ButtKicker BKA300 Wireless Home Theater Kit with ButtKicker
February 13th, 2010 | Posted in Wireless Home Theater System, Wireless Speaker System | 18 Comments »
 
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5 out of 5
All new ButtKicker Kit with new 4 ohm ButtKicker Advance transducer, the new wider couch / chair mounting accessory kit, new BKA300-4 amplifier (115v) with integrated wireless option, optional vertical stand, and remote control with preset EQ settings, 6m of high quality speaker wire with banana plugs, 1m high quality RCA interconnect and high quality male to female RCA Y adaptor and a speaker level interface adapter for connecting to A/V systems without subwoofer pre-outs, and an illustrated Quick Start Guide. ....read more
- Offers true infrasonic, or low-frequency response
- Attaches to seats and floors, and sends low-frequency sound directly into the listener's body
- Accurately reproduce the feeling range of many natural and man-made sounds
- Now with wider couch / chair mounting accessory kit
- BKA300-4 amplifier (115v) has integrated wireless option
Related Products
- Offers true infrasonic, or low-frequency response
- Attaches to seats and floors, and sends low-frequency sound directly into the listener's body
- Accurately reproduce the feeling range of many natural and man-made sounds
- Now with wider couch / chair mounting accessory kit
- BKA300-4 amplifier (115v) has integrated wireless option
February 14th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Good Addition to Home Theater
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Provides “rumble” for my 3 person couch easily. Wireless connection took a few attempts to connect but it eventually does. Occasionally have to repair the transmitter and amp, especially if you unplug it. Remote is nice but not very powerful (my amp is behind my couch and the transmitter is up front by tv and it sometimes doesn’t register – pointing the remote directly at the amp works though). The amp makes no noise and cannot be heard in a silent room. This is a much better system than the ButtKicker Gamer which i got a couple years ago. This is a nice addition to a sub woofer but does not replace one. Works well with both movies and games.
February 15th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Turns your couch into an excellent subwoofer, but hard to install and the remote died too quickly.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
We set this up to supplement our home theater system, which is run by a Pioneer VSX84TSXi A/V receiver and also uses a Polk subwoofer. The Buttkicker kit comes with the transducer itself, plus the amplifier for the unit, a long heavy duty speaker cable, a single-line RCA cable for signal connection, an RCA splitter for co-existence with a subwoofer, foot extension pads for the host couch and a remote control for the amplifier. Also included were a remote transmission system in case the transducer amplifier and your receiver are too far apart for the cable, and a four-line combiner if your receiver does not have a subwoofer channel (neither of which I used).
The kit as a whole consists of components packed together that are normally sold individually, so it was mildly confusing at first to piece together which parts would be needed for my system. There is a simple set of instructions for the overall kit, but it does not cover all installation possibilities.
Also, our home theater is idiosyncratic in that our couch is a sectional; the Buttkicker is really best meant to be attached to on a regular couch. The Buttkicker kit comes with five couch foot extension pads, so I had to supplement the kit with an extra rubber foot I scrounged up. I mounted the transducer unit at the back junction of two sectional units. I placed the unit amplifier on top of my receiver, ran the provided speaker cable behind my couch and connected the RCA cable (via the splitter) to the subwoofer channel of the Pioneer unit.
The first thing I did was to listen to the receiver’s test tones. The subwoofer channel was a low shaking of the couch from the white noise, and demonstrated that the unit was working properly. I was worried that the large sectional would decrease its effect, but a rumbling was clear and it complemented the sound from the Polk subwoofer well.
For test media, I used a download of Star Trek from the iTunes store (with a 5.1 track) and the Extended Edition of The Fellowship of the Ring on DVD (with a 6.1 DTS track). The DVD player was connected to the Pioneer unit with a mini-TOSlink cable. The warp drive of the Enterprise came through splendidly, as did the battle rumbles and great roars of the Tolkien movie. For surround media sources, it’s a welcome addition to our system. For plain vanilla stereo media without surround sound, it just shuts off automatically after five minutes of no surround input.
I have two other quibbles about the set aside from the confusing installation process that keep me from rating it higher. The first is that the remote control’s battery died after a day. The remote does not use a standard battery, so we have not replaced it yet. This is particularly a problem because the remote is essential to switch between the Buttkicker’s various frequency response modes, such as “music”, “movies” and “games.” There is no way to select these choices on the base unit without the remote. Also, there is no visual feedback for the volume settings, merely touch switches for raising and lowering it. It would be nice to know if I have lowered or raised the volume completely before I begin playback.
