NVS Addictions vs. Wet Sounds Pro80's

During the long Minnesota winter I am adding a tower and speakers to my 1989 MC Tristar. As far as speakers go I want the loudest setup possible for 2 speakers. I know I am comparing an 8" driver to a 10", but I heard both of these speakers flat out scream when properly powered. They will be hanging off a Monster Tower if that matters at all. If anyone of has a experience with the two of these setups I would appreciate your input. Living in MN there is nowhere I can go to hear them both in person, which is very frustrating!

Thanks in advance.

IMO, I am a fan of the Wetsounds Pro 80's and have heard both sets of speakers. I think you get more mid to high range sounds out of the wetsounds that the Addictions.

Now that I have given my opinion...I am going to sit back, crack a beer and watch the kids start fighting!

You might want to use the Search tool... this has been talked about many, many times before.

Cal, I did use the search tool and there was nothing really comparing these two directly. These are the 2 speakers I am mostly interested in and since I can't hear them in person, this thread is worth somewhere between $995-$1295 to me.

Nick, We've done up an X-1 with the Pro 80's they are awesome in both sound and looks. Can't comment on how they compare to the NVS as the the only boat that had them on had them removed before it got here (something about the owner wanting to put them on his new boat)

Any how we (midwest mastercraft) don't have any mounted up right now but if we do an install I'll let you know so you can check them out. I konw we talked about putting something together for the boat show but nothing is set in stone yet.

Corey, if you setup anything with Wet Sounds in your shop or at the boat show I will be there instantly. I am in your shop it seems like once a week during the season, so we have probably crossed paths before.

Will do man, might have to let you "crank it up" yourself as the boat show usually frowns on that type of shenanigans!

For sure man, I've been here for about 4 or 5 years now and I worked at the old shop for another 3 or 4 before that. Used to ride out on your side of town more often now we're typically at Long Lake or Long Lake, funny how both lakes have the same name.

I have had both NVS and Wet sounds Pro 80's over the last few years. Here is my oppinion. I believe the wetsounds sounded a smidgen better then the NVS but I thought the NVS were louder then the Pro 80's. You can't go wrong with eaither and like anything it depends what you are powering them with. My next boat will probabbly have NVS hanging from my tower.

not trying to thread jack, but while on the Pro 80s topic, Has anyone used the SYN2 amp to power 2 pairs of pro 80s?

I just ordered mine and am unsure what I wanna do to power them.. I was also looking at the alpine PDX4.150

(Message edited by delmage171 on November 18, 2008)

Jason no worries about jacking, the syn2 will work just fine and sound great with the 80s. I just installed that same configuration on my friends boat and its killer. As far as the NVS vs the pro 80s, the 80s are a touch better in almost all aspects and just seam to be cleaner all around. I have had both and a few other setups and am now going back to the 80s just because of the quality. Honestly you can't go wrong with either one but its what you personally prefer.

Jason, from my understanding the SYN2 was made to power 1 pair of Pro 80's perfectly at 200 watts RMS x 2 @ 4 ohms.

the syn-2 is designed to power 1 pr or 2 prs of pro 80

It is also perfect to run 1 to 2 prs of pro 60

It does 200x2 in 4 ohm stereo or 350x2 in 2 ohm stereo so 175 per speaker

Jason, I think the Pdx amp is a good amp but not for tower speaker use on pro audio speakers. The sound quality of the class d's do not pair well with horn speakers. We have had many customers use them and wind up changing them out later.

Tim
Wet Sounds

Here is my two cents. I have heard both speakers. IMO, the Pro80s sound a little clearer. At the same time, I think they sound a little more tinny. As I am sure you read in your searching on this site, it really is a matter of preference and you can't go wrong either way. I went NVS but I am sure I would have been happy with Wetsounds.

I didn't check, but I would guess that properly powered the NVS speakers are a bit louder.

(Message edited by hbguy on November 19, 2008)

Thanks for the information!

What is that actual difference between 4 ohms and 2 ohms? sound quality?

For 2 pairs of 80s, do you run each pair in parallel?

I've been hapy powering a threesome with the alpine pdx 4.150.

To hear the SQ difference on a boat takes a trained ear.

Jason, i run the syn2 amp and its powering a pair of 80's and 60's. LOUD AND CLEAR!

Thanks for all of your opinions...I went with the Pro 80's over the Addictions.

just got my 80s tonight!

super stoked

Not sure I agree with Tim about the Pdx amps my 4.100 sounds sweet with my Bullet 660's.

Jason, what amp are you gonna use to power them?

Ahh, I think probably a wetsounds Syn2, I figured if I spent the money on good speakers, might as well buy the proper amp that was designed to power these speakers...

You wont be disappointed, Tim and his crew have great customer service if you need help or have any questions.

Yeah I can't wait to get my boat all ready for next season. Both companies, Wet Sounds and NVS went above and beyond to help me out with what ever I needed. Its rare to have customer service that exceptional these days.

To further Chris M's point, the Alpine PDX amplifiers are fine with horn-loaded drivers. JBL and Crown use full range Class D amplifiers in pro-sound line arrays featuring horns. JL Audio is using full range Class D on their new home theater satellites, as are other extremely high-end companies. There are no current warts associated with the better Class D designs. The JL Audio HD car audio amplifiers (Class D) are incredible.

I'm not making comparisons, only advocating Class D as a viable option. We've had zero issues.

David E.M.

My Bullets are powered by a JBL PX300.4 and they sound awesome.

nvs....