In-boat speakers---Polk or Wetsounds?

I have done a lot of shopping, reading, and researching on marine stereo equipment lately and have been buying the different pieces for my spring install. The only thing that I am really hung up on is what in-boat speakers to go with. I currently have 4 Polk DB651's which I am impressed with but they will soon be the weakest link so they are getting replaced and I just can't decide what to replace them with. I know there are a lot of opinions on this matter but I have pretty much narrowed the replacements down to the Polk MM651UM's or the Wetsounds XS-65's. I like that the Polks have the built in crossover and grill mounted tweeter almost like a component system (or at least it appears that way). Do the Wetsounds have the same or are they a "true coaxial" with the tweeter post? I have a Wetsounds tower set-up but I really don't care about matching or what the brand name says on them so that is not the issue. Amplifier is not the issue either as I know the polks call for more power and I already have amps for either set-up. I would like to hear from people that have experience with either model and what they have to say about them. I can't justify buying the XS-650's but the XS-65's or the MM651UM's would run pretty close to each other in price($140-$160/pair). I was set on the Polks but if I hear otherwise, I could go with the Wetsounds... The forum certainly seems to be biased towards Wetsounds, and rightfully so, but any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

I know you don't have them listed as one of your options but the bullet coax sound amazing and will handle lots of power.Earmark has bundle deals that put them in the price range you are looking to stay in.
http://www.earmarkcaraudio.com/Xcart...5&cat=0&page=1

David,
I don't want to introduce another brand of speakers into the discussion beyond what you have mentioned and without invitation.
All WetSounds coaxials are true components with bridge/grill mounted tweeters and without the tweeter mounting post. The midbass cone is sealed and continuous in all models.
We have many popular marine coaxials on a great and unique soundboard that gives equal treatment to all speakers. So we can give you a very objective comparison without the influence of individual system execution or music material whether good or bad.
I wiil say this much. If you can justify stepping up to the WetSounds XS-650s you are getting one heck of a speaker that will be more dynamic. There will be no future questions as to whether you made the right choice.

David
Earmark Marine

David W, I heard both the Polk MM series and the XS-650's. I haven't heard the XS-65, so I can't speak to them. In my opinion the XS-650's sounded much better than the Polk MM's. The XS-650's were more crisp and seemed louder.

When I was looking for speakers I wanted to try something different since it seems like every boat here in Texas has wetsounds. I ended up going with Exile, and like others, I have been really happy with them. I like the look, the performance, and the price. To me, they sound just as good, if not better than the XS-650's. The XS-65 are 60w RMS @ $159, the XS-650's are 100w RMS @ $249, and the Exile SX65C's are 100w RMS @ $149.

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/produ.../10144386.aspx

I had the polk stuff in my Super Air Nautiques. I replaced the stock stuff with the XS-650's every year. There is no comparison.

Another vote for the Wetsounds. I don't really think you can compare the two.

Did the original poster ask about Exile and Bullett?

In so many systems I see tower speakers and subwoofers getting the priority and the cabin speakers seem to be an afterthought. But consider that the coaming speakers in the boat are responsible for covering 8 of 10 octaves of your music plus they are in close listening proximity and in the best position to offer a bit of accuracy. So if I really like music and not just to listen to audio equipment, then these speakers are at the top of my list.
David, you already have a speaker that has a post-mounted tweeter in the Polk dBs. You are not really moving forward in a speaker upgrade unless you move into a speaker with a continouus midbass cone. And, the two speakers that you have mentioned have that provision. Another tech speak detail is that 50 percent of all musical fundamentals occur between 200 and 600 Hz. This is the sole domain of the coaxial's midbass driver. So if you want more midrange coming forward with transparency, more midbass output and extension and you truly want more contrast in your music...then absolutely stay on course with your original speaker selection.
Also, you have to consider the construction details from speaker to speaker and what constitutes a true marine speaker. Again, David, you are on the correct path with your initial thoughts.

David
Earmark Marine

What do you guys know about these http://dcgold.com/

I am going to be looking for 2 pairs of coaxial coming up here to and I am between these and the JL audio. Nothing against Wetsounds- I had a pair of pro 80's in my last boat and loved them, this boat isn't getting tower speakers and am looking for a more subdued grill look.

