Super simple Bass Shaker install [Archive] (2024)

Mark Jones

7th April 2002, 17:32

I have always wanted a little more bass in my 94...but I wasn't willing to give up trunk space...nor did I want to rattle the person sitting next to me at a stoplights. I also admired the factory MSSS system, with the bass transducer in the seatback, it works pretty good. SO...I decided the bass shakers were the way to go. After a lovely anniversary gift (of money) from my wife I decided now was the time. I bid on a set of un-used bass shakers on e-bay and won for the total price of 38.50 with shipping. These weren't the "pro" models, but rather the AST-1B-4 model, which don't have the power rating of the pros...but they were cheap...and I'm a teacher so cheap is good ;) Since I already had an amp I was set.

Then came the question of how to mount them. I tried several alternatives, inculding under the seat, on the metal panel behind the seats, and on the floor under the seats...none of which really suited me. I looked at the complex brackets and elaborate setups others have used and decided on a MUCH easier way. I simply removed the center hog ring under the little flap at the lower edge of the seatback. I them gently (yeah right) forced the bass shaker between the seatback and the upholstery. Friction holds it in place pretty good...they are downright hard to move. It does create a "lump" in the seatback....but I don't see the seatbacks when the seat is in the driving position and the seat feels the same with them installed. But..it causes the seat to lose the last notch in adjustment...but its not a factor for me. I did replace the hogring to keep things tied together. I simply ran the wires under the carpet and through the little pass through on the pass side to the trunk where I mounted the Amp inside the spare tire.

WOW :eek: They sound (or feel) great!!! It really fills out the audio experience and keep working great at speed. The wind and road noise isn't a factor since the bass is shaking my back, and no one outside the car can tell I'm pounding down the road. Plus....put in a good bassy CD and I get a free back massage!!

2TWISTY

8th April 2002, 13:30

I did a bass shaker install in my 95M recently.

I, too put them in the seatbacks, since I was uncomfortable with cutting the seat pan and installing them.

I removed the seat coverings from the seatbacks and installed 2 shakers in each seat. I screwed them to the metal backplate.

I too, LOVE my shakers. They can blur my vision sometimes.

Chad

Miata95M

8th April 2002, 19:45

I installed my shakers behind the seats by cutting a hole just large enough for the shakers to stick through and placing heavy duty double faced tape (the kind used for auto trim) on the backs. No screws! I like them except I think one of them is blown - it rattles, apparently internally, not against the car. The driver's seat pushes back and reclines enough to press firmly against the shaker, thus a good feel - the passenger seat requires a folded up towel between the seat the shaker to get the same contact.

What are you guys using to power your shakers? I have an MTX 280 watt amp in the trunk - works pretty good.

Derek_z

8th April 2002, 19:55

Hello all,
I have done the same thing with my bass shakers. I mounted them to the seat backs. To see how I did mine check out the link below...

Look in the Miata Stereo Folder:

http://photos.yahoo.com/derekzalewski

Later,
Derek_z
'94A

2TWISTY

9th April 2002, 11:58

Originally posted by MichaelHanrahan:
I installed my shakers behind the seats by cutting a hole just large enough for the shakers to stick through and placing heavy duty double faced tape (the kind used for auto trim) on the backs. No screws! I like them except I think one of them is blown - it rattles, apparently internally, not against the car. The driver's seat pushes back and reclines enough to press firmly against the shaker, thus a good feel - the passenger seat requires a folded up towel between the seat the shaker to get the same contact.

What are you guys using to power your shakers? I have an MTX 280 watt amp in the trunk - works pretty good.I went ape with my install. I have 3 amps in my trunk. a 2x25, a 2x55 and a 2x100.

I left my stock stereo in place and used a line converter to go from the factory speaker outputs to line level. I put a 7-band EQ with subwoofer outputs in the glovebox. The EQ also had a front to rear fader.

I replaced the door speakers with Cerwin-Vega 6002s and left the factory door tweeters. I installed 2 bass shakers (the 25w variety) in each seatback. I put 8" subs in the rear deck a-la Hakuna's method and put 3.5" speakers in the 95M headrests.

