ButtKicker LFE Kit Build Quality

In the never-ending quest to upgrade our home theaters, sometimes it becomes difficult to find cost effective upgrades that actually enhance our systems. We all know that we want our systems' audio and video to appeal to our senses (sight and sound) and we want our lighting and seating to be just right. So, what are we missing? There is one sense that remains untapped for the majority: feeling.

Motion actuators have been around for a long time. I have been installing them in high-end home theaters for the better part of 10 years. The effect can add a huge amount of impact, fun, and excitement.

These actuators actually became popular in the automobile installation industry first. Later, a few innovative installers started integrating them into home theaters. Most often the installation process was labor-intensive and required modification of furniture or building custom platforms for mounting. Now, 10 years later, the Guitammer Corporation has introduced an actuator kit that can be installed with ease. The ButtKicker LFE (Low Frequency Effect) Kit is the perfect addition for custom home theaters or for the person that lives in an apartment or condo where sharing a wall with a neighbor makes loud subwoofers an impossibility.

The kit contained from left to right: the BKA1000-4 amplifier, ButtKicker LFE shaker, mounting plate, 14AWG wire, "Y" splitter interconnect, single lead interconnect, mounting hardware, and installation instructions. The bulk and heft of the amplifier really surprised me. With this in mind, I could not wait to see how it was constructed. Removing the top cover and looking inside, I felt as though I was opening the hood of a muscle car from the 1960's. The ButtKicker LFE amplifier has a huge Toroidal-based power supply (note the quarter in the picture shown below for reference). Installed just behind the power supply are the oversized filter capacitors and, running almost the entire length of the chassis, is the oversized heat sink. The Class D amplifier delivers a whopping 1100 watts into a 4-ohm load and 2100 watts into a 2-ohm load - fully doubling its power output.

The front faceplate of the amplifier is thick-machined aluminum. There you will find the power on/off switch, high and low pass filter switches, variable cross over control, and large volume control.

  

The back of the amplifier has a multi-voltage switch for 120v/240v, one pair of five-way binding posts, one 1/4-inch input, and one RCA input. The amplifier is convection cooled, meaning it is dead silent when operating. While, reinstalling the top cover on this amplifier, the thought occurred to me that not only is this a great amplifier for the connection of up to four ButtKicker LFE shakers, but it would also be a perfect selection for those with passive or large DIY subwoofers. The amplifier is beautifully engineered and well-constructed. Seeing this level of quality at this price point was amazing. The amplifier is available for purchase separately at $399 MSRP.