input on new speakers..

yes id id like to say hello to wake world and let every1 know im new to the site,but not the boarding world.i have my mind some what focused on a particular brand of speakers but are wanting to know some opinions on other brands.... the 3 setups im looking at are the
WETSOUNDS {2-pro80s},{2-pro60s}
EXILE {4-xm7s}
SAMSONS {4-s7hds}
im currently running 2 pairs of kicker single barrels{km6500s}, and 1 pair of kicker KMT6 tower system on my illusion x tower. the kicker sounds good but ive had it for a while and im ready to upgrade. i live in south texas and the people in my areas usually go stay with factory or fosgate, or kicker,thats all i pretty much here. so hopefully i can get some good input and i can drive the the nearest marine audio shop...... 3hrs away and verify it. not really to concerned about the price but would like good quality sounding equipment and not get ripped off.lol
any suggestions and input would be greatly appreciated and HOPEFULLY is coming from ppl that have experienced the brands etc.
if theres also any other brands that are pretty good that i didnt list let me know please.
thanks
chris01svt

what will best configure to your current amps or are you buying new amps also?

id like to use the amps i have now... (2)mx700.5 kicker 4 channel@ 2ohms and a kicker (1)mx350. kicker 4 channel.......if i cant use those amps its not a big deal to buy something that will handle what i want better, but if possible id like to use my existing amps.i dont see why they wouldnt easily push any of the setups im looking into.

So first off, the exiles and the samsons are the exact same speaker, no?

You'd need to bridge a 700.5 for each pair of towers. I did that with a single amp to a pair of bullet hollowpoint 770s. Sounded good. But the speakers want more power, and I'm running a jl xd400/4 (bridged) now and it does sound better behind the boat (in the boat it's deafening with either amp).

Chris - You've got a lot of choices. I'm sure a lot of people will chime in and give you their oppinion. And honestly, there's lots of great gear out there. As it applies to Exile, our design strays from the pack of brands in 4 main areas:

1) XM7's spin in 360 degrees, with the turn of a thumb screw. Very cool for aiming sound at a party cove, or spreading the sound field for wakeboarders on the fly!
2) XM7 speakers ship with free wetsocks so you can quickly remove them and stow out of your boat. this is the best Anti theft deterrent on the planet.
3) The Exile internal design has a crossover switch so you can adjust the output of the horn. Unique and very applicable for guys that want a smoother less harsh sound.
4) Our clamping system has no exposed flying wires of any kind. Makes for a very clean installation. Details count.

I looked at your profile and I'm guessing your west of Houston? Best advice is give us a call at the office 888.249.0970 and we can steer you to a local retailer for a demo and go over configurations. I kinda chuckled when I saw your truck photo and read your quote -- "Go Big or GO Home." Well, here's what your fellow Texans are up to with Exile and trucks. I guess this is the ultimate quick disconnect cross plat form:

GOT TUNES?

I guess you could say thats the ultimate cross platform setup.

Anyway, all joking aside, whatever brand you choose to run, make sure you feed the HLCD's plenty of power. Most of the guys running XM7's back them up with our 1000W rms Harpoon amplifier. It's a beast. Period. The real key for you is going to be putting together a tower setup that doesn't blow your cabin and or sub setups out of the boat. It's important that all three zones function together efficiently.

Hope this Exile info helps. I'm sure guys will give you some first hand experience with our gear..

Cheers,

-Brian
Exile Audio

I prefer the signature sound of Exile gear over Wet Sounds. Don't shoot.

Brian -

Firstly, I appreciate you trying to offer the support of other manufactures on this website, but I would appreciate it even more if you would pay to support the site that has become the premier source of information for wakeboarding boats on the web. We all need to do our part to further the community, and I, as a consumer, feel like you as a manufacturer, should show your support for the community if you expect people to support your company.

To the original poster:

I have plenty of experience with the different tower speakers available, aside from teh Samsons... Although I assume these are very similar to the exile Xm7's.

Here is the question you need to ask your self. Do you want to have a balanced well rounded system that sounds "good" ? Or do you just want to play music loud enough to hear it while wake boarding? I, and many other on this website prefer the well rounded sound of the Wetsound Pro80's and Pro485's to the other HLCD offerings on the market (so far). I'm even more excited to hear Wetsounds new 696 HLCD offering. Remember that when choosing a HLCD tower speaker, they can quickly become extremely "tinny" or peaky with their output (which is how the Exiles sound, in my opinion) The Pro80's and Pro485's will have awesome mid range punch. In the end you will have a well rounded system with lots of mid range that will blow your current system out of the water (), My personal recommendation would be a set of Pro-80's, and a set of MB-8 mid range units, or a Pair of WetSounds Pro485's. Both setups *should* work with your current amps, although I'm not entirely up too speed on their specs.