Originally Posted by duckguy

What do you guys know about these http://dcgold.com/.

Matt, you're not allowed to mention other speakers.

I understand that the OP did not ask about Bullet I am a WS fan as well and am currently upgrading to a set of 485's and changing out all my amps as well so I am in no way talking down WS.But honestly believe the bullet speakers are worth taking a look at. I have been so pleased with mine I am adding an extra set of them while I'm at it.Either way you go WS or bullet you will be happy as I'm sure most will agree they are the top two in boat speakers on the market..................H

Whoops, my bad! So how about those DC Golds? haha

Originally Posted by murphy_smith

Did the original poster ask about Exile and Bullett?

Murphy, when I was looking for speakers for my boat I was considering WS, Bullet, and Polk. Since my budget was limited on my military pay I couldn't afford the WS-650's (the ones I really wanted), and was going to settle with the WS-65's. I'm glad I discovered the Exlile's. I ended up with speakers that are $10 less and 40w more power handling that WS-65's and the same specs as the WS-650's for $100 less. I've heard both the SX65C's and the WS-650, and they both sound good, but saving a couple hundred bucks going with the Exiles sounded so much better.

Point in case, he had mentioned a budget, so I don't see anything wrong with suggesting another speaker in his price range that's just as capable as a speaker that he said he "can't justify buying"

Ben and Harold, I guess the issue is that it happens all the time, where someone asks a product question about two specifics and gets a bunch of responses that are not answering his original question. I see it on boats, boards, audio etc..It doesn’t do anything but confuse the situation. If you read his post, you can see he asked some questions specifically about a true marine component style speaker. He wants and likes something with a grille mounted tweeter and NOT a pole piece. BOTH the speakers you recommended are pole piece tweeters. So not something he is interested in. So adding those types of speakers to a post, confuse the situation even more and are not helping someone who has already spent the time looking and was clear he already narrowed his choices down. It would be fine if someone opened the door asking "what would you do in a 6.5 inch speaker" Then it is free reign.

Matt, Those DC Gold speakers used to be a company called BABB. They have been around for years but have never really taken off. They do not have a tweeter and the cone plays full range. They also do not have a spider so the suspension is a foam piece that is glued on the inside of the grille that keeps the cone from bottoming out. They have always been an interesting design. But I highly suggest listening before purchasing.

I make that recommendation for everything and to everyone. I think the demo is the true key to make a decision. A to B. listen to different types of music. You cannot say you have compared a speaker until you have them side by side on the same amp with the same source and same music. Listening to a buddies boat and then a week later listening to another type in a different set up is not a true demo as you ears can only remember so much. I know it is very hard to get a demo. That is why if you can’t. Listen to some experts who have heard them all. Or at least go listen to one set and see if they work for you. And if you cant a to b them. At least you are happy with the ones you did get to hear.

And everyone’s ears are different. Some like a speaker with a ton of mid bass. Some like speakers with no mid bass and all highs. Some like a loud speaker while others like a more smooth speaker. Also, depends on what type of music you listen to. Some like rock, some like rap, some like country, some like jazz etc…some speakers work better with certain types of music.

David W,

All of our Wet Sounds in boat speakers are true component style speakers. They have grille mounted tweeters with integrated crossovers. So a separate sealed woofer cone with no worries of water down a pole piece. As does the polk. You have narrowed your search down to two very nice speakers.

