[Nirmalanow]

What if you could have full body sound and effectively limitless bass even with headphones? Maybe you can.

Others on here have mentioned the AuraSound bass transducers which are sometimes used in home theater systems to give tactile bass effects to movie sound tracks and the like (http://www.amazon.com/AuraSound-AST-2B-4-Shaker-Tactile-Transducer/dp/B0002ZPTBI/). And years ago, I had a homemade massage table with subwoofer type speakers built into it for a similar effect, but the massage table was not particularly musical.

A while ago, I mounted a pair of these transducers under a zero-gravity chair I was using in a voice biofeedback system (http://www.theportacle.com), and I discovered that they also created a very satisfying and enveloping effect when listening to music. While I have moved on from using the biofeedback system, I am really enjoying the fullness of tone (and unlimited bass if I want it) that I experience while listening on the chair. My DX90 has a line out, and I use an external volume control to allow me to adjust the relative levels of my headphones and vibrations coming through the chair,, as I find that the effect is too strong on bass heavy music and sometimes leaves me wanting more on bass light songs.

And it is not just bass. I can feel vibrations all of the way up into the mids coming through the chair. Somehow this way of involving the whole body in the listening experience is just....well....incredibly fun. And it is surprisingly musical when you get the levels adjusted properly for a particular song. You can literally shake your body with bass on some songs, but to my taste that is going overboard, sort of like a subwoofer that is turned up too high. But it is quick and easy to find a level that makes the music come alive with warmth, emotion and body to die for. Again, even on a song with little or no bass, the music is much more engaging with the added body vibrations in the mid-range. In addition, there is evidence that low frequencies play an important role even in music that has little or no bass as the sound of any note actually has a wide range of frequencies present in it -- read through this older thread for more info about this: http://www.head-fi.org/t/672810/bass-boost-affects-more-than-bass

It is about as un-portable a headphone system as you can imagine, but of course I can just plug my T51p headphones into the DX90 by themselves and listen on the go also. But when I want to settle in and listen for a while, I am loving this new full body immersion approach to my music. The chair does leak some sound into the surroundings, but it is surprisingly little for the amount of "sound" I experience in my body. It does not disturb my wife (or any neighbors) if I just shut the door to the room the chair is in, unlike a subwoofer which can be heard through walls.

Photos of the setup: (Note that the computer in the pictures which ran the biofeedback system has been replaced by the DX90 as my music source. Also the glasses I am wearing are another form of biofeedback that uses flashing lights controlled by your own body's frequencies for a very psychedelic light show that is also fun when I am in the mood.)


The amp for the transducers is an Alesis RA 150 which you can see on the floor.


You can see one of the transducers mounted under the seat of the chair. The second one is under under the backrest. Fortunately, the zero-gravity chair (which I already owned) had a nice wood back and seat that transmit the sound/vibrations very well. A commercial version of a similar chair is available here for a mere $3500: http://www.vibrasound.com/ZGBrochure.htm


I use a NanoPatch volume control for the level of the chair vibrations as that easily allows adjusting the relative levels on the fly, especially since the amp for the chair has dual volume controls and I do not want to have to fiddle with two knobs to adjust the bass level, or reach over from my fully reclined position.

 

[Nirmalanow]

It is not really related to the topic of this thread, but the biofeedback system that runs the flashing lights is this one:
http://energetic-medicine.com/bioresonance/
 
Or for a much cheaper way of experiencing the flashing lights, you can just use a mind machine like the ones sold here:
http://www.mindplace.com/

 

[dropbassnotbomb]

I guess Sony pulse elite stereo headsets feature the same technology. Maybe I am wrong?

PULSE wireless stereo headset - Elite Edition


The PULSE Elite Wireless Headset has been developed by PlayStation® to deliver the most impactful audio experience on PS4™ and PS3™ systems. The PULSE Elite combines robust 7.1 virtual surround sound with revolutionary BassImpact™ technology, letting you feel the sound around you with event triggered pulses that highlight everything from roaring waterfalls to the subtle footsteps of approaching enemies. Custom audio modes created by developers exclusively for PlayStation® headsets further enhance your audio experience while the hidden, noise cancelling microphone ensures that your friends hear you loud and clear. When you’re on the move, use the 3.5mm audio jack to connect your PULSE Elite to your favorite mobile devices. This is how games were made to sound.

 

[Nirmalanow]

Yes, it sounds like the Pulse headset does use vibration transducers to create a similar effect. However, the chair I am using delivers the effect to your whole body instead of just through the earpads of your headphones.
 
The AuraSound bass transducers do not create sound waves. They vibrate the wood seat and back of the chair and those vibrations are transmitted right into my body without going through the air like the sound from a subwoofer. I have experimented before with having a subwoofer in the room while listening to open backed headphones, and while I could sometimes get a nice effect, I find this new setup creates a more musical effect. And it is possible to have much higher levels of vibration than you can easily get with a subwoofer without actually muddying up the rest of the frequencies. When I used a subwoofer along with headphones, I never liked it with the sub turned up very high - the effect had to be fairly subtle to sound good. But with these vibration transducers, you can get much higher "perceived" levels of bass and musical body without messing up the overall sound.
 