Before you purchase any speaker, I would definitely recommend searching for manufacturer representatives posts like Tim White (owner of wetsounds) posts on this, and other forums (malibucrew, planetnautique, etc). He always around to answer questions and help out which becomes invaluable when you have questions after hours / on the weekends / need questions answered ASAP.

I have had my wetsounds going on 2 seasons, everyone who hears them are very impressed. I have been tied up with a guy who has the exile setup, he called Earmark the next week & started converting over starting with a wetsounds 3some.. He is changing out the inboats this winter..

Plus the customer support is second to none... You can call, anytime & be treated like a human being...

Every ammenity that Brian from Exile described about his speakers is true.
Skyski1 commented on an Exile 'signature sound' and there is truth to that. What Exile has done differently is run a lower impedance horn driver to get more output from the part of a speaker in an HLCD that is already too dominant. However, Exile shapes the sound a bit by placing the emphasis higher than most midrange and treble fundamentals and more into the percussion and upper harmonic region. So it has a rising characteristic towards the very top end. This ends up being a little more pleasing at close range or under quiet conditions but will have little impact at 80 feet in the face of engine noise, etc.
The WetSounds Pro80 definitely has more midbass and more output because it is an 8-inch driver in a larger pod displacement versus a 6 1/2-inch driver in the Exile. I would not mix the Pro60 and Pro80 on the same tower. There is an offsetting bracket from WetSounds that will allow you to run dual pairs of Pro80s on an Illusion. The output advantage with the same power will be significant over the mix.
You can obtain alot of benefit from an EQ with any of these choices.
If you run with Exile then the Harpoon amplifier is a natural choice. If you go with WetSounds the Syn2 is a natural choice. There isn't but a 1dB output difference between the two amplifiers which is the smallest increment that you could possilby sense so its not worth debating.
I hope you find the above objective and accurate without bias towards any brand. There is sooo much hype and propoganda thrown around that its hard to get to the truth sometimes.

David
Earmark Marine

I do have a pair of the PRO696RS that was mentioned in one of the replies on my pod with another set of MOMOs 6x9. The speakers are running off a Kicker ZX850.4. I have had it for a few months now and can say that it has exceeded all my expectations and is much clearer and louder than my MOMOs.

For what it's worth, I don't think you're comparing oranges to oranges, since you're comparing one pair of PRO 80 (or PRO 60) to two pairs of XM7 or 2 pairs of S7HDs.

Not sure if you're into comparing the surface area of each driver to see what the difference between them is but an 8" driver (50.2 sq. in.) has almost 30% more surface area than a 6.75" driver (35.8 sq. in.).

I'm not familiar with the Exile or the Sampson speakers but looking at their websites, the specs are identical, the housings look almost the same, aren't they basically the same speakers with a different logo and grill?

If you have to get 2 pairs of XM7 or 2 pairs of s7HD (at $850/900/pair or $1700/1800) to be able to compete with a single pair of PRO80s ($999), what does that say about the Wetsounds speakers?

That is a valid point but I'm not sure that is what the OP was saying. I think he was talking about two pair of WS in either case.

I agree with david, I would skip the Pro80/Pro60 combo... It just doesnt sound right in my opinion, really just two HLCD drivers on the tower is all you need for practical purposes. Everything else will be seriously lagging after that (mids and lows)...

To better clarify when you mix the larger Pro 80 with the smaller Pro60 and apply equal power to both the horns will tend to sum better than the midbass drivers since there is a difference in the output of the two. Its kinda of a waste of speaker and power as compared to a symmetrical set-up.
The exception is when your goal is some type of sound shaping (Double-Up for example) or to broaden the dispersion pattern (by aiming the outside speakers outside the wake) but in these cases the primary objective gets shifted away from maximum projection or max output.

David
Earmark Marine

I've owned both Wetsounds and Exile as well as a few other non-hlcd tower speakers over the past couple of years. I decided last year to make the switch from Wetsounds to Exile because in my opinion the Exile's had a better overall sound quality at all volumes, gave me more midbass, sounded cleaner, and had so many innovations. I love the fact that I have no wires showing, just gives a much cleaner factory installed look to my setup. Plus having a single thumb screw to disconnect the speaker from the bracket is so nice to have for security reasons. I have pretty much abused my Exile's with over 200 hours of use on them since I purchased them last October. They sounded just as good as the day they were new. I have had no problems with them either, well besides people asking me to turn them down because they are too loud.

I would definitely talk to Brian from Exile about your desired system. He is very knowledgable and gives great customer service.

