Crowson Technology Motion Actuator Kit Review

The TES-100 is very compact and features gold plated push style binding posts that can accommodate wire sizes from 18 AWG to 10 AWG. The transducer ships from the manufacturer with mark free rubber isolators that reduce tactile transmission from the chair to the floor. The isolators also compensate for the height disparity when the TES-100 is installed under the leg of the chair. The manufacturer claims their Linear Direct Drive system offers better performance with this new technology over conventional shakers because the action is direct, requiring very little excursion to produce the effect. Lower excursion generally provides more accuracy and a quicker response time.

  

The A200 Amplifier is a mosfet stereo amplifier that produces 85 watts per channel into 6 ohms and 170 watts bridged mono. The amplifier is about the size of a long shoebox. The front faceplate is 1/8-inch thick-machined aluminum and contains the channel one, channel two gain controls and the power On/Off button. The front faceplate also has four non-dimming LED indicator lights. The A200 offers flexible input/output configurations including: Stereo RCA and TRS balanced inputs, Stereo output 5-way binding posts and stereo XLR speaker outputs. The A200 is capable of running in bridge mono mode and the switch for this operation is also located on the back of the amplifier. The overall exterior build quality and fit/finish of the amplifier is excellent. It looks like an audiophile piece of equipment and would fit in any rack filled with high dollar components.

Removing the top cover, we found the components to be of average quality; however given the price of $499 for the amplifier, we were a little less than impressed with the size of the power supply and filter capacitors. One other thing we noted was the amplifier didn't have a variable cross over. This makes it necessary to utilize the optional BMP-3S pre-amp ($249) for a total of about $748 to power two TES-100's. This is a fairly low price to performance ratio considering you can purchase the massive Buttkicker BKA-1000 with a 1000 watt amplifier with variable low and high pass filters for $499.

Crowson Technology A200

The BMP-3S Pre-Amplifier is a small pre amplifier that aesthetically matches the A200 amplifier. The small pre-amp is a little larger in size than the typical garage door opener. The front of the BMP-3S has a variable gain control and a variable low pass filter from 20hz-500hz. The non-dimmable power indicator LED is placed between the control knobs. On the back of the pre-amp you will find RCA right and left inputs, RCA right and left outputs, One RCA LFE input and One RCA Mono output. The little pre-amp operates with 12 volts DC and utilizes a 100mA adapter (wall wart) for power. Once again the little pre-amp looks like an audiophile grade piece of equipment with its brushed aluminum face plate and gold plated RCA connectors. We would have liked to have seen the inclusion of a remote control with the amp or pre amp because turning the system on or off, or adjusting the gain must be accomplished at the system rack. Some would label this lazy, we say relaxation is part of a good home theater system and the less we have to move from our seats, the better.

  

The TES-100 transducer is placed under the leg of your couch or chair and the rubber isolators are placed on the remaining legs to isolate tactile response from the floor surfaces. One thing to note that we found is that if you have sectional sofa that has many pieces it may be necessary to purchase more of the optional isolators because the pieces with the transducers and isolators installed will be raised higher, making the sectional look out of alignment.

Another thing we noted is that the TES-100 stereo kit ships with only two rubber isolators. This makes it difficult to install these correctly in cinema recliners because you would need to use the isolators on the rear feet raising the back of the chair. When we installed them in this configuration it raised the center of gravity for the chair and almost tossed us from the seat when we leaned forward. The additional rubber isolators are available from the manufacture for an additional cost, but in our opinion these isolators should be included with the kit to accommodate all types of installations.

Now that the TES-100 kit is installed, all that's left to do is to calibrate them to your desired level. Set the BMP-3S gain control to the center position, this is indicated by a detent in the control knob at about the 3 O'clock position. Next adjust the gain knobs on the A200 amplifier to the minimum position to prevent damage or overload of the system. Initiate a good action movie clip with lots of LFE content and adjust the gain controls of the A200 amplifier until you achieve the desired effect. The final step is to set the variable low pass filter on the BMP-3S pre-amp. We found a setting of around 50-80hz to be the best in our system, but experimentation is the key to good overall performance. We found that choosing a setting above 80Hz introduced some subtle dialog into the tactile response. Additionally we found a setting below 50Hz lacking sensation and impact. One important note: If you use an electronic cross over in your receiver or pre amp and it is set to a low setting all content above that setting will be filtered out before it reaches the BMP-3S. Our internal electronic cross over was set for 80Hz preventing cross over cascading.

