THE SILENT SUBWOOFER! Crowson Tactile Motion Actuator Review

[@therealshanelee]

*SUBSCRIBE TO ELIAS* kzbin.info

[@jarodreddig63]

You need to explain to everyone that the actuators need to be time-alinged with the rest of the system; I.E., bass managed. They need their own adjustable signal, usually a second or third LFE out on the processor that has its own distance settings.

[@MrGuss1963]

I have the butt kicker advantest in my system you will never go back or watch movies again without

[@cigarobsession]

Once you experience tactile done right like you said, you can't go back :) I run 4 buttkickers on my main 2 seats. Overkill, but they run effortlessly. One big thing you didn't mention is that you NEED to have them on an independent sub out from the processor. There is a lot of delay needed and they will never sync up without doing so. When you get it dialed in right they disappear. A great test is the concert of Bohemian Rhapsody. The kickdrum makes it SUPER easy to dial in.

[@Paper_and_Light]

This is a really helpful comment, I'll use that scene as a reference. Thanks!

[@MrILStatek]

Me to did you use mini dsp and rew?

[@irish7460]

They only go to 20hz tho right?

[@jebo4jc]

I want this. But looks like $1800 for two actuators and two pads. That's more than I expected and seems a bit high.

[@trevalin456]

I just bought a Butt kicker which is basically the same thing with an amp as well on Facebook market place for 135 bucks. You can get great deals if you keep your eyes open.

[@DG51440]

I would search for BOSS on avsforum. All diy and I think I paid $300 for 2 seats. It is basically a sub driver per seat installed into a platform using a similar rubber mount to sit on the floor. The sub drivers act as the crowson and moves the entire platform. Feels great and I have been using it for 2 years or so now. Well worth the time and money.

[@stharlingtoribio5769]

@@trevalin456 it is not the same thing and the price differences speak by itself. In terms of performances the crowson are excellent

[@arijaglal7779]

As others have said, for the quality and unmatched performance of them it is very worth it, they are completely different to butt kickers or any other tactile response device for that matter.

[@legotech101]

@@stharlingtoribio5769 it’s the same shit

[@BdoUK21]

Timely video, just installed two Crowsons and the D501 in my theater this evening. Looking forward to testing them out this weekend.

[@therealshanelee]

They're pretty sweet. Enjoy!

[@joraspa]

How do you connect something like this you a home theatre receiver?

[@BdoUK21]

@@joraspa I use a MiniDSP which has two inputs and four outputs. I run my sub 1 out of my processor to the input on the MiniDSP. From there I have my two subs and Crowson amp using three of the four outputs. If you don’t have something like I MiniDSP you could likely use a y splitter on the subwoofer output from your receiver. Run one RCA from split to subwoofer and other to Crowson amp LFE input.

[@Mr_Latte_UK]

Are these better than the BK LFE for under 10Hz I already own BK LFE & Concerts as well as TST Platinium and Earthquake Q10B. Those can offer a bit more detail and be more musical than the BK but curious what are the strong points with the Crowson to these other options.

[@LamonsterZone]

Hi Shane. Curious if you're still using Crowsons or what your current preferred tactile device is.

[@joraspa]

Hey, how do you hook this up to your receiver? Been looking at adding something to my system but unsure how to add two units (sectional seating) to my atmos home theatre. Any advice would be great. Cheers!

[@mikecruz5246]

You send the receiver's subwoofer signal to it . Usually involving a splitter .

[@jamesrobinson1579]

Ohhhhh! I have been looking for a bass transducer solution for my 12th (top) floor apartment for many years. The problem with many is the need to run low level from my receiver to my seat... and... Since I already run 2 SVS SB2000 Pros in my main theatre, I could easily pass the lfe from on of them to the sub amp and run a couple more speaker wires to the back of the room (with 7.2.4 in an apartment, there's plenty already running along the same wall LOL so what's another set?) My big question is in your video demo we can hear the vibration but that could have been the water glass. I couldn't tell one way or the other. When there's a nice heavy chair on top can you still hear it or does it become just physical? 🤞

[@therealshanelee]

You can’t hear anything when the seat is on it.

[@jamesrobinson1579]

@@therealshanelee Awesome... and no destruction or modification of my expensive couch!

[@frankd963]

I have been using the Crowsons for several years and they add a great tactical feel. I keep them to the 60 hz or so region and below to allow a really good blend with the bass from subwoofers.

[@deepanmurugan467]

So what does the Subwoofer do? Does it pass down anything below 60Hz to the Crowsons and only play anything above 60Hz to their crossover point?

