Exile or wet sounds tower ?

[BamaMojo]

Guys, I am wanting to add a pair of speakers to the tower for surfing. What would you guys recommend for this application?
I am also curious if anyone makes a pre faves sub box for the 12 Mojo that fits under the drivers helm ?
Thanks for all input!


2012 Mojo

[bergermaister]

Oh geez. You do realize it's not safe to play with matches around gasoline?

[mikenehrkorn]

Would have been easier to ask whether you should vote Republican or Democrat!! :)

Seriously, they are both great products and you can't go wrong with either one. Others will no doubt chime in with specifics, but in the mean time you could probably search the forum and find more info then you ever wanted to know on both of those products!!

EDIT: I'm certainly no expert, but if you are leaning Exile they have some SXT65s in their Hot Deals section for under $400 for a pair -- pretty darn good deal...

[jmvotto]

Oh geez. You do realize it's not safe to play with matches around gasoline?

LOL

I have exil and been extremely happy with them , but they are both great boat speakers!!!

[bergermaister]

Yep - you can go big or go big.

Or just do like JMVotto. Put 4 xm9's on the tower and call it good. Don't really need any other speakers in the boat.

[trayson]

Yep - you can go big or go big.

Or just do like JMVotto. Put 4 xm9's on the tower and call it good. Don't really need any other speakers in the boat.

How about Mandley with SIX of the XM9's? don't really need your hearing anymore...

[jmvotto]

How about Mandley with SIX of the XM9's? don't really need your hearing anymore...

Not sure why anyone would really need six?? 4 is ridiculously loud!!!!

[mmandley]

Not sure why anyone would really need six?? 4 is ridiculously loud!!!!

I agree, but believe it or not, 6 was not my call.

I had originally budgeted 4 XM9s with a Harpoon powering it in my tower budget.
Mocked it up on the tower, and Brian of course goes dude you need 6.

Then Claudia stopped by the shop and looked at 4, Brian walks in and says hang 2 more up there, so I did and Claudia said, Yup we are going with 6. Then i had to add a 4th amp to power them.

True story...

You would be surprised of the upgrades I get due to Claudia wanting them. We are both Huge into Boating, Trucks, Stereos, Music, and this makes for some sweet, expensive toys LOL

But I'll be honest I have had it all the way up, and it wasn't enough, I have even over heated the Amps and want more LOL

[KG's Supra24]

If you are looking surf specific, throw out the HLCD as they will be more costly and more geared towards throwing the sound at wake distance (not that they don't sound great up close).

Exile offers a SXT9 and Wetsounds offers a ICON8 in a "surf" style. Both the same size.

I'm running the Rev series from Wetsounds and although they are a HLCD, they still sound great at surf distance but the $$ is a little higher than the ICON series.

Be sure to budget for a solid amp. The best tower speakers are nothing without the proper amp.

[David Analog]

Both Wetsounds and Exile have an 8" surf speaker and an 8" HLCD.
If it's just for surf range then I like the Wetsounds Icon8 surf speaker (non-HLCD). I like the sound quality and the construction quality. Plus, you can outfit it with swivel/quick-disconnect collars if you choose.
Skip the 6.5" speakers, especially if you plan on a single pair. The larger pods and larger cone surface area of an 8-inch really pay huge dividends on the tower.
Also, JL Audio is coming soon with an 8-inch surf speaker (the 880). It's a beast.
Odin with Earmark Marine makes some great price packages on Wetsounds and JL Audio. He also has multiple subwoofer options. Fantastic installation and technical support.

[Brianinpdx]

@ Mike - dont blame me for your insta upgrade to 6 tower speakers. That tower was a 1 off if I remember right and huge! made it a no brainer.

@ The OP - Exile vers WS is always a pissing match. It doesn't need to be. Devil is always in the details. Do your homework and the answers usually reveal themselves // budget, configuration etc. Talk to some of the fellow moomba owners via PM and they will usually provide more insight as to what they bought and why. I'm not going to plug retailers. David should at least disclose he recently owned Earmark. The OP asked about brand info, not where to buy said brands. Case closed.

