I honestly didn't think the porter & davies bc2 would change my life as much as it did, but after using it for a few months, I can't imagine going back to a regular drum throne. If you've ever played a gig where the stage volume was a mess or you were stuck using in-ear monitors that felt a bit "thin," you know exactly what I'm talking about. You can hear the kick drum, sure, but you can't feel it. That's the gap this piece of gear is meant to bridge, and man, does it do it well.
What Is This Thing, Anyway?
To put it simply, the porter & davies bc2 is a tactile monitoring system. Now, I know that sounds like a fancy way of saying "it makes your seat shake," but it's actually a lot more sophisticated than those cheap bass shakers people bolt onto their gaming chairs. This is a pro-level tool designed specifically for drummers (and occasionally keyboardists or bass players) who need to feel the low end without blowing their eardrums out with massive floor monitors.
The system comes in two main parts: the "Engine," which is a heavy-duty flight-cased unit that looks like a high-end rack-mount amplifier, and the throne top itself. Inside that throne is a transducer that translates the signal from your kick drum (or whatever else you feed it) into physical kinetic energy. It's bone conduction tech, which means the sound travels through your skeleton rather than just through the air.
The First Time I Sat Down
I remember the first time I plugged in a porter & davies bc2 at a rehearsal studio. I hit the kick drum and nearly jumped off the seat. It wasn't just a vibration; it felt like the drum was literally inside my body. It's an incredibly weird sensation at first, but within about five minutes, you realize what you've been missing all these years.
The response is instantaneous. There's zero latency, which is the big killer with some of the cheaper alternatives out there. If your foot hits the pedal, your seat reacts at the exact same microsecond. That connection between your physical movement and the physical response of the throne creates this feedback loop that makes you play much more confidently.
Why It's Better Than a Subwoofer
Before I got my hands on the porter & davies bc2, I used to rely on a big 15-inch wedge or a sub behind me. The problem with that—besides the fact that it's a pain to lug around—is that you have to crank it to a ridiculous volume to really feel the "thump." By the time the kick feels good, the rest of the band is complaining that the stage volume is too high, and the front-of-house engineer is giving you the death stare because your monitor is bleeding into all the overhead mics.
With the BC2, all that energy is contained. You can have a bone-shaking kick drum experience while the person standing two feet away from you hears absolutely nothing. It's the ultimate "silent stage" solution. If you're using in-ears, it's basically the missing link. In-ears are great for clarity, but they often make the drums feel "detached" and clinical. Adding the BC2 brings back that visceral, live feeling that makes drumming fun.
The Build Quality Is No Joke
One thing you'll notice immediately about the porter & davies bc2 is that it is built like a tank. The Engine unit is housed in a rugged flight case with those heavy-duty butterfly latches. You could probably drop it down a flight of stairs and it would still work fine (though I wouldn't recommend trying it).
The throne tops are also top-tier. They offer different shapes—round, saddle, or extra-wide—and they use high-quality materials that don't go flat after an hour of playing. It's clear that Porter & Davies didn't just buy some off-the-shelf seats and shove a motor inside; they actually thought about the ergonomics of a working drummer.
The connection between the Engine and the throne happens via a heavy-duty Speakon cable. It's all very "plug and play." There are only a few knobs to worry about: a volume/intensity control, a mic/line switch, and some basic EQ settings. It's simple enough that you can dial it in during a quick soundcheck without needing a degree in audio engineering.
Not Just for Kick Drums
While most people use the porter & davies bc2 primarily for the kick, you can actually send anything you want to it. I've experimented with putting a bit of the floor tom through it, and it makes those big tribal fills feel massive. Some guys even put a bit of the bass guitar into the mix so they can lock in with the bassist's "pulse" more effectively.
That said, you have to be careful not to overdo it. If you put too much through the throne, it just becomes a blurry mess of vibration. The magic of the BC2 is in the clarity of the pulse. When it's dialed in right, you can actually feel the tone of the drum, not just the hit. You can tell if your kick is tuned high or low just by the way the seat reacts.
Let's Talk About the Price
Okay, let's be real for a second: the porter & davies bc2 isn't cheap. It's a significant investment, often costing as much as a high-end snare drum or a nice set of cymbals. For a long time, that's what kept me from pulling the trigger. I kept telling myself, "I don't need this to play well."
And technically, I was right. I don't need it. But now that I have it, I realize that it's one of those things that pays for itself in terms of comfort and performance. I'm not straining to hear the kick anymore, which means I'm playing more relaxed. My timing has actually improved because I'm "connected" to the low end in a way that ears alone can't provide. If you're a touring pro or someone who plays long sets every weekend, the physical relief of not having to fight the stage acoustics is worth every penny.
Any Cons?
If I had to nitpick, the main downside is the weight. The Engine unit is pretty heavy, and adding a flight-cased amp to your load-out isn't exactly a dream. If you're playing tiny club gigs with no storage space, it's one more thing to trip over.
There's also the "BC Gigster" model, which is their smaller, more portable version. It's great, but the porter & davies bc2 is the flagship for a reason. It has more headroom and features that make it a bit more versatile for different stage environments. If you can handle the extra weight, the BC2 is definitely the way to go.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the porter & davies bc2 is one of those pieces of gear that sounds like a luxury until you actually use it. It's not a gimmick; it's a legitimate monitoring tool that solves one of the biggest problems drummers face: the loss of physical impact in modern stage setups.
Whether you're playing in a church with a strict volume limit, a stadium with a massive PA, or a recording studio where you want more "vibe," this thing delivers. It makes you feel like you're sitting right inside the music. It's built to last, it's easy to use, and honestly, it just makes playing drums a lot more satisfying. If you get a chance to try one out at a drum shop or a gear expo, do it—just be prepared to want one immediately.