Overall, this is a good, if mildly pricy, product. The complexity of the setup makes it somewhat less than perfect for the not-so-technically savvy. For home theater enthusiasts for whom the price tag and the difficult installation process are not so much of an issue, however, it would be a very good way to increase the excitement of a home theater system.
February 19th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Adds the extra kick to your movie watching experience.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Buttkicker is a great addition to the home theater. This BKA-300 kit transducer is a little less than half of the power of the LFE series that packs a serious punch and is meant to shake the whole floor or stage. This kit is meant to shake your couch and does a good job. Their shakemycouch dot com (appropriate name by the way!) site explains how the kit works.
I set this up last night, set up was easy as there is not much assembly required except mounting the transducer on its platform. What was difficult was getting the transmitter and wireless receiver to talk, but a reviewer suggested a resetting tip and I was able to get them to handshake.
I think this is a great investment if you really like to get into your movies, we watched I, Robot on blu-ray last night and it felt like we were in the movie, when the machines turned on it felt like they were in the room and my couch almost jumped off the floor!
February 23rd, 2010 at 12:00 am
Buttkicker Advance In Depth Review
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I found an advance review here of the buttkicker… pretty awesome. The review is by Brett A. DiMichele about the Buttkicker Advance wireless it. Check it out.
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February 24th, 2010 at 12:00 am
works great
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
the butt kicker works great and feels great. After you adjust it properly it really helps intensify the movies. I have a dedicated home theater and this is probably the cheapest upgrade I have made and oddly enough it has made one of the biggest impacts in my movie watching experience.
February 25th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Great Kit
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Although I still prefer a traditional setup with a subwoofer (really just a preference), I have to say the Buttkicker kit is very impressive. Adds an extra bit of oompf to your system. I tested it with a few action movies and PS3 games and was pleasantly suprised. For the AV enthusiast with the complete setup (eg. 7.1, 40″+ LCD and audiophile cable and speakers) you might want to give this a try, its a nice kit to play with and works as advertised. But for the apartment dweller such as myself, it is not necessary and comes back to my initial point of why I prefer a traditional subwoofer. Still its a great product that delivers.
February 28th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Amazing product!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve been enjoying my ButtKicker for five months now. The build quality impressed me and the instructions for installation are easy to follow. I’ve used it with Blu-ray discs/DVDs, an Xbox, and a Wii. To say that it adds another dimension to one’s home theater is an understatement. As a gamer, I was blown away. The vibrations are proportionate to what is happening in the game. For example, while playing a WWII shooter, grenades resonate more strongly than bullets, etc. Also, being able to in essence, feel the proximity of an enemy adds an amazing degree of realism. Surprisingly, games on the Wii in Pro Logic II were just as impressive as Xbox games in digital 5.1. Using the ButtKicker with movies feels like being at an IMAX. I was concerned I might be disturbing neighbors when I watched The Dark Knight for the first time using the ButtKicker as it was so intense. My neighbors in the apartments below me and those next door said they heard nothing. I haven’t spent a great deal of time using the ButtKicker with music but as was the case with movies and games, it delivers. That said, there are a couple things to consider before purchasing. As stated on their website, the BKA300 can’t be expanded. So know going in that this will work with only one couch or chair. Also, while there is a remote, there are no level displays on the unit’s receiver or remote itself. This was initially frustrating as I like different levels of intensity depending on the audio source. However, any smart remote can be used to control the ButtKicker which overcomes this issue. As an audiophile trapped in the budgetary constraints of being a full-time graduate student, the ButtKicker was the perfect purchase. It provides me the bone rattling experience of a dedicated home theater system before practicality allows me to have one. Any home theater enthusiast that lives in an apartment, dorm, or who uses their living room as their theater room should take a serious look at this product.
March 5th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Walk Small and Carry a Big Stick
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bought one through Amazon on 3-26-09. Although I’ve been involved in audio/video non-professionally for several decades (do have an associate electronics degree), this Buttkicker thing was new to me. Didn’t know what to expect but after hooking it up I was impressed.