[moombadaze]

very happy with my 2 xm9's at surf distance

[David Analog]

Quote from Brian, "Exile vers WS is always a pissing match. It doesn't need to be."
It wasn't in this thread until Brian took a first shot.

It's common knowledge I was an owner of Earmark until I sold and retired July 1st of 2013. For almost 34 years actually. I'm proud of that longevity, the frequent featured write-ups in Installation News, AutoSound & Security, Car Stereo Review, plus the multiple world titles in Sound-Off competitions.
I'm also proud of the great job that the new ownership is doing. They remain friends of mine and people naturally recommend those who they are friends with and sincerely respect. And I'm way too proud to recommend anybody but the best.
Odin (of Earmark Marine) has been a sound engineer in a local Dallas venue for 10 years setting up hundreds of touring bands, he's also a long time musician (Southern Comfort band), not to mention his decades of experience in mobile and marine electronics. His knowledge and technical assistance is unparalleled. Again, he puts together great unadvertised price packages on the best equipment available.

[mmandley]

@ Mike - dont blame me for your insta upgrade to 6 tower speakers. That tower was a 1 off if I remember right and huge! made it a no brainer.



I wasn't blaming you bro, but you had a hand in that LOL. I was actually blaming my wife lol.

Yes that tower is MUCH wider then a standard Moomba tower and did look very empty with 4, 6 fills it out nicely, I could actually go 8 but I think that's a bit much.

I myself, use XM9s for Surfing primarily and crank them up and never has a Surfer said it was too much. I think it has to do with the tuning, we aren't blasting the horns or Tweet as much due to this. It makes the HLCD much more tame close up, but yet its more then adequate at wake board distances.

[jester]

I wasn't blaming you bro, but you had a hand in that LOL. I was actually blaming my wife lol.

I myself, use XM9s for Surfing primarily and crank them up and never has a Surfer said it was too much.

Good thing the Wife does not have an account.

The reason you have never heard from the surfer is that you can never hear them.

I have 4 XM9's and love them. Wondered why I did not get them sooner. They work great for both surfing and wakeboarding. Also Exile has great customer service. I have had two little issues as expected with any install and it was quickly fixed and everyone was easy to deal with.

Now that I have put some gas on the fire do your research and find out what works best for you.

[MLA]

I too am a huge fan of the Wet Sounds Icon-8 for a dedicated surf speaker. With a single pair, bridge them on a quality 4 chnl amp with 200-250 watt rms. For two pair, a 2 chnl like the Wet Sounds Syn-2 or HT-2 are solid options. The TC3-S swivel clamp not only hides the wires, allows for speaker rotation and removal, but also allows for the option RGB LED rings to pass through the swivel clamp along with the speaker wires. With Wet Sounds large dealer network, you should be able to demo the speakers in person. This is a huge plus, especially if you can demo others side by side. Let your ears choose what sounds good to you. Not only do you get tech support from that local retail, you also get full factory support.

[beat taco]

I agree, but believe it or not, 6 was not my call.

I had originally budgeted 4 XM9s with a Harpoon powering it in my tower budget.
Mocked it up on the tower, and Brian of course goes dude you need 6.

Then Claudia stopped by the shop and looked at 4, Brian walks in and says hang 2 more up there, so I did and Claudia said, Yup we are going with 6. Then i had to add a 4th amp to power them.

True story...

You would be surprised of the upgrades I get due to Claudia wanting them. We are both Huge into Boating, Trucks, Stereos, Music, and this makes for some sweet, expensive toys LOL

But I'll be honest I have had it all the way up, and it wasn't enough, I have even over heated the Amps and want more LOL

Best sounding tower I've ever heard. I feel I can say that unbiased since I have a pair of Rev 10's on my tower.

[trayson]

Best sounding tower I've ever heard. I feel I can say that unbiased since I have a pair of Rev 10's on my tower.

For me, it's a toss up between Mike's any my friend with a pair of Rev410's. Can't go wrong either way.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tDV5SwZVDI8/U_drDkpMdDI/AAAAAAAARd0/j00EmsJ62yM/s800/20140821_200425.jpg