Looking through our DVD collection, we wanted to select something that was a little different. Sure we could have selected what everyone else uses for evaluation, the terrific U-571 DVD for example, but what would be the fun in that? After careful consideration we selected a DVD that we have not used in a very long time that has excellent LFE content. The DVD, Contact, was released back in 1997; but it can still hold its own with the newer generation releases, today. The DVD's excellent cinematography, reference like video presentation, and wonderful soundtrack should place this DVD in every self-respecting videoholic 舗 s collection.

Contact
Selecting chapter three and turning up the volume on our Yamaha RX-V4600 we were ready to go. As the chapter begins, Jodie Foster is transported through a series of wormholes. We immediately felt the strong vibration of the TES-100 actuators under our seats, but it was more than the usual shaking sensation. As she continues through her journey she comes to an abrupt stop more than once. We noted the TES-100 reproduced this sudden start/stop LFE effect masterfully. The TES-100 was lightning quick. There was no LFE lag or rumble when there shouldn't have been and when the LFE sequence started again the TES-100 was in perfect sync with the subwoofers and the action on the screen.

About the best way to describe the sensation we felt with the transducer was much more than just shake and rumble. The TES-100 felt like it was actually bolted to your rear end rather than a device installed a foot below. This coupling sensation was quite dramatic and exhilarating. When we finished the evaluation chapter we realized that we definitely had something special installed in our system.

War Of The Worlds
This is one of the best DVD's out there for testing your systems LFE capabilities. The DTS soundtrack is superb, but be careful with the volume if you don't have a capable system. You can bottom out subwoofers and introduce clipping very easily. Selecting chapter 6, Machine Emerges , we began part two of our evaluation. As the alien vessel begins to make its assent from under the ground, the road begins to crack and break up, the TES-100 performed like a bull in a china shop. Our chairs and bodies were being hammered with ultra low frequency tactile sensation and we had the feeling that we were actually there amongst the people looking on in horrific terror. As the scene progresses the alien vessel begins firing off its heat ray cannon disintegrating people and property. The blasts were short and happened in quick succession. The TES-100 once again belted out these low frequency blasts with cracking speed and the dynamic capabilities of the transducers were absolutely amazing.

The TES-100 did much more than just shake the chair, the feeling we had would be reminiscent of riding the cone surface of a gigantic audiophile subwoofer. The TES-100 tactile transducer blended with our Velodyne HGS-15x seamlessly. It actually felt as though the subwoofer was an extension of the tactile system. We assume that the startling level of performance was due to the electromagnetic properties of the transducer. The short throw of the actuator would also explain how it could be so darn fast.

The TES-100 tactile transducer kit is easy to install and will integrate into any system. The build quality of the kit is excellent, but we do have some reservations about the power to price ratio of the AMP200 and BMP3s combination. The inclusion of more isolators would have been better to accommodate sectional sofas and home theater seating. It certainly captivated us and we were absolutely floored at the level of performance these flat little transducers achieved. The TES-100 stereo kit would have scored higher on our value scorecard but the A 200 amplifier and BMP-3S pre amplifier overall price to performance ratio lowered the score.

Normally the word audiophile is reserved for products that exceed in performance and reviewers often use words such as dynamic, effortless, smooth, linear, sweet, finesse and quick to describe a product branded audiophile quality. The TES-100 tactile transducers were obviously the best transducer we have evaluated or installed to date and we have no problem officially labeling them audiophile. Highly Recommended and then some!

Crowson Technology
6440 Via Real Suite 3
Carpinteria CA, USA
www.crowsontech.com
Tel: 805-745-8324
Fax: 805-745-8329

About Crowson Technology
Crowson Technology, LLC , designs and manufactures the most innovative and high quality home entertainment products in the world. Crowson is a privately held company founded in 2001 by Randolph Crowson, President and Chief Engineer. Crowson Technology backs all of our products with an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. We spend ample time and personal attention ensuring that each product is properly installed and performs to our meticulous standards.

Crowson Technology's high-end products are designed with both the do-it-yourself home theater enthusiast and the custom integrator in mind. Our products integrate seamlessly with any existing home theater seating and are also available as custom, factory-installed options to high-end home theater seating, exclusively through our network of qualified industry partners.