Originally Posted by thesack

I've owned both Wetsounds and Exile as well as a few other non-hlcd tower speakers over the past couple of years. I decided last year to make the switch from Wetsounds to Exile because in my opinion the Exile's had a better overall sound quality at all volumes, gave me more midbass, sounded cleaner, and had so many innovations. I love the fact that I have no wires showing, just gives a much cleaner factory installed look to my setup. Plus having a single thumb screw to disconnect the speaker from the bracket is so nice to have for security reasons. I have pretty much abused my Exile's with over 200 hours of use on them since I purchased them last October. They sounded just as good as the day they were new. I have had no problems with them either, well besides people asking me to turn them down because they are too loud.

I would definitely talk to Brian from Exile about your desired system. He is very knowledgable and gives great customer service.

Exiles warranty and customer service is second to Nobody, and I mean Nobody.

For someone to describe Exile's XM7's as sounding tinny compared to wetsounds is an obvious indicator they haven't heard them. I don't own either of them but have heard them both many times and know which ones I prefer without a doubt.

Unvisible- Seriously? Brian was answering the OP question about 2 of the 3 products he listed.

Nu Bu -

Exiles warranty and customer service is second to no body, but you admit your self that you do not own their product? Where are you getting your opinion from? ;-)

Exile Xm7's, in the several instances I've heard them, have limited mid bass capability compared to the several Wet Sounds setups I've heard. I've never owned an Exile product, so I haven't had a chance to tune a system to my subjective preference... That being said, I have heard professionally tuned Exile systems, and I wasn't impressed. That's why I went with wetsounds (among other reasons). Audio is such a subjective thing, to apply absolutes is pointless. The OP should hear several well tuned and balanced systems and make a decision from there. That's the only way to make a decision when spending this much money on audio.

And yes, seriously. You and your company lose serious credibility points when you cannot / choose not to support the very community you are trying to procure business from. That is not even remotely debatable.

Originally Posted by UNvisible

Nu Bu -

Exiles warranty and customer service is second to no body, but you admit your self that you do not own their product? Where are you getting your opinion from? ;-)

Exile Xm7's, in the several instances I've heard them, have limited mid bass capability compared to the several Wet Sounds setups I've heard. I've never owned an Exile product, so I haven't had a chance to tune a system to my subjective preference... That being said, I have heard professionally tuned Exile systems, and I wasn't impressed. That's why I went with wetsounds (among other reasons). Audio is such a subjective thing, to apply absolutes is pointless. The OP should hear several well tuned and balanced systems and make a decision from there. That's the only way to make a decision when spending this much money on audio.

And yes, seriously. You and your company lose serious credibility points when you cannot / choose not to support the very community you are trying to procure business from. That is not even remotely debatable.

You do know they make more than just tower speakers right? I own some of their other gear. I've also dealt with WS customer service before as well, that is how my opinion is formed by dealing with BOTH of them. I'm not saying ws is bad either here.

Hope you're not trying to compare 4 of your pro-485's to a set or two of Exiles, that would be just plain silly.

As far as the supporting factor, they may or may not be a supporter I have no idea but I know there are at least 10 other companies that frequent this site that don't. No need to single any of them out though right?

I will try to stay unbiased on sound quality because I am not an audiophile. I have heard both and own one of the mentioned brands. I can't tell a lot of difference cause they are all just plain loud. The advantages and the reasons I would go with the Exile or Samsons is the mounting and size. I have a Supra and wanted them high as possible so people were not banging their heads and so I could get my Z5 Cargo Bimini as high as possible. Not sure if that is your case too, but if you have an Illusion tower it probably is the case. Mine hang much higher with their mounting bracket, I can swivel them easily if I want to direct music, I can remove them easily and I have no wires showing.
Again, if I was a huge audiophile I might be able to give you other differences, but those were my main reasons and yes they are loud and very loud when riding.

Exiles warranty and customer service is second to Nobody, and I mean Nobody.

Come on man, seriously? Tim from Wetsounds is all over the place. His customer service it TOP NOTCH! I'm not saying Exiles isnt, but to make a comment that Exiles is the best by far is just plain misleading, and completely wrong.

Go to a boating event and see what most people are running? Bet Wetsounds will be the majority. Pretty sure all the Wetsounds followers won't respond because they are tired of the pissing matches. I'm also pretty sure Tim from Wetsounds is tired of it also. Same threads over and over and over. I'm bored so ill give you my HONEST opinion. I've heard every type of tower speaker made. I also have 4 Pro 80's on my tower. If I had to do it all over I would go with a pair of Pro 485's. They are the simply the best. Wether your riding or parked in a cove they just sound great. I like my Pro 80's and would consider getting a set of newer ones as they have more mid-bass designed into them. I've heard plenty of Exiles and just wasnt that impressed, not saying they sound bad, but compared to a Pro 80, Pro 485 or even a Pro 60 I'd go Wetsounds.

