Rev10s in place of sub?

I'm having a hard time finding a place to install a sub in my new boat (23TWB) that will make it look like it belongs there and not hacked up to fit. Can I get by without a sub if I'm running four Rev10s?

no replacement for displacement...

i run four rev10's on two syn4's and couldnt imagine being without a sub(s). i find it hard to believe you can find room in the 23TWB. find a boat stereo shop that is familair with wake boats and you shouldn't have a problem.

Will adding (1) XS-12 to the mix make a big difference?

adding any sub will make a difference when you are starting from nothing.

Jon,

I have always felt that I have two stereo systems on my boats... that do two different things. the first is the in boat system consisting of the in boat speakers and the subwoofer... IMO the subwoofer is critical to balancing the system... the other system is the tower which delivers the music to the rider or to the beach oarty if anchored off.. with the tower system the subwoofer helps but again IMO is not as necessary as it is not really contributing that much to the balance of the sound at 80' out..

I think your REV 10's will sound great out away from the boat but I think you will find they will be an inadequate subwoofer replacement when listening from inside the boat.

I know you have been tossing around installing a sub under your helm and I think you should go for it... I think you will be glad you did..

I planned to install under the helm, but didn't realize how much of a pain the fiberglass panel in the foot well was going to be. I removed it last night and got some measurements. I have also found pictures of another install in the same boat, but I'm not 100% happy with how it looks in the pictures. I have not ruled out installing the the port side storage, but not sure how it will perform there.

Jon, don't the MB's come with a 10" sub behind the driver's seat? Can you cut that one out to fit an XS12, 12W3, IDQ 12? Then figure out a way to seal that area off so it is in a small sealed box? Would look factory, be in a good spot for output and help the system?

I ordered mine without the 10 with the plans of installing in the helm.

I don't think a 12 would fit where the stock 10 is/was. The area starts to curve and there is not enough flat to mount a sub. An enclosure there would be tough too. I'll give it another look tonight.

If you want to have any hope of getting sound to the rider at the end of the rope, you're going to need to highpass the rev10s at at least 80hz... in which case, yeah, you'll want a sub.

I've never tried to run mine full range with no high pass, but I suspect they'd go decently low, but not subwoofer low.

Originally Posted by hunter660

I ordered mine without the 10 with the plans of installing in the helm.

I don't think a 12 would fit where the stock 10 is/was. The area starts to curve and there is not enough flat to mount a sub. An enclosure there would be tough too. I'll give it another look tonight.

The stock 10" that comes behind the seat on the MB's is ok at best... and I agree that it would be tough to replace it with a 12".. it could probably be done but there is not a whole lot of volume in that space even for a sealed sub.

How much space is there between the plastic false wall and the carpeted fiberglass wall behind it? maybe you could build a small enough 12" sealed enclosure that could fit in that space and then replace the plastic wall keeping it stock looking. another otion might be to put a 10" bass tube (Bazooka) back there if there is room..

I for one think you were very smart to exclude the stock 10" sub from your build.. I wish I had done that....

OK, it's established I still need a sub. Can we turn the topic on to ideas on how fit one in without me starting a new thread?

Thanks for all the help guys.

Originally Posted by shawndoggy

If you want to have any hope of getting sound to the rider at the end of the rope, you're going to need to highpass the rev10s at at least 80hz... in which case, yeah, you'll want a sub.

I've never tried to run mine full range with no high pass, but I suspect they'd go decently low, but not subwoofer low.

Shawndoggy, Ihave seen pictures of your sub set up and that box seems pretty shallow. how deep is it? from the pictures it seems like it might be able to fit between the black wall and the carpeted wall

Maybe a sealed box and drill a bunch of holes in the panel to vent? What will I lose from ported to sealed? 3db?

You have to have a sub to round out your system and thats never more true than when you are running HLCD's. No matter how warm they've been able to get those REV's you'll still need one.

Find a way to get it under the helm (where theres a will) because the observers storage compartment is horrible unless its open or very well vented which would require a lot more fiberglass cutting than would the helm.

There are a lot of shops on here that are so familiar with these boats that they can build you a box sight unseen and tell you how to get it in there. If your concerened you can't do a good job I would go that route.

I was able to pinch two 10's in a down firing box under my helm which is much smaller than yours. I will say its a nightmare to get in and out if need be.

Originally Posted by hatepain

There are a lot of shops on here that are so familiar with these boats that they can build you a box sight unseen and tell you how to get it in there.

Who are they? I'm coming up empty handed so far.

Tim from WetSounds is working on a box design for me, but I'd still like to hear other ideas and see some other installs in this boat.

Here is mine..
this is an F-23 Tomacat so just a little different from yours (shape of the side panel) but probably pretty close on overall space under the helm.

Sub is a WS-12 in a ported box

You don't have the panel or the step down floor to deal with.

Who are they? I'm coming up empty handed so far.

Probably the closest to you is John Bauer

But Acme Tops and Tunes and Liquid Trends are excellent too.

David, at Earmark usually can as well.

John Bauer will do the install, but has not seen the boat yet. I've talked to Earmark, Chucktronics, and Tim White. No one has shown me an install they have done in a boat like mine.

Bauer is a top notch guy- even boat unseen he will perform. I've known him and seen his work on a truck forum and this forum for years.

I have no doubt Bauer will do a great job either, I just want to have an idea of what I want him to do.

Originally Posted by Midnightv10

Shawndoggy, Ihave seen pictures of your sub set up and that box seems pretty shallow. how deep is it? from the pictures it seems like it might be able to fit between the black wall and the carpeted wall

Mine is 16x18x9. 1ft2 sealed.

What if the sub fired up into the dash? Then I would only need to cut a hole in the panel for a port. There is a large opening in the panel that is about 12x18 (this can be seen in the first picture)

Would it shake my dash anymore than if it was front firing?

I've decided to put this off until winter. I'll just put the sub in a pre-fab box in the storage area to get me through the season.

I want to thank Tim from Wetsounds and Ryan from Chucktronics for taking the time to answer my questions.

Well with two unused channels on my amp and an XS-12 sitting in my office, I couldn't leave this alone. I think I have come up with an idea that will work. I have the WetSounds recommended 1.64 cu ft and a 3" port 12.5" long. The sub is inset to allow 2-1/4" clearance behind the stock panel. The sub is also mounted as high up as I can fit it to allow for as much of the cone as possible to play into the opening in the top of the panel.

I test fit a template today, but I could only lay it in there and stick my phone in to take pictures, my head would not fit. I'll have to take the panel out again to double check the fit before this gets built, but it looks like it will work. Thoughts?

I have been using the specs off of the WS website for this box. The book included with my sub says 1.4 cu ft and a 9" port length. This is going to be easy.