after several months of thinking to upgrade dash speakers, trying to get some "bass" out of the stock system, decided to install "aura bass shakers" underneath the seats and replaced my door stock speaker and tweeter only on the dash with a Focal polyglass 165
vb. I left the stock midrange in place. I run the separates thought the stock amp. I had originally bought the shakers for my house entertainment system but decided to try them in the car. Aura shaker is basically a speaker without the cone. the voicecoil moves up and down, creating a vibration than will travel through anything solid and making metal vibrate/resonate low frequencies, thus using the floor board as the speaker, tricking your brain into believing there is a bigger speaker hidden somewhere.
This is the definition according to Aura; "The Aura AST-2B-4 Pro Bass Shaker also known as a butt shaker, butt kicker, or tactile transducer works on the concept that low bass is mostly felt and not heard. Feel the earth-shaking bass from your music, movies or video game soundtracks. The Aura Pro Bass Shaker was originally designed for automotive applications to produce big car subwoofer bass without taking up valuable space in the trunk of your car. The Aura Pro Bass Shaker is ideal for convertibles and sports cars, where installing a large car stereo subwoofer is not practical. Can also be used in the home to make your own movie or video game chair. The Aura Bass Shaker simply mounts to the floorboard under the seat or to the bottom of a chair to send vibrations through the structure allowing you to feel awesome bass. The Pro version bass shaker handles 50 watts of power and produces more driving force than a standard shaker. Connects to an amplifier like an ordinary speaker. Use an array of Bass Shakers for larger surface areas like couches or love seats by utilizing conventional series parallel wiring configuration."
Anyways, wanted lots of "bass" so I went for two on each side. you do have to make a small sacrifice and have to cut the carpet underneath the seat. cover exposed area with black duck tape to avoid the Aura shaker feet to come in direct contact with the flood board metal otherwise you might get unwanted metal resonances.
I wanted to keep my stock stereo for an OEM look. You must use an external amplifier to power them. You dont need a huge amplifier to run them since they only take 50 watts rms each. I chose a smaller punch amp that had a remote control (wired remote gain) and had the knob installed by my head unit. make sure you do get an amp that has a remote gain or a remote bass boost knob so you can set the gain on the amp, and turn the effect of the shakers from none/low to strong/high.
specs for shaker:
Specifications:
• Power handling: 50 watts RMS/100 watts max
• Impedance: 4 ohms
• Usable frequency response: 20 to 80 Hz
• Fs: 40 Hz
• Force peak: 30 lbs. per ft.
• Dimensions: 6.2" dia. x 2.5" H
I do advise for anybody with midrange AND tweeter speakers on the dash not to replace them with a 4inch aftermarket speaker. I tried both configurations outside the car to compare the sound and by far, the stock separates sounded way better than a 4 coaxial aftermarket. Now, my highs are bright but not overbearing, the 5 1/4 speaker was replaced by a 6 3/4 midbass speaker without the need to take the OEM subwoofer enclosure or baffle boards. The instaler was able to "shave" a larger opening on the OEM enclosure, attached and sealed with silicone a bigger mounting ring for the speaker. Finished the enclosure by covering the inside with dynamat. The volume of bass did not increased on my door speakers because the stock amplifier has an internal crossover preventing the speaker to play lower but it plays slightly louder and cleaner.
Overall, Im happy with the results. I had to adjust my seat position several times for maximum shaking feel. If the seat is all the way back, pressed against the fire wall, it wont "shake" as much. Also, If i had to do it all over, I would have gone with only one per side. Trying to fit two of them underneath without interfering with the seat movement was very hard. The passenger side flood board, has a clean bare spot right in the middle. the driver's side a little harder because the module underneath the seat. The preferred install spot for the shakers would be bolting them to the actual seat frame or in a bracket attached to the seat. I did not want to cut seats or drill them. (back of the seat) You do feel the drumkick on your bottom and keeps the ladies giggling because their seat "vibrates" My friend thought I had a 10inch or a 12inch hidden somewhere. Again, its mostly vibrations, not sound (like a woofer) the ones you feel.
I bought shakers through this guys
http://www.parts-express.com/
fast delivery and professional service.