Exile XM9's and SXT65
 

I am thinking about picking up some tower speakers.

Anyone have a picture of what they have on their Malibu.

I am stuck between getting one pair of XM9's or 2 pairs of the SXT65's.

Thanks

Purely from a performance standpoint here are a couple of considerations.
For just projection at wakeboarding range and provided that equal power is sent to either option then I give the single pair of XM9 HLCDs the edge. Also, as a larger 8-inch HLCD, the XM9 has enough pod displacement and midbass cone area to sound warmer and balanced for near field listening whether surfing or hanging around at rest.
On an Illusion tower you will get allot of ambient radiation within the boat off the flat cast arch and especially with the tower lean you get some of the higher speaker's output directly reflecting off of and dispersed off of the lower speaker pod. Plus, that tower is low and forward which means you get more tower speaker radiation to the rear occupants. A single pair of speakers in the higher location helps to resolve these issues.
If its just about near field listening and surfing with less emphasis on wakeboarding then the two pair of SXT65s will be great.
As for cosmetics between one and two pair, that's just up to the eye of the beholder.

David
Earmark Marine

David,

With me I am looking for clean sound. Its all about family time while out on the water. Not here to compete with the guys next to me.
We do it all wakeboarding / Skiing / Tube / Surf / Swim .... LOL
Right now I have 2 JL 10w1's and 8 6.5 fosgates running off a arc ks900 and i am satisfied with the sound. Just wanted to throw something that will cover all aspects on the tower.

ks,
I think I covered that but its always hard to interpret what your exact expectations are or more importantly what that of the kids might be at wake range. They may have a very different perspective at the end of the rope. For near field you would be good either way. For long range projection I like the narrower dispersion focus of an HLCD. With the swivel mount you can raise the angle of the tower speakers slightly so that the speaker is aimed more horizontally when pulling and over the head of the rear occupants. Then you can easily level them at rest. So with one pair of more substantial speakers in a family boat in the higher location, less reflection off the second pair of pods and more focused dispersion pattern can lessen the amount of radiation inside the boat. This is often a source of complaining when you are trying to project at wake distance. I like the two pair of SXT65s until we mention wakeboarding. I think that would be the deciding factor for me and why I would lean more toward a single pair of XM9s in this instance on this particular tower.

David
Earmark Marine

I am very impressed with my XM9s' and Brian at exile.

KS - I talked to several Malibu owners on the phone today about systems... But I think you where one of them? If not, based on the child factor, I'd probably look at going with the SXT's versus the XM9's. Although the single pair of XM9's would give you an easy future upgrade path. We use the same amplifier for either setup.

Both of these speakers will spin in 360 degrees.
Both of these speakers will sound WOW better than your current setup.
Both of these speakers are aimed at slightly different markets.
- XM product at the wake borders
- SXT product at the surf / family crowd.
Both of these speakers come with an industry leading 2 year warranty
Both of these speakers come with neoprene sox so you can easily store them off boat.

In your case with the Mal Illusion tower, I'd probably recommend the SXT's because that tower is so low and by design sticks speakers right in your face.

If you didn't catch the install video, take a look at this Malibu one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxpAQmzsgwA

And this is an XM9 video (2 pair)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bdJAmonPWw

I believe both these videos are fixed mic gain so it gives you some degree of projection attributes.

In the end, you'll have to decide whats right for you. It's not do or die.. If something doesn't turn out as expected, we'll help you to achieve your goals. I suspect you'l be super stoked on either of these setups

-Brian
Exile Audio

Go with the XM9's...there are always easy ways to tune for the sound you specifically want and then with the XM9's you won't leave anything off the table for some great wakeboarding tunes. I have 2 pairs of XM'7's and I've been able to listen in all situations with amazing results. My next venture will have XM9's and no question Brian is great to work with and will indeed take care of you as a customer!

Have you considered the REV 10 series by Wetsounds? They are really nice, great mid-bass, and will rock your boat. I only have two of them on my VLX and they are awesome. Not that the XM9's wont sound good either, but definitely would give the REV 10's a look. I have also heard many good things about the XM9's as well.

Here are a few pics as you requested of the Rev 10's on the G3 Malibu Tower.

I vote for Exile and XM9's I have been extremely impressed with their company, product information, and support.

Before this turns in to a urinating contest - I think we should refresh ourselves on what the OP asked about. I really don't see a need for anyone to post up about any other brand than exile b/c that is what the OP asked about.