I'll be re-doing my system this winter incl replacing my tower speakers. If there was any doubt in my mind that there was a better quality product than Wetsounds out on the market I'd give it a shot in a heart beat. As of now i'm planning on switching to 485's unless something catches my eye.

Hey Rich - I have a set of 485's in white I'd make you a good deal on. New boat I wont be using 485's because of lack of room unfortunately

Originally Posted by mendo247

Come on man, seriously? Tim from Wetsounds is all over the place. His customer service it TOP NOTCH! I'm not saying Exiles isnt, but to make a comment that Exiles is the best by far is just plain misleading, and completely wrong.

Go to a boating event and see what most people are running? Bet Wetsounds will be the majority. Pretty sure all the Wetsounds followers won't respond because they are tired of the pissing matches. I'm also pretty sure Tim from Wetsounds is tired of it also. Same threads over and over and over. I'm bored so ill give you my HONEST opinion. I've heard every type of tower speaker made. I also have 4 Pro 80's on my tower. If I had to do it all over I would go with a pair of Pro 485's. They are the simply the best. Wether your riding or parked in a cove they just sound great. I like my Pro 80's and would consider getting a set of newer ones as they have more mid-bass designed into them. I've heard plenty of Exiles and just wasnt that impressed, not saying they sound bad, but compared to a Pro 80, Pro 485 or even a Pro 60 I'd go Wetsounds.

I'll be re-doing my system this winter incl replacing my tower speakers. If there was any doubt in my mind that there was a better quality product than Wetsounds out on the market I'd give it a shot in a heart beat. As of now i'm planning on switching to 485's unless something catches my eye.

You don't have to agree that's cool but that's my experience and opinion, just like I dont' have to agree with your HONEST opinion. I don't really care if there is a WS banner on the moon, what's that got to do with customer service.

You have WS on your tower and I wouldn't expect a WS owner or any other brand owner to say anything different about their product of choice.

Edit: I do agree the 485 is the best sounding WS speaker I've ever heard, but they are absolutely huge.

I like to take time and thank you guys for all the info so far...I did some more research and came to see that samson and exile was pretty much the same thing.
I was basically gonna go with a pair of pro80s & pro60s or 2 pairs of the exiles.. but from all the input from you guys if I went with the pro80s & pro60s it wouldnt sound that great.... so my options now would be debating on the pair of pro 80s or 2 pairs of the exile Xm7s??
This past Laborday I was at the lake in Austin & heard 3 pairs of pro 80s on a boat identical to mine and another with 2 pairs of the pro80s...both were down right sick.... way more than I need. I'm going for the clear,loud, good sounding quality for inside the boat and for the rider.....
For all the audio experts is that gonna be a challenge to have it loud,nice and clear on the boat and the same for Tue rider? Let me know... gonna be researching for the next couple weeks....
Thanks again.

Chris -

I didnt know you were local to me. What kind of boat do you have? I have a black nautique 210 with 4 Wetsounds Pro485's...

I've also got HLCDs on an illusion x tower, so...

One thing to keep in mind is that the illusion tower, and especially the speaker mounting point on the tower, is lower than lots of towers. That means if it's loud at the rider, it's mind numbingly loud in the boat, especially behind the drivers/observers seats. That's with just one set of speakers in my case, but with two sets I can only imagine it's worse (or better depending on your perspective). Sometimes people will say that HLCD's "throw sound to the rider so it's not so loud in the boat." I don't know if that's even true under any circumstance, but it certainly won't be true on an illusion x tower.

Ah, I see you have a malibu. I would definitely do 2 Pro80's and 2 MB8's... or just 4 Pro80's and call it a day. The mounts offered to attach the Pro80's to that tower are really trick.

We have a number of tower speakers on live display in the identical environment for comparison. Presently we are expanding the switching system for up to 18 tower speakers. Don't want anyone getting left out.
I can tell you this with certainty that all 6 1/2-inch HLCDs will sound 'thin' with less lower midrange and less midbass as compared to the larger 8-inch version. And a Pro80 will absolutely crush an XM7 in both output and midbass. I know because I have them side by side on the identical power.
I explained above exactly how Exile obtains their signature sound. And I do like the approach. A little depression comparatively throughout the upper midrange/treble followed by a radical take-off on the highs more towards the percussion or upper harmonics region. This does create a false sense of a more distinctive sound. Their emphasis simply begins a little higher and is more pronounced in what some hear/interpret as a less objectionable bias or region but make no mistake there is bias just like any other HLCD. Its obvious to listen to and the RTA readings back up exactly what you hear. If you have a thunderous subwoofer with residual midbass that carries a bit this will certainly conceal the lack of lower midrange/midbass as compared to the larger tower speakers.
WetSounds is trying to give you more overall output and do this with less false emphasis. But its a horn and still a little dominant like EVERY HLCD tower speaker. Is one more right than the other? No way. Its just a preference.
Be careful about the subjectivity you hear from 'owners goggles'. Everyone will defend their selection to the death. Sometimes its just a matter of a friendship or association that gets formed. Nothing wrong with a little loyaliy until the next bandwagon rolls along. And be careful of the input from paid minions who have prearranged agreements to promote a particular brand in exchange for special product considerations. I've got the word on this from both the consumers and the top manufacturer man....man.

