Rockford M282-Wake Tower Speakers?

[bergermaister]

Don't know about Drew, but I appreciate a nice rack.


On the tower.

And stuff.

(Sorry I haven't called you, been busy)

[MLA]

Wow ... so essentially quadrupling the output compared to what the local shop recommended. That's insane.

I was just stuck on the "look" of the 4 towers. I have the basic 2 factory cans and it's always bothered me ... mind you they are just the 6".

I haven't heard a set of HLCDs but I am definitely leaning more towards a better sound in and around the boat than being able to project it 50-100' out.

If you want the look of 4 pods and/or bimini clearance is an issue, then stay the course with the 2 pair of 8" coaxial pods and a solid 2 chnl amp. But for that investment, you can get into a single pair of Rev-10 and amp.

The Rev-10 makes for an awesome surf/party cove setup due to the depth of the mid-bass and overall output. The Rev series do not sound like any other HLCD to date.

[blackcup]

Hmmmm ok now you really have me thinking. Maybe I can do the 2 x towers and an amp now ... and add speaker 3 and 4 next year. Would you recommend the Rev series over the Icons? Like I said, I def want to have a cleaner, crisper sound in and around the boat.

And are the Exiles close to the same price point? I only ask because my local dealer can get them ... but not the WS. Closest WS dealer for me is about 3 hours away.

[trayson]

Hmmmm ok now you really have me thinking. Maybe I can do the 2 x towers and an amp now ... and add speaker 3 and 4 next year. Would you recommend the Rev series over the Icons? Like I said, I def want to have a cleaner, crisper sound in and around the boat.

And are the Exiles close to the same price point? I only ask because my local dealer can get them ... but not the WS. Closest WS dealer for me is about 3 hours away.

The exile speakers tend to run a bit less pricewise than the comparable wetsounds.

But it sounds like you're really gunning for more of a surf style speaker. In the exile line, that would be this package:
http://exileaudio.com/store/index.ph...package-1.html
Or even better, bring your amp down to 2 ohms and add another pair with this package:
http://exileaudio.com/store/index.ph...package-2.html it kinda blows you budget a bit, but it'd get that "four speaker" look on the tower you like the the sound would be impressive, I'm quite sure.

In addition to being a little less expensive than the WS, they will come with the rotating quick release clamps and the neoprene speaker covers.

I've only heard the XM9's in person, so I can't give you insight on the SXT9's, but most I've talked to said they have better overall sound quality than their compression horn counterpart.

I really don't know how the exiles sxt9's would compare to the fosgates or even the JL Audio speakers. the biggest advantage that the Exile and WS have is typically that they are the go-to brands for compression horn speakers. So I'm not sure if the playing field levels at all for 'surf speakers'.

[MLA]

Hmmmm ok now you really have me thinking. Maybe I can do the 2 x towers and an amp now ... and add speaker 3 and 4 next year. Would you recommend the Rev series over the Icons? Like I said, I def want to have a cleaner, crisper sound in and around the boat.

And are the Exiles close to the same price point? I only ask because my local dealer can get them ... but not the WS. Closest WS dealer for me is about 3 hours away.

I would suggest the Rev-10 over the Icon-8 in your application, but not the Rev-8. Both Wet Sounds and exile offer an 8" coaxial and 8" HLCD, but for a single pair setup, the larger Wet Sounds 10" Rev-10 HLCD would be the way to go over 2 pair of 8" coaxial.

Contact Wet Sounds. They have a CA distributor that I believe you can order through.

Just for comparison, a single pair of Rev-10 with swivel clamps, suites and Syn-4, is $2075 (US). Thats a 400W rms p/pod setup with more surface area and deeper mid-bass.

[KG's Supra24]

I don't think there is a lot of difference in the pricing. Some relevant questions would be ....

1. Are you the type that will ask, "wonder if I could hear it better if I had gone with HLCDs"?
2. Are speaker LEDs important? (I regret not doing it)
3. Am I going to eventually want 4 speakers? Make the right amp selection now.

I think the general consensus is that the Rev10's will give an 8" coaxial a run for its money in sound quality (due to size) and play significantly louder. The 8" coaxials (Exile SXT9 and Wetsounds Icon) will sound warmer around the boat in comparison to the 8" HLCD's (Exile XM9 and WS Rev8 ) while the 8" HLCDs will project further.

