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Old     (lrbs_xstar)      Join Date: Mar 2007       02-25-2010, 5:42 AM Reply   
I have a 2001 xstar and im trying to figure out what I should replace the stock Clarion speakers with. I want to buy speakers that are loud but still clear and i want them to still be able to run off my stock amp. What do you guys suggest?
Old     (jasonba1)      Join Date: Apr 2008       02-25-2010, 5:44 AM Reply   
wetsounds inboats are great I put them in mine and was blown away
Old     (lrbs_xstar)      Join Date: Mar 2007       02-25-2010, 5:50 AM Reply   
That's what I have heard and I have been leaning towards them but i was wondering if the MTX speakers were any good. I also heard about the mb quarts.
Old     (tristan)      Join Date: Oct 2009       02-25-2010, 6:18 AM Reply   
Any Wetsound dealers that would ship to Ireland?
Old     (silvermustang35)      Join Date: Jul 2008       02-25-2010, 6:19 AM Reply   
Wetsounds XS650s for sure. Get the right amp to them and you will never look back. What is your stock amp? The Wetsounds are around 100rms I believe. They can take a little more though. If you are leaning between MTX and Wetsounds you will want the Wetsounds. We had the XS650s in our I/O and we demoed an inboard that had the MTX marine line in it. I just wasn't that impressed. When we sold our I/O I pulled the XS650s out and just got done installing them in our new boat. MTX power handling is 50rms and 100 peak. They weigh about 3x less than the Wetsounds. The MTX just felt cheap to me.
Wetsounds also came out with a smaller interior speaker (smaller as in basket size, its still a 6.5" speaker) the SS-65, the power handling on them is around 60rms, 120 peak....If money or space was an issue, you may want to look at these still before the MTX. Good luck in your searches.
Old     (wake1823)      Join Date: Dec 2005       02-25-2010, 6:21 AM Reply   
find the jl marine components used. Better than wetsounds IMO. SQ much better, close in SPL
Old     (lrbs_xstar)      Join Date: Mar 2007       02-25-2010, 6:22 AM Reply   
ok ill definitly do the wetsounds then. Im just wondering if my stock amp will power them
Old     (lrbs_xstar)      Join Date: Mar 2007       02-25-2010, 6:22 AM Reply   
Sam you think that JL audio is better?
Old     (h20king)      Join Date: Dec 2009       02-25-2010, 6:50 AM Reply   
I have heard both and went with the bullet hollow point 650hp coax they are the best sounding inboat speakers I have ever heard plus they look much better and add some bling to the boat JMTCUpload
Old     (lrbs_xstar)      Join Date: Mar 2007       02-25-2010, 6:59 AM Reply   
Harold those look sick
Old     (h20king)      Join Date: Dec 2009       02-25-2010, 7:02 AM Reply   
They sound even better and look cool at night with the red led's on them
Old                02-25-2010, 7:04 AM Reply   
You won't go wrong with the JL Marine or the Wetsounds XS. I prefer and own Wetsounds. I don't know much about the Bullet's except that there are a lot more WS and JL in boats on this forum versus Bullet's

B/t those two choices, the JL may look better if they are going to be mounted against a white background in an X-Star.
Old     (camassanger)      Join Date: Oct 2009       02-25-2010, 7:04 AM Reply   
Do they come with the red LED's or did you add those?
Old     (lrbs_xstar)      Join Date: Mar 2007       02-25-2010, 7:07 AM Reply   
Yeah the JL would look better. Those bullets look nice, anyone have anymore info on those
Old     (lrbs_xstar)      Join Date: Mar 2007       02-25-2010, 7:17 AM Reply   
http://cgi.ebay.com/JL-AUDIO-MX650-CCX-CG-TB-6-5-MARINE-COAXIAL-SPEAKERS_W0QQitemZ170444281608QQcmdZViewItemQQptZL H_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item27af455708. Do you guys think these look good?
Old     (h20king)      Join Date: Dec 2009       02-25-2010, 7:19 AM Reply   
led's are in the pocket above the speakers so it shines down and reflects off the grill looks awesome if you ask me.they have a carbon fiber woofer and sound amazing I am putting 150 watts rms at 4 ohms to them and they take it all and smile these things rock you will be amazed
Old     (wake1823)      Join Date: Dec 2005       02-25-2010, 7:46 AM Reply   
Ryan, if your not in a rush wait to find pairs of the 7.7" JL marine component speakers...you can find them used for around a $100/pair.

And yes the SQ is better out of the JL's IMO.

I've had some 5 year old JL audio marine speakers that with a wipe down look almost brand new....my 3 year old wetsounds equipment...not so much. Still in good shape , but chrome clamps are flaking/rusting, gril paint is chipping.