When I am listening to some bass heavy music and am having a bit of fun by cranking up the levels of the chair vibrations, it seems to me that I must be making a lot of noise and bothering my wife in the next room. But if I slip off my T51p's (which do isolate well), then I am shocked at how little sound the chair is actually putting out into the room. Most of the vibration is going into the chair and then into my body, and not much is going into the air. The back of the chair is not really an efficient "speaker diaphragm" for moving air, but it does a good job of moving me

 
This does bring up the point that closed back headphones are probably preferable, although I do not currently have any open backed headphones, so I am not sure how important that is.

 

[Nirmalanow]

I also used to have one of these:
http://smile.amazon.com/Aura-Interactor-Cushion/dp/B00068E2LE/

It was similar in effect to what the chair does, but obviously did not cover the full body, and somehow was not as engaging or musical. it was cheap and seemed to have a cheap vibration transducer.

There is also another model of cushion that I have not tried:
http://www.vrealities.com/products/force-feedback-haptics/vr-sound-vibration-cushion

Either one is a much cheaper way to try out the concept.

 

[Nirmalanow]

i think I realized why this sounds so musical even when the bass is really strong. Because the bass is coming in on a completely different channel - through my skin and bones instead of through my ears - it does not mess up the sound of the mids and highs. I still easily hear all of the details in the music, and even with relatively a lot of bass, the balance still feels right, as long as I do not get totally carried away and over do it.

 
Also, the effect is striking even with music with little or no bass frequencies. Female voices sound amazing as the mid frequency vibrations coming in through the chair give a full body to the tone. It truly does make it sound like a flesh and blood singer, instead of just a voice inside my head. And even the viola and cello in a string quartet is vibrating your whole body in a live concert, especially in a small venue. Similarly, I can both hear and feel the viola and cello with the chair.

 

[Davidtech]

0_0
 
 
Now this is one sic set up you have here sir 

 
 
May I ask what would I have to buy besides the transducer itself and chair to make it work ?

 

[Nirmalanow]

Finding a chair is the real trick. It probably does not actually need to be a zero gravity chair, although that is a nice feature - a regular recliner should also work. The important thing is that it have solid surfaces where you can mount the two transducers. I lucked out and found my chair in a consignment shop nearby a few years ago. Also, I would avoid a chair with super thick cushioning as that would muffle the vibrations.

There also are other brands out there of chairs that already have the transducers than the one I linked to. Do a search for "sound chair".

To answer your question, besides the chair and a couple of transducers, you just need the power amp. This one seems to work well:
http://www.amazon.com/Alesis-RA-150-Professional-Reference/dp/B0000A1H8Z

You might also want at least one volume control if you want to adjust the level of the chair vibrations without reaching for the amp:
http://www.amazon.com/SM-Pro-Passive-Stereo-Control/dp/B0017P81K8/

My DX90 has a line out, so I can hook up my headphones and the amp simultaneously, so you might also want a source with two outputs or an headphone amp with a set of pre-out outputs.

 

[Davidtech]

Would an amp like this one still work ?

http://www.amazon.com/Lepai-LP-2020A-Tripath-Class-T-Amplifier/dp/B0049P6OTI/

 

[Nirmalanow]

I think that amp would be a little underpowered. I would look for something in the 50 watt per channel range. Although someone on Amazon said they had good results with a tripath amp of 20 watts per channel using these transducers.

 

[Nirmalanow]

I have not seen much discussion of this yet here on Headfi, but there seems to be a much cheaper way to get the similar effect that is being marketed towards music listening and not just gaming:

http://thesubpac.com/what-is-the-subpac/
 
I think if I was starting over, I would just try out this device first. Although, since I owned the zero gravity chair already, my setup did not cost much....about $250.

 

[RushNerd]

Wish you had posted in my thread about this! http://www.head-fi.org/t/756682/buttkicker-gamer-tactile-transducer-thread

  I have not seen much discussion of this yet here on Headfi, but there seems to be a much cheaper way to get the similar effect that is being marketed towards music listening and not just gaming:

http://thesubpac.com/what-is-the-subpac/
 
I think if I was starting over, I would just try out this device first. Although, since I owned the zero gravity chair already, my setup did not cost much....about $250.

Not only would that push me off my chair, but it looks like a massager and yikes that price!   
 
The Buttkicker gamer is still one of the cheapest/best solutions i've found now that they are making them again. $150 gets you everything and mounting is simple.
 
What ISN'T simple however is isolating all the vibration that it transfers to the floor! Still am working on this

 

[dropbassnotbomb]

Thanks Nirmalanow for posting about subpac tactile bass system. I am really interested as it is more focused towards music rather than gaming.

Now I have to save money for Subpac M1. There's no need of a zero gravity chair/recliner, has no fixing issues and drama free.

It's wearable and battery lasts up to 6 hours on a single charge. Very appealing...my average trip lasts six hours lol =]

 

[Nirmalanow]

I will add that the trick in using this chair and probably the other tactile systems out there is to find the level where you experience all of the benefits of increased bass and overall presence in the music, but you also still have the illusion that you are "hearing" all of the sound. Once you are noticing the chair or other vibration source, then it might be fun like a sonic massage, but it starts losing musical balance. Of course one person's musical balance is another person's idea of bass shy sound and another person's idea of muddy overkill. Fortunately, the little external volume control that I have mounted on the arm of the chair means I can tweak the balance with a tiny movement of my hand. This also allows me to adjust depending on the type of music. I like having different flavors of sound at my fingertips.