Today we are taking a look at another exciting topic - tactile feedback for Sim Racing. We will have a look at several popular exciters and see how suitable are they for localised effects. In order to have complete overview we threw in the mix for good measure two full sized 50W bass shakers.
Using the SimHub software it is very easy to implement such system to your sim rig and allows you to achieve some really immersive results. Tactile feedback also provides immediate response to in-game telemetry and can give you pretty good idea what the car is currently doing.
This is the exciting mix which we will test here:
- Dayton Audio TT25 PUCK Tactile Transducer Mini Bass Shaker
- Dayton Audio EX32U2-4 Sound Exciter
- Dayton Audio DAEX58FP Sound Exciter
- Dayton Audio EX30HESF-4 High Efficiency Steered Flux Sound Exciter 30mm
- Dayton Audio EX32EP2-4 Thruster 32mm Sound Exciter
- Dayton Audio BST-1 50W High Power Pro Tactile Bass Shaker
- AuraSound AST-2B-4 Pro Bass Shaker Tactile Transducer
If you want to read more on the rig current tactile setup all details, hardware and configuration can be found here:Tactile Setup with 13x Shakers
In the following full of excitement video presentation you will find short overview of above products as well as sound test. Enjoy!
And now let's dive deeper in next section: Overview, Pricing, Specifications:
Overview
We will review several popular options amongst sim racer as well as some not so common ones. Recently Dayton updated their range of products with new interchangeable mounting system and some of their most popular models now feature it. We will see also what it brings to the table.
All of the exciters come with pre-applied adhesive tape, which is quite solid and will hold them in place without issue. The only one labelled as bass shaker - the Dayton PUCK - needs different mounting solution due to its size and weight. We also tested with the same heavy duty adhesive tape - works quite OK:
This is a good comparison picture giving you relative feel how big each exciter is:
And here are those two awesome disks of power which we will take as baseline - full size, 50 Watts to rumble your bones:
Weight
Weight could seem irrelevant, it is not like you will carry them on your back, but actually has significance here. As exciter coils are attached to the mount surface actually the whole body vibrates. Weighting them is good comparison on how much moving mass they have. Exclusion here are of course the three bass shakers - they do not have any external moving components and everything is enclosed inside the body:
Pricing and Specifications
All prices are current at the time when the review was published. We will take into account the new Exciter models - they are considerably more expensive but in our opinion the added value of the new mount is worth it. More on that you can read further on in the review.
| Device | Power | Impedance | Coil | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton Audio TT25 PUCK Tactile Transducer Mini Bass Shaker | 15W | 8 Ohm | 283gr | 16.95 EUR | |
| Dayton Audio EX32U2-4 Sound Exciter | 20W | 4 Ohm | 32mm | 142gr | 36.45 EUR |
| Dayton Audio DAEX58FP Sound Exciter | 25W | 8 Ohm | 32mm | 119gr | 19.95 EUR |
| Dayton Audio EX30HESF-4 High Efficiency Steered Flux Sound Exciter | 40W | 4 Ohm | 30mm | 157gr | 44.95 EUR |
| Dayton Audio EX32EP2-4 Thruster Sound Exciter | 40W | 4 Ohm | 32mm | 128gr | 38.45 EUR |
| Dayton Audio BST-1 High Power Pro Tactile Bass Shaker | 50W | 4 Ohm | 1.75KG | 54.95 EUR | |
| AuraSound AST-2B-4 Pro Bass Shaker Tactile Transducer | 50W | 4 Ohm | 1.7KG | 99.95 EUR |
Now is time to deep dive and go over some of the exciters' features in Closer Look, Test Bench and Sequence:
Closer Look
The quite popular Dayton TT25 Puck is the only one of the small transducers actually regarded as "bass shaker". It has wide frequency response perfect for tactile feedback - 20-80Hz. As it is quite big it usually needs some mounting solution like for example this T-Slot Extrusion Mount:
Dayton Interchangeable Mounting system
Recently Dayton Audio revamped their line of exciters and added a new mounting system. It can be attached with two M3 screws or adhesive tape. It allows easy interchange or replacement of exciters by simply unscrewing them. It also adds some distance between shaker body and mounting surface. This is very good addition as old models were too close to surface and with higher amplitudes they would hit it.
