Home > Consumer Reviews > ButtKicker BKA300 Wireless Home Theater Kit with ButtKicker Advance and Power Amplifier

Many years ago when 5.1 home theater systems starting becoming available to mainstream consumers the subwoofer channel really created a new dimension to watching movies at home. Well, now if you want to extend that dimension, the buttkicker is what you're looking for! The rumble really adds to the movie & gaming watching experience (and even watching TV).

Like other reviewers I tried out the customer service for Buttkicker, and they were very helpful and quick to respond. They really do take their customer service seriously! I feel like a bought a quality product at a great price from a great company that will honor any warranty issues I may have.

The setup is pretty easy. The wireless setup IS in the instructions, just make sure to read all the booklets that come in the various "mini boxes" within the shipment. Or read them online while you're waiting for the shipment to arrive (which was extremely fast! It showed up 2 business days later with super savers shipping!) [...]

Are there improvements that could be done? Sure. It would be nice to see what the volume level is somewhere. The IR sensor on the RF transmitter (what you plug into your main receiver) could be a little better.

But these are minor complaints that are completely forgotten when watching Return of the King, Band of Brothers, or playing Call of Duty 4. The experience goes from watching a movie to being on a ride! We've had family and friends come over asking for a buttkicking...

Bottom line....for the price there is no single item that you can add to your home theater that will make as dramatic of an impact as the buttkicker. Highly recommend!

Let's preface this by saying I'm pretty clueless when it comes to home audio components, but after purchasing a PS3 for my husband for the holidays and seeing how much the whole family is enjoying not only the gaming aspect but the bluray player I wanted to surprise him with this to add a punch to both experiences.

I was a bit intimidated once I had everything unpacked, there are numerous instructions included and even being so unfamiliar with this type of equipment it was only a short while before I had it working. You should check your sofa to see how many Isolators you will need, I attached it to our Ikea sectional and I needed to purchase another set (sold in sets of 4) to fit under three additional legs. I went with the wirless option which is simply awesome. The only component you see is a small black circular piece which is easily tucked with your cable box, gaming system, etc. My husband didn't even notice it. I turned it on and put on a movie for us (Dark Knight if you're curious) and he about jumped off the sofa (that alone was worth the price). My little girl even asks me to turn it on (who knew that noggin shows thumped). The only downfall is the remote, it's terrible. It isn't very responsive and it's also tiny and very VERY easy to lose. However after a few pushes it does work well and who doesn't love another remote.

We watch a lot of movies in bed, I'm ever so tempted to see how this would work on a king size bed :D

What can I say about the buttkicker? It seriously kicks my butt. The buttkicker sends a targeted amount of bass through whatever you attach it to which definitely sets apart an experience.

I had the buttkicker attached while playing Lego Star Wars on my XBox and remember bouncing around to the tune of Starwars. I feel as though I'm a bit unqualified to completely review this given I don't really have that powerful a speaker setup but even with my weak system the buttkicker amplified my experience considerably.

In the package you receive everything you need to setup your system: an amplifier, a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, the mounting kit, and the buttkicker itself. It doesn't take long to setup and comes with the only tool you need to set it up (unless you're physically mounting it).

The sound seems like it'll travel (and I'm sure my neighbors below me thank me for using the buttkicker sparingly) but the mounting system to set it up definitely reduces the amount of bass escaping through the floor.

I can't say I dislike the buttkicker... it feels weird at first actually feeling a show or game but hey, you're getting your butt kicked, what do you expect?

First, I'm not a big time home audio enthusiast. Yes, I have a nice big screen TV, a decent surround sound system, and a PS3. However, I don't consider myself an expert or advanced user. With that in mind, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from the ButtKicker Kit. It all sounds innocent enough, plug in a few modules to your system and enjoy your movies and games more. I was not expecting much, but I was very much (and pleasantly) surprised by the difference that the ButtKicker makes. I guess it's hard to imagine how it changes the experience until you've actually experienced it yourself. It really does bring the movie or game into your sitting area, and thus your body. You honestly really do feel more immersed in the game or movie. So, since it is so hard to explain how ButtKicker feels or changes your experience, I will instead focus on the prime audience for the product.

If you rarely use your surround sound system, and could care less about terms like Dolby Digital 5.1, then I doubt you will be able to appreciate this product. However, if you enjoy watching movies or playing games and actually "hearing" the sounds as they were meant to be heard, then you are going to fall in love with the ButtKicker product.