[@johnsander2688]

Shane, can you do a test of the Clark synthesis to compare?

[@jamband4230]

$1300 for a system that only shakes one side of one seat. There are better systems out there for much cheaper and they come with more than one actuator

[@stharlingtoribio9443]

i have them in my Theater and i can't live without them... i love them to death LOL

[@Professor5180]

How many transducers can one of those amps power? Just thinking in terms of even distribution across 6 seats in 2 separate rows.

[@trevalin456]

Shane how is this different from a butt kicker? the one I have has a plate as well that you slide under one of the couch legs, and then you ad spacers to the other legs as well. Although I’m thinking about mounting it to the couch underneath for better results 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@dougv464]

Hi Shane, I like the idea of adding rumble that is easy on the ears. I noticed the Crowson amp doesn’t have balanced inputs. Any issues with splitting from balanced to RCAs? I’m already running two subs, any limit on double splitting the LFE channel? Thanks!

[@andysummers485]

4:18 and I would virtual £ bet its around most of 40Hz - to lower part of the 50Hz region where most of the bass should be hard hitting with slam, kick and depth. Laws of physics do apply where a second sub or two placed at the back of the room or use the REW room simulator and put in the rooms dimensions the REW room simulator is remarkably spot on and you can then see where the room has the most peak frequencies (and this applies to all speakers not just subs) anyway download REW and play with room simulator.

[@maximiliangockel]

How do these compare to Reckhorn BS-200i with A-800 amplifier?

[@sprint110]

You still use them?

[@sprint110]

Is there a wireless option available to install these devices?

[@therealshanelee]

They require powerful amps.

[@jameskiely5518]

I use a crown 1502 amp powering 4 300 watt Dayton transducers in my couch with a wireless 2 channel receiver All the components cost about $900. Wish I did this years ago..Love it

[@TheLegendaryBrownNote]

Glad you liked em! Now onto a BOSS platform to compare :)

[@therealshanelee]

Haha. That's too much diy for me to handle.

[@MichaelGreco]

Trying to see how I can make this work with a sectional couch. I wonder if you can hook up three actuators to one if their amplifiers? Or maybe you would just have to buy a different amplifier , maybe an outlaw 5000 or something?

[@MichaelGreco]

Scratch that just read in the manual that their amps supports for actuators. Looks like you sort of daisy chain the actuators.

[@therealshanelee]

I believe you can do 4 in parallel.

[@MichaelGreco]

@@therealshanelee thanks man! These very compelling. I picked up a jtr captivator rs1 a few months ago , it's amazing but the problem is it vibrates the bedroom on the other side of the house and does not make my wife very happy. Also I don't have room for a second subwoofer. This could potentially solve both of those problems and add some extra fun to boot

[@Quetzalcoatl0]

on AVS forums, we just attach subwoofers to the chairs 😁😁. THAT wobble, you feel, 10hz, 15hz. HOLY! It's something that i can't watch a movie without. I like the aproach of this product. It's low profile enough, super easy to install. If this has the right price. 👌 When you have something like a mini DSP. you can cut off frequancies you don't like. For me and my DIY variant, frequancies above 25 where distracting and i didn't want them. And because i had prently of wobble between 18-22 hz, i had some headroom and boosted the lower frequancies, until it felt the same though the whole range. Basically greate a house curve but for the couch :D. Difference chairs and couches have different resonant frequancies, with a mini DSP and some time, you can make a "flat" repsonse.

[@oliverlee9524]

I have 8 home theatre seats in my room. How many of this gadget do I really need? You placed the actuator pad under one of the feet and placed the other three feet to level the seat I would assume. Based on the pricing you listed out, it would not be a spare change to make all 8 seats to have the same effect.

[@cruzgallegos5071]

Why not just put a small 10" sub under the couch for a 3rd of the cost?

[@Harrison_Home_Theater]

i bought a woojer vest and hooked it up via bluetooth to my Denon receiver and its awesome. I think this solution is also good as an enhancement...

[@glennpaullinton2766]

Excellent review greatly appreciated thank you for sharing 🥰

[@CrashCarson14]

What movie is that??!

[@VirtualRobotsRevolt]

This product looks expertly marketed to be perfect for a high-end home theater. But honestly, from what I heard in this review the four 50 dollar Dayton bass shakers from amazon with a 70 dollar Fosi 200 watt amp I purchased for my 4 recliners/2 sofas solves that whole issue of it being biased to one side of the couch. Since I installed a different bass shaker for each recliner. And the whole package for that cost me around 300 dollars. This product reviewed costs $1,445 on their website. Granted, this amplifier has more options, easier to install, looks nicer, and can reach lower frequencies.

