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Does your arcade audio suck? Let's MOD it!

RetroRalph·video·9m 9s·analyzed·Jan 15, 2019
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.021

TL;DR

Audio amplifier mods for arcade cabinets: subwoofer-equipped amps and bass shaker chairs enhance gameplay immersion.

Summary

Retro Ralph demonstrates audio amplifier options for arcade cabinets, focusing on three models (Pile PFA-200, LaPie LP-2020A+, and LaPie LP168HA) with emphasis on the LP168HA's subwoofer output capability. He showcases a practical mod using a bass shaker mounted to a ramp chair connected to the LP168HA amplifier, demonstrating the enhancement through gameplay testing on After Burner to illustrate the immersive rumble effect.

Key Claims

  • The LaPie LP168HA amplifier is the only one in its price range with subwoofer output connectivity, making it unique for arcade audio applications.

    medium confidence · Retro Ralph emphasizes this as a distinguishing feature: 'this is the only one I found around this price range that actually has a subwoofer connection'

  • VP Cabs' Vertigo cabinet uses a subwoofer design that significantly improves the arcade gameplay experience.

    high confidence · Retro Ralph discovered the LP168HA through noticing subwoofer volume controls in a VP Cabs virtual pinball cabinet

  • Bass shakers provide a cost-effective alternative to traditional subwoofers for arcade audio enhancement.

    medium confidence · Retro Ralph demonstrates bass shaker mounted to ramp chair as a practical mod option with 'quick connects'

  • The Pile PFA-200 amplifier is reliable and affordable with basic audio controls.

    high confidence · Retro Ralph states: 'I've had a lot of success with this. It's been fairly reliable.'

  • Adjustable crossover settings on the LP168HA allow customization of low-end bass response frequency.

    high confidence · Retro Ralph explains crossover adjustment capability and mentions setting 'closer to you know let's say a hundred Hertz or something like that'

Notable Quotes

  • “This thing when you're playing the games, like really has a thump to it.”

    Retro Ralph@ 8:29 — Describes the impact of subwoofer-equipped amplifiers on arcade gameplay experience

  • “They just don't cut it. They don't fully recreate the experience.”

    Retro Ralph@ 3:35 — Justifies why standard arcade speakers are insufficient for authentic arcade audio

  • “Oh my gosh, when you crash, you can totally feel it rumbling. It's awesome.”

    Retro Ralph@ 7:09 — Demonstrates the tactile feedback advantage of bass shaker implementation during actual gameplay

  • “It just adds a whole new element to the experience that I think a right and a left speaker, just a regular two-channel speaker system, just cannot produce.”

    Retro Ralph@ 8:15 — Summarizes the qualitative improvement from adding subwoofer/bass shaker technology

Entities

Retro RalphpersonJon HeypersonPile PFA-200productLaPie LP-2020A+productLaPie LP168HAproductAurora Bass ShakerproductVP CabscompanyAfter BurnergameArcade 1UPproduct

Signals

  • ?

    community_signal: Educational content around arcade audio modifications indicates ongoing community interest in cabinet customization and enhancement

    medium · Retro Ralph structures video as tutorial with equipment recommendations, gameplay demonstration, and detailed technical explanations

  • ?

    product_strategy: Bass shaker and subwoofer mods for arcade cabinets represent post-purchase enhancement strategy for improving audio immersion

    high · Retro Ralph demonstrates retrofitting bass shaker to existing ramp chair in front of pedestal cabinet; presents this as accessible mod option

  • ?

    technology_signal: Integration of 2.1 channel amplifiers with subwoofer connectivity in arcade applications; shift from basic 2-channel systems

    high · LP168HA identified as unique in price range for subwoofer capability; VP Cabs Vertigo cabinet design validates this approach

