Random Nights New Axis Stereo Install
 

Working on a new custom HLCD tower enclosure for this project.

2 12W7's Anniversary Addition
2 JL HD 750/1 subs
2 JL HD 600/4 interior and tower
4 pr Polk Momo 6.5's
Custom HLCD tower setup

Various interior and underwater LED's

Get ready for Bump V !!!!!

What do you plan on putting inside the tower box? Do you plan on laying glass over the whole box?

The picture is of the plug we are tooling for the mold. The finished enclosure will be built of jell coat and fiberglass.

do you mean gelcoat?

Yea, its been a long day.

Why JL W7's?

that boat is the sex.

Nick: looks good so far let's see the rest of the system as it comes along. Where in the boat are you gonna install the 4 W7's

Ben. I'm pretty sure he is installing 4 W7s cause he wants it to POUND.

I'm not a JL hater, but the W7 price tag is insane especially considering the 10 y/o design. It definitely has a great blend of SQ and SPL, but it's terribly inefficient and horrible sub for a boat. The W7 was one of the best subs when it came out 10 years ago. Fortunately other companies continued to evolve their technology. Most of what you're paying for is the name, and most still think the arcahic W7 is still the best. There are a ton of subs on the market that will give you better performance for a fraction of the price and more output for a fraction of the power.

I thought he said he was putting 2 w7s in there? am i wrong?

Ben; I have had great luck with W7. But I can't say the same for most people.
Most people underpower them and use them in a ported box.
I haven't heard any 12 W7 that sounded good in a ported box in a boat application. The 13 is a different story. This is from experience NOT from a lazyboy or a spec sheet.
But it's hard for most people to find a amp that has enough HP to power a W7 correctley (1200-1500 watts) and then you need a battery bank to power that amp. Then you have to multiply that times every sup you install. So for most people the W7 is the wrong sub to use.
So I hear what Ur saying about it being inefficient. Yea it takes a lot of power "both" Battey and watts to get a W7 moving. And I'm sure there is other subs that in a boat application will do the job just as good if not better. But IMO if you get it right Dub7's are the bomb! They take a lot of work to get right and that's why 90% of the people try them and they either break them and or can't get them right and go a different direction. IMO its a stereo shops worst nightmare. Cause it's the sub everyone wants but No one wants to pay for or wants to pony up for the infrastructure (battery's and amps) to keep happy.

Grant, I know you know what you're doing. I've learned a lot from reading your posts and DIY over the years. In fact, I asked Dave to create the DIY section after seeing your LED test linked back to WW on a ton of forums...even non-tow boat forums. Point is, I know you have yours set up right, but you went to great lengths and costs to do so. I've heard a few W7's setup in SQ applications and the reproduction is phenomenal, but I think an Image Dynamics IDQ, FI-Q, or Soundsplinter RL-p can sound just as good or better without the huge price tag and headache of the W7's special needs. I also don't like their bizare impedance and the fact that you can only re-cone through JL. When it comes to boats quality and consitent SQ is nearly impossible to achieve, which is the reason I don't understand why so many insist on putting a primarily SQ sub that requires a ton of power on their boats. On a boat I like an efficient driver that's capable of big SPL that will sound good while doing it..but that's just my opinion.

Anyway, I'm really interested to see how this custom HLCD setup is going to play out. The enclosure looks great, and beatiful boat btw.

I have heard several boat systems that Kustom Kar Audio in Santa Rosa have done that sound amazing with W7 woofers. Grants boat sounds real good as well. I deff agree with the fact that it takes experienced engineering and thought out design to make them work. I personally believe you are paying for more than just a name with a W7. There is a reason they have not had to change their design in the past 10 years or however long it has been since they were introduced. I believe if you look at the power handling on JLs website it "sweet" spot is 750rms before you hit the danger/void area? Never the less looking forward to seeing how this system turns out along with the custom tower. I have a lot of respect for those of you who think outside the box, and build cool things like custom tower boxs and custom enclosures that perform well.

I also believe the IDQ has not changed in design for quiet sometime as well. They changed the look of the basket but it's the same woofer. Once again this has always been an incredible woofer that really doesn't need to be changed or redesigned.

Hey Grant, you might like this. Were setting the boat up with a custom table for there DJ's to spin off the back of the boat. We built the table top today and were going to modify it to hold the iDJ2.

You can only re-cone a JL Audio W7 woofer at JL Audio because it uses proprietary parts instead of a collection of generic parts from China. If anyone can re-cone it, it certainly isn't using specialized parts.
The JL W7s require more power because they are a longer excursion woofer. And it's long excursion "under control". Any woofer that truely has greater deep bass extension will be less sensitive in the 'peak' or 'low power' sense. However, the W7 may actually be more efficient at 30 Hz which isn't as obvious, especially in an open boat environment.
The W7s are absolutely a sound quality woofer that are exceptionally linear...meaning a very equal amplitude over a broad spectrum. They are fast and articulate. The tonal construction is unmatched. All an uneducated ear perceives is the apparent output of a SPL woofer that has a greater or concentrated output over a narrower bandwidth. Can it be louder over a narrower bandwidth? Sure. Some prefer this approach. Some do not. Either is fine with me based on the individual boat owner's expectations.
There is no doubt the JL Audio W7 is the industry reference SQ woofer. There are those woofers that emmulate the appearance and may look the part but don't sound the part. There are an endless stream of woofers that are built in China or assembled in the states from parts made in China but very few display any new technology or have patented technologies. I'm still waiting to get an explanation of superior technology from another brand. Manufacturer reps call on us frequently but never can answer these very basic inquiries as to what makes their woofer better or even competitive.
So are there other good woofer options? Absolutely. If you can't afford or even justify the best or perhaps a particular product isn't the best fit for your application, then there are lots of alternatives. But don't tell me they are superior at a lower cost unless you can show me the conclusive data or explain the technology difference.
I often recommend the JL Audio W6 in a boat simply because they are easier to power.

David
Earmark Marine

Is the w7 made in the states?

Yep, the W3 and up woofers including the W7s are built in the JL Audio Miamar, Florida factory.
(8) U.S. patents on the W7.
Finite Element Analysis= real American sophisticated engineering and advanced computer modeling by real acoustic engineers with several decades of industry experience.
All W7 models do NOT share common voice coils, magnets, conductor plates, spiders, etc. Each is its own independent balanced design. Many competing products use the same motor structure, spider diameter and voice coil for their 12 and 15-inch offering. I don't see anything too sophisticated about that. In reality, most woofers are engineered out of catalogs of Made in China parts common to multiple other brands and each claims to be better than the other. And they have a hard time explaning what is truly unique about their product.

David
Earmark Marine

At least it's nice to know that the majority of the high end woofers are made here.
Now to get it so the rest of the drivers and heaven forbid the amps start being made here.

Just realized that this is the same boat i drove by the other day passing your shop... Boat looks even nicer in person.

that's looking awesome.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2

Is it worse to pull tubes from an axis or to install a mobile dj table?

Awesome boat and stereo. I even appreciate the jd table, but MacBook music is not really music.

Tube for sure ;) When the sun goes down, you gotta have tunes to keep the party going!