[@matta9316]

Great review - love when you get Elias on here, get him back on here more often he always makes great points!

[@pierrecastanets1974]

Personal bass is a good description.

[@jamieboyd5208]

Love your content

[@brianroberts8938]

Great review

[@shaneducholke364]

Fan of transducers but not a fan of this type of installation. For 4 seats it looks like you need 2 amps and 4 units and every seat is raised. This would not work on a couch or the feeling would not be balanced.

[@coleschubert9868]

^

[@jaydee6268]

Bought a pair of crowsons when they first came out. Originally, I had a dedicated integrated amp which morphed to a dedicated preamp powering two monoblock amps to up the power. No issues, even with a heavy sofa. There is a reason they added he textured surface and advise screwing the spacers to the furnitures feet.

[@originalRoyalty1]

You can use up to 4 of these in parallel with 1 of their amps.

[@edwarner504]

I have these but I haven’t installed them yet. Yeah I know it’s criminal lol. Getting my entire system tune with these bad boys pretty soon tho.

[@captainvyom463]

Update?

[@edwarner504]

@@captainvyom463 AMAZING!!! Let’s just say I’ll never watch a movie without them. Plain & Simple. My system was tuned by Aaron & Zachary (AZ tuning) with BEQ you can look them up in fb or avs forum. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

[@Carlos-gc4hb]

Good review, I’m considering getting some butt kickers, these are nice and compact but a bit expensive.

[@Tec2Nut]

Thats a step to far in the wife approved 👌

[@QFilmz]

Don’t have a wife & life will improve 👌🏻

[@mbranham9270]

One of the best upgrades to my HT experience! I thought I was shaking the house down with Godzilla: King of the Monsters playing and no one complained the house was shaking. I’m using a Buttkicker LFE for my love seat and Dayton Audio BST-1 for my two single seats.

[@DJCooke83]

Hey there, what amplifier are you using?

[@glennpaullinton2766]

Happy days sounds great 👍

[@not1iota229]

Saving Private Ryan movie is really good for tactile transducers, you can tune them in to tom hanks looking at his shaking hand like PTSD is effecting him and then he realises tanks are roll in to the town and the bass response picks up

[@travisrogers5634]

Hey sparechange could you do a must own 4k movie playlist somewhere?

[@therealshanelee]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJWZgadmbKxkbpY

[@keepingupwiththejones2933]

@@therealshanelee 🤣😅😂

[@LunarLightLtd1]

I have 12 Aura Pros, 4 per seat tuned flat with a mini dsp down to 20 hz. Below 20hz, these things give up, but I'm plenty happy with the performance. Plenty of power to spare.

[@itzjustin_irl]

☝️ Been waiting for this one, to move on from buttkickers in my setup. Appreciate you, Shane!

[@therealshanelee]

I think you'll like them.

[@rolandoiceful]

did you get them? if so how did you like them vs the butt kickers? (which model? Mini, advanced, lfe?)

[@djCaliKev]

Seems pretty cool. Never heard of these. But maybe I'm just lucky, I have 1 sub set right next to my couches and another in a corner next to my tv..and when bass rumbles, you can really feel it in my couches.

[@donjaun540]

Good review. Not for me but you did good job of explaining.

[@originalRoyalty1]

Its a great product but pricey.I have use them for over 5 years and added the upgraded hockey pucks. Initially my volume was way to high and just didn't sync well with my subs. I feel they are icing on the cake with subwoofers.

[@adriantorres1106]

I use the dayton audio bass shakes ,had them for a year in a half..and I use 3 subs,but there are times late at night need to have subs off..so use the bass shakers and still get the bombing effects in your body,great buy..but when I do have family over for the first time on the sofas and the action starts,they love the feeling of being in the movie with more punch to it having the subs on.. And like I know once you have a certain volume set that's not to high it gives a better experience.

[@fatty762]

never tried the crowsons. The Daytons are dooky compared to Buttkicker LFE, I have both

[@jameskiely5518]

@@fatty762 for the price of the Buttkicker LFE I can buy 3 of the 300 watt Dayton's...Buttkicker doesnt come close.

[@rossn5186]

That right there folks is a tactile transducer OR an industrial grade G-Vibe.

[@coleschubert9868]

Here's a good question. Would you reccomend getting a second subs? Or butt kickers?

[@VirtualRobotsRevolt]

butt kickers/bass shakers :) So much better of an upgrade than adding my 2nd sub.

[@andreabrooks4193]

You only need one ?

[@therealshanelee]

Per seat.

[@andreabrooks4193]

@@therealshanelee what if i have a small love seat ?

