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-   -   Wetsounds Threesome vs. 2 pair of WS 696's (http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=787668)

talltigeguy 05-19-2011 7:30 PM

Wetsounds Threesome vs. 2 pair of WS 696's
 
I have a tower with 4 Titan 6 X 9 pods on it with Focal speakers in them. They sound quite reasonable for sure, but I am generally looking for a bit more.

My background is that I have wakeboarded behind boats with a pair of WS 485's, a pair of pro 60's and 80's. I have owned a pair of NVS Tyrants. So I have some background with this stuff.

The goal here is to hear things well while wakeboarding, and for the kids to hear things well when .... (gulp!) tubing or other activities.

Because of the rounded bar on the Titan tower, a pair of 485's would look stoopid to me. They would be tilted and I don't like that. So I am contemplating putting WS 696's in the current cans. Omar at Wetsounds states that he has been very impressed with them, and that they can produce as much or more midbass than the Pro 80's. I would power them with a SYN2 to give them adequate power. It just seems that I have not heard much in the way of reviews on the 696's and would like to hear someone's thoughts who has actually heard them.

The other option is to go big with a threesome and a SYN6. It would cost substantially more, but clearly this puts me close to the king of the lake in my little universe. That would be fun, but might be overkill. I think I know what I am getting into with a threesome, but just stating what other options might be available to me. Anything more costly than that would be out of price range.

Thoughts anyone?

mikeski 05-19-2011 11:04 PM

If you already have the cans I would go with the 696's.

wake26 05-20-2011 6:09 AM

I have the three some on my boat and I love them they sound awesome. I can not speak for the ws 6x9's because I have not herd them but you will not be disappointed with the three some. And with everybody starting to sell there pro 80's to get the new rev series you might be able to find a decent used pair for a reasonable price.

h20king 05-20-2011 7:10 AM

Just go big the first time I am on my third stereo upgrade in three years If I would have just gone big the first time it would have saved me a lot of $$$ in the long run.

david_e_m 05-20-2011 7:19 AM

The horn in the 696s, 60s and 80s are basically the same with slightly different crossovers in each to best match their respective midbass drivers. Beyond that the difference is in the midbass driver surface area. From that you would expect the output and midbass extension to be between the Pro60 and Pro80. The 696 cannot exceed the Pro80 in any area although there are other reasons that could create this perception.
There is no doubt that four 696s driven by a Syn2 will get the job done with ease. And, there is no doubt that the 3-Some would have about a third more surface area and when combined with the larger Syn6 you should net another couple of decibels and a bit more midbass presense.
Once selling the two pair of Titan II pods, the investment difference shrinks.
I like the looks of the Titan II pods. That's a tough choice that comes up a winner either way.

David
Earmark Marine

talltigeguy 05-20-2011 10:58 PM

Thanks for the input. I had ordered new covers for the back side of my Titan cans....then they called back today to say that they do not have any covers to sell separate from new cans. My cans are in great shape, but the rear covers are a bit trashed. They are made of a cheap plastic with chrome plating. Looks like the plating has got lots of little marks from mosquitos hitting them at 75 mph or something. That probably rules out using my existing cans. They offered to sell me new cans altogether at a good discount, but even a good discount is going to really close the margin between 4 6X9's and a bigger setup.

jonyb 05-21-2011 5:50 AM

Have you thought about 4 Pro80's vs. the 3-Some? Just a thought.....

david_e_m 05-21-2011 6:20 AM

talltigeguy,
Disassemble the pods, take a little of the finest steel wool to both the forward plate and rear-facing chromed bezel. Treat with adhesive promoter. Paint with a SEM automotive gloss black dye or other neutral color. As good as new if you find a color that ties in with the scheme. Also, vacuum-formed chrome over plastic has got to be readily available.

David
Earmark Marine

talltigeguy 05-26-2011 7:32 AM

I am getting a threesome, so anyone interested in my setup, I would like to sell it all as one package. Make me an offer.

Lights, 4 6X9 cans with focal speakers and Kicker 650.4 amp.

If no one wants it all, I will start parting it out eventually.

More pics available on request.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/f...5-21092512.jpg

talltigeguy 05-27-2011 8:44 PM

To complicate matters, I decided to change it up.

The order of wetsounds 485 and a pair of Pro 80's were going to take a bit longer to get...so I got talked into trying 2 pair of REV 10's by my audio dealer. They think that I would be even happier with that. Plus I get swivel connects. i think that is going to look a bit better on my tower anyway. I was too impatient to wait an extra 10 days. Sounds like I will be one of the first to try this setup.

