Tower speaker choices HELP!!

[EarmarkMarine]

Chris,
If you are prioritizing near field listening with good sound quality then you are very close to your original budget in getting two pair of tower speakers plus a pretty good power amplifier set up. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

David
Earmark Marine

[BadbluSi]

Hey David, if I wanted to do 4 tower speakers and an amp on a budget of 1500 what would be my options? And I apologize for all the questions, you've most helpful!!

[BadbluSi]

Hey Brian or David, has anyone combined a pair of the sxt65 and the XM7's? Guess that would be similar to the double up from WS.

[Brianinpdx]

Badblu- I generally don't recommend combining the two speakers as they function differently. There are some very advanced tower setups that combined 2 pair sxt with 1 pair xm7. But again this is outside of your budget and requires a lot of advanced install technic.

As it applies to your cost question, 2 pair of SXT tower speakers and powered with the 2ch Harpoon amplifier, puts you right in range of your intended budget. Several guys on this forum run the exact same configuration. They can give you direct feedback. That setup is really nice.

If you need help with Exile gear, you can give us a call at the office --888.249.0970. We can go over tower details, install tips and put you in touch with a dealer in your area for a demo.

-Brian
Exile Audio

[EarmarkMarine]

Chris,
Its a little tricky to combine the XM7 and SXT65. Here's why. One has a conventional dome tweeter with a 1-inch voice coil. The other has a compression driver with a 2-inch voice coil. The efficiency, and more importantly the thermal power handling capacity are VASTLY different. You would be risking reliability unless you had the ability to tune these together using separate amplifier channels (a 4-chnl. amp) and in this case to protect the speakers you would defeat many of the benefits of the combination. Also, dissimilar speakers do not sum as effectively for maximum output if that were a major concern. As Brian mentioned there are several set-ups that use two pair SXT65s with one pair of XM7s off a single two-channel amplifier. In this scenerio the sound quality attributes of the SXT65s are more dominant and the XM7 compression horn contributes by increasing the projection. A two to one ratio favoring the SXT65 minimizes the potential for a failure. In my opinion, rather than trying to mix and match to find a compromise between contrasting benefits, pick a product that best serves your primary objectives or get a single product that is large enough (a more expensive proposition) that can do both sound quality and power projection.

David
Earmark Marine

[BadbluSi]

Ok, I think I'm getting the hang of this. So Brian or David, if I really only wanted to have clear sound to about the surfing distance then I don't need to go the HLCD route? And I understand that surface area changes the range of mid bass depending on size. With that being said, if I usually like more mid bass to compliment the DB 651 cabins, should I look at possibly doing 4 7.7 inch speakers? Something like the Bullet 770 or a JL offering? Not that I've decided against Exiles, just looking at the most bang for my buck. Thanks again Brian and David, I had no clue that so much went into choosing a setup

[EarmarkMarine]

Chris,
Alot of yes and just a bit of no in response to your questions.
Yes, sealed midbass cones, cone surface area and pod displacement definitely correlate to midbass extension and lower midrange warmth. And, yes its true that you do not need an HLCD for surfing range...although HLCDs will vary in their level of treble aggressiveness.
So I could see in your future Exile SXT65s, HollowPoint 770 coaxials or HP HLCDs or perhaps the Wetsounds Double-Up. All under or just over your stated budget including amplification.
However, as a dealer for JL Audio and being extremely familar with their tower product I have to question this one. First, let me say that I am a major JL Audio advocate. Their cockpit speakers are second to none in accuracy. Incredible in fact. And, the tower speakers sound very smooth with GREAT midbass! A single pair of these on the tower will even image which is beyond rare. But, the more linear a speaker is the less sensitive it is and there is no way around this. So this tower speaker, even when optimumly powered, is finished six feet beyond the swim deck, particularly in the treble/articulation department and in the face of exhaust noise. This is a fantastic speaker for an older boat owner with perhaps a sport cruiser or sport yacht but not for most who fit the profile of the typical and younger towboat owner. I could be wrong here but I would scratch this one without a personal audition or without a more detailed explanation. Again, a major JL fan here, just shootin' you straight.

David
Earmark Marine

[BadbluSi]

Fair enough, I think the bullets will most likely allow me to stay within my budget more so than the others but will do some research on others' experience with the ones you stated. I could always do speakers now and the amp later before the boat comes out of storage due to old man winter!!

[you da man]

Here's a pic of my Bullet HP 770's on my XLV. You can see that they do have low hang. I'm 6' and still have a couple inches clearance walking under the speakers. For the cabins I went with the Bullet 6.5" speakers. They have alot of mid-bass punch. If you don't have a sub yet in your system, the Bullet 6.5" cabin speakers will make passengers think there's a sub in there somewhere. My system is all powered by JL Audio amps as well.

[BadbluSi]

Hey Da Man, how do you like the Bullet 770's? And how have passengers liked them? Too much too little?