in boat speaker recommendations

I'm looking for 6 in boat speakers, but with so many options I'm having a tough time choosing. I decided to go with the Alpine F6 (150Wx4) and run 2 of the speakers in paralell. I like the bullet 650's and 770's. What do you guys like?

Not sure what you are looking to spend either way the Polk DB651's sound great and are very very affordable

I'm a huge fan of the Wetsounds XS-650s... look around and you will see most people on here are and there is a reason for that

It's not a wakeboat so no tower. I've been looking around and looked at XS-650's. They're a bit pricey. I've seen the bullet 650 3 pair for about $450 which seems like a really good deal.

xs650's rip! I would definitely look into these

Originally Posted by factorykitted

xs650's rip! I would definitely look into these

do they rip enough to justify an additional $300?

Polk MM 651 UM will give you clear detail and plenty of bass. They will play loud with a modest amp, but more power is always better. The Polk Db 651 is the budget version, but the sound is bigger than the price tag would indicate. Both are a good buy and well worth the price. Polk vs Bullet vs Wet sounds.............they all sound very good, so just pick the grille that will look good in your boat and consult with your checkbook to see if it works.

Just heard the new exile interior speakers the other day, they also rip and are alot less than $250 per set. Give Brian at Exile Audio a call I'm sure he could see to it you got your hands on some at a good price and you wouldn't have to worry about buying them off the net with no warranty.

Ben,

If budget is a concern and the XS-650 are out of your budget. You can check out the new XS-65. we have both XS-65-B and XS-65-S. (right now on the site it says SS-65 but changing the part number to XS-65 as everyone was calling it xs-65 anyway, also there are pics of the black cone only but we have both in stock) Black cone or silver cone. These look like the XS-650 but have a smaller magnet and smaller tweeter but everything else is built the same and they are fantastic sounding and built like a tank. Also, we have a new line called the SW series. This is a closed grille speaker in either white or black. And either the 65 or 650 versions. So lots of options to fit your budget and your style.

When shopping around. There are a lot of speakers being called marine that are NOT marine. So make sure to do some research and look very closely. Here are some things to look for

1) Is the tweeter grille mounted or on a pole piece? Grille mounting gives you a separate woofer and tweeter for a true marine speaker. Pole piece without a boot is NOT marine. This will leave a gap so water can get down into the voice coil and damage your speaker. The Wet Sounds in boats all have grille mounted tweeters.
2) What is the frame made from? Make sure it is plastic or some composite. I have seen speakers being called marine that have stamped steel. This is NOT marine. Steel will rust. The Wet Sounds in boats all have composite frames.
3) What is the spider made from? Most car audio based speakers are a cloth spider that will dry rot over time. Most marine speakers use a treated cloth. Wet Sounds uses a special rubber spider.
4) What is the surround made from? You will want something with a rubber or poly surround. NOT foam. Foam will dry rot over time. I have seen speakers being sold as marine, mainly subs with foam surrounds. All wet sounds use a rubber surrounds. We take it a step farther than that as we thermoform the surround to the cone. Melting the surround to the cone to create a bond that cannot be separated. The surround and cone are one. Others use glue. But if it is not a real marine speaker, the glue can and will fail causing separation or the cone and surround
4) Is the magnet exposed? A true marine speaker will have a covered magnet as magnets can rust and will fail. I have seen speakers being marketed as marine that have exposed magnets. This is NOT a marine speaker. Wet Sounds all have a rubber or plastic covered magnet
5) Tinsel leads. Make sure they are coated or marine rated. We use a special alloy that is salt water rated. I have seen speakers mounted as marine using un coated and non marine thin tinsel leads that will snap over time.
6) Tuning. This one will have to be subjective as everyone has a different opinion on what they like. We tune our speakers for a boat. More mid bass and a nice crisp tweeter. We use titanium for the 650 tweeters as well which does a great job of overcoming wind noise and open air. I prefer the hard dome tweeters in a boat over a soft dome.