David
Earmark Marine

Unvicible- I'm 50miles south of Houston. What ever I decide on I'm kinda wanting to mount it somewhat like the factory speakers that come on the illusion X tower.2 on each side somewhat behind above 1 another. U stated installing them would be tricky???

WTF? David, are you insinuating some of these companies are giving product away to people so they will come on here and support their product? Thats just plain silly!!

If someone comes up with a better product than what Wetsounds is producing I'll be all over it in a heart beat. PERIOD! I really do try to keep my "owner googles" off. Heck when I first had my system built a few years ago I had purchased another brand HLCD set up and once I looked at and heard the Pro 80's I made the switch. I actually feel sorry for all the companies involved on threads like these. If I owned one I be sitting behind my computer with smoke coming out of my ears lol

Yeah, it may sound silly but when your brick and mortar mobile electronics industry is shrinking fast due to OEM enfringement, internet sales and personal stereos and you've lost most of your dealers then that creates a little desperation. If it were me I'd be out there building an infrastructure, building a strong dealer network and depending on them more.

Wow this tread really blew up.

I sort of hate to see all the back and forth stuff. Honestly, I've spoke to Tim about this as it applies to exile and ws. And unfortunately, there are many many people that, how should I put this.... "feel very strongly about the investments they've made and the brand loyalty associated with that. The way I see things, is it becomes about relationships and friendships. But that means we should still be adults. I feel blessed to have made so many wakesports friends this year.

As far as product goes, There are so many different ingredients that go into a design, or a mount, or a function to get to a finished result it will make your head spin. There is no right weight, or wrong diameter speaker / housing / idea or way to achieve a final product. In the end, its just application and solution. Like tools in your tool belt. The best thing I can share with the community is that changes, upgrades, alterations, fine tuning, and completely new products are all born out of what happens out there on the water, and shared in this online community. That feed back is great.

UNvis - Your point is well taken about online support. And has not gone without notice. It's really just a matter us putting something together for ww. I've made sure internally that it will happen so now its just a matter of getting it done.. Right now my web guy is overwhelmed reworking our own website I think he'd shoot me if I asked him to bust out banner ads. But you'll see some spiffy stuff from us on here and other online communities soon. We are also looking at supporting the Delta Ridders Association In Nor Cal for 2011, and we had a blast this summer tunning boats on the water at the NW surf competition in sammamish in July. I try to help people regardless of brand.

I think everyone should take a few steps back and take a positive attitude about all brands in the OP's post. Of course I've got "ownership" googles too!! That goes without saying, right?

Cheers,

-Brian
Exile Audio

I can't speak to the other brands, but it sounds like they have their strengths. I can speak to Wetsounds though. Those guys go out of their way to help and make sure customers are happy. I installed a modest WS setup 2 winters ago with the help of Tim, Gyver and Justin and can tell you those guys go out of their way to make sure you're taken care of. I did it myself because at the time, there weren't really any local Wetsounds dealers. I had a couple small self-inflicted issues, but those guys were always there to set me straight. Their products are terrific too. I've been using a pair of Pro 80's, a 420, Syn6 and a Syn4 for two seaons now with no regrets. The only thing I'd add is that no matter which way you go with regards to HLCD's, make sure you get an EQ--preferably a 2-zone. An EQ is imperative in my opinion in blancing out and tweaking the sound for a given application; i.e. lounging, boarding, surfing, crappy production, etc. I use my 420 constantly. Good luck!

Nothing wrong with 'owners goggles'. Those testimonials and what it took to earn the ones that were earned rather than bought are admirable. Its just so much better when we keep it real and dispense with all the exaggerated claims. And its better when those testimonials are not used as an assault on another brand.

Hi!

Chris, the best advice I always give is to give us a call at 877-938-7757. And we can find you a dealer near by to go look and listen to what you are interested in. There is a reason why our slogan is "Hearing is Believing" Not sure if you were aware that we are based in Houston. we have a ton of dealers that will be happy to take care of you. But I always tell customers to go listen and evaluate the product. Look at the build quality. Look at the internals like the crossover, speaker wire, materials used, and overall fit and finish. You will see we use stainless steel overlays on our grilles, we use stainless steel on the clamps, full crossover network, large ga wire, internal support structure inside the housings, proprietary EFG-Epoxy Fiberglass Cones, thick polyurethane surrounds, high strength glues, high end composites for the housing, i could go on and on.