Some of the unique features on our build quality are our Nylas frame which is a composite blend of fiberglass reinforced nylon for a super strong frame that is waterproof. (this is one very important area to look at, as there are some speakers being called marine that have stamped steel frames. Steel has no place as an in boat speaker) Most of us have seen what happens when moisture builds up under a boat cover. This gets everywhere, including the backside of the speaker. Over time steel will rust. So speaking of the backside, we take extra attention to every detail. The magnets are completely covered. As over time an exposed magnet will corrode. The tinsel leads are salt water compliant. The tinsel leads are another failure point. Thin, non marine rated tinsel leads will fail over time from corrosion. We use our exclusive rubber spider. Others use a cloth. Another failure point. Cloth can dry out over time and is another failure point. Some other higher end marine speakers use a treated cloth that works great. We just prefer the rubber. Our cone material is a composite that we thermoform to the rubber surround. We melt the surround to the cone to create a permanent bond. There is no glue to fail. Surround glue failure is another failure point. So you can see that we look at every aspect of the speaker and build a speaker that is a true marine speaker on all points. Besides the build quality portion of the speaker, I voice the speakers for a true in boat sound. They have a ton of mid bass punch and a bright crisp tweeter. So they sound awesome in an outdoor application. The XS-65 uses a titanium deposit mylar tweeter and the XS-650 uses a pure 1 inch titanium tweeter. I feel that in a boat, a hard dome tweeter can cut through the wind and noise better than a soft dome type tweeter. I also feel that in a boat most are out to have a good time and most rock it out. So a punchy speaker with a lot of mid bass is key. Also, add to that speaker locations are usually not in the best spot (down low by your feet or the middle of the seat) And you want a speaker that can have the volume needed on all ends

Look at the build quality first hand. Then Do the demo. I am 100% confident in our products and feel that we have the best built and best sounding speakers on the market and I am not afraid to a and b compare them!

Hit me up and I will see if we have a dealer near you so you can set something up.

Tim
Wet Sounds

Sorry guys - I misread the original post and thought he was asking about a XS - 650.

Pretty sick today and my cough syrup with codine has made me a little out of it.

I can't comment on the XS-65's b/c I have never heard them. Never heard the Exile's either.

Tim I am interested in a demo I have the bullets but am not opposed to spending the cash on the WS in boat speakers if there is a noticeable difference.I will hold off on buying another set of the bullets until I hear back from you.I live in Portland Oregon which is Exile country and am not aware of any wetsound dealers in my area.I am redoing my system with a set of 485's and using the Arc audio ks series amps to power everything a 300.4 for the in boat speakers a 300.4 for the 485's and a 1000.1 for the sub and will also be installing a WS 420 EQ.This is the third version of my boats system in less than two years so I would like to get it right this time as it is getting harder and harder to explain to my wife why I need new gear when she thinks the last system was more than adequate LOL so if there are any dealers in my area please let me know.sorry for the highjack.......................H

The OP was right when he said the board seems to be biased towards wetsounds.

Tim, your overpowering sales approach was a huge turn off. How many PM's have you sent to the OP already? When I asked about speakers I had 3 PM's from you throwing your sales pitch. This was after I mentioned in the thread I had already heard wetsounds and was seeing what else is out there, which is contradicting to what you said above about making things confusing. Another turn-off to me as a consumer was the "input on speakers" thread where you and Duane from NVS were going back and forth like children on a public forum over who invented the first HLCD coax.

You always seem to insinuate that other speakers are not suitable for a marine environment. If I wanted to mount speakers on the outside of a submarine then I might have went with WS, but I can tell you that I had the Exiles on my boat all last summer and there is no signs of degradation due to being in a marine environment whatsoever.

You guys at WS have a killer product, other companies do too, but I didn't care for the sales approach and the premium price.

Since this is a public forum, I feel there's not an issue with offering other suggestions.

David W,
I do not work for or have any affiliation with a speaker company or reseller. I'm a budget conscious consumer. I just wanted to offer my opinion and other options in your price range (which seems to be frowned upon) I hope I didn't confuse you by doing so. When I was deciding on speakers I narrowed it down to 3 options.

Pair, WS-65, 60w RMS, $159, 1 year warranty
Pair, WS-650, 100w RMS, $249, 1 year warranty
Pair, SX-65C, 100w RMS, $149, 2 year warranty

As I said above I went with the Exiles. To me, they sound just as good as the WS-650's, if not better. Again, this is all just my personal opinion....as a consumer.