There are some really nice marine speakers on the market. There are also some being sold as marine that are NOT marine. So the best thing to do is research what you are looking for. And see if you can get a demo at a dealer to see and hear them. Take a look at the build quality. And the info mentioned above. Then see what fits your budget and style. If you cannot go to a dealer. See if you can get pictures of the speakers. From front to back and all the parts so you can look at the stuff I mentioned and make a call. Let me know anything else I can do.

Tim
Wet Sounds

The Wetsounds, Polk MM um version, JL Audio MX series, are all true marine speakers in every respect and all have sealed dustcaps on the midbass cones that seal the voice coil gap. Many of the marine construction attributes are essential in a salt water environment. Alot of boaters run automotive speakers for years in fresh water areas without issue. Keep in mind that while tower speakers don't get flooded with a roller over the bow, most HLCD Proaxials do not have all the marine ammenities either and survive very well over the long term.
The Bullet HollowPoints, Exiles, Focal, JL Audio, Polk and Wetsounds are all premium in-boat speakers in the $150 to $250 per pair range. They all sound excellent even though each has its own characteristics.
You might also entertain the JL Audio XD600/6 amplifier to run the six in-boat speakers. Its the same fullrange Class D efficiency and power as applied to your application but gives you more control in balancing the different speaker locations, will accept a remote level control and is built on more of a discrete component platform.

David
Earmark Marine

One model not mentioned yet, but worth taking a look at are the Kicker KM6200 Coax. 6.5 cone in a 6" basket with a .75" tweeter. Great sound and will handle plenty of power. Or step up to the KM6250.2 Components with a 1' remote tweeter. The external x-over can be mounted on the back of the magnet or remotely if depth is an issue. No worries pouring the coals to these!

Tim, I knew you would chime in. You're a great ambassador for Wetsounds. I’m very familiar with Wetsounds. A ton of guys on Lake Travis have amazing Wetsounds systems. Unfortunately I’m not familiar with the other brands out there and that’s why I’m asking around.

David, thanks for the reply. Very informative!

The motor in boat is stupid loud and I want speakers that will be able to overpower the motor while underway for a good price.

Right now I’m trying to decide between the Exile SX65C, Wetsounds XS-65, Bullet 650, Polk MM. If money wasn’t an issue I’d probably go with the XS-650.

I have 3 pair of Bullet HP 6.5" cabin speakers. They are loud, clear, and have suprisingly quite a bit of bass to them. Earmark has them on sale as well.

AJ, what amp do you have powering those and how do you have it set up?

benjamin - if you want to hear a set of xs-650's powered by a syn4 let me know. Im on both Lake Travis/Lake Austin.

Brian is that your boat in the profile pic? Were you out at Travis on the 4th? My GF is friends with some people that were on what may have been your boat and we came over to chat for a bit at Carlos n Charlies.

I am running 6 JL m770's in the boat and love them.

Originally Posted by bendow

Brian is that your boat in the profile pic? Were you out at Travis on the 4th? My GF is friends with some people that were on what may have been your boat and we came over to chat for a bit at Carlos n Charlies.

Wasn't my boat on the 4th... However, that is my boat in the profile pic. Here's a night shot...

How many women can you fit on that?

Im really impressed how crisp and clear the 650's are - sound quality is amazing, I had the Rockford Fosgate Power series speakers in my last boat and the 650's blow them out of the water. Make sure you run enough power if you decide to go that route.

I just got finished with my full system redo a few weeks ago. I am really liking the Exile stuff. Fit perfectly into the stock holes with out any modification, and as some of you know the dash location on some of the Malibu's can be quite challenging to deal with depth wise. I know the 650's require cutting of the dash, and they are a tad bit deep in the basket and magnet to fit without a spacer. Exile also is willing to give a 2 year warranty on they're gear so I am not really sweatin' all the details. If I remeber correctly also they were right at $200 a pair I think. All I know is they sound great , were a breeze to install, and I like the look better than the Wetsounds iron cross grill. It reminds me of all the bad tribal tattoos and stuff from ohhh...... Y2K . I can't hate too much though, I got one back then too.
Here's a few shots

Originally Posted by factorykitted

Im really impressed how crisp and clear the 650's are - sound quality is amazing, I had the Rockford Fosgate Power series speakers in my last boat and the 650's blow them out of the water. Make sure you run enough power if you decide to go that route.