Another tid bit to think about. Wet Sounds was the first company in the world with a HLCD coaxial based speaker we call a Pro-Axial(TM). The PRO 80 won the prestigious Innovations Award in 2007 for engineering and design. This is put on by the consumer electronics association every year at the CES show. This is an awards program that companies submit products to an engineering panel for judging. (we also won in 2008 for the WS-420) But since the CES show has gone away from 12 volt audio. We have not participated since. Also, we have been shipping products since 2006. Wet Sounds was started in 2004 and I spent 2 years designing and developing our products from the ground up. Clean sheet of paper. We did not have something to base our speaker off of or reverse engineer etc...

So you can be confident that we have the proven product design backed by a company that specializes in marine audio only. Also, since we have been selling product for so many years, we have continued to make improvements every year. The current generation of speakers has updated drivers, crossovers, the stainless overlay grilles, stainless clamps, advanced composite housings. Resulting in more mid bass, more overall performance and reliability.

Back to your original question. So what are your overall sound goals? On the Illusion, you have so many direct fit options. 1 or 2 pairs of PRO 60X that fit in the exact factory locations. One pair of PRO 80X in either the top or bottom factory locations. Or if you want 2 pairs of PRO 80's, we have the PRO 80 DXT version. This allows you to mount two pairs of 80's in the factory locations. The top pair being 80X and the bottom being 80DXT which spaces the bottom down slightly to fit. You can also install the Double Up which is a pair of MB-8X and PRO 60X for the ultimate wake surfing/party cove system. Or if you want the combo of volume and punch for wakeboarding and wake surfing. you can do one pair of 80X up top and one pair of MB-8DXT in the bottom. The 80 and MB-8 combo is what we run on our demo boat.

All of these will fit in the factory locations. So give us a call and we can get you set up with a dealer for a demo. And work with you on amplifiers layout and suggestions.

Brianpdx, That little toyota is cute. But this is how we roll in Texas for tailgating! I would say Ultimate is an understatement

Also,chris. Our "tailgaiting truck" will be in Clear Lake this weekend providing audio for the in the water boat show rail jam event.

Tim
Wet Sounds

cute toyota LOL

Chris - I can tell you from experience. You are right... 2 pairs of Pro80's paired with the right amps(two Syn 4 at 400x2 each) is down right filthy with a WS420 EQ. Im running this set up now and have zero regrets.

It sounds like a 1 pair of Pro 80's is going to be more than enough for current set up. I would also add the WS420 EQ in order to throw more high,mid, mid bass and bass into the speaker. Not sure exactly what you are running in your boat. The Pro 80's are going to have quite a bit more punch than the Pr0 60's. If i were you I would I either do one pair or Pro 80's or one pair of Pro 80's + one pair of MB8's for a well round sound. It really depends on what in cabin speakers and woofers you are running.

I run a full Wet Sounds system with (8) XS650 in boat speakers, (2) pairs of Pro 80's and (2) XS-XXX woofers ran by (3) Syn4's and (2) Syn1's = to 4500 watts RMS roughly. The (2) pairs of Pro 80's absolutely rip. 1 pair will be perfect for what you are trying to accomplish.

Tim - haha! I love it! Crazy Texans. What you got for bass in that thing? - Brian

Thanks for the info Tim I'm looking forward to giving you'll a call afterwork for more info perhaps a live demo. I'm about 30minutes from clear lake could you message me or post more info on the upcoming event in clear lake this weekend.? Thanks for your time.

one more thing - the Pro 60/80x bolt directly to the Illusion towers making it look like it came out of the factory with them

I have 4 pro 80's on my tower and they hammer.

Originally Posted by brianinpdx

Tim - haha! I love it! Crazy Texans. What you got for bass in that thing? - Brian

Still working on the truck. Subs are not done yet. It will have 3 XS-XXX under the seat inside. To go along with the 2 pairs of PRO 696RS already installed in the cab (yes INSIDE) the cab. And 2 more XS-XXX under the bed.

It has the ability to run off the head unit or outboard full DJ mixer with wireless mics. Now has a electronic pace edwards roll up cover. All pipes are built on a swivel that rotate as the dump bed goes up. And rotate down to hide under the cover. Also, all pipes are set to quick disconnect. We have chain motors in our warehouse, roll truck in, attach wire and they are pulled up to the ceiling waiting till next time. So bed can be empty.

Tim
Wet Sounds

Chris,

http://www.southwestinternationalboa...om/events.html

Here you go. Brett will be out there on Fri and Sat.

Tim
Wet Sounds

Have you thought about doing a set of Pro 80's with the Syn 4 amp.

