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Old     (superair502)      Join Date: Mar 2010       05-15-2010, 6:01 PM Reply   
Can anyone who has heard both let me know which speakers sound better or are louder? I'm looking a 2 pair of bullet 7.7s or two ws 485s.
Old     (norcalboris)      Join Date: Jul 2009       05-15-2010, 6:14 PM Reply   
I found they both are loud from a distance but the wetsounds had better mid-bass and dispersed laterally better
Old     (jonyb)      Join Date: Nov 2008       05-15-2010, 7:23 PM Reply   
I've never heard the Bullets.

Wet Sound's product is second to none. Customer service is also second to none.

Exile is a new company out that also makes a great product, but not quite as loud as the WS.
Old     (ldr)      Join Date: Nov 2002       05-15-2010, 9:48 PM Reply   
Watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWv-39ftIZo
Old     (sidetracked3)      Join Date: Jun 2009       05-15-2010, 10:09 PM Reply   
Wet Sounds sound better to me.
Old     (themxercr85)      Join Date: Jul 2007       05-15-2010, 10:41 PM Reply   
Looooove my wetsounds!
Old     (dohboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       05-15-2010, 11:00 PM Reply   
I had the wetsounds threesome on my last boat and loved it. I just put on four Bullet 770s on my new boat. I haven't taken it out yet but they sound great in the garage, but so did the wetsounds. You are the best person to decide what you want and honestly you can't go wrong either way.
Old     (you_da_man)      Join Date: Sep 2009       05-16-2010, 3:09 AM Reply   
I have 4 Bullet HP 770's and they are plenty loud. I of course like Wetsound speakers as far as sound quality goes but I don't like how bulky they look.
Old     (mikeski)      Join Date: Aug 2003       05-16-2010, 7:53 AM Reply   
I have heard most HLCD systems on the market. I run the WS Pro-485 because they sound the best to my ears. Most of the current HLCD products get plenty loud so that is no longer my decision criteria. If I were starting over I doubt I would make a different choice. I have had my 485's for 5 seasons and they are still going strong.
Old     (hatepain)      Join Date: Aug 2006       05-16-2010, 9:37 AM Reply   
I've never heard two 485's but I have a threesome and compared to my Bullets they weren't preferable. However, my guess is that they weren't tuned and or amped properly as the mid bass off of the Bullets was much better. Aesthetics in my mind go to the Bullets, they are better looking and less obtrusive with a higher hang height. And while they both require a lot of watts the Bullets are going to "hunger" for less. I put 225 watts (Boston Acoustic GT-28) to each of mine (this is = to 450 watts to a 485) off of one amp where a 485 would often require and amp per enclosure to get there. Tim regularly recommends a SYN2 per 485 so more $$$ (yes this is more watts but you get my point). Loudness and sound quality wise you really cannot go wrong with either but one is going to cost you more if that is a concern.
Old     (camassanger)      Join Date: Oct 2009       05-16-2010, 9:37 AM Reply   
In my mind, the decision comes to secondary stuff like size of the speakers and mounts. And of course price. They are both awesome speakers and sound great. I chose the bullets. But I would have been happy with WS too. I seriously don't think you can make a wrong choice between these two top tier brands. Best of luck!
Old     (hatepain)      Join Date: Aug 2006       05-17-2010, 12:59 PM Reply   
I will give the edge to WS on customer service. I've never had a problem with my Bullets or needed their customer service but the effort Tim puts in on these boards is very impressive.
Old     (wetsounds1)      Join Date: Jan 2006       05-17-2010, 1:27 PM Reply   
Wow. This is the first A versus B thread that has stayed on point. Great feedback and nice to see. Thanks to everyone for the comments.

Mason, the best advice I can give you is to hit me up and I can see if there is a dealer near you so we can see about getting you a demo to see and hear them. Our slogan is Hearing is Believing. So I always try to get guys to get a demo and experience the speakers first hand. I know sometimes it cannot be done just based on location.

As far as your comparison goes, it is not really a A to B comparison. Since the 770 is a coax based speaker. It would be more of a fair comparison to the PRO 60 or PRO 80. The PRO 485 has dual 8 inch drivers and a massive compression driver. The magnet size in the compression driver is twice the size as found in a coax based system. So it depends on what you are after in terms of look and output.