A week later bought a second one for the other sofa. On the AVS forum for this model one person said it didn’t have enough horsepower for his sofa but for me this small bomb packs a wallop. Without leading the witness (my wife), she said she likes it because I don’t have to turn the subwoofer up so high to get the impact of low bass happenings like explosions, earthquakes, etc. My home theater is powered by a Denon 1909 and Sony 12″ 200 watt sub.
I use a Harmony remote and haven’t had any issues with the Buttkicker’s transmitter receiving a signal. I wish the amplifier had a numerical readout for the level of intensity. Right now, I look at the red LED on the transmitter and press the Buttkicker’s remote for several seconds to completely make sure it’s at the lowest level. Starting at what I call ’0′, I push the ‘Increase’ button as quickly as possible and watch the infrared light on the transmitter. It seems as though each blink is a ‘step’. Sometimes I press too long and get 2 to 3 blinks but I count them individually. I go for 15 to 17 blinks depending on the movie (Spiderman 3 crane scene where Sandman becomes sandman; 10000BC capturing the herds of mammoths) have been good tests.
Ok…so now do I do the bed in the bedroom?
March 8th, 2010 at 12:00 am
You need a receiver with a subwoofer channel
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you want to enjoy this product you need a multichannel receiver. You have to connect it to the subwoofer output or else it will start humming during dialogue (if you use only left and right channels).
Pros:
-Powerful
-Fast response
-Perfect add-on to an existing subwoofer instead of buying a more expensive sub
-can really play audio at low levels and maintain the deep low vibrations
-Wireless works perfectly, no disadvantages with wireless.
-Big transducer
-Has a standby mode which switches off the amp until it receive a signal.
-Remote control
-Includes adapters
Cons
-No display on amp that shows the volume level.
-Bottoms out if you set the amp level too high (when set very high the vibrations are almost always happening during the movie and become more of an annoyance). It is also a good thing because it tells you the transducer is reaching it’s limit. (early warning).
-Any frequency above subwoofer frequency should be avoided(which is why you need a multichannel receiver with subwoofer output). The preset EQs like “music” and “game” won’t help.
-parents made me transfer the buttkicker kit to the family room. I should have not let them try it. Now they are watching their movie collection all over again.
UPDATE: After using it for 3 days, I noticed static coming from within the transducer. I only noticed it when I was using it during the night. I lowered the volume of my receiver and I can hear that noise. I emailed guitammer and sent them a wav file of the noise I’m hearing. I hope they can fix it. If they can it would be perfect. It really transformed my HT setup.
UPDATE #2:
called amazon representative. told them that my problem and that i did some troubleshooting with the guitammer technician but was told it was defective.
amazon rep immediately sent me a replacement. Awesome!!! He told me to print out the RMA form and return shipping label and drop the defective unit at my nearest ups store within 30 days. Never thought it would be that easy. The best online service I have ever experienced!
My new unit was excellent. No more loose metal parts or internal rattling.
I am now more careful and feel that it is crucial to NEVER EVER bottom out the buttkicker.
UPDATE #3: deleted
UPDATE #4: better method to prevent damaging buttkicker
make sure buttkicker amp is at its lowest level. (everytime you unplug buttkicker amp it will reset its volume level. so before you play anything, lower the level). also make sure you pressed the “movie” mode on the buttkicker remote.
also make sure subwoofer is turned off/disconnected.
You can use the test tone that is built-in to your receiver. it should be found in the receiver’s setup.
You can also use the AVIA home theater guide DVD. go to advanced avia section. choose subwoofer setup. play subwoofer level, left-front. (if you can disconnect the left speaker it would be better because this test will alternate between left front speaker and subwoofer). Also make sure your speaker size are set as “SMALL” in your receiver’s setup.
With your hand on the buttkicker transducer, play the test tone for the subwoofer, adjust the buttkicker amp level until the transducer stops vibrating. If you don’t feel any vibrations, increase the buttkickers amp level until the transducer starts vibrating and use the remote to decrease the level step by step until the vibrations disappear. (you may have to wait a few seconds to make sure there are no more vibrations)
With your hand on the transducer, you will feel faint vibrations…lower the level at the point where the vibrations dissappear.