I know that you said you did not want to replace you amp....but this setup would be cheaper than 4 pro 60's or 4 XM-7's.

I think that each speaker would get around 400 watts and they would play louder than you could stand. This is a powerful amp so the gains would not have to be set very high at all, leaving you with an under utilized amp and a very low noise floor. All which are good. Not to mention the added efficiency you would get with the amp versus the one you have.

Thanks once again tim, hopefully ill be contacting you guys soon. just realized 1 of my class mates is putting his wakesetter in the boat show....he jus got finished with a sick wetsound system and make over done by HWC & Richter Audio- Marine. and 2 younger guys from our area will be railing. so hopefully ill get a chance to make my mind up on the set up im gonna go with...
thanks again tim ,and all the wake board posters.

Originally Posted by wetsounds1

Another tid bit to think about. Wet Sounds was the first company in the world with a HLCD coaxial based speaker we call a Pro-Axial(TM).

Tim????????

You and I get along great, and I love the friendship we have, but I gotta suggest you were the first with an HLCD-coaxial based tower speaker.

See the link here for a history of coaxial HLCD drivers, starting with the Altec 604, first introduced in 1944: http://www.audioheritage.org/html/hi...sing/altec.htm







Hope you take this okay, it is all in fun....

Phil
Kicker
Since 1973

I think he meant first marine HLCD coaxial

Phil Phil Phil!! You crack me up! Yes I meant TOWER speaker. Since this thread was about tower speakers, I figured that was given and all understood! Sorry you had to dig out all your old magazines LOL

Tim
Wet Sounds

Originally Posted by wetsounds1

Phil Phil Phil!! You crack me up! Yes I meant TOWER speaker. Since this thread was about tower speakers, I figured that was given and all understood! Sorry you had to dig out all your old magazines LOL

Tim
Wet Sounds

I used to read back issues of Stereophile and all of the other old audio magazines in my spare time at the university library. I'm talking 40's 50's and 60's... The real old cool stuff. If you ever want to know something specific about audio history, holler.... I know where to find it!

See ya Monday

Phil
Kicker

Always nice to see everyone getting along so well.
Phil, just for clearification, NVS was the first to bring to market not only Pro Audio using HLCDs for Wake Boats but was also the first to market the Pro Audio Coax for Wake Boats. NVS introduced the NVS Addiction Coax using a titanium domed compression driver and conical horn at the Nor Cal Boat Show in Pleasanton, Ca. January of 2005 and was selling at that time.
Even per the note above by Tim " Also, we have been shipping products since 2006. Wet Sounds was started in 2004 and I spent 2 years designing and developing our products from the ground up."
Another company "NVERT" actually produced some Pro Audio prototypes before NVS hit the market but unfortunately NVERT did not survive company internal issues.

Tim, Phil,Duane,
We used to install those all the time in replacement of the rumble seats. With tube radios and chicken wire antennas. Right after working for Wells Fargo stegecoach lines riding shotgun.

When I got started in audio, the electronics department at Best Buy was just a key and a kite.

I was kind of thinking I remembered seeing NVS out an about first. I remember when they first started popping up on WW and trying to understand what horns were all about. Those were the days.

Sorry Duane but your WRONG!!! I said HLCD coax tower speaker. That is a Horn Loaded Compression Driver Coaxial speaker. Which yours is NOT. I see too many times people call any pro audio speaker an HLCD. Which is not always true. Without the horn. You don't have an HLCD. Yours is a compression coax speaker using a typical compression coaxial. You dont have a horn flare in your coax. Also, never said pro audio either as I know the history there so not zayin anything about that and remember nvert and seeing your first post with your red PVC pipe speakers where you got the drivers and design from Brian at orange county speaker. On my post I was very specific. So let me me re clarify for you. Wet Sounds WAS the FIRST with a Horn Loaded Compression Driver Coaxial wakeboard tower speaker.

Tim
Wet Sounds

Oh and Duane, don't try to say your "conical" Horn behind the dust cap is a horn either. So let me make it even more clear for you. Wet Sounds WAS the first with a TRUE Horn Flare loaded extending out from the mid bass cone coaxial coaxial mounted compression driver wakeboard tower speaker. LOL

Tim
Wet Sounds

Horns come in many different shapes and sizes. The conical horn used the the NVS coax is rather small as compared to the WS one. We've opted not to put any interference in front of the woofer cone. And we do use a real compression driver (some don't). So, to say there is no horn and therefore not a HLCD is simply uninformed.
And by the way, it wasn't Brian's design. I did consult him as well as others in the speaker industry but it was not his design.....good or bad I'll take full responsibilty for that. The PVC pipe set was a prototype, nothing more.