Both still work like new but the JL has held up much better.
Old     (polarbill)      Join Date: Jun 2003       02-25-2010, 7:55 AM Reply   
Ryan, do yourself a favor and buy a new amp. In my opinion there is zero point in buying nice speakers and then not having enough quality power to run them. You may be better off just going and buying the Polk DB651's for 50-70/pair and keeping your amp. You should be able to find a decent amp for a couple hundred bucks that will work with WS, Bullets or the JL's.
Old     (wetsounds1)      Join Date: Jan 2006       02-25-2010, 8:51 AM Reply   
Ryan,

What amp do you have in the boat now? If it is a lower powered amp. Wet Sounds has the new mid level coax called the SS-65. It is built on the same platform as the XS-650 but with a little less power handling. It is 60 watts rms. So it may be a better match with your current amp. And of course the XS-650 is an amazing coax. Both of these speakers have our signature grille in silver. The SS-65 has a black cone and the XS-650 is available in either black cone or silver cone. If you are wanting white, we have a new in boat called the SW series. That is a closed off version of our signature grille. We will be offering the SW-65-W and SW-650-W. So both the 65 version and the 650 version in this white closed grille. We will also have these in all black. All new white and black SW are a little under 60 days out. Others are in stock. I will have a sneak peak on the site in the next day or so. The SS-65, XS-650, SW-65 and SW-650 ALL share our new frame. They are all a 5 inch standard cut out. The older XS-650 had a larger cut out but we designed a new frame for all the in boats to share.

We do things differently in the way we build our in boat speakers and subs. We thermoform the surround so the surround and cone are melted together in this process creating a one piece bond that will not separate. Others use glue that can dry out. We use a special rubber spider. We are one of the only companies in the world that uses rubber for the spider. This gives you long term stability for the spider. You will see non marine speakers using a cloth spider and other marine speakers use a treated cloth. We use a special tinsel lead that is marine rated for salt water use. The magnet is covered and sealed. The tweeters are grille mounted so you get a true component speaker with a separate woofer and tweeter. The frame and grille are injection molded composites. We also voice the in boat speakers for an in boat application.

When shopping for a marine speaker. Some things to look for. Make sure the speaker TRULY is a marine speaker. There have been some companies selling speakers to the market and calling them “marine” when they are the farthest thing from marine. There are some off the shelf car audio speakers that are more marine than these so called marine speakers. And I think that the people with these speakers are going to have some problems with failures in the future.

Some things to look for. Stay away from stamped steel frames for in boats. They will rust. Stay away from pole piece mounted tweeters. Water can get down the pole piece and fry the voice coil. Stay away from exposed magnets. They will rust. Stay away from chrome plated parts. Chrome plated parts are going to fade and crack. (we used to use chrome on our grilles for the tower speakers but do not any longer, we changed to all stainless steel) Stay away from non treated spiders as they can dry out and crack and fail. Stay away from thin non marine tinsel leads. As they will fail over time and snap.

So when looking for a speaker, look for a true marine speaker. Look for speakers that use composite frames and grilles. Grille mounted tweeters, Or if it has a tweeter with a pole piece, make sure it has a rubber boot. Covered magnets. Coated or marine rated tinsel leads. Coated or marine spiders. Take a look at the front of the speaker and the back. The backside is very important. I am sure everyone has put a cover on their wet boat. Sometimes you just don’t have time to let it dry out. Moisture will build up everywhere. It will attach anywhere. Front of the speakers as well as the back.

The best suggestion I can give is to see if there is a dealer near you. And go try to demo and compare a couple. Take a look at the build of each speaker and listen to them. Then see what fits your budget and your boat and what sounds best to you. Then once you have narrowed it down, take a listen and see what you like. Sound is very subjective. Plus you never really know what motive some people on these sites have. I for one feel our speakers are hands down the best on the market. But of course I am biased, but at least I make sure everyone knows that. Plus, very rarely, will you ever get someone who truly has done an A to B against one speaker to the next. You will hear, I think this sounds better than that because they own a particular brand. Or they heard one brand in a boat and another in a different boat. Well who knows what the set up was like. Source material, amplifiers, settings, etc…

So unless you can go get a true demo of brand a to brand b in a controlled environment. Off the same power, same settings, same source etc…It is impossible to say. That is why I always recommend someone go and get a demo. And we always push our dealers to have active demos set up. I know as a consumer, it is hard to take the time. And these sites are great sometimes for opinions. What I always tell customers. Use the site to get some ideas and narrow it down to a few. Then take the time and get a demo.

