One Sweet Box

Anybody see this box at the Disco boat show, I caught a glimpse of it between the bikini shows that were happening all around me. This thing was the loudest box in the Tidal Audio booth. Very clean looking with some silver metal flake flames in the gel coat. It'll make you deaf for sure.

It's built like a tank, too.

Seen these on wakeworld before. the guy that makes them is a regular poster and has a website. They look like an NVS knock-off. I bet they scream though

I missed the show, anybody know the website for these?

yeah, the website is www.hsetrident.com
I have one on my boat and it's like being at a rock concert 80' back.

I guess one could say that all HLCD tower setups are NVS knockoffs. I mean they were the first one to market. Tim will probably disagree with this, and so do I.



(Message edited by wakeprodigy on May 23, 2006)

(Message edited by wakeprodigy on May 23, 2006)

Tom,

Yup, I disagree too that anything with a HLCD is a knock off of NVS. I do agree they were the first to market selling HLCD product. I give props to NVS for being able to bring a system to market before anyone else.

But first with a HLCD system...

We started Wet Sounds 3 years ago in the testing and development phase and had prototypes on the water before anyone else came to market. Including NVS and the never made it to market Nvert.

Maybe someone saw ours and the word spread, no matter how quiet we tried to keep it. So were we the first with a HLCD system. We had one before anyone else but was not at the point to sell to the market.

Not saying that is the case but you get my point.

I am sure there is someone on here who had one way before that was a one off custom deal etc...

HLCD have been around for years. The compression driver was Invented in 1927. They are not a new technology.

Making them work and sound good in this environment is the hard part. And where engineering specific drivers and technologies plays a key roll. As HLCD are loud and very efficient. But can be harsh as some say. That is why you usually see them in concert speakers with large (15 inch or 18 inch) drivers. The HLCD is so efficient; you need a large mid bass drivers to keep up with it. To balance the sound.

Taking a HLCD and putting it in a can or box will get you loud and as Adam said they will scream. But loud and clean is the tough one.

I DO agree that taking the exact same drivers, same look, same shape is a knock off.

It is usually pretty obvious who is a knock off of what when you see posts of people asking what they use etc..and then show up with the exact same thing later. Or in our instance, people come by our booth at CES and take pictures and literature and low and behold, show up 2 months later with a knock off of the same shape of ours.

But that is the nature of the world. All you can do is stay one step ahead.

i listened to alot of tower speakers before i upgraded, i figured why have a tower box if the rider cant hear it behind the boat. i'm not even close to a stereo expert but i like how the HSE box sounds and looks. i understand people in the stero industry being concerned about others taking ideas etc., but jim at HSE took the technology available and built an great sounding box.

There was someone who had a HLCD system posted on here way before Duane had his. I remember him using Image Dynamics components and a box that he has since revised and is now brushed aluminum. All of these boxes/speakers are a knockoff to some extent. I think Jim has only done what people wanted, Duane's designed speaker configuration in a fiberglass box.

I have one and it'll knock your socks off!!!!! Cyrstal clear sound at 80'. Best system I've heard so far. Also Jim is a good guy to deal with.
Andrew

Balupunkt was the first one to put a radio in a car (1936 - if I recall correctly)

Has Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer, etc stole their idea?

Chrysler - first with power steering 1941.

Boeing's 777 -- ahh that's just a knock off of the Wright Brother's flyer... And those wright brothers, they stole their ideas from Da Vinci, who kyped his idea from Birds. And those damn birds...

Where does it end? This is kind of a ridicules argument.

Don't even get me started on Microsoft...

There will always be knock offs no mater what. My understanding Jim made himself one then others wanted one so now he offers it to the public. I have heard many HLCD systems and this is by far the cleanest and loudest one I have heard. Another plus is its much lighter then the cans and also it has some shape to it. I wish Jim the best as I know first hand the tower box business can be murder and cut throat. There are alot of haters out there. Jim just keep doing what your doing.

well the first HlCD set up i saw was about 5 years ago and a guy hade 3 Pro audio speakers custom mounted to his tower. it was rediculous but it sure sounded sweet. Plus because they angled you could hear them just as clear anywhere behind the boat

Tom Biggs had a custom system years ago. Doesn't look like he posts anymore...

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/56171.html

That's the guy I was talking about. His aluminum box is sweet.

Wonder if he still has his Tsunami since centurion quit making them... That was/is a cool ride.

I think the Nvert boys had a setup before Biggs.

I am quite familiar with the technology NVS and WetSounds and I would say that WetSounds did not copy NVS. There are several major differences between these two companies, with one common component, the HLCD. That's about the only similarity between between NVS and WetSounds besides, both bringing great speakers to towers.

The Tidal box does look like they borrowed quite a few ideas from NVS. Looks like they just tried to use the same drivers as the 1010s, even down to the same horn lens and grills? It would be quite interesting to compare the crossover networks between the systems since that is where the most engineering is required. There are so many options available that there is no reason why a new tower speaker manufacturer should end up with such a similar system. Even so, NVS has made many significant proprietary changes in the past two years, so they could not be more advanced than the systems NVS was producing 2 years ago. I could be way off but it looks this way from an outsider's perspective.

Last year when I made my DIY 8" cans I will admit that I borrowed some ideas from Duane and Todd (NVS v.2004) but even doing so I ended up with a completely different looking and sounding setup, I was not taking it to market either.

Too bad there are not more manufacturers that understand more about speakers than they do about fiberglass or metal enclosures.

The only reason they look like a knock off is because (and it looks to me as if) There using polk speakers.. NVS uses polk speakers as well if im not mistaken.

Maybe they didn't copy NVS, but they could have at least tried not to look like them. Why not use some elongated (sp?) horns or mix up the placement of the speakers/horns? Like put the horns on the outside or something?

This box is my friends old one, yeah it uses 2 horns and 2 8" mid bass speakers, but no one would say its a NVS knock off, because they designed the box differently. Thats all that this company would need to do and people wouldn't be questioning them or talking bad about them (not that everyone is).

I will say that Wet Sounds is in a league of their own. I don't know any thing about the HLCD stuff at all. To me it looks like they made their own speakers and horns or had them made. I think the 80s look killer. I would have a pair if this poor boy could afford them. Only problem is I ride to much $$$ gos in one end then out the other but I have my 50g 540 though.

Also people will buy what they want. Just like in wake boards if It wasn't for Herbie Flecher from bad ass we would never have the molded fin boards. Now every wake board company has one in their line.

If your HLCD system was the first, then it was also the best kept secret. I think NVS will always be remembered as the first.

That first picture looks dead on like the 1010s. Just connected in the center.

Jason,

NVS does not use Polk Speakers. They have used Polk Momo Speaker Grills with Eminence speakers - not Polk Speakers.