[comabereni]

Anyone ever considered something like this as a headphone accessory?

Force Feedback Devices
Battle Chair

I suppose it would defeat the purpose of isolation--if that's important to you, but two of the commonly mentioned shortcomings of headphone listening are the lack of body-slamming bass (maybe not "slamming", but you get the idea), and soundstage. I don't know what to do about the limited soundstage issue, but bass that is felt throughout the body could be handled by some of these products. Bass accuracy would probably not be so much of an issue since your headphones would be providing most of the aural bass information--the body vibrations would only be completing the experience.

Reason I bring this up: a few years ago I was into combat flight simulations and, for the heck of it, built a chair from scratch that enclosed a 12" bandpass subwoofer driven by a relatively inexpensive amplifier. Two layers of heavy-duty vinyl were stretched and suspended across the enclosed space to form the seat. I had read somewhere that duplicating the flight experience is 90% acoustic and only 10% positional--i.e. your chair doesn't need to move, it only needs to transmit acoustic information to your body. Well, I tried it and it really seemed to validate the argument--the sim experience was much more submersive. And the "bass chair" really wasn't very loud--most of the sound was contained quite nicely.

This guy went all out: Dual Bass Shakers

Is this just nuts??

[Edit: Found a common link for several products]

 

[Jahn]

Sorry man, couldn't resist!

 

[comabereni]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn Sorry man, couldn't resist!

I completely understand man. It took everything I had not to post the following pic to that "SR71: Has Earned a Permanent Spot on my Belt" thread a couple weeks ago

. What would we do without Photoshop?

(Well, now that this thread has gone to pot already, I hope I can still get someone to answer my original question!!)

 

[woodytone]

that guy should have used a better chair.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

Why would you waste a Mcintosh's output on something that was just meant to shake, its not like fidelity is an issue.

 

[John Reeves]

Hi,

A cheaper method wouild be to sit on top of a spin dryer whilst playing music. Maybe I'll try this later, but maybe not since my wife already thinks I'm nuts for spending so much on cans etc. and this would definitely push her over the edge.

Cheers

John

 

[comabereni]

No hope for a serious answer I see...

Okay (joining in), so how about a blow up body suit with one of those bass shakers attached. It would increase/decrease the pressure throughout the entire suit in response to the bass signal so you could feel the bass surround you (and would likely be very quiet). Add temperature control so you don't sweat and a zipper so you can go to the bathroom and you're set for an entire Saturday.

I give up

.

 

[Head Creep]

...and for all the single men and women out there, bass shakers have been carefully placed in "special" areas of the suit. At the push of a button, the every need of a lonely basshead is taken care of.

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Head Creep ...and for all the single men and women out there, bass shakers have been carefully placed in "special" areas of the suit. At the push of a button, the every need of a lonely basshead is taken care of.

..

..
...I..
o=I=o
...I....

. / \.
o ....o

 

[fureshi]

a couple months ago, i went to the game developers conference in LA and went to the bass shaker booth. there, they had a kit that included a bass shaker that you bolted to the center support of your seat and an amplifier, where you could tune the cross-over point and the amount of impact that you wanted. it definitely made the crappy koss whatevers they were using sound or feel like it had really deep bass. obviously it wasn't acoustically deeper but like you said, part of it is physical and that leads to the impression that there is more bass.

 

[comabereni]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fureshi a couple months ago, i went to the game developers conference in LA and went to the bass shaker booth. there, they had a kit that included a bass shaker that you bolted to the center support of your seat and an amplifier, where you could tune the cross-over point and the amount of impact that you wanted. it definitely made the crappy koss whatevers they were using sound or feel like it had really deep bass. obviously it wasn't acoustically deeper but like you said, part of it is physical and that leads to the impression that there is more bass.

Thank you Fureshi-- a serious and thoughtful comment.

It seems to me that just a little added impact felt throughout the body similar to bass through a subwoofer would add to the headphone experience, perhaps even completing the sonic experience without requiring low frequency sound to be played thoughout your listening space.

I really think this added impact would not need to be very sonically accurate since the headphone itself provide that information. However, a remaining question I have is if experiencing low frequencies through a chair is interpreted similarly by the brain as it would if listening to a live or synthetic source in front of you. It makes sense that these things are used in games since the intent is to simulate sitting in a chair fastened to a race car or airplane, but is it an acceptable way to experience music?

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by comabereni I completely understand man. It took everything I had not to post the following pic to that "SR71: Has Earned a Permanent Spot on my Belt" thread a couple weeks ago . What would we do without Photoshop?

Go try having something as phallic as that on your belt (or better, your zipper) for real, it's fun. I recommend one of those oblong red "REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT" hangers. Not necessarily a full sized one, but one of those smaller keychain versions. Did that once when shopping for a new MD-portable. The clerk and his female assistant were more than slightly irritated. I guess they were waiting for the camera team to show up. Depending upon your personal preferences this may or may not be a good idea when you're out in the clubs (I wouldn't do it), but it makes a very interesting experiment on perception and human patterns of behaviour.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

If anyone likes the idea of strapping these bass shakers to their chair, or body suit

they sell them at parts express on the cheap. Maybe someone could buy two and attach them to a headphone strap for DT770 rivaling bass

 

[comabereni]

Quote:

Originally Posted by highflyin9 If anyone likes the idea of strapping these bass shakers to their chair, or body suit they sell them at parts express on the cheap. Maybe someone could buy two and attach them to a headphone strap for DT770 rivaling bass

Sounds interesting. They would probably rattle you stupid

.

Those are good prices at Parts Express. I was just thinking some subtle bass sensation to extend the headphone experience a bit, especially if you have a usual location where you like to sit. I'm no basshead and not much of a movie watcher either, but this might be worth trying out. I'll probably buy a few since they are only around $30, and also because it appears they are discontinued.

 

[fureshi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by comabereni I really think this added impact would not need to be very sonically accurate since the headphone itself provide that information. However, a remaining question I have is if experiencing low frequencies through a chair is interpreted similarly by the brain as it would if listening to a live or synthetic source in front of you. It makes sense that these things are used in games since the intent is to simulate sitting in a chair fastened to a race car or airplane, but is it an acceptable way to experience music?

from what i understand, subwoofer placement isn't as important as mids and tweeters so if you had a subwoofer, you wouldn't need to place it in front of you to hear it. if it's just a shaker strapped to your chair, your body is probably getting tricked into thinking it's coming out of your cans.

as for being acceptable or not for experiencing music, my take on it is if you enjoy it then go for it. it's kinda like the eq debate. most on this board find it unacceptable but personal enjoyment is more important to me than what others think. i have no qualms about using an eq since it lets me hear music the way i want to.