Need some input. Want to do the boat with all exile but someone told me about the skylon vector 8s. How do these compare. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
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Need some input. Want to do the boat with all exile but someone told me about the skylon vector 8s. How do these compare. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
no horse in either race, but if it was my money and you are only considering exile and skylon, spend your cash on exile. Brian will take much better care of you than skylon ever will on here.
Well, to state the obvious, they are both in the 8" HLCDs.
The Skylon seems to have the same clamping system and the pod looks to come out of the same mold, but with a couple tweaks to the mold, but thats probably where the similarities end. The xm9 is now coming with stainless steel clamps. This is a huge step in finish durability. I do not know what the skylons have, but in the pics, they look to be chrome plated.
As noted, both in the 8" HLCD class. I know what the cone dia of the XM9 is, but not the vector-8. There would have to be a fair amount of size diff to equal anything, so move on to the compression driver. The vector is a 1" and xm9 is a 1.5". This give the edge to the xm9 in thermal power handling.
comparing retail to retail, the edge goes to the xm9. I have not personally heard the vector, but I have an idea of how they will sound. If you have an opportunity to demo any audio gear, its worth it. What ones ears like yours may not.
The service you will get from Exile would make the choice easy for me. XM9!
I have heard both in the same showroom side-by-side, measured both and inspected both internally right down to the crossover board components.
The pod displacement on the Vector is definitely larger.
The Vector pod materials, construction and assembly method is so similar to the Exile that I suspect they both come from the same plant. Same with the Memphis HLCD.
The Vector definitely uses a much more rigid midbass driver cone material, similar to the Wetsounds Rev series.
Although both the Exile and Vector are 8-inch HLCDs, they do sound different.
The Exile has a slight midbass bump in the response, with a slight null in the midrange, and clearly extra emphasis on the highs.
The Vector has a more uniform response with upfront mids and really no false emphasis or strong bias. They may have gone a touch too flat for a steady diet of wakeboarding.
I like the Vector's lack of bias for near field listening but I like the Exile's aggressiveness for long range projection.
I'd call it a toss up and up to the individual's preference. There is no substitute for hearing both and making your own conclusion. Your particular usage, the style of music you play, and what past speakers you are familiar with, all form your personal preference. People tend to favor that sound which is most familiar.
If they are a toss up, I can't imagine getting any better service than you would get with Brian from Exile -- very helpful and responsive. They would be my choice every day of the week and twice on Sunday!!
There's no one from Skylon on here to help out, but Brian@Exile is just a PM away. I've been very happy with the Exile gear on my boat and recommend them all the time.
Thanks for the input everyone. It was very useful. Exile here I come. Can't wait to get that tax return now
Plus one on the exile service and sound!!!