So now it's a Horn 'Flare' to qualify as an HLCD? You even said "Horn" describing my speaker. Lets be real specific. Nobody is jumping in your face here so what's your beef?
OK Tim, have it your way. No NVS does not use a horn FLARE like yours! Horns still come in many shapes and sizes.....you can't change physics...arguing it is also sensless.

Being a consumer, I could care less who did what first and who developed what when. All of this arguing makes all the manufactures look silly. This year I added amps, eq, tower speakers and interior speakers. What I looked for was to me what sounded best for my needs, what was in my price range, and which company provided the best customer service. And you know what, there was no clear cut winner, all the high end systems were very very good.

I went with Wet Sounds. Sounds great, and I am thrilled. Actually wrote Time some private emails to ask questions about his stuff and he answered promptly every time. When I go out on my buddies boat with his Exiles, they sound great. He is thrilled.

Marc and others, We are just giving each other a hard time. All in good fun.

Tim
Wet Sounds

Yeah, all in good fun....."TRUE Horn Flare" LMFAO

Duane:

You're still the only one with the BALLS to hang a few 10 inchers off the tower! Everyone else is still playing with their puny 8" speakers!

:-)

Look, something new to discuss/argue!!!!

Hahaha!

Al Gore invented the internet.

Tell ya what guys, I'll put a $1000 out of my own pocket, my old supra to out performs any system out there.. (wetsounds excluded) All I have is a pair of 485s on the tower..

Holly mother of speakers! That truck has got to be loud! Good job on the ride Tim.

I went with WetSounds only because I went and listened to many different speakers before I made my choice. I picked what was best for my situation, which was getting the music to the rider. I did hear a Malibu the other day that had Polk speakers in side the boat and 4 Polk on the tower. while sitting in his boat, the music sounded great!!! But when it came to riding, actually surfing, it was a little distorted, not much, but it wasn't doing what I thought a good job on getting the music to the rider. Sound great inside the boat, just not out.

I like the WS 420, because I can turn down the tower and just run the inside speakers and I can get the same results as the Polks. I tol my buddy with the Malibu, to change out the tower speakers and get the 420, then his system would sound good.

Matt,

I looked up your system in your profile and it sounds like it would kill most systems out there. Can't go wrong with JL HD's and Wetsounds!!!

Post some pics if you can, please

Originally Posted by Matt

Tell ya what guys, I'll put a $1000 out of my own pocket, my old supra to out performs any system out there.. (wetsounds excluded) All I have is a pair of 485s on the tower..

How ghey.

here ya go murphy, Ive made a few changes this year.. but here is the original build
http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showt...etsounds+supra

Originally Posted by Matt

here ya go murphy, Ive made a few changes this year.. but here is the original build
http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showt...etsounds+supra

Nice setup. I like the amp rack, it's similar to what I did with my 5 PDX's in my nautique 210.

and the only boat's i've witnessed that could potentially snatch your $1000 all have wetsounds equipment in one form or another ;-)

Matt, this guy might give you a run



or heck even this guy:

Originally Posted by hatepain

Matt, this guy might give you a run

Attachment 8682

or heck even this guy:

Attachment 8683

Matt please make cashiers check out to "Guy with crazy Bullet Tower setup" or "Guy with crazy Exile Tower setup".

There is always someone out there with something bigger, badder, or better. You should know this by now.

Originally Posted by 05mobiuslsv

Matt please make cashiers check out to "Guy with crazy Bullet Tower setup" or "Guy with crazy Exile Tower setup".

There is always someone out there with something bigger, badder, or better. You should know this by now.

Thus my reply:" How Ghey ".

That older Mali with the G3 is freakin' insane. Beer for ballast. I would think all the beer money was spent on amps , speakers and wiring. I'm glad I don't live near him.

Love my wetsounds gear. I have had 3 pairs of 485's and a bunch of other ws components in my various boats. No complaints here. Many of my local friends have switch over to wetsounds after hearing my stuff and have been more than satisfied with performance and customer service.

Tim, thanks for another trouble free year of stereo fun in the sun! Can't wait for next years build.

Maybe its just an optical illusion but on the G3 tower with the 20 or so HollowPoints it looks like they missed a spot?

David
Earmark Marine

I don't have anything crazy like 500 pro 60's welded together as trailer wheels or a whole tower made out of amps, but I love the look of a pair of 485's!

Ok. I'll play

Tim
Wet Sounds

i have no experience with any companies on this thread besides wetsounds. that being said, I will never purchase a marine stereo product not produced by wet sounds as long as they are in business. they stand the test of time and do what they are designed to do.

WS 4 life

Ughemmm!...... Is this what you were referring to as far as brand loyalty David? Is this the Hype?

I had no idea 2pac was down with WS .

That set up on the Enzo is choice