I have the polk MM651 marine components in the bow of my VLX and they sound great! Huge improvement over the stock Rockford Fosgate plus they are going for cheap on ebay, mine were under $140 new. I plan on putting them in the dash and rear this summer.

biased towards wetsounds for good reason. they were originally only HIGH end stuff with the price to match, but now they have created a product line that allows almost anyone to purchase their wonderfully designed stuff to suit their build. plus, customer service is some of the best i've experienced in any type of company ever. i will say the polks sound good, but don't last very long.

benjamin,

I have no idea where you get all that from. Anyone who has been on this board for years knows me and how I offer great support. I have not sent the OP a PM. ask him yourself. I try to leave the PM's to a minimum and leave that to other companies sales approach. I sent you a PM back when you were asking about speakers since you were somewhat local (San Antonio) and had an opportunity to hear our demo boat since the boys from Hydrotunes in Austin had the boat at that time. Sorry for trying to give a customer an opportunity to go and see a demo boat and hear an amazing system. Since you were pretty close by, about an hour or so, I thought it would be good to hear and see versus online questions. Also, the thread where Duane and I were going back and forth with Phil from Kicker was tongue in check. We even said so on the thread, you must have missed that part. We were all messing with each other and having fun with it.

I explain technical parts of a speaker and what some things to look for. It is because many do not know what makes a speaker “marine”. Since we are installing speakers in a boat, we should know what some of the reasoning behind a true marine speaker are. There are many great marine speakers out there, But there are many that are not marine being sold as marine. With all the great options for a true marine speaker. I think that a consumer knowing what to look for, is very important.

So sorry if we got off on the wrong foot but ask around for those who have been around and know me, i think your opinion is way off. If you are ever at event on LA, come by and say hi. No hard feelings.

Tim
Wet Sounds

Tim like I said above any chance there is a dealer in Portland Oregon I am interested in doing a demo before I spend any more cash. I am currently ruining four of the bullet 650hp coax and want to add an extra set of speakers but after talking with Wakedoc this morning I would like to hear the wetsounds before buying any more product so I can make an informed decision thanks......................H

sorry harold, missed your post. Yes we have dealers near you. Shoot me an email to twhite@wetsounds.com and I can get you set up

Tim
Wet Sounds

So sorry if we got off on the wrong foot but ask around for those who have been around and know me, i think your opinion is way off.

Aww c'mon Tim, everyone knows you're a total jerk!

Originally Posted by hatepain

Aww c'mon Tim, everyone knows you're a total jerk!

HAHA, well I guess it depends on who you ask LOL

Tim
Wet Sounds

In our soundroom we have Boston Acoustics, Bullet HollowPoint, Exile, Focal, JL Audio, Kicker, Polk Audio and WetSounds coaxials. All driven by 200 watts per channel so you're only hearing the speaker and not the amplifer.
If you are in our local market of Lewisville (Dallas) Texas it would be great if you could come by and hear these speakers for yourself. It would be great to hear the unbiased opinions (no owners goggles) after auditioning these speakers on a totally equal and fair basis.
Sometimes you just can't believe everything you read on the internet.

David
Earmark Marine

It'd be so sweet if there was a way to capture that on video so that those of us that are so far away could experience that, but there is just no way to get the effect on camera.

Tim, I wouldn't have said a word if it wasn't so obvious you were annoyed about someone suggesting another speaker. If someone made a post about Polk vs JL, and then someone suggested WS, I'm sure it wouldn't have bothered you at all, and I'm equally as sure you would have went on to explain how great WS speakers are.

Originally Posted by wetsounds1

I sent you a PM back when you were asking about speakers since you were somewhat local (San Antonio) and had an opportunity to hear our demo boat since the boys from Hydrotunes in Austin had the boat at that time. Sorry for trying to give a customer an opportunity to go and see a demo boat and hear an amazing system.

Yes, you did invite me...on the 3rd PM.

Originally Posted by wetsounds1

I try to leave the PM's to a minimum and leave that to other companies sales approach.

Not true. At least not in my case. You sent me 2 long PM's and invited me to see WS speakers in person on the 3rd PM.

Here's an excerpt from one of your PM's, clearly an attempt to steer me away from a competitors product;

"Out of the ones you listed, the Wet Sounds and Polk MM are the ONLY marine speakers. The other ones are not marine speakers. Not matter what people say. They will fail. I have a freind with a new centurion. it had the factory skylon system with in boats that are just like the bullets and exiles."

