The first thing that had to be done is to install the included rubber stoppers on the bottoms of your couch legs. All except the one that would be resting on the ButtKicker, that is. But have you ever held up a couch while trying to screw a chunk of rubber one-handed onto the leg? I would suggest either having a friend help you flip the couch over or just invest in a two ton floor jack. Either way is much better than trying to do it the way I did it. I told you I made it hard on myself, didn’t I?
Okay, next I had to use the included four bolts, nuts, and washers to attach the ButtKicker Advance to the CMAK mounting plate. Not a difficult job, and it included the only needed tool for the job. When done with that, the flat portion of the plate slides under the leg of your couch. Preferably in the center, but an outside leg will do if you don’t have a center leg. Now it’s time to connect the giant speaker wire to the BK Advance. All you have to do is push the metal top down, slide the wire in, and let go. Easy as can be. It’s even color-coded to keep you from screwing everything up. The other end of the wires runs over to the ButtKicker Power Amp. This little beauty is where you plug in the wireless receiver to import and amplify the bass for your bum.
Now the receiver is plugged into the Amp. The BK Advance is connected to the plate, and the cables are connected to both. So I used the included power cord to get everything juiced up. Now it was time to go hook up the Wireless Transmitter to my DVD Player. This is what sends bass to the ButtKicker for your booty’s enjoyment. Believe it or not, this is where I had the most trouble. No matter how I plugged it in, I couldn’t get it to work properly. Finally I figured out that I had the cable connected to the Transmitter plugged into the “Out” port, rather than the “In”. This is where I realized exactly how dumb I can be.
I completely forgot that I had left the ButtKicker Amp turned on the entire time, and that the bass was turned all the way up. I didn’t realize exactly how much power bass can have. I’ve also never seen a couch dance or a dog run that fast. Unfortunately for my dog, she was sleeping right beside the couch at the time. It took her a while to stop shaking uncontrollably. So until I could get to the remote I had a couch jumping all over my living room making the most horrid racket and a dog whimpering and barking from the kitchen.
Okay, the horror is over and everything is hooked up properly. Time to sit my butt down and watch a movie. I also got my hands on an Xbox 360 to play with and borrowed some 90s rap CDs from my girlfriend. I figure if you’re going to test the world’s biggest vibrator, might as well do it from all angles. For my movie choice I selected Die Hard 4.0 to test with. If Bruce Willis blowing up everything doesn’t get the couch shaking then nothing will.
The included remote control has three preset options for MUSIC, MOVIE, and GAME. With each preset option the ButtKicker automatically adjusts its volume and bass settings to be optimal with the chosen media. I put the thing into MOVIE mode and sat back for a “non-stop action-packed thrill ride” -OCModshop Weekly.
And I was not disappointed with the results. It picked up the suspensful “lows” beautifully, making the experience much more like being in a cinema than sitting in a living room. Each blast from a gun sent a boom through the body, and the explosions sent shockwaves that were sometimes nearly enough to rattle the teeth right out of my head. I definately give it two thumbs up for the movie going experience.
Next I invited my woman into the World of ButtKicker to test out her music collection. She has an unnerving amount of music from the 80s and 90s with an arsenal of bass-filled rap to jar your skull. After about half an hour of Will Smith, N.W.A. and Sir Mix-A-Lot, I was able to confirm the MUSIC experience was more than enough to make you feel the noise. Hopefully Quiet Riot doesn’t sue me for that one. When I went across the room to set everything up for the gaming test, I could feel the bass through the floorboards. So if you have a hardwood floor like I do I suggest getting an area rug or something of that nature to help muffle the noise. Wood is a major carrier of sound.
