I see people placing subwoofers, the ones that arent waterproof, out in the open in their boats. Wether theyre on the bottom of the wraparound seats or under the dash the subs are still exposed to the elements. I see W7s in these locations and im somewhat puzzled. Do subs hold up to these conditions?
I have only had mine for a few weeks (under observer seat), but I would be more worried about the box than the sub. I rhino-lined my box and believe it will be fine.
Oh yeah, marine subs don't compare to JL, Kicker, or other normal car audio subs.
I have had a 10" Crossfire Sub infront of the drivers side for 4 years and it still rocks. Most subs are made from composites not paper so they can handle being in a marine environment. With that being said my is pushed back and is out of harms way and it would be very unlikely that it would be hit by water. I do run 4 5.25" in the boat and they get hit with water all the time with people getting in and out and the occational water fight in the boat. They are sounding as good as day one (again Crossfire). Because most speakers are made of composites you will not find it to be a problem if they get wet. If not get the Polk MOMO's (yes they make a sub as well) they are all marine certified (I think that is what they call it) and sound very good as well.
I actually tend to prefer the tonal qualities and efficiency afforded by a paper cone sub. I just coat them with "wet look" available from Parts Express. They won't hold up to getting wet but they seem to do fine in the maring environment.
I have a JL sub under my dash that has held for 5 summers and is going on it's 6th. Just make sure to set the gains/frequency so you are not distorting it and they should last a long time. I coated my box in epoxy resin to thwrat moisture. Like Mike said the wet look from parts express works great! I used it on my tower speakers.
Coach how do you like the Crossfire speakers? I am going to install 4 of the new 06 6 1/4" on my tower and wanted to know how much power you put to them. My understanding is that you dont have to pour the coals to them to really get them to perform