VENETIAN HOME THEATER SEATING BY SEATCRAFT & AURA PRO BASS SHAKERS WITH DAYTON AUDIO APA150 AMP REVIEW...
By:
JoeRod
So after having a lot of fun doing my DIY projects (here) Review I decided it was time to change my seats to black. Not to mention do eight instead of six. After hosting our Dexter nights we found time and time again less seating space was becoming a factor. So after doing some careful research I decided to go with the Venetian series from Seatcraft. My Wife really wanted a loveseat option for couples (us sometimes) and for more room if you share your seat with a dog or two. I surprised her by going with the loveseat option with both front and back rows. The chairs are pretty comfortable with cool compartments in the armrests. Some are smaller which are perfect for cellphones or remotes and the deeper ones store the swivel table trays and or magazines. I am actually using one now with my laptop sitting on it as I write this Review. You also get lighted LED base lighting and cup holders (in blue). Now in standby mode we found them a little bright which could be distracting. I found on amazon (here) some window tinting film which I used to cut small rectangle/square pieces and slip in around each button. This helped quite a bit. Now the base lighting is way too strong when the cup holder light is turned on. My screen lit up blue! I solved this by cutting long strips of the same window tint film and covering them. Problem solved! Of course some could easily just put black electrical tape over them and call it a day. Lastly, we had power recline with my Red chairs so I of course wanted them with these. They work nicely. To enhance the home theater feel here's what else we did...
Here's where the swivel tray connects. You also can get a Tablet Holder, Wine Glass Caddy and LED Reading light to connect as well.
The Swivel Trays are a hit!
I also added LED lights (pic above) to the platform for a reasonable price. They were also on Amazon (here) and they come with a remote which changes the colors. Blue matches the chairs but why not use green when watching football or red or pink on Valentine's Day? Haha! Speaking of platforms these chairs are 8 inches taller than my Red ones. My platform was just about ten inches tall which seemed to work fine. With the Venetians being taller though it was a slight issue. My Father-in-Law to the rescue! He built a platform (matching the specs of the row) painted it black and we put the backrow directly on top. It is about 4 inches tall and works perfect. Even my brother who is 6'4" can sit in the front row and that is not an issue for anyone sitting behind him. Nice!
Pictured above are the Aura Pro Bass Shaker and the Dayton Audio APA150. With help from my Father-in-Law (again) we cut out 6" by 6" half inch thick squares of wood and attached the Shakers to them. We screwed them into the back of the seats (under the black velcro flap behind each chair). I then ran the speaker cable to each one in a Series Parallel (pic below). Using the Dayton APA150 I ran the front row (4 Pro Bass Shakers) off the left speaker out and the backrow off the right speaker out. Just make sure you put the Dayton in stereo and flat mode (switches on back). The Dayton receives the LFE from either your Receiver or pre-pro's Subwoofer out. Just use a Subwoofer Y splitter/adapter! There is no substitute for feeling the bass as well as hearing it. The movie experience has never been better. I was skeptical before- now a believer after. It is hard watching movies elsewhere without this cool effect. I like using True Lies when it starts and Arnold is asked for his invitation. That sequence is great demo material as is any scene with bullets, explosions and deep musical bass. And that was from DirecTV. Blu ray viewing is even better. They are not constant and only "go off" during appropiate moments. Scary movies will make you jump a hell of a lot more! We may need to keep a shovel downstairs to pry people off the ceiling! Both items above can be found on Amazon for reasonable prices. Feel free to ask me any and all questions...
The Dayton APA150 is not very big! Thanks to Leggo for demonstrating...
Rocco approves of the new Venetians...
This is what happens during a SuperBowl blackout. My niece became restless...
As you can see there is plenty of room for everyone to sit comfortably. This pic was from the Superbowl. I was actually making cotton candy and popcorn. We did halftime and the kickoff return TD in 3D (then the blackout hit) which was a lot of fun.
3D station!!!
Cotton Candy Cart!!!
So far so good with the Venetian Seats and the Aura Pro Bass Shakers powered by the Dayton Audio APA150. The cost of the chairs vary online and the Dayton APA150 is around 150.00 to 170.00. The Auras can be had two for 90.00 or so. Not bad pricing for these accessories which can be added to any set up. Experience movies like never before!!!
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Special thanks to my Family for helping evaluate the new chairs. A very special thanks to Jaclyn's Dad for all his hard work. It has made a big difference in the bat cave...
Dayton Audio APA150 ------------>
Aura Pro Bass Shakers