I'm still waiting on that failure.

Originally Posted by wetsounds1

I have no idea where you get all that from. Anyone who has been on this board for years knows me and how I offer great support.

I too have been a member on this board for years, and I don't recall mentioning anything about your lack of support as I'm sure it's phenomenal.

The point is, I find it unfair when people ask about speakers you indirectly and sometimes directly try to steer them away from a competitors product while touting WS's.

However, this thread was about wetsounds and Polk, so why the soap box?

Originally Posted by chattwake

However, this thread was about wetsounds and Polk, so why the soap box?

because I'm a level 10 gymnast

You know what I have to defend Tim a little here..

First of all people are asking opinions on a public forum. We should be lucky manufacturers are taking the time to deal directly with their buying demographic and answering questions. Of course Tim is going to be a little bias about his own product, but as many can agree the speakers don't just 'talk the talk' so to say. Wetsounds are a great product and they perform as good as Tim says they do. The thing I like about Tim's 'salespitch' is he gives you the HONEST info about his product, will answer any emails in a timely fashion, and give you all the facts needed to help you make your decision. Of course he is going want to steer you into his product, but he doesn't lie about competing brands or try to bash them publicly in order to sell you his own. I would much rather hear the honest and correct info from the horse's mouth than go to XYZ website, plug in my question to a 'contact us' form, then get a cookie cutter response from some $12/hour tech support robot 2 business days later. At the end of the day if you decide to go to walmart and buy some speakers so be it, but at least you made your own decision with all the facts at hand.

About the whole 'marine speakers' thing, again that's true. While normal car speakers can be perfectly fine for boats, that doesn't mean they are designed for it. The same reason why everybody stopped putting 6x9s in wood boxes on top of towers - wetsounds or equivalent perform much better. Sure, Joe in Utah who keeps his boat in a heated garage all winter and only brings his boat out on sunny days may have his non marine speakers last a lifetime. But other guys who use their boat 5 days a week, keep it stored on the water, who live in areas where you get caught in rainstorms on weekend camping trips or ride in brackish water, those are the boat owners who might want the durability of a true marine speaker. Sure, you can get by with normal car audio... you can also get by with a wakeboard from costco, a tow rope from home depot, and a piece of wood for a handle.

To sum it up.. its just good, honest advise from somebody who knows better. Sure you might have to spend more money in he beginning, but if you are serious about your boat and its system it may be the better option in the long run. Hey, if somebody had told me I really would be the happiest with a vdrive, I would have never have bought a I/O or a DDrive and saved myself a lot of money over the years!

Whoa, that's a lot to catch up on. I guess I should have known this would draw numerous responses when I started a thread that has anything to do with Wetsounds... Thanks guys, I don't mind hearing other suggestions as I may have mistakingly scratched some off of my list or may have never even heard of them. I am in Augusta, GA if anyone knows of somewhere remotely close that I could hear a demo. And just to make sure this is correct, both the exiles and the bullets have post/pole mounted tweeters? Maybe I should have originally used the term "typical coaxial" instead of "true coaxial", oh well... Also wanted to say thank you to Tim for taking the time to be so informative, even if it is somewhat of a sales pitch, haha. Seriously though, I do appreciate it.

David W, sorry for the extra reading material in your thread. There are a lot of great speakers available that are more than suitable for boat use. In the end, I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever you decide.

When I was looking to replace my in-boat speakers I think David from Earmark Marine said it best;
"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."

I dont want to start something back up that is already dead, but i will have to say that i think it is pretty cool to see the actual president and owner of a company on the forums talking and trying to help people out. I can tell you that my experiance with Tim has been awesome and i like the fact that he is willing to give advice and suggestions. If he is biased toward his own product do you blame him? He started and owns wetsounds which is arguably the best marine speakers available, i am sure he does feel stronly about his company. I am in sales myself and really apprecate when someone high up in a company ( especially the owner ) does not loose touch with reality and is still willing to lend a helping hand and advice to there customers. Last but not least i would listen to what the guy has to say, i mean he has put in all the time and effort to make his product what it is and im sure that involved testing his speakers against the rest. Theres my 2 cents

I didn't feel like it was a sales pitch as much as it was an informative post from the owner of the company. I think it's great that we see people like Tim, Phil W. and David on here giving us the information that we need to make an informed choice. Are their posts a little biased? Sure they are but they also give you more info than a sales brochure or the product description on the website and they take the time to answer questions. Keep up the good work guys!