[@therealshanelee]

@@andreabrooks4193 I suppose if it’s really small you’ll be fine.

[@mikecruz5246]

I bought a set back in 2009 when they first started . It was 1200 then . They stop on a dime and when done right it puts sub sonics into your spine . Wait till these guys try a d box .

[@therealshanelee]

They actually make the actuator in dboxes.

[@bubbalanham8654]

SHANE'S DA BOMB

[@CrashCarson14]

Isn’t this what DBox motion is?

[@therealshanelee]

Crowson supplies the shake for dbox.

[@henrikg7256]

I Still thing that eartquake B10 are the best.but reckhorn. i 200 are greate to. test Some more Bass shakers

[@jerometipton7954]

Had buttkicker for years amp just went out and they wanted make new amp but I love these things

[@were_all_fact6026]

Bass shakers are nice but I think if there was a way to do a delay in the signal it might add to the effect. I'm not sure how to explain it but something is off about the timing from boom to thump in the seat. One thing I love is getting a good bass boosted song like 'Low Life' (NSFW language) and the seat becomes a massage chair link for the song kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJ7IfqSMibGFkM0 Another butt shaking song 'Be Like That feat Swae Lee' (found that thanks to Youthman) you can almost count the shakes. Chair build is important as I had an old chair with springs and somehow the bass traveled and resonated with that chair perfectly, never been able to recreate it.

[@cigarobsession]

Exactly right they NEED to be set correctly or it's just a gimick

[@Bombasticbabygirl]

Wish I had this in Singapore

[@LDBaha]

I love these but damn close to $2k

[@billybob2025]

great review, sounded like somebody with bad diarrhea when you held it.

[@capnsnaxx]

🤣🤣🤣

[@pete6705]

I just ordered the Aria 926 for my home theater, but I’m already thinking about 5 years from now when I hopefully have a bit more 💰 I want to get the full Kanta setup

[@keepingupwiththejones2933]

MABA 2021!!!

[@guily6669]

Jeez for that price, call me when they make a full actual human body actuator that can mimic the actual loud bass slap in my face, guess it's better to contract cheap monkeys that work for peanuts and bananas to slap me as needed according to what's playing :) Else I'd just buy a HUGE brushless motor like a RC big powerful super high rpm capable one, attach a huge metal weight and enjoy actual proper tactile tactile feedback for cheap but that can actually even make your whole chair to go all over the place and not only would slightly shake a glass of water as it would completely break it in pieces :)

[@Snapps240]

I don't know man. For almost $600 for 1 and $1k for the amp you mine as well buy a powered sub and turn it down low or w.e desired. Or just put an extra $1100 into your sub woofer budget and get a sub that will vibrate all your rows lol idk

[@stharlingtoribio5769]

I had 8 18s in my room and even running my 18s super hot they never felt as good as the crowson are is not even close brother so believe me crowson are the way to go if you want TR

[@Snapps240]

@@stharlingtoribio5769 hey man tbh 8 18s don't mean anything to me lol. I have heard 1 10 sound better then 2 18s and 2 12s lol. It's all about the type and the setup. I was just saying I can't see that feeling being worth that much money. Guarantee wait a year and something will come out for half the price or less and feel as good maybe even better. Always happens. And if you could properly fit 8 18s in ur room then ur room is probably way too big and theres ur first problem. People thing a million speakers in a BIG room is the trick. Its not. It's worse lol the right size room with the right speakers and the right amount of speakers and ur laughing lol Read the comments. Apparently there are already better ones out there for cheaper and come with more lol.

[@stharlingtoribio5769]

@@Snapps240 first off my room is 12 by 18 9ft ceiling so is not a huge room. I’m a Home theater designer and this is what I do for a living and trust me When I tell you it you can have the baddest sub in the planet even nearfield right behind your seat and the crowson still will perform better than having the sub closer to you playing at references levels.

[@Snapps240]

@@stharlingtoribio5769 that's cool and all however 8 18s in a room that size is still going to sound off. Like I said u need the right size with the right amount. And 8 18s in in 12x18 is WAY too many lmao. So basically all u did was go the other way.. U need to find a middle ground. Once u do that and dial it all in u will have NO NEED for these over priced items lol Oh i didn't even see that part about u being a home theater designer lol.. That means nothing to me. I know people in the industry who know Jack all about home theater.. But the min u tell me u put 8 18s in that size room is the min I don't take u serious and wouldn't even let u design my room for FREE! Lol no offence.