(don’t forget to turn your subwoofer back on)
Now back to some buttkicking sessions with the rest of my movie collections
March 10th, 2010 at 12:00 am
ButtKicker BKA300 Wireless???
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I am not super-thrilled with the buttkicker. Set-up was difficult because the instructions are not as clear as they should be and are very different from the instructions given on the buttkicker website. A simple parts list is not included. Setting it up underneath the couch was fairly painless, but getting the amplifier to get a signal from the processor would not occur unless it was hard-wired. The wireless set-up would not work. The red light flashed but would not go out after 10 seconds. It should have worked, the processor was definitely sending a signal.
Wireless problems:
1.) Instructions with unit said there did not need to be a “line of sight” between the transmitter and the receiver, but the instructions on the website said there had to be a direct line of sight between them.
2.) The website instructions talked about adjusting the “potentiometer” on the back of the transmitter, but there is no potentiometer on the back of it to adjust.
3.) The website offered very little in the way of trouble-shooting this problem. I will have to call them directly tomorrow to try and resolve this problem.
As far as the “buttkicking” goes, we (husband and myself) did not find it a particularly wonderful addition to the home-theater experience. We put in “Polar Express” to test it out and found that it was interesting, but not something we could not live without while watching movies. It was literally the same experience we had when watching the movie, “Earthquake” in the 70′s. The couch and floor vibrated on varying levels depending upon the intensity of what was happening in the movie, and loud low frequencies were heard, but I guess we might have been expecting too much. When the train in Polar Express was powering up, the shaking and low frequencies were tremendous, but did not necessarily course through our bodies like others have written about.
I think the buttkicking experience would have been much better if we were able to mount it in the center of our couch instead of at one end. Our couch does not have center support leg so we had to place the buttkicker on one far end of it. Much of the vibration was wasted by going away from the couch. Possibly “buttkicker” could have included an inexpensive substitute adapter in order to place it in the center of couches that don’t have a center support. That would have been great.
We will continue to work on the wireless problem, and if we are able to fix it, that will increase our happiness with the buttkicker. Otherwise, we will still use the buttkicker, but not as often as we would if it worked wirelessly. Having to manually connect the amplifier to the processor via wiring every time we want to watch a movie is a pain in the…….butt.
March 13th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Who needs buttkickers? YOU DO!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Many years ago when 5.1 home theater systems starting becoming available to mainstream consumers the subwoofer channel really created a new dimension to watching movies at home. Well, now if you want to extend that dimension, the buttkicker is what you’re looking for! The rumble really adds to the movie & gaming watching experience (and even watching TV).
Like other reviewers I tried out the customer service for Buttkicker, and they were very helpful and quick to respond. They really do take their customer service seriously! I feel like a bought a quality product at a great price from a great company that will honor any warranty issues I may have.
The setup is pretty easy. The wireless setup IS in the instructions, just make sure to read all the booklets that come in the various “mini boxes” within the shipment. Or read them online while you’re waiting for the shipment to arrive (which was extremely fast! It showed up 2 business days later with super savers shipping!) [...]
Are there improvements that could be done? Sure. It would be nice to see what the volume level is somewhere. The IR sensor on the RF transmitter (what you plug into your main receiver) could be a little better.
But these are minor complaints that are completely forgotten when watching Return of the King, Band of Brothers, or playing Call of Duty 4. The experience goes from watching a movie to being on a ride! We’ve had family and friends come over asking for a buttkicking…
Bottom line….for the price there is no single item that you can add to your home theater that will make as dramatic of an impact as the buttkicker. Highly recommend!
March 14th, 2010 at 12:00 am
excellent
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I am a musician and have had a long relationship with guitamer tech support rooted with a bk gamer (two of them actually) that actually caught fire, and then the second one failed. Even with all their help and hookups they couldn’t beat amazon’s price on this bka.
Install is easy, except for the wireless. this isn’t covered in the quick start guide, so listen up: if the rf transmitter and receiver don’t handshake, take these steps. plug in the usb style receiver, get a paper clip and push tiny button near light, and then do the same for the underneath button on the transmitter. They should then start talking to one another.
PROS: very stable, 300w amp runs much cooler and quieter than the gamer. I currently have it mounted to my couch and it kicks butt. great with blurays and ps3. I had to mod the drum throne mount (opt bk accessory) for it to work as a monitor for electronic drums.
cons: rf transmitter a little too space agey egg shaped, certain apps will make you nauseus.