I agree with Brian and think that the dual set of surf speakers would be what you are looking for. Make sure you power them cleanly and properly and you will be happy.

I would personally go with the XM9s and then get an eq where you can adjust the tower and in boats separately. That way when you are wakeboarding you can turn them up so they project to the rider. You guys want to swim okay turn the towers down SOS they aren't projecting 100+ ft.

Keep this very simple issue in mind.
One tower speaker with an inherently narrower dispersion pattern located in the higher position will have less radiation in the boat as 'compared' to the amount of sound projected to the rider.
Two speakers with an inherently wider dispersion pattern with one of those speakers occupying a lower position on the tower will have a higher ratio of in-boat radiation as 'compared' to the amount of sound that reaches the rider. Plus, add the reflective surface of the second pod when you have staggered speakers on the Illusion tower which compounds the problem of too much in-boat radiation.
If you want to have the ability to project sound farther but minimize the amount of radiation in the boat then go with a single pair of XM9s in the upper location. If this particular objective is of secondary importance or of no importance then disregard this.

David
Earmark Marine

Thanks everyone!

No offense, but maybe the OP was not aware of other alternatives that are available to him. When someone is spending a large sum of cash it only helps to be fully educated on what options are available to purchase.

No offense taken and no problem at all. Just didn't want to see it turn into another Exile vs WS thread where we get way off topic.

I did not think that that was your intention. By the way, your boat looks great, I have the same tower setup on mine.

Let us know what you end up going with and how you like them. Also, please post pictures when completed.

i would go xm9. i started with two pair with sxts and was not happy with the wakeboarding volume of them which is what i was primarily going for. i wish i would have just ordered two sets of xm7s (xm9s where not available at the time) especially when i found out the price difference was pretty negligible. i now run one set of xm7s and one set of sxt65s. wished i had two sets of xm7s but i dont think that will fly with the boss lady right now

I agree, definitely was not my intent on creating an Exile vs Wetsounds thread... they are both excellent speakers, regardless of what he chooses he cant go wrong either way.

And thank you, the more time I spend in the VLX the more I really like the G3 Tower, Malibu did a great job on this design, rock solid.

Kevin - Welcome to the XM9 family. I think you made the right choice between the two models. Let me know how they sound when you get them installed. If you need help with tuning, myself or my crew would be happy to dial you in.

Cheers!

-Brian
Exile Audio

Whats up guys, as you can see.... I went ahead and went with a pair of Exile XM9's for now, maybe i'll get the other pair next year...I'll post some pictures once they are up. Thanks everyone for your advice.

Brian, thank you for taking the time and helping me make the right decision and information.

Kevin

Got my package in the mail today... YEA BUDDY!

^^^^^^^^SWEET. I have an all Exile boat sub, xm9, cabin and amps. Brian is a great guy and has been great with technical questions. You powering with a Harpoon?

Yea, went with the package deal that he offers. 2 XM9's with Harpoon amp.

I know this is an old thread, but thought I'd add some real world feedback:

Being primarily a wakesurfer I had originally ordered my boat with Harpoon + 4x SXT65's, but I actually A/B'd it with the XM9's yesterday and ended up liking the pair of SXT65's + XM9's better than 4x SXT65's.

I found the XM9's to be clearer and have more bass response. They just sounded better.

OP wants pics on their Malibu. Here is mine ('01 Sunsetter VLX w/ Skylon Swoop tower) - four SXT65's. My selection of these speakers was very financial based - Exile was doing a really good warehouse deal on demos (that looked like they had never been removed from the box), and got two pair for less than a single pair of XM7's. I have less in my two pair of SXT65's + my 125x4 amp that powers them (Polk D4000.4, which is a perfect match for these speakers) than the cost of a single pair of XM9's.

http://imageshack.us/a/img513/4290/dsc03940b.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img33/2987/dsc03936st.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img208/3199/dsc03933a.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img89/3300/dsc03927n.jpg

Here are pics of my XM9's on Malibu's G3 tower (powered by one Harpoon amp). I sold this boat last week. However, I'm going with the exact same tower setup on my next boat... that's how much I loved it. In fact, I'm dangerously close to ordering my boat w/out any factory audio and going 100% Exile.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p...X/IMG_9161.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p...X/69438b4f.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p...X/e4b3713b.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p...0VLX/exile.jpg