Times have changed so much in audio over the years. I remember the old days when we would spend the time going from store to store with our demo CD’s and actually listening to the gear. I think that is part of the fun and part of the experience. It is so easy to click and buy nowadays online. Oh well, LOL

Sam, he is asking about in boat speakers. You mention some issues on your tower speakers grilles and clamps being chrome. As mentioned above, the in boats do not have chrome. Also, comparing how well a tower speaker holds up as compared to an in boat is not fair. Tower speakers are up high and truly exposed to direct sunlight and the elements. In boat speakers are more shielded. So the towers get hit many times harder. Also, we spent countless hours trying to get a chrome plated process that will hold up. Chrome just will not hold up. So we changed the clamps to stainless steel and the grilles to stainless steel. So all the parts are stainless steel and will last. That is why you will not see a chrome plated tower speaker from us or any parts. So the tower speakers we have today are completely different from the ones of 3 years ago. Different drivers, different paint, different grilles, different clamps, different crossovers etc...We have continued to push the development of each product and improve over the years.

Tristan, We have a dist in Europe. Shoot me an e mail and I will get you their contact info. twhite@wetsounds.com


Tim
Wet Sounds
Old     (lrbs_xstar)      Join Date: Mar 2007       02-25-2010, 9:06 AM Reply   
Tim i appreciate all the info youve made up my mind for me. I'm going with wetsounds
Old     (silvermustang35)      Join Date: Jul 2008       02-25-2010, 9:21 AM Reply   
And that is the other best thing about Wetsounds, Tim, Justin, Gyver and all the guys up there are top notch, have in depth product knowledge and are willing to help even after everything. I've annoyed them with many questions and calls, and they are friendly every time and always help.
If I had to buy all my stuff again, I would for sure do Wetsounds. I'm not affiliated with them, not a salesperson for em, not a business owner, just another person in IT...after listening to different sets of speakers, Wetsounds was it...
Also, they just make the boat look that much more awesome :-)

Upload
Old     (hfpesko)      Join Date: Dec 2006       02-25-2010, 9:35 AM Reply   
X2 what Greg said. Wetsounds customer support is second to none. Great guys with awesome knowledge about marine audio! Just like Greg, im not affiliated with wetsounds except their products are in my boat and i could not be happier with it. You will not be disappointed!
Old     (carter13)      Join Date: Feb 2009       02-25-2010, 9:51 AM Reply   
X3
Old     (boardnxtx)      Join Date: Jun 2009       02-25-2010, 10:02 AM Reply   
Wetsounds Wetsounds Wetsounds. Keep the best in there so you won't be looking back later on wishing you had!
Old     (skyski1)      Join Date: Jan 2008       02-25-2010, 11:08 AM Reply   
How does the Polk MM 651UM or MM 6501UM compare to WS, JL, or Bullet? Are they in the same league?
Old     (dirwoody)      Join Date: Apr 2003       02-25-2010, 11:20 AM Reply   
Tim - I'm very interested to check out the new white speakers, that's what swayed me from WS originally, just keeping the clean look, but those very well may be the next addition to the boat
Old     (wetsounds1)      Join Date: Jan 2006       02-25-2010, 12:20 PM Reply   
Thanks for all the comments.

We truly appreciate all the support of Wet Sounds.

Darin, here is a pic of the SW-650-W. Made a few tweaks to it as far as the logo placement and the overall colors of the whites. This is a prototype. But will give you a good idea. We in in production with them now and I will post up a press release when they are shipping. The goal with this speaker was to offer a white marine style speaker but one that had the Wet Sounds flare to it.

The black version will be just like this but all black.

Tim
Wet Sounds


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(Message edited by wetsounds1 on February 25, 2010)
Old     (dirwoody)      Join Date: Apr 2003       02-25-2010, 2:38 PM Reply   
Tim - That is really sick!
What would your amp suggestion be for 2 pairs of the 650's, and the 65's be? We are currently running directly from the head unit (50 watts peak I think)
Thanks Tim!
Old     (brucemac)      Join Date: Dec 2005       02-25-2010, 3:03 PM Reply   
Ryan, can't go wrong with Wetsounds. Make sure whichever route you go, you have the necessary mounting depth in the bow.
Old     (wetsounds1)      Join Date: Jan 2006       02-25-2010, 3:07 PM Reply   
Thanks Darin,

You can use the SYN-Micro for either. It will do 125x2 at 2 ohms so 62.5 per speaker. But it is optimum on the 65's as they are rated at 60 watts rms. The 650's are 100 watts rms. So the 650 can handle more power. We have a lot of people using the SYN-4 that does 125x4 on the 650's.