The unit is well built, and I was glad to see the metal components, not some cheap plastic. You will feel like you got your money's worth with the product. The system comes with high quality speaker cables, and the setup is easy enough, although at first it may seem daunting until you realize exactly how it works. For this one folks, be sure and read the instruction booklet that is included at the top of the box! It will save you time. The unit is packaged well, with everything fitting the box perfectly, so there should be little danger of getting a unit that has broken during shipping.

Bottom Line: If you love movies and games, you are going to love them even more after you install the ButtKicker!

My second Buttkicker BKA300 arrived last night, my first kit had what appears to be a bad transducer. I called Guitammer tech support for the first unit and they rushed me out a brand new kit first thing on Monday this week. The Customer Service was Excellent.

I have to admit I am completely floored at the performance of this unit and although I had an issue with the first kit, it was definetely worth the wait. It took me about 15min to setup the RF link, Amplifier, and transducer and begin enjoying what the Buttkicker had to offer.

I started off with a Blu-Ray version of Pearl Harbor and jumped to the First Strike scene where the bombing of Pearl Harbor starts. I selected 5.1 uncompressed for the soundtrack. Truly amazing being able to "feel" every explosion, flying bullet, bomb, or torpedo. The anticipation of what would be felt next is awesome particularly the scenes of the torpedo hitting the side of the ship or the bomb that went through the deck of the Arizona. Its like "OH YEAH! Here is comes", just like that feeling before you go down the first hill on a roller coaster.

After playing with the movie I moved on to a couple of games and see how they perform. Keep in mind that the Buttkicker uses the LFE or Subwoofer out on your receiver so it will only reproduce low frequency effects.

1. GT5P: No response from the BK when hitting the walls or another car, I guess this is OK since this would be considered bad driving. However while driving if you hit the red/white curbs (rumble strips) you definetely feel those. Depending on your speed affects the frequency and feeling that is felt. I also learned (felt) that not all the red/white rumble strips are raised, some are completely flat. I did not try a cockpit view or adjust the sound volumes in the game to see how the BK responds, curious how it feels in cockpit view.

2. MC:LA Not much response from anything other than Nitro Boost or hitting a gas pump at the 7 eleven! Like GT5P I did not try any other view or adjust the sound settings. However due the soundtrack in MC:LA it feels like having to 15" subwoofers in the trunk while cruising the streets of LA.

3. COD4: It looks like FPS games will be a riot, I went to ACT1 and did the "Death From Above" level. The 25mm, 40mm, and 105mm cannons are "WOW" and I dont mean world at war (which I will try next)! You can feel the actual shot when you pull the trigger and the explosion when it hits the ground from the C-130. I did not try adjusting any sound settings in the game and I did not try FPS yet. I think the bullets whizzing by will be spectacular, since I "felt" this in the Pearl Harbor movie.

If you are seriously considering one of these units, YOU will not be disappointed it adds feeling to both movies and gaming. I only played with the BKA300 for about 1.5hrs and did not move it to my couch. This unit is definetely more than enough for any game chair. The amplifier has a remote with preset EQ settings for movies, music, and games. You can also increase or decrease the intensity, I left it on either game or movie as that was enough already.

***Update*** After a couple of months enjoying the Buttkicker I have to say I have enjoyed the unit very much. In my first review I noted that there was not much response while playing some games particularly Driving games. I found that my Onkyo 805 receiver has additional adjustments for both the Subwoofer channel and another for the LFE output in the internal EQ of the Onkyo amp. Because I use the Audyssey (Calibration Mic) with my Onkyo my Subwoofer was set to -5.5db which is perfect when watching Blu-Ray movies. When Playing PS3 games on the other hand I found by increasing the gain on the subwoofer channel to +3.0db or greater then the response from the Buttkicker transducer is a HUGE improvement. I have found that while playing GT5P with the new settings that wall impacts, rumble strips, car impacts, and road/wind noise have become much more noticable so much more that I can feel the vibration in the wheel and shifter of my G25. I would also like to note that I find the Game EQ preset (-6db) on the Buttkicker remote for adjusting the transducer amp is the best while watching in Blu-ray movie with Lossless Codecs (DTS-MA or Dolby True HD). I start out on this preset setting and increase the intensity with the remote manually until I find the best response from the BK transducer. By doing this it prevents the Transducer from bottoming out or vibrating. I have to admit that I am spoiled by the Buttkicker because it takes away from the movie experience when going to the local theater. A idle chair now is just plain boring.