[@papaidolatrine2499]

Man that guy Elias is hard to listen to. Put it on 1.5 playback speed and there were still long pauses

[@lesmatthews459]

They may be good for people with fat wallets - but for me - I would rather spend my money on other things. They're just too expensive for my tastes!

[@tkcdac]

These just went up 30% since this post. Now $835 per transducer and $1152 for the Amp.

[@alexanderbode3207]

I love my ibeam VT 200. Check it out. It's really great.

[@NickGiordano-zu4em]

I love the buttkickers , I cant live without them , you can have lesser expensive subs or smaller sealed subs if you have transducers , I just added a Limiter to my buttkickers and now it wont overdrive , Im still tempted to get the crowson

[@cmacclel]

Pretty cool but outrageously priced. I have 4 seats and to do it right it would cost me over $3500 which is insane.

[@jninh80]

Dear SpareChange, I've seen and liked many of your videos. Unfortunately, this video is my least favorite. Reasons: 1. You can't have an even tactile response with only one Crowson actuator installed under one leg of your seat. 2. You failed to mention about the proper tuning with Mini-DSP that is absolutely required. 3. You failed to mention that BEQ is the rocket fuel for Crowsons. This video did not do Crowsons justice!

[@therealshanelee]

Thanks for liking some videos 👍 Let’s address some concerns. 1. I know for a fact you have not tried a Crowson because of this statement. 2. Mini-DSP is NOT needed. 3. 99% of the folks that are going to buy this have NO idea what BEQ is nor even care. Crowson is very happy with this video.

[@jninh80]

@@therealshanelee How do you assume I haven't tried Crowson? I'm running two Crowson actuators properly tuned using Mini-DSP by the BEQ Master himself, Aron7Awol from AVS Forums. You can read the Crowsons thread on AVS Forums to find out what I say is correct.

[@therealshanelee]

@@jninh80 the fact that you say you can't get a tactile response from just one is false. If I'm wrong then the owner must be wrong as well. You might be doing him some good by providing him your input if you are so sure if your findings. I'm sure other owners will find this statement false as well. And points 2 and 3 are laughable. But to each their own.

[@kirkcunningham6146]

@@therealshanelee AVS Forum is full of these types of guys who have deceiving "over engineered" minds.

[@markgonzalez2927]

The Bass Shakers from parts express are much better and way cheaper. I have 2 18" subwoofers and 6 Bass Shakers in my system and I use 1 sa230 Dayton subwoofer amp to power the shakers. The shakers are the best bang for the buck purchase you could ever make for your home theater or 2 channel set up. I will never remove them from my system. They are AWESOME!!!

[@Linenbacking]

Ya got a good channel, but the adds you put in is just ridiculous... might be time to leave ya Mr Spare Change

[@therealshanelee]

Thanks for stopping by!

[@MichaelGreco]

And... Queue the snowflakes getting offended by the title LOL

[@marcofabiocarosi2996]

Poor choice of title. Really Shane?!

[@therealshanelee]

What makes it poor? Elaborate.

[@cigarobsession]

@@therealshanelee He doesn't like the slogan lol

[@infrasonicrebasses4763]

according to their reactions of this device..looks to be very VERY disappointing ..no large smiles no amazed reactions.....butt kicker LFE ..far better

[@reviewgodusa9613]

if you're sending them back you clearly don't think they are worth it. $2000! for a subtle bass enhancement. im good

[@snowingsniper]

That's outrageous for something like this

[@reviewgodusa9613]

@@snowingsniper after doing some google searching i came across these www.amazon.com/AuraSound-AST-2B-4-Shaker-Tactile-Transducer/dp/B0002ZPTBI much more affordable so i think i may try these. I would love if sparechange reviewed these instead. At least we can afford them.

[@BeefyMon]

I own a pair of auras, as well as a Buttkicker Advance. In some respects, I prefer the cheap Auras ($50/ea) to the Buttkicker ($350). The BK is more powerful, but the Auras feel more natural- it’s very difficult to describe. In any case, highly recommended, especially if you’re just experimenting.

[@cigarobsession]

@@reviewgodusa9613 They are not even close - they don't go much below 20. Buttkicker and crowson go to low single digits.

[@unknownuser890]

Make bass great again? Make AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!! HAIL TRUMP! LEGEND!

[@coleschubert9868]

We don't need politics in home theater! move along.

[@unknownuser890]

@@coleschubert9868 you mad bro? Politics politics! You can't do shit about it lol

[@VColossalV]

He's literally out of office now, possibly forever if he gets fully impeached.

[@GueitsProduction]

Ew....

[@unknownuser890]

@Yolo You lose with biden, enjoy the decline dumbasses lol

[@NickGiordano-zu4em]

there always sold out