That might have something to do with those RF's being some of the worst speakers out there, not saying WS aren't great but that's no comparison. Any speaker out there would sound better than those.

[QUOTE=bawshogg;1610865]I just got finished with my full system redo a few weeks ago. I am really liking the Exile stuff. Fit perfectly into the stock holes with out any modification, and as some of you know the dash location on some of the Malibu's can be quite challenging to deal with depth wise. I know the 650's require cutting of the dash, and they are a tad bit deep in the basket and magnet to fit without a spacer. Exile also is willing to give a 2 year warranty on they're gear so I am not really sweatin' all the details. If I remeber correctly also they were right at $200 a pair I think. All I know is they sound great , were a breeze to install, and I like the look better than the Wetsounds iron cross grill. It reminds me of all the bad tribal tattoos and stuff from ohhh...... Y2K . I can't hate too much though, I got one back then too.


Right up there with the Affliction T shirts huh....

Ben-

Last week I installed 3 pair of the Exile SX65's in my Supra. The first time using them (for more then just making sure that I had everything hooked up properly) I put them through a weekend of "abuse" at a local lake. I played them at high volumes (between 30-35 on my deck, deck maxs at 35) for about 5 hours each day and was at the lake for 4 days with a variety of music (country, pop, rap, punk, rock, instrumental). No matter what the music was or the volume they sounded amazing and kept coming back for more. They overall sound quality is very clear, clean, and crisp. Not only do they sound amazing, but they look great as well. I'll post some pics later when I am at home rather then work. Definetly give Brian from Exile a shout and take a look at the Exile SX65. You won't be disappointed in there speaker or product offerings, nor the customer service that Brian and everyone else at Exile gives.

Those Exiles look sharp and would look killer in my boat, hmmm...

Benjamin, I'm using a JL Audio G6600 amp. 4 channels are for the cabin speakers, 2 channels for my JL sub.

WS 650. I made the switch to thses after my factory clarions started showing their age..best upgrade I have made to my boat. 3 sets of the 650s and a WS FA-10.
IMPO I would stay away from anything kicker. My job is working on boats and when it comes to stereos the most common failures I see kicker amps and sony head units.one of the best things Tige ever did is get rid of kicker and start using wetsounds in thier boats. I am not sure if its where malibu mounts their radio that causes all the problems with the sony head units or what but I cant even keep track of the number of sony head units that failed.

I'm looking at either the Polk Db651s or WetSounds 65 NOT the 650s. What would you pick?

65's for sure. you won't get the same customer service from polk. and wet sounds is a true marine speaker tuned for marine environment.

im thinking a couple of these and you will be fine......

I need some ideas guys on in boat speakers. I DONT want to change my amp. It is a Phoenix Gold XS2300. I had infinity in boats, but I think the tweeters are blown. The polk db651's seem to be a great deal, but I dont want to just blow them up and have to do this again. So, I am looking at MM651's which seem to handle 100RMS of power. I have 4 speakers coming off of the amp. I am thinking the amp is 300W, split 4 ways is about 75W per speaker. I think two speakers are wired off each amp output, so does that cut the impedance? Im a rookie on that which is why Im looking for help.

Wetsounds, it took me 12 polks to figure it out. Don't follow me down the same path. Polks work fine only if you dont' push them.

Derek, the problem with the MM's is that they are 2.7 ohms so if you parallel them into your amp each channel will be seeing 1.35 ohms which it won't like very much. The MM's would need their own channel with most any amp. Otherwise your math is correct. 150x2 at 2 ohms on that amp. so just look for 4 ohms speakers which most are.

Derek - I was part of the design group that built that amplifier back in the day. Spent 15 years at Phoenix Gold. The XS2300 and XS2500 are both good little amps with a NASCAR heavy heat-sink feel and can take some abuse. That being said, HateNPain is exactly right about ohms and the loads you do want and dont want.

If you want to stick with PG for your boat, consider finding the XS4300 to run your cabin setup as it will offer you many more channels and happy ohm loads. I'm sure you could find one on ebay somewhere used for cheap.

- Brian
Exile Audio

ps: talk about a blast from the past. scarry I still live and breath all those model numbers. the good old days for sure.