This interface is added to the EX32EP2-4, EX30HESF2-4 and DAEX32U2-4 products. It bumps the price somewhat but we really find this a welcome addition:
The Dayton EX32U2-4 looks very solid solution, but regrettably it features a plastic spider - this turned out to be enormous downside. The steel spider on the EX32EP2-4 is excellent upgrade.
Technical Issues
All of these exciters or their original designs (the new system came just recently) were utilized for more than 6 months. During this time we had multiple device failures as follows:
Dayton Audio EX32EP2-4 Thruster Sound Exciter
This is very popular solution for localised feedback but has high resonance frequency. Low frequencies drive it to very big amplitude which ultimately leads to broken steel spider. Out of 8 units we had 5 which after different time get one or more legs broken on the steel spider. One of them also got a dead coil.
This does not mean they cannot be used in such applications but this should be done with consideration. You will have to drive them at low volume and be extra carefully in SimHub sound tester - the test signal is very strong and it alone could kill them over time. Later in the review you can read why they are still so widely used for tactile feedback.
Below you can see comparison between the new model and old one with broken spider:
Dayton Audio EX32U2-4 Sound Exciter
This was a unit we never tested before and looked very promising. Issue is that it features a plastic spider spring. After two weeks both our units had a snapped spider. One of them also got a dead coil.
Dayton Audio EX30HESF-4 High Efficiency Steered Flux Sound Exciter 30mm
This was the unit we used the longest. It was driven in 100% volume and was quite stable. Out of 4 units after long months of use one died - coil failure. We have no idea why this particularly happened, could be defective unit.
Test Bench
We chose to test the exciters mounted on the shifter cluster. It provided easy place to put the vibration measurement phone, also it is complicated to properly isolate it and you will get vibrations spread - best place to test how localised low-powered effects will work. Also as we have one more big Aura shaker for engine sound that spreads throughout the whole rig - this will effectively show if the exciters are overpowered and cancelled by other shakers in your setup.
Exciters were always ran in pair on single channel. One was mounted on the side of the shifter arm right below the sequential and handbrake. This is good place to measure how vibrations will travel through the solid construction and if we have big losses. The other was mounted on the side of the BDH H1 Bazooka Shifter body.
All measurements were done with the Vibrations Analysis software for IOS. Phone was stuck with adhesive tape to mousepad so it does not move around when exciters are engaged:
Test Sequence
All tests were carried with the same sequence. First test is 3 consecutive gear shift effect engagements. Second test is the built-in SimHub channel sound test.
Next we proceed with a look over the different Mounting Options and Scoring System we used:
Dayton PUCK Mounts
One of the Pucks was mounted with T-Slot extrusion adapter, the other was taped with adhesive pad on the side of the H-Pattern shifter:
Exciters with Adhesive Pads
Same place, different exciter. Just stick it with the adhesive tape and connect the cables:
New Interchangeable Mounting System
Mount the threaded adapters in the corresponding places and screw in your favourite exciter:
Score System
We will use slight modification on our scoring system to accommodate the needs of the current review. It will be simplified 5 point system, the best item will get maximum score and the rest will be graded according to it.
These would be the scoring categories:
Appeal: This is not that important, we agree, but in most cases these items will be mounted on a visible place in your rig. Better to have cool looks, right?
Performance: This would be direct outcome from all our measurements. It is not the perfect measurement system that we employ but still gives some meaningful quantifiable results.
Immersion: This would be the subjective part of the review. This score will indicate how we actually can feel the vibrations in both shifters.
Reliability: As we have multiple units failing this also is meaningful score to keep in mind.
Versatility: How easy is to integrate the unit in your setup.
Value: Value-for-money, self explanatory.
Time to get deeper in details in next section: Measurements and Tests
Measurements - Performance
Below you can find all measurements with short comment how we interpreted them. We are not looking at the highest possible level but where is the highest point where we have the most vertical bars around 40Hz (shifter effect is set to 42Hz, SimHub test signal should be 45Hz). Left will be Shift Effect, right - SimHub sound test.
You will see below that the shift effect measurement seems consistent, but the SimHub effect not that much. This is mainly because vibrations build up and propagate throughout the structure. Also the mounting methods for exciters and full size shakers are quite different but still it is relevant indication.