I am STOKED!

TurboFan 05-29-2011 5:18 PM

Which lake? I see a few Utah plates there.

talltigeguy 05-29-2011 8:19 PM

Good eye, Jason. I am in St. George.

The coolest license plate there I found in a home I moved into in Idaho. The big black one has arabic writing on it, together with English.

jonyb 05-30-2011 4:49 AM

I just finished up installing 3 pair of Rev8's on my tower, what a difference from a 3-Some.....

Tigeguy, you know the 10's won't be out until later in June, right?

calexan 05-30-2011 6:14 AM

Can you post some pics of the Rev 8s mounted and how you think they sound?

jonyb 05-30-2011 11:27 AM

1 Attachment(s)
This is all I have for pics right now. Like others have said, sound quality is much better. There's also a noticeable difference in midbass.

talltigeguy 05-30-2011 2:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonyb (Post 1682064)
I just finished up installing 3 pair of Rev8's on my tower, what a difference from a 3-Some.....

Tigeguy, you know the 10's won't be out until later in June, right?

Yup...thanks for the heads up. On the other thread, westounds said that they would not ship until June 20. But it looks like it will be quicker than that.

It looked like it would be a while before I could get a threesome as well....

jonyb 05-30-2011 4:09 PM

I was gonna do 2 pair of 10's instead of the 8's, but when they confirmed on the phone that June 20th would be the earliest, I changed it up. The TC3 clamps aren't even out yet either, so that was another deciding factor. The Rev8's sound awesome though, and I've got a lot more headroom then I did with the 3-Some, so it was really a good choice.

shawnmdarnell 05-30-2011 5:54 PM

John, how much power are you running to those?

jonyb 05-31-2011 5:35 AM

1 Syn4 on each pair of speakers, so 3 Syn4's. That's in addition to the existing Syn4 on in-boats, and 2 Syn1's on 2 12" XXX's.

wetsounds1 06-01-2011 1:07 PM

John,

Looks AMAZING. Please send me pics when you get more. I'll get them on the site and our facebook page.

Tall, REV 8 are shipping now and REV 10 are due on the 22nd unless something changes and we get them any quicker.

Tim
Wet Sounds

jonyb 06-01-2011 2:31 PM

Will do sir.

talltigeguy 06-05-2011 6:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wetsounds1 (Post 1682773)
John,

Looks AMAZING. Please send me pics when you get more. I'll get them on the site and our facebook page.

Tall, REV 8 are shipping now and REV 10 are due on the 22nd unless something changes and we get them any quicker.

Tim
Wet Sounds

TIm,

I have to have something by the 18th. So I ordered a pair or Rev 8's. I have then a pair of 10's on their way after that. But I at least needed something before for my Lake Powell trip. A properly powered pair of 8's should be audible back there for sure.

I have heard somewhere (I think it was you?) that you often don't recommend mixing different sizes of speakers on the same channel. Something about the 10 hogging more of the power and starving the 8. I bet no one has mixed an 8 and a 10 yet...so any guesses on if I would come across any SQ issues?

I considered running them in mono mode and just putting the 8's on one channel and the 10's on the other, would that be preferable to an 8 and 10 together?

talltigeguy 06-07-2011 6:01 AM

Bump...anyone with ideas about mixing 8 and 10's?

david_e_m 06-07-2011 6:43 AM

With the difference in speaker surface area and pod displacement it should come as no surprise that the larger speaker is louder with a little more midbass extension. So the question would be are you going to 1) let the speakers reach their own level of output (which will be different) by giving them equal power or 2) are you going to cut back on the dominant speaker while trying to balance the output of the two? In either case, a symmetrical speaker system will sum more efficiently.
Here is the comparison assuming that all tower speakers are powered optimumly.
Two pair of Rev8s will sound very linear and LOUD.
Two pair of Rev10s will provide a little more midbass extension and definitely sound LOUDER.
One pair of Rev8s summed with one pair of Rev10s will sound marginally louder than a single pair of Rev10s.
So in conclusion if I am doubling my power and I'm doubling my investment I want my full 3dB of additional acoustic power. After all that investment two pair of Rev10s are only a buck fifty more than the mix. That buck fifty is inexpensive S.P.L. at this point. And, I didn't choose the larger Rev10s to just play at rest for listening at or just off the swim deck. I chose them specifically to get the ultimate projection with authority and ease.
In this case I'm really not having to mix speakers in order to try and moderate or correct anything.
Mine is just one perspective and one way of looking at it. Your particular expectations and intended usage may result in different priorities.

David
Earmark Marine


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