Tower speakers

[racer808]

What tower speakers do you guys like? Everything I search people say they can't hear their kickers, or polks, but everyone loves Wetsounds. Can't afford wet sounds

[ian ashton]

I love Exile XM9s. A bit less spendy than Wetsounds, but IMO just as good sound.

[MLA]

If those comments were related to a standard coaxial speaker in a tower pod, then that could be accurate, regardless of brand. Its about speaker type and application. To effectively reach wake-board range, you need an HLCD, such as Kickers KM6500.2 system or other HLCD.

[bergermaister]

If you do get that 2001 be mindful of the 1-5/8" tower tube size and the clamps available for tower speakers. A little bit more limited selection or more customization needed in some cases.

I run Polk MM651UMs on the tower and yes, at WB distance they pretty much suck. Seems to be about 15-20ft further than they can reach... In boat and surf distance they do the job great.

[jmvotto]

Pair of used ws pro 80's in the classifieds. Might it your budget.

https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?21584-Wetsounds-Pro-80-s

[racer808]

Thanks Berg, that was my next question, I assumed there was only 1 or 2 sizes but turns out there are a lot when it comes to towers. I am checking out those pro 80's. In the interim, how are the Kicker kmt60? They seem to get good reviews & we have a ton of amazon credits we thought we thought we would use up on them?

Or should I maybe use those credits on a amp & get those WS 80's? Are two of WS 80's with a clean 150w to each enough to hear behind the boat? Will I need more speakers?

[NCSUmoomba]

There have been tons of posts about this and the bottom line is, if you want to hear them while wakeboarding, then the HLCD are a must. Also the exile's are pretty reasonable and there are a lot of guys here that have them. My advice is do it right the first time, or you may be unhappy and have to do it over again in the future, and then even more money is spent. That is where I am. I can't hear my setup, but I can't justify spending all that money again, so I 'm just frustrated with my setup now.

[rdlangston13]

Exile XM9 or WS REV10 are probably the best bet for good sound at the end of the rope. Anything small and the horn wayyyyy over powers the mids of the woofer

[racer808]

With the advice, I am checking on those used WS 80's above. Are two of those enough with the right amp? Or is that another just spend the exrtra money & get the exiles or WE Rev10?

[racer808]

Another newb question; Is the alternator on these moombas enough to handle multiple amps?

[rdlangston13]

How many batteries does it have?

I run 3 exile amps totally 2400 watts and have 2 group 29 batteries just for the stereo and a third group 24 for starting. I have a 3 bank charger to keep them charged because the alternator alone will not charge all three with the stereo draw I have


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[mmandley]

With the advice, I am checking on those used WS 80's above. Are two of those enough with the right amp? Or is that another just spend the exrtra money & get the exiles or WE Rev10?

Yes 1 set of Pro 80s will be good at the end of the line, a lot of people run 4 or more speakers, this just makes it that much louder at the end of the line.

The factory alternator can handle the charging of multiple amps but this also all depends on the size of your amps and batteries. Its really the battery that is supporting the larger or multiple amps and the question is can the alternator charge up the batteries faster then your amps are draining them.

This is also why the norm is to have 2 batteries, one primary as a starting battery and 2nd as the stereo battery.

I ran 2 group 24s for the last 4 seasons and 1 group 24 as a starter battery. 3 batteries total.

I also ran 3 amps,
Exile Harpoon 1K at 1ohm
Exile 800.4 at 2 ohm
Exile 2500.1 at 1ohm

These suck a lot of power from the batteries, i dont party cove it to much <sit with the stereo cranked and the engine off>

I never had a problem with my charging system not charging my batteries. Even when my circuit breaker to the stereo bank was pressed open stoping the charging from the boat. the bank went dead. I shut the stereo off, let the boat charge the battery for about 20 minutes and then i turned the stereo back on full blast like always and the boat still charged my battery up.

[racer808]

Yeah this boat only has the 1 battery, but that's an easy fix, looks like the switch is 50 bucks everywhere, then just a need a battery. I guess, where would you guys put the batteries if you plan to put fat sacs in the rear lockers? Sounds like I will just spend more to get better speakers & a good amp to power them. What is the difference in marine amps & car amps? Just moisture & vibration isolation? Seems a lot of just use car amps?