You seem mostly concerned with near boat sound quality which leads you towards Exile SXT9, Wetsounds Rev10 and Wetsounds ICON8. There are other brand options also but I was sticking with the primary 2 mentioned. With that said ... if you are the "what if" guy, go with the REV10. Do a pair now and add another later if you feel the need.

[trayson]

I don't think there is a lot of difference in the pricing. Some relevant questions would be ....

1. Are you the type that will ask, "wonder if I could hear it better if I had gone with HLCDs"?
2. Are speaker LEDs important? (I regret not doing it)
3. Am I going to eventually want 4 speakers? Make the right amp selection now.

I think the general consensus is that the Rev10's will give an 8" coaxial a run for its money in sound quality (due to size) and play significantly louder. The 8" coaxials (Exile SXT9 and Wetsounds Icon) will sound warmer around the boat in comparison to the 8" HLCD's (Exile XM9 and WS Rev8 ) while the 8" HLCDs will project further.

You seem mostly concerned with near boat sound quality which leads you towards Exile SXT9, Wetsounds Rev10 and Wetsounds ICON8. There are other brand options also but I was sticking with the primary 2 mentioned. With that said ... if you are the "what if" guy, go with the REV10. Do a pair now and add another later if you feel the need.

Solid advice. although I have to believe that if he did go with the Rev10's that he'd likely be satisfied with the one pair and probably wouldn't need to add later on...

Wow, it actually possible to have a thread like this without mud slinging! *applause*

[blackcup]

Great info. Thanks guys.

My budget is 2K max Canadian ... with install. So that makes the packages at $2K US wayyy over what I can do now. With our shitty exchange + install I would be easy 3K.

That would bring the SXT9 package that Trayson posted right in my wheelhouse. I would be at $1650CAD before install. Definitely want the quick release clamps because we do leave the boat overnight occasionally at the dock down the road from my place.

I am pretty confident that I will be very happy with the sound that any of these speakers offer. We don't blast it down the lake ... and couldn't care less who can hear me. As for LED's - yes I would like to have that option. And yes I am thinking maybe just get 2 towers now and add another 2 next spring ... so I would def want the right amp. Would the XM30.2 be a good choice? Or should I get something better?

[blackcup]

Oh yah ... and I would like to have the ability to add an EQ to the setup as well. Probably an add on for next year or maybe this year if I can throw enough coin together

[trayson]

Great info. Thanks guys.

My budget is 2K max Canadian ... with install. So that makes the packages at $2K US wayyy over what I can do now. With our shitty exchange + install I would be easy 3K.

That would bring the SXT9 package that Trayson posted right in my wheelhouse. I would be at $1650CAD before install. Definitely want the quick release clamps because we do leave the boat overnight occasionally at the dock down the road from my place.

I am pretty confident that I will be very happy with the sound that any of these speakers offer. We don't blast it down the lake ... and couldn't care less who can hear me. As for LED's - yes I would like to have that option. And yes I am thinking maybe just get 2 towers now and add another 2 next spring ... so I would def want the right amp. Would the XM30.2 be a good choice? Or should I get something better?

The 30.2 is what Exile packages as the amp that would run a pair of the towers at 4 ohms, but it's also the same amp that you can use to run 4 of the towers at 2 ohms. So it would offer you the expandability you seek.

I don't think that it's very easy to add LED's to exile towers. I'm pretty sure their clamps don't facilitate that. so unless you wanted separate wiring, it's possible that you'd have to do without that feature.

Oh yah ... and I would like to have the ability to add an EQ to the setup as well. Probably an add on for next year or maybe this year if I can throw enough coin together

The two EQ's that typically come up are the Exile ZLDMK2 and the WS420SQ. I have owned both. There's a ton of people that are quite happy with their ZLD's. they certainly accomplish allowing you to have a master volume and control the 3 zones (tower/cabin/Sub) separately. they have a good build quality. I tend to favor the WS420SQ because it's two EQ's in one chassis and you can set the bass/midbass/mid/treble separate for the cabins than you would for the towers. I like this feature (but to some it's not important because they set their crossovers on the amps and want to control the EQ of the system as a whole rather than the EQ differently for the cabins vs towers). The WS also has a PA system built in. some love it, to some it's a novelty, and to others it's just a potential source of noise and interference.

There's also some knockoff units and some others that are just basic faders. Having the zone controller really adds to the experience. it's really key on a boat to be able to control the bass/cabins/tower zones separately. And the master volume knob. Really adds to the whole experience.