All Shook Up: Tactile Sound Transducers

There are lows and then there are bone-rattling lows. If you're looking to feel those LFEs (low-frequency-effects), check out these aptly-named "shakers."

Call me naive, but I bet I’m not the only one who thought all a home theater needed in order to duplicate the sensation of explosions, bullets or ground-shaking special effects was to just turn up the subwoofer. But once we had the chance to sit on a chair where a LFE (low-frequency-effects) device was installed, we never went back. The difference was profound. Instead of just hearing these effects, you could feel their impact throughout your entire body.



Known as shakers, movers or to be more technical, tactile sound transducers, these devices can resemble a speaker (albeit without a cabinet). But rather than using a moving cone to send sound waves through the air, the LFE device creates low frequency sounds which get passed directly into the body of the person sitting on a chair or couch to which it has been attached.

Installation requires attaching the LFE to the chair’s underside. As can be imagined, this kind of placement can be rough on the furniture and so should be approached with care. Fortunately many LFE manufacturers provide detailed instructions and offer mounting brackets and other accessories to ease the process (and in some cases home theater furniture can even be procured with an LFE already installed). It’s also worth noting that it’s possible to place LFE’s within the floorboards and so eliminate the furniture from the equation altogether

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[Link: electronichouse.com]