I would recommend this accesory way before high end home theatre upgrades.
March 16th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Add another dimension to your viewing/gaming experienes!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Let’s preface this by saying I’m pretty clueless when it comes to home audio components, but after purchasing a PS3 for my husband for the holidays and seeing how much the whole family is enjoying not only the gaming aspect but the bluray player I wanted to surprise him with this to add a punch to both experiences.
I was a bit intimidated once I had everything unpacked, there are numerous instructions included and even being so unfamiliar with this type of equipment it was only a short while before I had it working. You should check your sofa to see how many Isolators you will need, I attached it to our Ikea sectional and I needed to purchase another set (sold in sets of 4) to fit under three additional legs. I went with the wirless option which is simply awesome. The only component you see is a small black circular piece which is easily tucked with your cable box, gaming system, etc. My husband didn’t even notice it. I turned it on and put on a movie for us (Dark Knight if you’re curious) and he about jumped off the sofa (that alone was worth the price). My little girl even asks me to turn it on (who knew that noggin shows thumped). The only downfall is the remote, it’s terrible. It isn’t very responsive and it’s also tiny and very VERY easy to lose. However after a few pushes it does work well and who doesn’t love another remote.
We watch a lot of movies in bed, I’m ever so tempted to see how this would work on a king size bed
March 16th, 2010 at 12:00 am
I really have to admit, I got buttkicked.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
What can I say about the buttkicker? It seriously kicks my butt. The buttkicker sends a targeted amount of bass through whatever you attach it to which definitely sets apart an experience.
I had the buttkicker attached while playing Lego Star Wars on my XBox and remember bouncing around to the tune of Starwars. I feel as though I’m a bit unqualified to completely review this given I don’t really have that powerful a speaker setup but even with my weak system the buttkicker amplified my experience considerably.
In the package you receive everything you need to setup your system: an amplifier, a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, the mounting kit, and the buttkicker itself. It doesn’t take long to setup and comes with the only tool you need to set it up (unless you’re physically mounting it).
The sound seems like it’ll travel (and I’m sure my neighbors below me thank me for using the buttkicker sparingly) but the mounting system to set it up definitely reduces the amount of bass escaping through the floor.
I can’t say I dislike the buttkicker… it feels weird at first actually feeling a show or game but hey, you’re getting your butt kicked, what do you expect?
March 17th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Excellent Upgrade For The Home Theatre or Gaming Enthusiast
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
First, I’m not a big time home audio enthusiast. Yes, I have a nice big screen TV, a decent surround sound system, and a PS3. However, I don’t consider myself an expert or advanced user. With that in mind, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the ButtKicker Kit. It all sounds innocent enough, plug in a few modules to your system and enjoy your movies and games more. I was not expecting much, but I was very much (and pleasantly) surprised by the difference that the ButtKicker makes. I guess it’s hard to imagine how it changes the experience until you’ve actually experienced it yourself. It really does bring the movie or game into your sitting area, and thus your body. You honestly really do feel more immersed in the game or movie. So, since it is so hard to explain how ButtKicker feels or changes your experience, I will instead focus on the prime audience for the product.
If you rarely use your surround sound system, and could care less about terms like Dolby Digital 5.1, then I doubt you will be able to appreciate this product. However, if you enjoy watching movies or playing games and actually “hearing” the sounds as they were meant to be heard, then you are going to fall in love with the ButtKicker product.
The unit is well built, and I was glad to see the metal components, not some cheap plastic. You will feel like you got your money’s worth with the product. The system comes with high quality speaker cables, and the setup is easy enough, although at first it may seem daunting until you realize exactly how it works. For this one folks, be sure and read the instruction booklet that is included at the top of the box! It will save you time. The unit is packaged well, with everything fitting the box perfectly, so there should be little danger of getting a unit that has broken during shipping.
Bottom Line: If you love movies and games, you are going to love them even more after you install the ButtKicker!
April 16th, 2010 at 2:28 am
Вы ошибаетесь. Пишите мне в PM, поговорим….
Buttkicker BK-Kit-4 Average Customer Rating 5 out of 5 Read Reviews Write Review 27 $229.99 $399…..
May 19th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
Ну они и дают жару…
……
June 27th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
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