We will be taking into consideration mainly the shifter effect and this paired with the subjective feel will sum up to the item's final performance.
When we speak here of "Volume" this is the volume set in SimHub option on every channel in device setup. Test SimHub sound always powers the channel at 100% - much more than we would actually use it. We use is 60% global and 100% effect volume in SimHub Profile. Again here the most relevant measure will be the shifter effects below.
This study paired with the sound output featured in the review video should give you good reference for each item's performance.
Dayton Audio TT25 PUCK Tactile Transducer Mini Bass Shaker
As expected the Dayton Puck being a proper bass shaker delivers solid performance in low frequencies but quite weak. Looking at below graphs we can see similar performance for both cases at around 0.002g.
Dayton Audio EX32U2-4 Sound Exciter
The EX32U2-4 turned out to be very powerful item, we did not expected such performance. At 100% volume it was constantly hitting the mounting surface and was unusable. This stopped appearing at 85% volume so we set it at 80% considering it safe reference. Both cases give solid shift performance at around 0.004g. The SimHub test effect on the other hand overpowers a lot the EX32U2-4 and we see extreme performance from that small unit. In both 80% and 100% this was performing around the stunning 0.035g!
Dayton Audio DAEX58FP Sound Exciter
We had high hopes for this exciter based on it's rated power but as you can see it turned out to be the weakest one for such application. Subjective test also confirms the same.
Dayton Audio EX30HESF-4 High Efficiency Steered Flux Sound Exciter 30mm
This is the second most popular option after the Puck for sim application. As it does not have spring spider it turned to be reliable and we could drive it at 100% volume constantly. Shifter effect is very solid around 0.003g, test effect is at 0.015g. Overall solid performance.
Dayton Audio EX32EP2-4 Thruster 32mm Sound Exciter
Same as the other spider exciter we found the orifginal model to work safe at 75% volume and we tested at first just that. Then we noticed that this particular unit behaves a little different. Because of the added height from the new mount we were able to push it to 100% without hitting mounting surface. We have not tested this in the long run to see if it is more reliable. Shift effect is weak ate 75% but quite solid at 100% topping above 0.002g. SimHub test confirms the same.
Dayton Audio BST-1 50W High Power Pro Tactile Bass Shaker
As expected the BST-1 hase very solid shift performance right below 0.005g. the SimHub teste effect shows also the difference in mounting positions - we have same performance in both tests. This is expected outcome as vibrations are pretty strong and with this configuration propaged very well throughout the whole shifter assembly.
AuraSound AST-2B-4 Pro Bass Shaker Tactile Transducer
Teh Aura shaker performs a little better for shift effect, tops up again right below 0.005g but we have much more solid graph there. For SimHub test effect though this are quite different. We see much better response at lower frequencies. We have very solid effect at double the BST-1 acceleration - 0.010g. also this is the clearest graph we saw in our test - very focused around 45Hz, which is the test frequency in SimHub.
Note: Comparing full size shakers to exciters is not at all relevant. We will be regarding both classes separately, ultimately the best product in both classes will get the highest score.
Now that we covered the scientific parts it is time to go through all the other criteria in Further Impressions and Summary:
Further Impressions
Appeal
From the small exciters we find the best looking with its black paint and metal body to be the EX32EP2-4. Trailing right behind it is the Dayton Puck. somewhat in the middle we find the EX32U2. The HESF and 58FP simply do not look very appealing, sorry.
Both big bass shakers has similar design and looks, but we find the BST-1 a little more pleasing to the eye.
Immersion
Dayton Audio TT25 PUCK: Despite the solid low frequency performance this mini shaker has too little power. It is best utilized for very focused feedback - for example on pedals or right next to your body under a cushion. As it is able to work at low frequencies it delivers very nice deep vibration, but has really to be close to the body. In our application it works OK if you do not have other big shakers or motion in your system, but if you do - its effects easy get cancelled.
Dayton Audio EX32U2-4: We were surprised how strong this exciters feel. It performed both very powerful and able to reproduce low frequencies. It felt almost as the big bass shakers. Too bad it breaks so easy with the plastic spider.
Dayton Audio DAEX58FP: This exciter come with high power rating and low actual performance. It felt underpowered all the time. It's performance is similar to the Dayton Puck but at higher frequencies (55-70Hz). Also because of the big mounting platform and small travel it is a little noisier. We do not think this is suitable for our intended application.