From the EQ, I sent the rear channel to the 2x25W amp for the headrests. I sent the subwoofer output to the 2x55W amp for the shakers (wired in series so they are 8Ohms) Then I sent the front channel the 2x100W amp that goes to a 3-way passive crossover that directs the sound to the 8"subs for lows, the 6.5" door speakers for the mids and the highs go to the factory tweets.

All told, I have 14 speaker devices in my car (I am counting the shakers as speakers) and I run 360W of amps in the well in my trunk. I put a piece of plywood that I painted black over it and from the outside of the car you cannot tell that I have that stereo installed. The only external evidence is the bulge in the seatbacks from the shakers and the slightly disturbed backdeck carpet. Other than that, it looks totally stock.

I just picked up a cheapie digital camera. Perhaps I will take some pics for y'all.

Chad

MrNibbles

10th April 2002, 14:03

MrNibbles

10th April 2002, 14:05

Davbret

10th April 2002, 14:14

hey Nibbles, how did that PAX sub turn out? Didn't I help you with dimensions for it? :D

R

woozy_one

10th April 2002, 16:50

I'm considering the bass shakers. Are there any other's out there that are comparable, but maybe a bit cheaper? I did a search and came up with some, but the links no longer worked.

Also, how well do the shakers compliment the sub? I have a JL 8W6 in the pax footwell but I'm looking for a little more punch that I can feel.

Thanks!!

[ 10 April 2002, 16:56: Message edited by: woozy_one ]

Miata95M

10th April 2002, 20:34

All this talk makes me want to get a couple of Pro Bass Shakers and put the two non-pro ones under the seats and the pros behind the seats where I have the others right now.

Question --- how much have you guys paid for your Pros? I think I only paid $25 or so for my non-pros about a year ago, but now they seem to be a bit more expensive. I can get the pros for $70 +$15 S+H on ebay - is this best I'll do?

Mark Jones

10th April 2002, 23:45

Ebay has the Pros all day long for around $65...some guy seems to have a large supply of them and the "buy it now" option for $70. This is the best price I could find also. FWIW I paid 38.50 total for my non-pros.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1344442430

Compared to a sub they are a bit less powerful than the 10' bandpass box I tried out first in my trunk...BUT the 10 was almost totally drowned out by road noise at speed, especially with the top down. The bass shakers keep feeling good even at speed. They don't have the ultimate "bump" of the 10 while sitting still, but they work better overall.

Mine are powered by a 35x2 cheap old Coustic amp I have had for years in the garage. I have it turned down a bit for fear of blowing them, but have had no problems so far.

MrNibbles

11th April 2002, 12:45

I think I paid $120- for the Pro's...just did a search on the internet to find them new. Davbret - yeah, the specs were cool - you are the man!!

-Corey

Miata95M

13th April 2002, 07:38

nester

16th April 2002, 11:11

I have a set of pro's sitting in my trunk.. I never could figure out where to put them.. So I haven't hooked them up yet. One day I suppose.

I'd be interested to see where you mount them.

Miata95M

16th April 2002, 14:53

David Bond

16th April 2002, 17:22

I had the MSSS in my 93C...I got rid of the headunit and now have a nice Alpine. I use Infinity Kappas in the doors, and have the Infinity Basslink in the trunk...it sounds great, but I still have the original bass shakers in the seats, not being used...I don't want to take them out, so i might as well use them...

Questions:
Can I somehow run them off of the Basslink? How do these stock shakers compare to the ones you all are using? How do I wire them?
Thanks for the help!

nester

17th April 2002, 02:01

problem with the pro model is that it will not fit under the seat. not without some cutting or something.. unless you are willing to give up seat adjustment.. which i am not.

i'm going to re-examine the situation soon, as it was winter when i looked last and the cold made me cranky. :)

Miata95M

2nd May 2002, 20:15

I finally got the 'pros' in the mail today - was so excited I virtually ripped the non-pros out and put the pros in and WOW!! What a difference - the seats come alive with the bass (I have the mounted to the wall behind the seats.