A pair of PRO 485 is still my favorite set up we offer. I think they represent the best in terms of sound quality matched with sheer volume and off axis dispersion. And killer style with the shape that flows so well with the shape of the boat. They like power but do not need it to get to the performance most crave. A SYN-4 amp in 2 ch mode will do 400x2 and is a nice match. I do love running more power so love the dual SYN-2 set up so 700x1 per speaker but it is not a necessity. So no worries there. I just prefer to run twice as much on everything and give myself a ton of head room on the amps.

So let me know where you are located and we can see about getting a demo

Tim
Wet Sounds
Old     (hatepain)      Join Date: Aug 2006       05-17-2010, 4:30 PM Reply   
^^^ Case in point
Old     (lifetimewarranty)      Join Date: Oct 2008       05-17-2010, 5:09 PM Reply   
I chose the bullets based on their price (the ws 485's are like 1800 bucks and I paid 660 for a pair of chrome bullets 770's). They also look killer and sound awesome.

For the cost of the pair of 485s you can have 2 pair of bullets and an amp......but, if money is no object, or not as big a deal, then definitely compare them. I think you need to ride behind them though in order to get the true test.

Keep in mind, though, that Tim (he may call me out on this one) only pointed out that his magnet is bigger than mine (??), but if you have 2 pair of bullets you will have twice the horns (of the 485's), and that will also equal volume and axis dispersion.

He is probably right, though, that the 4 woofers(on the WS) not being coax sound better than coax, but when you are 90 feet back, behind a roaring V8, and cutting toward the wake, I really don't know if that makes much difference...and I am a serious audio nut also.

That all being said, the 485's are serious badd a$$
Old     (wetsounds1)      Join Date: Jan 2006       05-17-2010, 5:21 PM Reply   
HaHa TC, you knew I would have to call you out.

The magnet size of the compression driver allows the speaker to play louder(handle more power) and play lower freq. Also the shape of the horn flare in the 485 is designed to project sound further and wider. So 4 small horns with more limted horn flares will not always equal 2 larger horns. You will really be able to tell when listening to them. The shape of the horn plays a HUGE role in the output and dispersion. The 485 horn has the widest dispersion design on the market. So just having more speakers will not result in more dispersion. You can gain volume when adding more. You are correct that a true sealed mid bass will result in more mid bass versus a coax design as you have a solid dust cap and more cone area so more punch. It does make a huge difference at 80 feet back.

Trust me. Once you hear the volume of a pair of 485's, you will become a believer!

Tim
Wet Sounds
Old     (hatepain)      Join Date: Aug 2006       05-17-2010, 6:35 PM Reply   
Actaully looking at it again price is not that far off if you compare them at retail:

2 485's and a SYN4 is $2400
4 Bullets (chrome) and a Boston Acoustic GT-2300 is $2447

In this scinario you'd be getting 500 watts a side with the BA rather than the 400 from the SYN4
Old     (uofamox)      Join Date: Feb 2007       05-17-2010, 6:50 PM Reply   
I love my wetsounds 485s and my wetsounds eq. The eq allows me to quick dial my system in for a bassier party cove and/or wakeboarding. The horns can really scream when you standing right in front of them.
Attached Images
 
Old     (showmedonttellme)      Join Date: Mar 2008       05-17-2010, 9:27 PM Reply   
Mason,

Sound:
I've heard both, I currently have 4 Bullet Hollowpoint 650s(? the smaller ones) running on the Boston GT- 24. It was a significant upgrade from the Polks I originally bought from Jaime. I've ridden quite a few boats with great systems. My honest opinion is you can hear either one from across the lake...BUT...when you are riding you lose 40-50% of that sound. Between the boat engine noise, and mainly the wind of going 26mph (plus the speed you generate cutting at the wake) across your ears, it just isn't as loud as I really would want, and by that I mean the WALL of sound you get when you simply stand behind the boat at 80 feet on the street. That being said, I know there's a couple systems in town (one is a local guy my friends know (Shawn?) who has an MB with a $20k system, and I've heard you do indeed feel like you are at a concert while riding, wind or no wind!) that contradict my statement.

Quality:
Both are top quality marine built products. Can't go wrong either way. Our products take a lot of abuse cutting across wakes, and running on high with Air Temps of 100 degrees.

Customer Service:
Obviously, Tim is a hands down honorable guy who stands by his products and is all over this board. I get the feeling he'd eat $100 in a heartbeat if he knew it made a customer happy for life. That's one reason dudes go back.

