Instructions for Setting Up and Using the Silent Subwoofer™ for Car Audio
by ButtKicker®
Included Parts
One Silent Subwoofer low frequency transducer
Overview - What is a Silent Subwoofer?
Silent Subwoofer is a tactile transducer that transfers the feeling range of audio (low frequency) directly
into the listener’s body, rather than through the air, as with a traditional loudspeaker. The advantage
of tactile versus airborne low frequency is that the volume of the system may be lowered, dramatically,
without sacrificing impact or tone perception. The Silent Subwoofer produces no audible sound, but
is designed to be used WITH speakers.
Consider the Silent Subwoofer as a mechanical subwoofer. However, instead of moving air, it moves
the passenger’s bodies inside the vehicle. A motor vehicle is an ideal application for Silent Subwoofer
technology, because vehicles are inherently designed to shake and vibrate with road noise. Silent
Subwoofer simply adds a slight amount of tactile audio energy to the vehicle’s frame, enabling the
passengers to feel bass, without excessive volume. In fact, the Silent Subwoofer vibrates the overall
interior of the vehicle much less than a moderate-sized powered subwoofer.
Mounting and Placement
For best results in a motor vehicle, the Silent Subwoofer must be attached to the frame of the vehicle,
or structure other than sheet metal or loosely attached panels. It must also be installed vertically, so
that the internal piston moves up and down, rather than side-to-side.
Each vehicle is different, both in structural and cosmetic design. There is no established formula for
determining the best installation from vehicle-to-vehicle. However, excellent results have been achieved
by screwing the Silent Subwoofer to the hump between or just behind the two front seats, often inside
the bottoms of center consoles. Silent Subwoofers have also been successfully installed under center
seats in SUV’s, and with some smaller cars, trunk installations are acceptable, provided that the Silent
Subwoofer is attached to a structural member, and not to sheet metal pans in the trunk.
Pictures of three different installation locations are included with these instructions.
Connecting to an Amplifier
The Silent Subwoofer requires a 12-volt, 2-ohm stable amplifier, 500 to 1000 watts.
The Silent Subwoofer connects to the amplifier in the same manner as a loudspeaker. Use 12 to 14
gauge speaker wire. Signal for the system is the same as you would use with any add-on powered
subwoofer system… either directly from a subwoofer output in the head unit, left or right pre outs in
the head unit, or tapped into the right or left speaker feeds, using standard amp packs or step-down
connectors for amplifier input.
Adjust the balance of the Silent Subwoofer with the rest of your system according to personal taste.
Generally speaking, you should use the infrasonic or extreme low frequency filters “on”. The Silent
Subwoofer has tremendous power in the infrasonic range (5 -25 Hz) and since most music content has
little usable material in that range, using the low filter gets rid of some of the excess extreme low end
“garbage” that is exists commonly in FM radio and satellite radio transmission. Other filtering and
balancing with the audio system is simply based on personal taste, as with any subwoofer.
