@Mr Latte the 13€ unit is the internal mechanism of aura pro's without the heatsink. If with 10 units one has the ability to separate effects and get a clearer signal with 70% of the fidelity or perfect bass that one would get with an LFE, then I don't see why a 30% better unit should be of interest for the majority of people for 3x the price. You have been hesitant to use small units yourself and lately you've been changing your mind and seeing the possibilities of these exciters. We've been talking for years that we need lower frequencies, and that we're not interested in higher. Yet you saw that higher frequencies can also play a nice role in a setup.
Now
@boern69 has experimented with something that so many more people would be interested at, gives adequate feedback on his effort, and his sincere opinion that this actually leaves him very satisfied, yet you want to stick with this high end approach. I've collected mini's,advance's, Concerts, tst's etc, and while I can obviously see their superiority, I can sincerely say that this cheap unit is bang for the buck. I 've also modded it with a 0.5 kg weight and it does give a punch. If this unit is solely used for the extra low frequencies rarely used it will be fine. If used more it will burn for sure. If I use another not modded for another effect it will perform ok. Not wet pants great, but ok.
If the unit would have a serious flaw I would really understand more the critical attitude, but its a fine working bass shaker with a very important advantage. The price. Its ridiculously cheap. You can tune, burn, try stuff, and expand. Instead of trying to have the energy move the whole rig for one effect, a single effect can use multiple units placed all over the rig.
And my last and most important point is. You really need to understand in what tier people are, a guy with a 2000€ rig will have other tactile needs than the guy with the diy rig.
Seriously you need to go work as a salesman for these stuff. You've convinced so many people to buy higher end equipment than they needed, I'm totally sure that 80% of them would be ok with something less.
You are welcome to share your effects and how you have your own units installed. Feel free to showcase your own rig you've worked on for years. Didn't you recently poke fun at me on how long my own journey with all this has been? Well, let us see what you have accomplished then.
Obtaining Impactful Low Bass
The point being debated here, is not that someone needs to spend a lot of money on the most expensive models to get enjoyable tactile. Its the fact that to get the full energy with low frequencies it requires more capable units and amplifiers generating the hundreds of watts needed.
The other ongoing debate is my doubts on using tactile for motion. I can challenge someone's claims/perceptions without it being a personal attack or it be in a disrespectful manner. If it comes accross as different then it is not meant to be. I questioned how this motion was controlled via the software and never got any proof of settings in how it controls or represents different sizes of suspension travel/bumps. Furthermore, I see an installation like no real car, which places the units representing the rear suspension in front of the seat. Yet I seem to be the only one that thinks that is odd and traced its potential tactile energy flow/path back to the seat which then mingles both L/R to only represent a mono sensation. How can that, then represent the motion of such channels when it does not even maintain their individuality or separation. This is not an attack but simple points that to me seem odd or less than ideal as an installation to have.
My responses are maybe potentially being viewed as being harsh on someone. So I even invited my own build approach to be challenged in the same manner when it is shown as I think that is only fair. However, I would place my own build in its own thread as I also recommended
@boern69 do and others have done in the past but he wants it appears to keep it here.
I put to you to put less effort into making assumptions and feel free to take part in proper tests to determine what the usable output is from the modded units you have. I already have invited
@boern69 to do the same. As what matters is proper tests and comparisons. Yet I dont read of any such comparisons being made or tests done, just impressions on terms like "powerful bass", err okay compared to what past user experience or other units? We need to define what one users impressions are to qualify them in what they represent to the performance of other hardware.
Infrasound Tests
You could also take part and use software to set a crossover to limit the output of a unit to below 20Hz and then also further tests to below 30Hz. By all means, feel free to report on the units you own how they each perform when controlled in this manner. Describing what they feel like and what energy they bring in the whole immersion when they are controlled to output only the lowest frequencies. Not also the naturally generated harmonics as well.
40Hz Punch Is Not Low Bass
Just about every budget tactile unit can bring decent punch with 40Hz. Having several of the exciters on the back of the seat is really impressive in this regard but of course, their own primary benefits are with the 80-200Hz range and what these can bring especially with engine rpm and speed sensations. These are something I have talked about here for months, (based on testing, not assumptions). So please do not try to say that I only promote the more professional or expensive hardware. Or that its only something I have started to do.
It is only recently with Simhub that we can use channels in the way we now can, thanks to a request I made on the Discord but ultimately a feature Wotever brought to Simhub making it possible.
Wattages
With these mods, you are applying added weight to a unit that is wattage restricted, its magnets used are not in the same performance levels as those used in more professional units. Why do you think TST 429 is so expensive yet it manages much better performance than a TST 209 in the same form/factor. It comes down to the magnets it uses.
I am aware of the unit that is being discussed as I believe the same (oem) component or variants of it is used in the Reckhorn models and others too around the globe.
Do me a favour, go and look at high-quality subwoofers and see the wattages the amplifiers for them use. They are designed to push large woofers with one goal, how many of them will use paltry wattages for delivering low frequencies? So isn't it clear to you guys that both go hand in hand if you want to properly achieve good low-frequency performance? The lower you restrict the crossover used then the likelihood that you can use increased wattage and still maintain control. So a person could use a unit limited to a max of 20Hz range but that unit outputting very high levels of wattage/energy.
In what that offers is far beyond what is being done here with an entry-level bit of hardware, an attached weight and in most cases such being used with very basic amplifiers.
Rarely Used Low Frequencies / What Are You Talking About?
I guess it depends on what research into building effects you have done in learning what effects suit using or making use of the lowest frequencies. Again I will ask, are you willing to share your own effects for others to try or enjoy?
Proof Is In The Testing / Step Up
I have already stated what type of tests to do to show the true bass response with these modded units and then compare them to a fullsize LFE or the smaller Mini LFE/Gamer units. This would give people proper perspective in how well they perform and if indeed such is worth doing.
I also highlighted what I believe people are feeling with these modifications and what (physical multipliers) by using leverage may be doing over the whole dynamic range the unit is operating in.
Plenty of people went the (leverage plate) approach but nobody looked into trying to see what it was actually doing. It feels much stronger was the perception but why? I can't be certain my own look into this is fully accurate but it seems to relate to what happens when we apply additional gain.
I want to look into this more to the point I will gladly pay
@boern69, you or anyone else to ship me a modified unit for further tests of my own. I have no problems comparing it to the various units I own but I suspect a BK mini is a better purchase (for punchy bass) than these budget units and modding them. I am even prepared to do a video on such tests.
A user could use a BK unit for the lower bass enrichment and then combined with the exciters for mid and high frequency detailing. This was discussed in this thread several times how we use specific hardware for specific roles. Yet once again
@boern69 decided to ignore the advice given and purchased the Dayton Pucs. This after I had already given views compared with 4 other budget tactile units during effects testing and effects creation. Which highlighted what was the best unit to go with and getting the most detail. So I may as well not bother trying to recommend anything.
Proof of further
bargains I obtained. Decent tactile can be bought at reasonable prices. Saying I push people into spending more than they need or want is utter nonsense. My own examples even show I like to get a good deal when I can and is one reason my own rig build has as much tactile as it does.