.

I use a Dayton sub in an apartment with a Great Gamma and have no issues with my neighbors. I can't even hear it in my next room. If you are truly on a tight budget maybe it's not a good time to buy anything audio related. If you happen to live in DFW I'd cut you a really good deal on my 10" dayton. I really want to move it out.

 

[cravenkay]

somehow in all this my original question wasn't answered. would it be ok to power the bass shakers with my 100w amp/crossover that came with my 8" sub? and also how would i run this series or parallel?

 

[adwilk]

somehow in all this my original question wasn't answered. would it be ok to power the bass shakers with my 100w amp/crossover that came with my 8" sub? and also how would i run this series or parallel?

You could try it, No promises on the performance though. Series.

 

[WmAx]

Have you actually tried bass shakers? They are NOTHING like real bass. Not nearly as satisfying. I would go for two of the Dayton 12" subwoofers. And you can get a tighter/more accurate perceived sound from the Daytons by simply adding some more internal acoustic stuffing. This results in lowering effective tuning, and at the same time, reducing the likely peaky output from the port. The combined effect results in 'tighter' bass, or so how most would probably describe the sound. 2 of these are optimal as your small satellite speakers need to be crossed relatively high. When this is the case, you need to have a subwoofer near each main Left and Right channel to prevent localization and to result in better seamless integration over-all.

BTW, in the future, replace all of those satellites with Behringer B2030P monitors ($130/pair) and you have a VAST sound quality improvement. Despite the low cost, the Behringer monitors have no comparable competitor near their price range vs. their actual 3rd party verified performance. Also, build quality is far higher than anything else anywhere near it's price range. 3 pairs ($390) and you are set.Then maybe down the line upgrade your reciever with one that has much higher output power.

-Chris

 

[cravenkay]

Have you actually tried bass shakers? They are NOTHING like real bass. Not nearly as satisfying. I would go for two of the Dayton 12" subwoofers. And you can get a tighter/more accurate perceived sound from the Daytons by simply adding some more internal acoustic stuffing. This results in lowering effective tuning, and at the same time, reducing the likely peaky output from the port. The combined effect results in 'tighter' bass, or so how most would probably describe the sound. 2 of these are optimal as your small satellite speakers need to be crossed relatively high. When this is the case, you need to have a subwoofer near each main Left and Right channel to prevent localization and to result in better seamless integration over-all.

BTW, in the future, replace all of those satellites with Behringer B2030P monitors ($130/pair) and you have a VAST sound quality improvement. Despite the low cost, the Behringer monitors have no comparable competitor near their price range vs. their actual 3rd party verified performance. Also, build quality is far higher than anything else anywhere near it's price range. 3 pairs ($390) and you are set.Then maybe down the line upgrade your reciever with one that has much higher output power.

-Chris

the receiver/speakers would not been my first choice if i knew about this forum before i bought it.

 

[lsiberian]

the receiver/speakers would not been my first choice if i knew about this forum before i bought it.

I'd have done things vastly different if I started with this forum on my audio system, but we all start somewhere.

 

[BudgetHT]

Have you thought about proper placement of the sub? I have the YHT-391BL. In a small room and if placed properly that little 8" sub does a great job. If you want to upgrade anything in the YHT-391BL kit I would say upgrade the gawd-awful center speaker.
When I first got mine I had the sub up front like the diagram showed and could never get decent bass out of it unless I stood between the sub and the wall adjacent to it so I experimented with different areas of the room and fount the "sweet spot". Now it sounds great.

 

[cravenkay]

i got my shakers and daytona 12 installed and im not lying when i tell you NIGHT AND DAY difference. the 12 sub alone has enough rumble to fell pretty good and just fills the room with sound but the shakers is really what won me over.
i think i played the first action fight scene in GIJOE 10 times just to enjoy the shakers.
the best part is nobody knows i installed bass shakers so when people ask like my wife today why was the sofa shaking i told her the new 12" sub was just that good LOL. now that i have experienced a pair of shakers i can't imagine watching action movies without it.
and the best part is late at night if i don't want to bother anyone with the loud bass i can turn the subwoofer down some and the shakers will do the rest, very happy camper.

1 question though. are shakers a off centered weight spinning to vibrate or is it like a subwoofer magnet? i just want to know if turning it up to much could damage the shakers? anyone know?>

 

[Moutee]

[...]you can get a tighter/more accurate perceived sound [...] by simply adding some more internal acoustic stuffing. This results in lowering effective tuning, and at the same time, reducing the likely peaky output from the port.
-Chris

What do you recommend as far as acoustic stuffing is concerned; polyfil? Also, how much should be added?

 

[WmAx]

What do you recommend as far as acoustic stuffing is concerned; polyfil? Also, how much should be added?

Actually, for subwoofers, you can simply use 1-2 cheap bed pillows such as those from Walmart that sell for a couple of dollars. Do not open the pillows. Just stuff one in, then a second, if needed to get the sound to improve. Also, as mentioed before, do not over look room treatments.

-Chris

 

[Moutee]

Thank you. I thought the recommendation was a little silly at first, but I'll definitely give this a try. As a side note, room treatments (or lack thereof) are the Achilles' heel of my system; it's on the to-do list.

 

[WmAx]

Note: be sure nothing is near the port openings. That goes for the pillows or regular dampening material(s).

-Chris