Dayton Audio EX30HESF-4: The High Efficiency Sound Exciter lives up to its name. It rightfully is one of the main contenders for the title and is widely used in Sim Rig tactile setups. It was able to run constantly at high volume providing good strong vibrations. Only issue is that because of its small body mass it reproduces better high frequency effects. For low frequency at 40Hz it is generally OK as long as you do not have other strong shakers cancelling it. It is perfect for application on rig seat near shoulders/someplace on the side where body would have close contact for directional effects.
Dayton Audio EX32EP2-4 Thruster: The other pretender for the best exciter title here. The heavy body has high moving mass and paired with the steel spring make it very powerful and has even decent low frequencies. We have to say the old model felt for some reason definitely more powerful, but the new one did not get so high amplitude at 100% volume and we were able to drive it louder. Performance is on par with the HESF but with noticeably better Low Frequency response. Again it would be best used on seat for supplementary High frequency effects to keep it from breaking the steel spider.
Dayton Audio BST-1: This full size shaker has solid performance, definitely can feel both engine rumble and shifter effects in the two shifter and handbrake handles. We have several other BST-1s in our setup and this one felt exactly the same - when placed on well decoupled surface it feels quite good. When attached someplace on the solid construction without vibration isolation it feels little faint in 40Hz. Above 45Hz performs definitely better.
AuraSound AST-2B-4: As expected the Aura again was the best performer from this list. It is close to the BST-1 but has much stronger and solid low frequency response. Engine vibration effect felt much richer and we were able to tune it down significantly from the default level we used for all other transducers. You can definitely feel the revs changing and when engaged the overlapping deep gear shift effect is very noticeable. And when used for suspension effects they are fantastic. Jump landing is also very fun effect to put on one as it delivers very deep and solid thud - under the seat it feels awesome in every jump in Dirt Rally 2.
Note: as in the performance section we cannot directly compare both shakers and exciters. Both classes will be graded separately.
Reliability
We already mentioned some of the issues we encountered over quite long time span. Let's summarize here:
Dayton Audio DAEX32EP-4 Thruster: This is actually the old model, new one appeared quite recently. Out of 6 units we developed after time broken spider on 5 of them, one also got a dead coil. They failed over different period of time.
This reportedly can be avoided by driving them at lower volume and higher frequencies. We did just that with 3 of the units, but ultimately they failed after about 3 months of use. You also have to be very careful with testing them in SimHub - the sound test signal is with very high volume and immediately drives them with abnormal amplitude which makes them hit their mounting surface.
On the other hand the newer model behaved differently. Because of the added height from the interchangeable mount it does not hit the mount plate any more at higher amplitudes. Perceivably it also felt a little weaker than the original one. Ultimately it has the same steel spring spider so all of the above considerations still apply. We did not spend enough time with this speaker, will be implementing shortly the two test units in our new seat configuration and we will see how they behave over time.
Dayton Audio EX32U2-4: These were very powerful and promising units but after two weeks of heady use both of them got a broken spider and one got dead coil. It is quite possible to run them at lower volume and keep them alive but we decided not to continue with them. The plastic spider will always be a weak point.
Dayton Audio EX30HESF-4: A set of 4 HESF shakers were abused under heavy load for quite some time and worked pretty well on the sides of our seat. Also overlapping effects were set on them so they got immediate transitions between effects and were stressed as much as we could. After all of this abuse only 1 unit got a dead coil and we are not sure it is something defective on it or we just took it to its limit. Either way these units were never designed for such application so presumption is if you do not overdo it they would be fine.
Versatility
Interchangeable mounting system Exciters: All three options which use this area easy to mount with the new system. You either user M3 mounting hardware or simply tape it to flat surface. All options are with small footprint, very compact - definitely this upgrade is worth the extra cost. They can be placed on multiple positions everywhere on your rig.
Adhesive tape mounted exciters: Over the extended period we used such exciters we often changed their position. You can easily remove the original pad and put new one, but especially for the HESF small mounting surface this requires really strong tape and some attention. In this case it is very good thing Dayton decided to upgrade it to the new mounting system.