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.027

0:00
Does your current audio system have you in a funk? You know it does. On this episode of Awake Yo Ass Up! Ho ho ho ho!
0:18
Hey guys, Retro Ralph here. Thanks again for joining. So I just wanted to give you a quick summary of what we're going to look at today. We looked at a couple different amplifier options, but one in particular stands out to me because it has a subwoofer output. The application I've come up with for this is this Aurora Bass Shaker right here. Really adds a different element to the gameplay. So let's go over there for a minute. We'll discuss a couple different options. I'll do some gameplay testing, and then I'll wrap up with my final thoughts. Okay, guys, so we're going to talk audio in this episode. So check it out. Here are some commonly used amplifier options. Now, these aren't anything crazy, but they do a pretty good job. So one that comes up a lot is this Pile PFA-200. It's not a bad amplifier. It's really no frills. It just has volume, bass, and treble control. It's a basic amplifier, but it comes pretty cheap, and it's a decent option because if you want to get out of this thing and not have to spend a lot of money, it gives you decent audio, and the cost is pretty good. So that's the Pile PFA-200. I've had a lot of success with this. It's been fairly reliable. I don't know if I'm going to say this right, but there's the LaPie LP-2020A+. 20 watts RMS, decent two-channel amplifier. Again, you got your treble and your bass controls and your basic volume control, just like anything else. Very similar to the Pile amplifier. this one has you can use a 3.5 millimeter audio jack or RCA jacks I believe this one has the same thing yep it has the same thing at the front and sometimes it's just labeled as mp3 so if you didn't want to go 3.5 millimeter to RCA and just do 3.5 millimeter male-to-male and I'll have links to the description of what those cables look like you could easily do that with either one of these these amplifiers So these are They going to provide you decent sound right They not bad But the whole purpose of this was to jack up your audio right Give it a little bit more thump And I found this amplifier, which is the same brand as this one. I'm going to call it LaPie for lack of me knowing how to say it, but this is the LP168HA. So I got to tell you guys first how I discovered this amplifier. So I discovered this amplifier in a VP cabs virtual pinball machine. I just noticed when I turned the thing on, I was like, man, this thing when you're playing games, like really has a thump to it. And the reason why I did is because when VP cabs designed the vertigo cabinet, they decided to put a subwoofer in it. And I was wondering, you know, huh, I didn't notice that at first, but then when I was changing the volume one day, I saw this subwoofer volume knob. So I was like, well, that's interesting. So I went and did a little bit of research and sure enough, I looked inside the cabinet with a flashlight and there was a subwoofer in the back. So that gave me the idea of, hey, you know what? This really changes the experience. I guess when you get like a real game that has a great bass notes to it, you know, regular four inch speaker, like the ones that are on Arcade 1UP or maybe whatever you currently have in your main cabinet, they just don't cut it. They don't fully recreate the experience. So this would be a great amplifier for you to choose if you were thinking about going down the subwoofer path. Now, what I've done with it, instead of adding a subwoofer to it, which here's the sub terminals right here. So instead of adding a sub to it, I actually added that bass shaker. So what I did was I, and you're gonna see it in a minute because I'm gonna demonstrate it. I added the bass shaker to a chair that I sometimes sit in in front of my pedestal cabinet. So, oh my gosh, it totally changes the experience because you hear every rumble and you actually feel it. So in a game like After Burner, where when you crash, you have that do-do-do-do-do, it actually feels like it kinda did in the arcade. So anyways, I highly recommend this amplifier if you're looking for a little something that's maybe a little bit more expensive than these options, but just gives you a little bit more flexibility because this is the only one I found in around this price range that actually has a subwoofer connection so that kind of unique that you could actually hook up a sub to this type of a thing so why it says 2.1 is you've got your two stereo channels and then your one is your your subwoofer so really cool and the other thing I like about it too is you can adjust the crossover settings so if you want to have a little bit more low-end bass you can kind of turn that thing down if you don't want it to respond that same way you can turn it further up you know to closer to you know let's say a hundred Hertz or something like that so really nice and then you can adjust the individual sub volume to your liking so I'm really liking this I feel like this really does help in really giving your audio system that extra bit of thump so what I'm gonna do now is I'm gonna actually go over to my pedestal system and we're just gonna do a quick demo and I know it's gonna be hard for you guys to really, you know, get the same experience in the video because you're not going to feel the rumble. But keep in mind, that's just one option that you could do. You could also, you know, put a subwoofer in your cabinet. So I'm just, I'm just trying to give you guys options for audio. I personally have, I was a huge audiophile back in the day. I continue to be a big audiophile. And I feel like with video games, especially, you know, the ones in the 90s, early 2000s and then you know moving forward it makes such a difference to have a quality audio system so speakers are also you know part of it but um you know in this particular episode i'm not really going to cover the speakers so much so thank you guys we're going to go over there and do a quick demo and then uh and then we'll wrap things up all right guys so we're in front of the pedestal cabinet i'm super excited because i tested this out the other day and these bass shakers are just amazing so the game i'm going to show you guys is afterburner afterburner And I'm telling you you just got to see it But I know that you're maybe not gonna feel exactly what I feel But you'll at least see my reaction to how much more fun it makes the game overall experience Let's do this
6:48
There an engine underneath me Ah! Oh my gosh, when you crash, you can totally feel it rumbling. It's awesome.
7:16
Okay. Okay. That was a horrible game of Afterburner, but who cares? All I got to say is it makes such a big difference. You feel the rumble of the engine. You feel, um, when you get, when you get hit, you can just totally feel, uh, the destruction. It's so cool. So what I was thinking is you may not use this application on a chair like I have it, but because the bass shaker has quick connects, you could maybe put it on the bar stool that you sit in front of your arcade one-up cabinet or in front of your main cabinet. I mean, there's so many possibilities here. And just because I use the bass shaker doesn't mean you can't use a subwoofer. So you could totally use this application for a subwoofer too. But I'm super, super pumped up about this. You guys, it's a low cost item when you think about it. It's not that expensive to buy the amp And, you know, the bass shaker is various different costs, so it might be something that you save up for later on. But, oh my gosh, it just adds a whole new element to the experience that I think a right and a left speaker, just a regular two-channel speaker system, just cannot produce. So it might be worth checking out. I really like to look for fun and unique modifications. So anyways, thank you guys for watching the video. As always, I really appreciate all the support. So if this was helpful, like the video, please subscribe to the channel, hit that notification bell so you can be informed of future episodes. And as always, thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time.