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Need Subwoofer advice for cat purr playback

Gingahippy

Gingahippy

Active Member
Hi folks.

So I'm playing with an idea, playing back a cats purr at full frequency response, 25Hz-150Hz. I need to make people vibrate at 25, 50 and 100 Hz with no distortion, it's for a therapy setting so maximum listening comfort is paramount.

I need a good sub for around $500. The choice is down to the following:

Rythmik Audio LV12R
Hsu Research VTF-2 mk5
SVS PB-1000
SVS SB-2000

My room is 2x13x9’ = 1404 cu.ft

The sub ideally needs to go down to 20Hz to make sure the 25Hz doesn't suffer. Thats the tone I want to recreate the most.

The most important thing is clean sound. A cat's purr has several tones and it is crucial that I get 25Hz good and clean at volume. I want to make the room and client rumble gently with zero unpleasantness or distortion.

I hear the Rythmik can have baffle chuffing. I worry the PB1000 will be too big and booming for the room. SB2000 seems like a winner but I'm trying to save some cash and go with one of the other 3 if possible. I've read enough that I'm dizzy so i'm asking you guys for first hand experiences and opinions.

Or any other input I may need to be aware of.

I'm not planning on using any other speakers with this, I have a separate sound system for the music, this is just for the low tones.

Thanks guys.
 
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I'm thinking "hearing damage" if you're looking to shake bodies at 25Hz for any length of time.
 
When I say shake I'm being hyperbolic. I mean I need the frequencies to fully penetrate the body but not necessarily cause any vibration. It's a therapeutic environment so it will all be at a soothing level.

The goal is to recreate the effect of being a kitten curled up in the mothers belly as she purrs. Not in any way to feel like being at a nightclub.

I heed your warning though. I'll look into how ling cats purr for on average. I know it's not a particularly long time, it takes energy and cats are economical with that.
 
You should be able to find a good working Sunfire True Sub MKII for $300-$500 used. They're flat from 18-100Hz. Only 10" x 10" cube. I have one and it is guaranteed to rattle the windows :D
 
I haven't heard that Hsu model but I've liked others they have. I thought they had a pleasant sound, but not sure how low they stay flat to.
 
When I was shopping for subs, the HSU caught my eye and looked to be highly configurable. Frequency response with one port open looks like it meets what you're looking for.

VTF-2MK51PrtOpenEQ1FR.jpg

Ultimately I picked a Rhythmik sub, but I wasn't looking to recreate a six foot cat!
 
I've decided ported is better for my needs, based on everything I've read and what the guy at SVS told me. He said the PB-1000 would have better low end bass than the Sb-2000 which is saying a lot.

The newer pro model also has dual port tuning. The pre-pro has one port and no tuning. But $800 is above my range.

Right now I'm looking closely at the HSU. User reports and reviews seem to favour it over SVS for low end sound. I think it rivals the PB1000 Pro at a lower price.
 
Gingahippy said:
Hi folks.

So I'm playing with an idea, playing back a cats purr at full frequency response, 25Hz-150Hz. I need to make people vibrate at 25, 50 and 100 Hz with no distortion, it's for a therapy setting so maximum listening comfort is paramount.

I need a good sub for around $500. The choice is down to the following:

Rythmik Audio LV12R
Hsu Research VTF-2 mk5
SVS PB-1000
SVS SB-2000

My room is 2x13x9’ = 1404 cu.ft

The sub ideally needs to go down to 20Hz to make sure the 25Hz doesn't suffer. Thats the tone I want to recreate the most.

The most important thing is clean sound. A cat's purr has several tones and it is crucial that I get 25Hz good and clean at volume. I want to make the room and client rumble gently with zero unpleasantness or distortion.

I hear the Rythmik can have baffle chuffing. I worry the PB1000 will be too big and booming for the room. SB2000 seems like a winner but I'm trying to save some cash and go with one of the other 3 if possible. I've read enough that I'm dizzy so i'm asking you guys for first hand experiences and opinions.

Or any other input I may need to be aware of.

I'm not planning on using any other speakers with this, I have a separate sound system for the music, this is just for the low tones.

Thanks guys.
Click to expand...

I would think seat shakers would be a better option. The Aura Pros below are very good. I'm using 8 of them -- 1 for each of 4 theater chairs and 4 for my son's sim racing driving rig. The shakers are pretty amazing when dialed in properly and are very powerful.

"Buttkicker" is the name everybody knows with shakers -- but I hated my Buttkicker (amp issues, clacking sounds, long-throw piston isn't as good for vibrations). I think the Aura Pros are better generally, and especially for something subtle like cat purring (versus a movie explosion), and they are a hell of a lot less expensive than Buttkickers.