Dayton Puck: Bigger, heavier, better mounted with and adapter. It comes with plastic interface, which is not comfortable for sim rig application. Most probably you will need some custom/3d printed solution. Double sided adhesive tape also worked well.
Full size exciters: They are big, bulky and heavy. Also require flat surface to be mounted. In order to transduce properly vibrations it should also be a solid mount. best mounting positions is on seat itself, pedal decks, any flat surface close to you. Also proper vibration isolation is important here - you do not want vibrations propagating and overlapping throughout the whole rig construction.
Value
This one is easy. Best prices small transducer is the Dayton Puck - for this low price you get a decent working item. For the full shaker that would be BST-1. It is not that good as the Aura, but is almost half the price.
All of the above we will try to summarize and quantify below:
Summary
| Appeal | Performance | Immersion | Reliability | Versatility | Value | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton Audio TT25 PUCK | 4.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3.58 |
| Dayton Audio EX32U2-4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3.83 |
| Dayton Audio DAEX58FP | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4.5 | 2.75 |
| Dayton Audio EX30HESF-4 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2.5 | 3.83 |
| Dayton Audio EX32EP2-4 | 5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Dayton Audio BST-1 Pro | 4.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4.33 |
| AuraSound AST-2B-4 Pro | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3.5 | 4.25 |
After all these being said it is finally time for our Conclusion:
Conclusion
Dayton Audio TT25 PUCK Tactile Transducer Mini Bass Shaker
The Dayton Puck is so widely used in sim rig setups for a reason. It is cheap and has decent low frequency performance. It is best used right next to your body - pedals, seat cushions. In other applications if you have more shakers in your setup it is easily overpowered.
Overall Score: 3.6 out of 5 |
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Dayton Audio EX32U2-4 Sound Exciter
Storng performance, we really had high hopes on that one, but extremely easy to break. You can always try to drive it at lower volume but we are not convinced it is suitable for such applications at all. Our recommendation is to stay away from this one.
Overall Score: 3.8 out of 5 |
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Dayton Audio DAEX58FP Sound Exciter
Similar performance to the puck but without the low frequencies. Does not seem as feasible option for tactile feedback.
Overall Score: 2.8 out of 5 |
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Dayton Audio EX30HESF-4 High Efficiency Steered Flux Sound Exciter 30mm
Currently one of the most popular transducers for localised effects. Have decent low frequency performance and above 50Hz it gets even better. Very good option to put on the side of your seat near shoulder, worked fine even on shifter cluster. Looks reliable enough and we could drive it at high volume.
Here we recommend to go for the new model because of the new mounting system even with the higher price. On the other hand if you want to save considerable amount of money especially with multiple units - the old model is still fine.
Overall Score: 3.8 out of 5 |
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Dayton Audio EX32EP2-4 Thruster 32mm Sound Exciter
Very good overall performance for localised tactile feedback, on top of it looks pretty cool. Only downside is that it is unreliable. You need to be careful at what volumes you drive it, have to assign not so aggressive effects to it. Ultimately most of our units again failed even when observing these recommendations.
The new upgraded versions seems a little different, having less amplitude at same settings but we have not tested it so extensively and we cannot say if it has better reliability. Overall it seems the same design but with new mounting system. If you decide to go with this exciter - be careful and prepared that eventually the spider most probably will break.
Overall Score: 4 out of 5 |
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Dayton Audio BST-1 50W High Power Pro Tactile Bass Shaker
Maybe the most popular full size bass shaker. It is suitable for mounting directly on back or under seat. Will perform decent also for wheel/suspension effects. The low price and good performance make it obvious choice.
Paired with some strategically placed Dayton Pucks you can get very potent tactile setup for decent price. We believe another "Best Value" award is due here.
Overall Score: 4.3 out of 5 |
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AuraSound AST-2B-4 Pro Bass Shaker Tactile Transducer
The best performer here. Despite its similar performance to BST-1 it has quite noticeable upscale in low frequencies. When you pass 50-55Hz overall performance starts to be on par for both shakers. Because of its rich and powerful low frequencies this makes it extremely good option for suspension/wleel effects, seat application. Even placed on non-isolated part of the rig it is very powerful and we can feel vibrations throughout the whole construction.
Despite the steep cost it is worth if you can afford it. Just be careful - once you get one it tends to make you buy more!
Overall Score: 4.3 out of 5 |
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