To Tower Speaker or not to Tower Speaker

I am trying to figure out if it is worth getting tower speakers with the boat we have on order
I have got some clarion CM1632-RETs ordered but I have been reading a few posts on clarion speakers and it looks doubtful whether the rider will even be able to hear them at 75ft.
I guess the question is if the rider can't hear them why would I bother dropping the $$$ on them??

if u put some good ones on they can hear them when they ride. also even if they cant hear them, they make your boat look better and well having a sound system its part of the boat..
good luck

To Tower Speaker

They sound nice just for lounging on the beach even if the rider can't hear them.

I'll go against the grain and say they're usually pretty useless. I think that VERY often, they're mostly a status symbol kind of thing. Bling bling, boom boom, you know? If the rider can hear them well, they're probably too loud. They annoy other people on the lake, especially if people live there. For that reason alone, I'd say that if you're undecided, don't bother.

The only situation I can really think of where I would ever have tower speakers is if I hung out on a relatively unpopulated lake and liked to go ashore and party.

9 months ago, my opinion of tower speakers was similar to Salmon Tacos'. My buddy had purchased some Skylon Defcon Twos, and I constantly gave him a hard time about it. Why would I spend $1000 bucks on some tower speakers that I can't even hear when I'm riding?

In February(maybe March?), a buddy and I went down to Discovery Bay to demo the NVS setup behind Duane's boat (and to get a free pull). That single afternoon completely changed my mind about tower speakers. The music was so loud and clear while riding, it was amazing. I quickly purchased one of the very first sets of Entity 1010s available, before I even had my boat.

Riding with loud, clear music changes my whole mindset when I'm out there. These days, it's a really weird feeling for me to ride behind a boat with no tower speakers.

I can't argue Salmon Tacos' opinion that they are probably too loud. People hear my boat from 1/4 of a mile away, sometimes more. The only saving grace is the fact that we almost always get a "thumbs up" from people on the shore (we ride on a river). That probably has something to do with music choice though.

So, to tower speaker, or not to tower speaker? Well it all depends on the tower speakers you're buying!

My dad is against tower speakers, because you can hear it on the other side of the lake. Its the worst when they are not pulling a rider and still have the speakers blasting. I personally am for them, listening to music helps me ride. So if you get tower speakers, get a fader, so u can fade into or out of the boat.

I think they are getting close to a ban on our lake. 2 younger people driving boats through the coves seem to have ruined it for everyone. OUr lake has houses all around, and most people don't want to hear "your" music. I think that while riding is one thing, while cruising or anchored in a cove is another. That being said, I am planning on upgrading to Polks inside the boat and a small (10") sub inside the boat to improve the sound for the occupants while riding around...no tower yet, but even when I do, speakers will be unlikely.

Eric

I have a set of fosgate tower speakers for sale. check them out at

Pair of custom Lucky devil design fosgate 6.5 components. (p162s) 60w RMS 120w peak. The speakers alone sell for $200 @ best buy. 1 7/8 inch billet clamps, quick plug disconnect speaker terminals. Go to http://www.luckydevildesigns.com/ld707.htm this is the same can design/color, but w/o the light. These are brand new speakers. They have been used two times. I switched from 6.5's to a pro audio/horn setup. Make me an offer.

<language=> http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1069302293654&skuId=6252663&product CategoryId=cat03076&type=product



here is a link to
I'm looking for 275 plus shipping

"I can't argue Salmon Tacos' opinion that they are probably too loud. People hear my boat from 1/4 of a mile away, sometimes more. "

Yup, that's just what we need! Where we are located, people live right on the lake. As if the water-gnat noise wasn't bad enough, now you have boom-diddy-boom-diddy-boom-diddy at all hours. Whew, enough already.
If you really enjoy music that much, which BTW I do, get a MP3 player and "plug-in"! Just say NO to the phallic extenders!
I always enjoyed the sound of the water being cut.

(Message edited by NewTique on September 30, 2004)

Along those same lines, has anybody tried the waterproof MP3 player that can attach to your helmet? I was curious if it works ok or not. Doesn't seem to have much memory, comparatively, and it wouldn't be easy to load up music for different riders.

Eric

WATERPROOF WIRELESS FLOATING HEADPHONES!

How many times do I have to say it before someone starts making them?! I know it wouldn't be too difficult or expensive to do! Of course, I wouldn't buy them because I like the sound of the water and boat.

I have two Samson speakers.. it's not to loud and they swivel so I can put the boat forward onto a nice sandy beach and point them toward the beach. We don't use them much for wakeboarding because they aren't loud enough (I have one RF 200W amp driving them). They look nice and function quite well for beaching. As a bonus, the speakers quick-release with no visible wires (the wires are in the bracket).
http://www.samsonsports.com/speakers.html

"Yup, that's just what we need! Where we are located, people live right on the lake. Just say NO to the phallic extenders!"

Which lake would that be? I'll be sure to come by and give you a "wakeup call" on a nice peaceful saturday morning.

Do us all a favor - don't do it, keep the music inside the general area of the Boat. We are already takin it on the big wake front (we need that to do the sport) don't need to also piss more people off on the obnoxiously loud music front.

muji(mulibur)......right on! Not everyone enjoys that level of maturity!

(Message edited by NewTique on September 30, 2004)

Joe, now I know you don't mean that but someone might take it the wrong way.