Yeah, thanks for all of your input and help over the years Tim, the vast majority of us appreciate what you do. It's good to be passionate relative to your products and to know your products inside and out. Frankly, I'm shocked that, in light of the competition between stereo component manufacturers, that there is really no bickering back and forth or mud slinging on the forums. Thanks to all of the guys from Wetsounds, Exile, Bullet, etc. for keeping it professional.

David would you mind giving your opinion on the sound characteristics of some of these, at least in your opinion? I am considering for mine the JL's, Wetsounds, or the Excile. I am looking for of course a loud, clear, efficient speaker and tend to prefer a mellower sounding speaker.

Matt,
When I look at the in-boat speakers like WetSounds, Exile and Bullet HollowPoint for example, I tend to gravitate to the speaker that best matches the tower selection. Each has a bit of a signature sound that usually runs consistent with their own tower product and if the boat owner likes the sound on the tower they are likely to get along very well with the same brand in the boat. Plus, it doesn't hurt to have uniform cosmetics.
I have found that my observations are very critical when it comes to speakers as compared to others, my listening habits may be different and my taste in music may be different too. So while I have definite opinions just like any consumer, and these will differ from person to person, I have to be tolerant of the opinions of others. I'm generally dissappointed with the compressed playback mediums and the recent direction of the music industry. I'm going to judge speakers under the most optimum conditions with only clean recordings that have a broad dynamic range. This will factor into my observations.
Of course, anything that I review will be met with arguements. That just goes with the territory.
I'll review these speakers that you asked about independently without making direct comparisons.
JL Audio MX 6.5" coaxial,
This speaker has a rather conservative looking grill design that tends to put people off before they even listen to it with an open mind. If it had an edgy looking grill it would sell ten times faster.
This is a true marine construction in every sense. The tweeter is bridge/grill mounted and it has a contiuous midbass cone that is not interrupted by a post so it has more surface area. This speaker has serious engineering behind it. Virtually every part is proprietary JL Audio.
The JL is very linear, meaning a smooth octave to octave balance with all frequencies treated with equal amplitude. It is totally absent of any of the erratic peaks and valleys. Because its so smooth you have difficulty localizing this speaker so it really images well. It displays true depth, provided the music content is there, where the sound of most speakers begins and ends with the depth of the grill. This is an amazingly transparent speaker. I hear more content coming through in the lower midrange which is full of contrast on this speaker. The midbass punch and attack is very good. This speaker shines on vocals, especially female vocals. The second order highpass crossover helps create a seemless transition between the midbass and tweeter. The highs are extended, detailed and delicate. Small percussion instruments like chimes and triangles retain their size. There is very little extra or false emphasis in the highs and consequently there is no harshness. You can listen to this speaker endlessly without fatique.
Exile 6.5" coaxial,
Exile seems to be infatuated with highs which carries through their line-up. This speaker is no different. Which means it will match up well with their tower speakers. There is a clear emphasis towards percussion and the upper harmonics that make instrumentation sound extra distinctive. Its not exactly musically accurate in the purist interpretation but its popular. And they haven't introduced the tweeter abrubtly which is nice. The high frequency bias is more of a gradual tilt. The hard 1-inch dome definitely has plenty of fine detail and excells in percussion. In that sense this speaker will be hard to improve upon.The lower midrange and midbass lags behind. From the neck up on a vocalist this is an excellent speaker but from the neck down it lacks the warmth and breathiness of the body. It could use more midbass kick. However, this coaxial has a larger than normal midbass voice coil so it should handle the power.
WetSounds XS-650 coaxial,
This isn't the only speaker to be built as a true marine speaker (Polk UM & JL MX share this distinction for example). But, WetSounds is not eclipsed by anyone when it comes to build quality. A polymer/composite basket, coated tinsel leads, synthetic spider and many more details will enable this speaker to last under harsh elements making it a great investment. If this speaker is a little higher than some other coaxials it is simply because it is expensive to build. This is not a converted car speaker. It's all marine.
The WS coaxial is a true Rock & Roll speaker! What I mean by that is if you want a loudspeaker and you properly power it, the XS650 will play with serious dynamics. What a perfect match for a XXX 12 and a pair of Pro485s. Featuring a full 1-inch titanium dome, it has just a touch of extra kick in the treble which is good voicing for play in an open environment and competing against the wind and engine noise. But this speaker is well balanced because it has plenty of midbass kick also. In fact, without a subwoofer you will be surprised at its fullrange capability. There are a couple of construction details that may explain why the WetSounds has such good midbass.
The basket/frame maintains its width back to the magnet so there is a generous sized spider. With an extra wide spider you get plenty of controlled excursion. Also, with a bridge/grill mounted tweeter, the midbass cone is sealed so you get aditional surface area and a speaker that behaves exactly like a separate component rather than a coaxial. WetSounds has created a major reputation in tower speakers so their coaxial has alot to live up to. No sweat.