How good are the Aura Pros? My son accidentally unplugged my 18" sub and I didn't even notice it for a while. Much more shaking/vibration power than a sub with zero unpleasantness and zero "room blasting" required. One shaker per chair would likely be enough.

You can use any sub amp (that has crossover and level controls) to drive the shakers -- 25 watts per shaker is plenty. Shakers can be purchased individually, but (for simplicity) here are some bundled shaker/amp options:

https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-APA150-With-2-Aura-Pro-Bass-Shakers-Bundle-300-9004
300-9004_HR_0.default.jpg


https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-SA230-With-4-Aura-Pro-Bass-Shakers-Bundle-300-9006
300-9006_HR_0.default.jpg
 
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A much cheaper way would be to use a car subwoofer in the recommended size box, and run it with either a plate amplifier, or a stand-alone subwoofer amp. Or a pair of subwoofers.

Lee.
 
I have to confess that none of this makes sense to me, but my cat purrs at a very low volume, and while I can feel her body vibrating, nothing else in the room does so. I can't imagine an effective therapy that involves reproducing an enormous cat with sharp teeth and claws purring at very loud volumes - sounds like a recipe for terror.
Why not get a bunch of cats and use them as therapy? I would guess that dogs would probably be more effective, but I'm out of my depth here.
 
Gingahippy said:
I've decided ported is better for my needs, based on everything I've read and what the guy at SVS told me. He said the PB-1000 would have better low end bass than the Sb-2000 which is saying a lot.
Click to expand...

One thing to keep in mind is that sealed subs generally have a much shallower roll-off at the bottom end. Sure, ported will sometimes go louder and more effortlessly, but I wouldn’t rule out the SB-2000. I’ve had mine for several years, and I’ve had it nearly pressurize my 13x15x8 living room on some movies (the helicopter/rhino scene in the “Jumanji” remake comes to mind?). When I ran sweep tests with REW, I had over 80db at 9hz shortly after I bought it. :o :thumbsup:

Their customer service is great, and if it somehow doesn’t fit your needs, can always return or exchange it too. I don’t think you’ll need to, though.

Joe
 
Yeah I agree with peterp1, a bass shaker was what first came to mind, probably paired with a standard subwoofer so you get the audible part at safe volume.

If I imagine being reclined on a couch or chair under a weighted blanket with a momma cat’s purr completely filling the room and rattling through my bones — it would feel very safe and secure

or possibly terrifying! Depends if you identify more as a kitten or a mouse that’s been swallowed whole :)
 
$500 dollars doesn't even get you in the door unless you buy a pre-owned unit from some one who is desperate.
 
I went with the HSU. It seems to be the most competent at the lower freqs out fo the selection. The idea is to keep it subtle, not imposing, just a gentle but palpable rumble.

I'll look into a seat shaker as well but to be honest I feel that may be too invasive to the actual therapy session. It's meant to accentuate the therapy not override it. Can they be set to specific frequencies or do they just shake at a set rate?

I thought about a car subwoofer but I like something that I can add to my audio system for parties if needed.

I called SVS and they guy told me that one PB would be better than 2 SBs for the low end due to porting. It's all so new to me, I'll start with the HSU and see what, if anything, needs changing.
 
Gingahippy said:
I'll look into a seat shaker as well but to be honest I feel that may be too invasive to the actual therapy session. It's meant to accentuate the therapy not override it. Can they be set to specific frequencies or do they just shake at a set rate?
Click to expand...

I think it makes sense to start with the HSU and then see if it needs to be supplemented with shakers. To answer your question, shakers are almost exactly like a sub in terms of both feel and control. You typically have a crossover control (usually set lower than the sub) and a level control just lie a sub. It feels exactly like a sub, but it's more powerful without filling the room with sound. As I mentioned, I had my sub accidentally disconnected for a while in the theater room and didn't notice it because of the shakers.

With movies, the key is to make sure the crossover is set exactly right -- usually somewhere around 40-50hz -- you want it to capture just the effects that should legitimately cause shaking. If crossover is too high, they will shake for things that shouldn't induce shakes and become annoying, but when you have it dialed in exactly, it's pretty damn amazing -- and you can control the intensity level from subtle to pretty intense. The term "shaker" is a bit misleading -- if feels like the deepest sub ever rather than actually shaking. In my opinion, shakers are probably the biggest bang for the buck (pun not avoidable) affordable upgrade for movie use. I think you're correct to evaluate the HSU first and then determine if shakers can supplement that.
 
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