[rdlangston13]

I keep my batteries behind observer seat back in that compartment

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m523/rdlangston13/FCB8D877-C62E-4283-BC90-25D597ED9821-863-000000AA1C7647B7_zpsdc974c00.jpg

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[racer808]

Wow Dave! I was thinking that spot too for the amps, didn't know the batteries could go there. Is that pro sport an inverter? What do run with that?

Man, so much to do.

[wolfeman131]

The pro sport is a battery charger/maintainer. It's hard wired to the batteries and you simply plug it into a wall outlet, via an extension cord, when the boat is in storage. That way, you're sure to have a full charge for your next outing and batteries that last as long as possible.


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[racer808]

Ah. That sounds useful well!

[MLA]

Just to make sure everything get compared as apples to apples as it can, the xm9 is an 8" HLCD, where as the Rev-10 is a 10" HLCD. I would suggest comparing the xm9 to the Wet Sounds Rev-8 which is also an 8" HLCD. At the end of the day, getting an actual demo is key as each has their own unique sound signature.

[bergermaister]

Wow Dave! I was thinking that spot too for the amps, didn't know the batteries could go there. Is that pro sport an inverter? What do run with that?

Man, so much to do.

Definitely plan on a battery relocation so you can get the most out of those rear compartments! I pulled mine and put them up there under the glove box, covered and carpeted the hole in the floor in the rear.

If/when I upgrade the batteries I am thinking of going with sealed AGMs and laying them on their side in the worthless curved storage under the observers seat.

"So much to do" - yep!
But just think - you could be the guy who does the research and does the mods once, rather than the guys on here that redo and upgrade stuff every 2-3 years. (you know who you are...)

[jfox8807]

Yes batteries are key when running multiple amps and ur stock alternator my keep up with the demand it may not depends on how many and what size amps u run. I have 3 batts 2 xs power xp2000 for the radio and a xs power Xp950 for cranking. I have 3000 watts rms in my boat so the stock alt does not keep up with the amp draw but a good on shore charger is key so ur batts are conditioned for the day. I use the pro mariner pro sport 20 plus. Alternators suck as batterie charger anyway. Now I have also ordered a mech man 170 amp alt for my boat to help things out a bit but this is not neccary

[racer808]

Yes batteries are key when running multiple amps and ur stock alternator my keep up with the demand it may not depends on how many and what size amps u run. I have 3 batts 2 xs power xp2000 for the radio and a xs power Xp950 for cranking. I have 3000 watts rms in my boat so the stock alt does not keep up with the amp draw but a good on shore charger is key so ur batts are conditioned for the day. I use the pro mariner pro sport 20 plus. Alternators suck as batterie charger anyway. Now I have also ordered a mech man 170 amp alt for my boat to help things out a bit but this is not neccary I don't see myself having 3000 watts of sound, maybe next summer. Looking at a 1200w 2 channel amp that should put a true 150w to the tower & I am not sure what is in the boat yet. I am deff doing that power plus thing though, I was reading up on that yesterday

[MLA]

Racer,

Your amp choices will greatly effect your power consumption. Going with a high efficient Class-D or Class-G/H amp will draw less battery Ah then an old=school Class-AB, while producing the same wattage to your speakers. This means shallower battery cycles and less time to recover. This will mean longer battery life, less load on your alternator, maybe less batteries or smaller batteries. Most all the major players offer full-range hi-efficient amps: (in no particular order) Wet Sounds, Kicker, JL, Alpine, ARC, Rockford Fosgate, Polk, etc. heck, even some price-points like Powerbass and PPi are offering some full-range Class-D.

[jfox8807]

I don't see myself having 3000 watts of sound, maybe next summer. Looking at a 1200w 2 channel amp that should put a true 150w to the tower & I am not sure what is in the boat yet. I am deff doing that power plus thing though, I was reading up on that yesterday

Well depending on ur tower speakers 150 rms may or may not be anuff power. my rev 10's are getting 300rms or 1200 watts rms to all 4 of them which lines up perfect for what they are rated

I would try to have a amp with a rms rating that matches or exceeded the rating for the speaker it's going to be powering

[E4NASH]

FYI - Pro 60s SUCK at the end of the line.


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[jfox8807]

FYI - Pro 60s SUCK at the end of the line.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I couldn't agree more