I've been buying from Jaime at Bullet since I bought my boat in 03'. Granted I did spend $2500 to start (conservative by boat system standards but a lot of money to me), but he has always stood by his products and always given me a great deal. From tuning, to my small complaint about this or that. Heck he even installed my LEds, which made him $0 money "Dont worry about it Jarrod, pay Justin's labor for an hour." Just a classy businessman who wants his customers to have solid systems. He was even nice enough to not tell me my original Clarion head unit was a P.O.S. until I decided to upgrade to nice unit. HAHA

Just my .02. Go listen to both, on the water riding if you can. Decide which look better on your tower for your eyes. Pull the trigger. Don't worry about cost, spend the money to make you happy. What's anohter $500 after 60-70-80$k right!

Peace

Last edited by showmedonttellme; 05-17-2010 at 9:30 PM. Reason: Wrong value
Old     (lifetimewarranty)      Join Date: Oct 2008       05-17-2010, 10:58 PM Reply   
If Hate'npain's numbers are correct, then I would have to go with the Wetsounds. The reason I own Bullets, is the sale they had for 660 a pair for the 770's. CRAZY DEAL IMO!!!

I already had a true 500 watt amp that was wasting space in my garage, so for about 660 plus tax I had real HLCD's with a truckload of power behind them.

But,... dollar for dollar, I would have gone WS. I am very happy with what I have, though, and am glad I didn't spend 2500 bucks... Someday, though, when the V215 arrives, eh, tim?
Old     (hatepain)      Join Date: Aug 2006       05-18-2010, 10:52 AM Reply   
In all actuality I used the price of a discounted GT-2300 but if you used a SYN2 to power 4 770's you'd be the same price. That said I got my set up (4 770's and the GT-28) for about $1800 a couple years ago well before the big sale Jaimie offered so often times retailers will work with you on price.
Old     (hatepain)      Join Date: Aug 2006       05-18-2010, 10:58 AM Reply   
Jarrod, you must be talking about about Shawn Hammond (eargasm) and his Tomcat. He probably has more than $20k in that boat He use to be on the boards a lot but haven't seen him around in a while.
Old     (mlb75)      Join Date: Aug 2007       05-18-2010, 11:50 AM Reply   
Not to get off track (especially since this has miraculously stayed on coarse) but if anyone talks to Shawn, I'd really like to talk to him about a setup for a few minutes, end jack.

On track I haven't hear the bullets but I LOVE my Wetsounds, I've got a set of Pro 80's and a set of MB8's It's LOUD, CLEAR, and a little more compact than the 485's. It also lets me run two channels at 2 ohm giving me more options on amps. Also another thank you to Tim, I had an issue with my grills and he had a new set shipped right out, that kind of customer service is worth a lot to me.

The only other setup I'd even consider over the wetsounds would have been NVS but again that's a little off topic sorry.
Old     (david_e_m)      Join Date: Jul 2008       05-18-2010, 3:59 PM Reply   
This really isn't a head to head comparison because you've got two very different products. The 770 Bullet HollowPoints in black with two JL Audio G1300 monoblocks are presently an $1800.00 package. The HollowPoints feature all domestic solid T6061 machined collars with a different sized collar to fit every individual tower. The pods are all domestic hand spun aluminum and are domestically powdercoated. The 770 HollowPoints represent an extremely powerful driver in a very compact presentation. Hang height is minimal, at only 8 3/4-inch max. These don't overtake the look of your boat as they can be a compliment to your boat without altering the appearance. Since two pair of properly powered 770s will reach the rider without strain these are certainly enough until you want to be "that" dominant guy at the party cove. And, the sound quality is very good with a warmer balance than many HLCDs (don't get me wrong. Its still an HLCD sound).

The WetSounds Pro485s (pair) plus a SYN4 is priced at $2400.00. And that's a very balanced package. I hate to make brand to brand comparisons so I won't. I'd rather just list the positive attributes of both indivudually and let the would-be-consumer take the benefits that best fit their needs. So compare the Pro485s to the rest of the WetSounds line up. The Pro485s are the largest pod, largest horn, largest horn compression driver, largest midbass drivers with solid dustcaps and the most refined sounding WetSounds product. Do they deserve to be the more expensive option? Absolutely. They're bigger and more powerful.

This in no way diminishes the value of the Bullet HollowPoint 770s. I don't think you'll get more power or value at that price and in this compact size.

WetSounds is obviously more assertive in working the forums and marketing their business. And they take fantastic care of their customers. They're simply more visible.

I've been in business for over 30 years (since Jan. 1980). I can say that Jamie with Bullet HollowPoint is a great partner for his dealers and takes fantastic care of his customers. I also give him the highest possible rating on par with anyone. He's just not as visible.

So these are two great products from two great companies. You can't go wrong either way.

David
Earmark Marine

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