David
Earmark Marine

Dang - That's right up there with the Gettysburg Address.

Nice post

David,

Thanks for such a detailed description of each speaker. It is nice to read that because for many of us that might be the closest we get to actually "hear" all the differences in the speakers you have available to demo.

Would you mind including your description and opinion on the Bullet Speakers and the JL Audio M series 6.5 coaxial speakers as well?

Last one.
Bullet HollowPoint 650 coaxial,
A true carbon fiber midbass cone and not just a poly impression. You won't have the typical break-up modes with this cone. Instead of having the normal collapsing basket the HP frame drops straight back allowing for an unusually wide spider. The spider is the speaker's main suspension that keeps the moving parts aligned but is also the spring/shock absorber of sorts that damps the cone and helps return it to the neutral position. A larger spider is usually an indication of longer excursions without the spider tightening up. And that explains why this speaker can produce some wicked midbass. From kick drums to floating toms you'll get the full attack above what your subwoofer can reproduce making your sub sound better. The tweeter is a full 1-inch soft dome (textile/silk with a poly coating). Ferrofluid cooled and damped. Instead of having a capacitor the HollowPoint has a second order tweeter crossover comprised of a series capacitor and parallel inductor. This provides twice the roll-off slope (12 dB per octave). Larger soft domes will often have a lower resonance as well. So this tweeter will be very smooth without a hint of edginess. The Bullet HollowPoint will have a slightly warmer texture than most coaxials just like its 770 HLCD counterpart is a little warmer. So if you are getting alot of extra residual highs off tower HLCDs this speaker won't assault your ears with more of the same.

David
Earmark Marine

Excellent write up David, those should be some sort of sticky.

That was great, my boat will not have tower speakers, just 2 pairs of interiors and a sub

i havent had first hand experience with the polks but my xs650's really jam with a WS Syn 4 running to it

On the JL's, if you move up to the 770's (7.7" speaker), you can get the sport grille which looks waaaay better! Not sure why they don't offer that on the 6.5"'s. Also, IMO, the 770's provide a much fuller sound than the 650's do. Might check them out as well.

There is no doubt that with the extra surface area a 7.7" will have more midbass extension than any 6.5". We've run six JL Audio 770s in the boat with 150 watts each and the attack of a rimshot would actually startle you! But, they just won't fit a majority of towboats. Factory MasterCraft. The four rear cockpit coaxials only in an '11 Malibu 247 with up to four 6.5" in the front. Not alot of other drop-in oppurtunities that I can recall.

David
Earmark Marine

Down side to the 7.7 is that you are forever stuck with a 6.25 mounting hole. $.02

There is no doubt that with the extra surface area a 7.7" will have more midbass extension than any 6.5".

Yeah you're talking about the difference between 46 square inches and 33. It may not sound like a lot but when you see them side by side its very noticable.

Hate,
You're computing outside frame size against frame size. When you compare the actual cone radiating area less the surround the ratio difference can even be a bit larger.

David
Earmark Marine

Don't doubt it. Like I said visually they are night and day.