I have a house on the water too and can relate to loud noises interrupting my sleep, or other near quiet activities.
The reality of it all is that we all share these spaces and should be considerate of others. Where I'm at I do not have to worry about any ordanances against loud sounds during the daylight hours as I am often interrupted by the rumbling of 2 or 3 open headered supercharged 502's (from 1 boat). These guys pretty much dictate the law around my area so as long as I realize it is a momentary thing, I get used to it. If I insisted on a noisless place, I'd of bought a place where only sail boats roam.
So, whatever you or your buddy has that is loud as heck, please just be considerate of others.
Not all people feel that way about all quiet. I have a next door neighbor that often yells at me to "TURN IT UP" when I leave my slip. Of course I don't out of respect for the other 30 or so neighbors that I'd likely piss off.
Again, please be considerate!

You're right Duane, I completely forgot to factor in the "open header, big block, redneck, jetboats" that make up more than half of the boats in my riding area. Entity's make some noise, but they just can't quite compete with 454 cubic inches of straight through exhaust!

Noise is definitely not an issue where I ride. Tonight as we silently pulled into the no-wake zone, about two dozen people in the bar across the river started shouting, "Crank it up!", "Play some rock and roll!", etc.

I fired up the ol' "phallic enhancer" and watched 20+ people dancing to Johnny B. Goode for a few minutes while my buddy backed the trailer down.

Did anybody else see Tom Barnard's thread about his new set of NVS 1010s? The ranger came to him from over 1/4 mile away and asked him to turn the volume down. I'm glad I wasn't exaggerating with my distance estimate!

Damn kids these days, with their new-fangled rock and roll music!

CBrown,

To answer your original question I will agree with a few others and say that most car based speaker systems are a waste of money, you won't hear them while you are riding. But it also depends on your boat and your riding surroundings. While riding on the Sacramento river where the sides are high on a quiet weekday afternoon behind my buddies quiet I/O I could very easily hear the 6.5" speaker cans on his tower. Behind my Nautique out in the delta with other boats running around I sometimes have a hard time hearing the Electrovoice Evid stadium speakers mounted on my tower. I have also rode behind Duanes NVS system and it is the only thing that I have heard that makes music loud enough to hear clearly when riding.

Like Duane I also have a house on the water at Discovery Bay and it really irritates me when people idle in 20 minutes from their riding spot to the launch ramp with their speakers cranked up (trailer trash). Most people have now idea how sound travels across the water. Earlier this summer there was a kid in an older boat with some e-bay style 6x9 cans playing some foul mouthed music behind my house. His system was probably underpowered and the speakers sounded horrible. If he had any idea how badly his system sounded he might think twice about playing it where others could hear. After I politely asked him to turn it down he reached turned it up and flipped me off. This kind of behavior will cause tower speakers to be banned. Luckily most people with enough money to buy real systems are also smart enough to know that not everyone wants to hear their music.

My tower speakers stay turned off until I am at least 1/2 mile away from the nearest house, Duane is also very respectful to the sound levels coming off the water when needed.

Lets be smart people.

Just ride!

Mike

(Message edited by mikeski on September 30, 2004)

i am not for music intruding upon my gathering or my music upon anothers....

imo, towers are good for when you are beached and want to hear some tunes...as long as no one else is around..

why spend $$$ on tower speakers and use a crappy headunit/amps/speakers/subs/power supply ?

your system would sound so much better if you were to spend the money on better quality components. Eclipse decks
zapco / jl audio - amps
focal/mb quart/image dynamic/dynaudio - speakers
image dynamic-subs
gel batteries with isolation and caps...

it is pretty uncool to inflict or be inlicted with loud distorted music...

btw,i am in the process of ordering a boat and will go for a custom stereo install. i have done 3 car systems so far and have found out, it is better to go with better sounding/better quality components ( i found it okay to buy used high quality amps and front speakers and new decks/subs for warranty)

my target system will be:
eclipse 8 volt head unit
apple ipod
3 zapco stereo amps (100 wpc)
1 jl 500/1
3 pair of image dynamic chameleon components
1 image dynamic id max 10 or 12 in custom glass
4 caps
2 optima batteries
esoteric wired


(Message edited by clubmyke on October 01, 2004)

For those of you that say you can't hear the tower speakers while riding, I have a question. Are the speakers run through an amp other that the one that powers the 4 speakers plus sub in the boat. I have a stock stystem from Centurion which includes a Sony receiver, 4 sony 6.5's, a 10" kicker sub, and 300 watt kicker amp. Sounds very good now but am planning on adding a 2nd amp to power the upcoming tower speakers. Sound like I am going the right direction?

I prefer to use a dedicated amp for the tower speaker so you can easily turn them down or turn them off quickly when the rider goes down. I would hate not being able to hear my downed rider communicate a desperate situation.

what size amp to power just the 2 tower speakers so they can be heard while riding?

NO NO NO NO tower speakers. They look cool, sound cool, are cool, but annoying. I love load music, but not everyone else does.

This is just like the "boom - boom - boom" crap that you hear from the piece of junk car next to you when driving your car in town. He / She thinks they are cool, but they are not.

Wakeboard naturally and be one with the water.

Clint

I am against tower speakers too. Too loud. I never even crank the stereo up. My crew and I are pretty much novice riders and can go down at any given moment. I would sure like to be aware of it. And I like to BS while we are on the water. What about communication with the rider? I drive semi's for a living and while driving in town Ikeep the stereo either off or turned way down. The freeway is different of course. I like to listen to the sounds of the boat so that I know what's going on, ie, if a malfunction occurs I'd like to know what it sounded like. One other thing, I normally launch around 7:00a.m.. I'm not gonna go wake the neighbors that early on a Sunday morn.

This thread makes me laugh.