Now I have to figure out if I really want to put the non-pros under the seats.....

:cool:

2TWISTY

2nd May 2002, 23:44

Originally posted by MichaelHanrahan:
I finally got the 'pros' in the mail today - was so excited I virtually ripped the non-pros out and put the pros in and WOW!! What a difference - the seats come alive with the bass (I have the mounted to the wall behind the seats.

Now I have to figure out if I really want to put the non-pros under the seats.....

:cool: Where did you have your non-pros, and how many?

I've got 2 non-pros in each seat.

Might have to get a set and try 'em.

Chad

Miata95M

3rd May 2002, 06:41

I had the non-pros behind the seats (I described the installation in my post in this thread - scroll up to the 3rd post in this thread)

The main reason I wanted to replace them is because one of them seems to be broken - it rattles rather than vibrating. The upgrade to the pros was done primarily because I found them for a good price on ebay. The difference between the two is incredible - the pros are much, much better.

Jeff J.

3rd May 2002, 17:12

Originally posted by David Bond:
I had the MSSS in my 93C...I got rid of the headunit and now have a nice Alpine. I use Infinity Kappas in the doors, and have the Infinity Basslink in the trunk...it sounds great, but I still have the original bass shakers in the seats, not being used...I don't want to take them out, so i might as well use them...

Questions:
Can I somehow run them off of the Basslink? How do these stock shakers compare to the ones you all are using? How do I wire them?
Thanks for the help!Anyone help him out here? Moving back to top.

[ 03 May 2002, 17:13: Message edited by: JURYJT ]

nester

6th May 2002, 13:36

Originally posted by David Bond:
I had the MSSS in my 93C...I got rid of the headunit and now have a nice Alpine. I use Infinity Kappas in the doors, and have the Infinity Basslink in the trunk...it sounds great, but I still have the original bass shakers in the seats, not being used...I don't want to take them out, so i might as well use them...

Questions:
Can I somehow run them off of the Basslink? How do these stock shakers compare to the ones you all are using? How do I wire them?
Thanks for the help!No. I don't think you can run them off the Basslink. The Basslink's internal amp is only designed to push it's own speaker. If you want to hook the MSSS shakers up, you would probably need another amp. I don't know how many watts they take, and I'm not sure about the wiring either.

The simple wiring is to find the wires under the seats and chop them, and wire them to the amp. Either in series or parallel depending on the amp and how it handles it's ohms.

keali'i

7th May 2002, 11:05

Hi ya folks,

Have these in my home theater and they work great.

Have never tried them on the car but I imagine they'll be just effective.

Anyway, there are a few sources for cheap non-aura shakers. I believe mcmelectronics.com or allelectronics.com used to sell some for under $20.

Thanks,
Errol

[ 07 May 2002, 11:11: Message edited by: keali'i ]

RagerXS

14th June 2002, 16:11

Originally posted by nester:
problem with the pro model is that it will not fit under the seat. not without some cutting or something.. unless you are willing to give up seat adjustment.. which i am not.I'm doing the research on this, and I'm considering two for each seat, one under and one behind. But I don't want to give up seat travel more than 'maybe' the last notch. I also went to www.aurasound.com (http://www.aurasound.com) and found that they list the exact same dimensions for the pros and non-pros. Some people on here say the non-pros fit under the seat, and the pros don't. At least one person has some pros under the seat, and their website says they are the same dimensions (5.4 x 2.2" frame for each). What gives?

~ Fred

2TWISTY

15th June 2002, 10:10

I was going to do exactly that. I got the non-pro 25W RMS ones and I didn't see how they'd fir under the seat without either cutting the seat pan or severely limiting seat travel. So, I put 2 in each seatback. One in the middle of your back, and the other in the lumbar area.

They do shake a lot, but my wife complains that the "middle of the back" ones are too much sometimes.

Chad