Mikeski - you're the guy I was thinkin about when I was thinking db651's. Thanks for the tip. I dont run the in boats too hard, but I must have at some point to blow the Infinity's
Hate - Perfect that's what I was wondering. I will constrain my search to 4 ohm speakers. Thanks!
Brian - Dont want to replace my amp. Just the speakers.

Derek,
The Infinity marine coaxial (if that is the model that you had) featured a 'W' type dome tweeter which has a 1-inch diaphram but a very small inner voice coil. Its also a high resonance tweeter that lends itself to the vulnerability. So next time around get a true 1-inch dome with a full 1-inch VC. Look at something with a 2nd order highpass filter and a ferrofluid cooled tweeter. Past that DO NOT compress the amplifier or it can eat ANY speaker. You can also fuse your coaxials. Its cheap and won't compromise the sound quality.

David
Earmark Marine

David, Do you have some recommendations that meet those requirements? Im not sure what you mean by compressing the amplifier or fusing the coaxials...

Derek- I understand you don't want to change out the amp. In simple terms that amp will produce more power than rated. It will be great for running two pair of 4 ohm speakers but not 3 pair.

Just keep that in mind when choosing qty. Running more than 2 pair wil shut the amp down.

Cheers

Brian

Thanks Brian, I am only intending to run 4. If I ever add more, I understand that it will be time for a new Amp.

Brian,
That series of XS amplfiers which we carried had the distinct sound of MOSFETS in the output stage similar to Rockfords of that era. Any truth to that?
Derek,
Placing an in-line fuse on the speakers will ensure that they don't receive more current than they can handle. I recommend this because you can blow any speaker with any amplifier so let's be safe and avoid a repeat. 'Compression' or 'clipping' means that the amplifier is overdriven which means the music's pulses go from transient-like bursts to more continuous power. The speaker doesn't get a momentary rest as the signal transitions because there is far less signal discrepancy so its as if the speaker is on constantly. And constantly means that there is more heat building up than can be dissipated. There is also an element of damaging distortion byproducts from 'compression'. The heat eventually burns out the speaker's motor. Maybe that is too technical but I'm sure you follow the basic point...overdrive = heat = toasted speaker. So lets fuse 'em to protect 'em!
As for good speakers I carry Wetsounds, Exile, Bullet HollowPoint, JL Audio and Focal to name a few. Each has a model that fits the criteria. I would be comfortable recommending any of them and can give you an objective and unbiased opinion.

David
Earmark Marine

David, I think I follow. I am not one to run my stereo for loud for any length of time. Honestly, I just like to be able to crank it up when the feeling hits me, but most often I run with the in-boats off or very low (using the ws420). The tower speakers do get more use for the rider. So, i dont want to spend too much as I dont use them that often. I never park the boat and just run the stereo for any length or time.

For my purposes, I am wondering now if db651's would work with a fuse? Most of the time they would be reasonably low, but if I had a fuse in line and new that it would blow before the speaker, I may be ok to just change the fuse. For my "lite usage" model, this may be the least expensive option. What fuse to use?

that night pic is bad ass did you install it or have it done?

I'd say get the Exile's amazing sound and they look great.I wasnt intending on replacing my in boats but iam glad i did, they fill the gap between the sub and the towers nicely .They get very loud and stay very clear,I highly suggest getting them.

David - Yup. Solid 100W per channel. Very detailed, articulate amplifier. Sankens bipolar devices.

Brian
Exile Audio

Derek,
You've already experienced what happens with a lighter duty speaker. The Polk DB series has a 3/4-inch dome versus all the speakers referenced have a larger 1-inch dome not to mention more substantial midbass drivers and motor structures. As good as the Polks sound for the money each of the other speaker choices are a big improvement in performance. Plus, you can get some great discounts when purchased in two pair packages on all of these.

David
Earmark Marine

Well, I decided to splurge and get the better speakers in hopes that I wont have the change them out again. I decided on the Exile sx65's. Swapped out the original infinity's and the all I can say is "WOW". Big difference. I think the extra money for these nice speakers was money well spent. Thanks guys for helping with the decision.

Awesome!! WoW was my first impression as well congrats.