Tim
Wet Sounds
Old     (h20king)      Join Date: Dec 2009       02-25-2010, 3:11 PM Reply   
just for the record I have no motives was just sharing my opinion I am not a dealer or any thing like that I just prefer the bullet speakers that's all it seems that any time anyone shares an opinion not in line with some manufactures they jump online and throw out the sales pitch I have heard both but admittedly not with the same set up just wondering if wet sound's is that much better than the bullets why the sales pitch product should speak for itself wish the bullet guy would chime in JMTC
Old     (brucemac)      Join Date: Dec 2005       02-25-2010, 3:14 PM Reply   
John, I have the MM6501 components in my boat and love them. I would have gone Wetsounds, but wanted to stick with components. I have heard of at least one person who did not like the coaxial version of the MM 6 series *cough* mikeski *cough*, but he never really shared why. the MM's require quite a bit more power than the old momo and db line. the 6501's recommended is 125W rms minimum, which I'm giving them with a WS Syn4.

(Message edited by brucemac on February 25, 2010)
Old     (dirwoody)      Join Date: Apr 2003       02-25-2010, 3:32 PM Reply   
Thanks Tim!
Old     (skyski1)      Join Date: Jan 2008       02-25-2010, 3:41 PM Reply   
Thanks Bruce. Can you mount the tweeter in the center of the grille on the MM6501UM? I have looked around for the answer and can't find it. Also, I am wondering if the treble gets lost in the wind while under way. I know most marine speakers are tuned bright to cut through wind noise and that is not the sound I'm after. If the Polk's silk tweeter can be heard while under way, that might be just the ticket for me.
Old     (brucemac)      Join Date: Dec 2005       02-25-2010, 3:55 PM Reply   
John, the MM651 is the coaxial version (center mounted tweeter). The MM6501 is the component set. The tweeters mount seperately.
Old     (skyski1)      Join Date: Jan 2008       02-25-2010, 4:21 PM Reply   
Yes, I know the MM6501 is component set with a separate tweeter. In the photos I have seen, it looks like the tweeter could be mounted in the center of the grille if you wanted to. Is that an option? I want the sound quality of a component set, but since my boat is for sale I do not want to do a permanent mount for the tweeter.
Old     (rwb_xstar)      Join Date: Nov 2008       02-25-2010, 6:19 PM Reply   
The answer regarding the MM6501UM's is NO! Unless you do some modifications the wires will not work with the grills to mount the tweeter in the center. I bought these, but returned them for the regualr Polk MM's with the tweeter already mounted in the center of the grill.
Old     (chattwake)      Join Date: Jan 2010       02-25-2010, 6:21 PM Reply   
I'm going with xs650's in my 230 this year. I'm going to push them with a syn4. I can't wait to get it in. A friend of mine has the xs650's in his 230, and I was sold on the switch the second I heard 'em.
Old     (carter13)      Join Date: Feb 2009       02-25-2010, 7:43 PM Reply   
I have three pairs of XS650's powered by a Syn-4 and they are crystal clear up to 3/4 volume. I am sure they are clean beyond but my ears can't handle it.
Old     (david_e_m)      Join Date: Jul 2008       02-26-2010, 7:47 AM Reply   
I like WetSounds, Bullet HollowPoint, JL Audio and Focal as in-boat speakers.

MB Quart was once a great West German speaker company. Now they are an importer of strictly asian replicas.

Just a sidenote on the new WetSounds speakers coming in black. If you've got a boat with speakers in the dash (Malibu for example), now you'll have a speaker that won't create a reflection off the windshield and you've got a sealed dustcap so water can't settle in the exposed voice coil gap that faces upward. Now, both WetSounds and the JL Audio MX titanium have solutions.

David
Earmark Marine
Old     (mcb611)      Join Date: Feb 2010       03-03-2010, 7:34 AM Reply   
wetsounds, kicker, or jl
Old     (ajholt7)      Join Date: Apr 2009       03-03-2010, 7:38 AM Reply   
I hate to sound like a broken record but, Wetsounds are the way to go.
Old     (silvermustang35)      Join Date: Jul 2008       03-03-2010, 7:42 AM Reply   
We are pushing our 3 pairs of XS650s with a Syn4 and they sound amazing too. In the other boat we had 2 pairs of XS650s pushed by ch1 and 2by the syn4 and the sub was bridged to ch3 and 4. Since we got this boat, the sub has a SynMicro going to it and the Syn4 is just for the interiors. That SynMicro is a powerful little beast! We have the XS-10FA sub and it sounds great with it...I still can't get over how small the amp is but when I saw it I knew it would put out tons of power since its Wetsounds
Old     (hunter660)      Join Date: Aug 2007       03-26-2010, 7:16 AM Reply   
Tim, any update on the release of these? Also, you mentioned the grills on the tower speakers have gone from plastic to SS. Does this mean the grill on the pro 485 I just ordered will not match the one I bought last Spring?
Old     (wetsounds1)      Join Date: Jan 2006       03-26-2010, 8:07 AM Reply   
Hey Jon

the sw series in black and white and in both the 65 and 650 versions will be shipping in a couple weeks!

If the grilles on the new 485 don't match, we have replacement grilles available so you can swap the old for the new so they match

Tim
Wet Sounds

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