New Tower Speakers!

[CMAC21]

Thanks for the replies.. I didn't get to respond bc we were traveling yesterday. So this is my next question, with those kickers, will they sound good/clear up next to the boat. Especially if the boat is turned off. We haven't got into surfing yet so I don't know if we would be doing that next year but I'd like to say we would. Now I don't think I can add another can since it won't match at all on my tower with the 4-pod set up that came on it.

[CMAC21]

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This is the current speaker set up I have. I don't think I could match it up very good. I don't think I can buy a set of rev 8/10's right now with the amp to push. I'd probably be sitting close to 2k with that set right? 2k is out of my price range. I've still got to duck hunt this year!

[David Analog]

Thanks for the replies.. I didn't get to respond bc we were traveling yesterday. So this is my next question, with those kickers, will they sound good/clear up next to the boat. Especially if the boat is turned off. We haven't got into surfing yet so I don't know if we would be doing that next year but I'd like to say we would. Now I don't think I can add another can since it won't match at all on my tower with the 4-pod set up that came on it.

The Kicker has really done a nice job with a proprietary midbass driver basket, a very polished crossover design, and a fully & correctly developed horn flare (which is why it requires the additional tweeter pod). The sound quality is good....and the best of any 6.5" HLCD I have heard to date. However, I firmly believe you need the extra midbass driver for near field warmth AND long range projection. When you add the extra midbass driver, you also have the ability to accentuate the horn tweeter so it is a balanced product in either configuration.
Don't forget that when you upgrade to any tower speaker, and certainly with an HLCD, you will need to also upgrade your amplifier power, and primary supply cables.

[David Analog]

Btw, you will have to do a little bit of extra work to adapt an upgrade speaker to the existing pods.

[5:00]

Thanks Trayson, sorry to jack the thread. Carry on.

[philwsailz]

Thanks for the replies.. I didn't get to respond bc we were traveling yesterday. So this is my next question, with those kickers, will they sound good/clear up next to the boat. Especially if the boat is turned off. We haven't got into surfing yet so I don't know if we would be doing that next year but I'd like to say we would. Now I don't think I can add another can since it won't match at all on my tower with the 4-pod set up that came on it.

I use the 6-pack as a near-field monitor in my house system. The horn is one of the best out there in terms of geometry, and does not have many of the issues up close that plague other horns up close. It is a very natural-sounding system.

Phil
Kicker

[trayson]

Hmmm...I'm intrigued. I currently have 4 tower cans with coaxials. I'm wanting to upgrade as well to get more sound/volume from the tower for wake boarding and the inevitable dragging of my kids and friends in the tube. Will the Kicker 41KMS674 setup make a big difference? Also, trayson, you mentioned by upgrading to the six pack it was noticable over the 4, how much? Also, how did you wire the 6 pack and with what amp? Finally, how would the 6 pack kicker set up compare to the exile xm9's. I'm curious because even though there would be 6 cans, I'm thinking they wouldn't hang as low as the xm9s and maybe allow for a bit more head room...

Yes, the difference over coaxials is significant, certainly enough to justify throwing them in your existing cans.

Was the 6 pack a noticeable improvement? Yes, it definitely was. Hard to really quantify as I never really focused on a "before vs after".

I've been told that the 6-pack is comparable to the sound output of a pair of Rev8's or the XM9's. They don't get the lower midbass tones that the larger drivers do, but they do pretty darn good. the magnet on the back of the midbass driver is the same as the larger 8" drivers and there's no tweeter in the way. so there's actually extra surface area relative to traditional HLCD's with the horn in the middle.

The 4 speakers run at 4 ohms and the 6 speakers run at 2 ohms. because the horn takes the high frequencies, and the midbass takes the lower they don't 1/2 the resistance like you might think. It's similar to how component speakers or even coaxials work. so adding the extra pair of midbass takes it from the 4 ohms to the 2 ohms.

I have it wired pretty simple: 2 channels. wired in parallel. For this reason, I'm using a 2 channel amp for my tower speakers so I have the channels stable at 2 ohms. I am using the PPI P600.2

My tower was actually wired with the tower speakers on a 4 channel amp (not bridged) so by using a 2 channel amp, that actually freed up a pair of conductors on each side that I was able to repurpose for Tower Speaker LED's. Love how it worked out. I also put polyfill in with the midbass.


There's nothing wrong with doing it in phases, like I did. start with the 4-pack, see how you like it. it'll most certainly be a solid improvement over coaxials for a pretty modest investment. And then you can decide if it'd make more sense to go with a 6-pack or to bite the bullet and go to 8 or 10" big boy HLCD's.

I really do appreciate the headroom that I gain by only having the 6.5 cans. Sure, someday I'd love to have some Rev10's or something, but they are HUGE and that's something to factor in, not to mention the price of that kind of upgrade.

I'm pretty happy with mine for a good mid-level system. it's hard to beat for the money.

[Gqjeff]

How do the real Krypt loud speakers sound?

[David Analog]

I use the 6-pack as a near-field monitor in my house system. The horn is one of the best out there in terms of geometry, and does not have many of the issues up close that plague other horns up close. It is a very natural-sounding system.

Phil
Kicker

^^^That's worth repeating. And the SQ of a horn can in fact be great. Recently I listened to the JBL Project Array 3-way home speaker using an HLCD mid and HLCD tweet. It imaged. It had depth. It was silky smooth. All passive. No DSP or active EQ. If you haven't heard these speakers, you should. I've been into audio way too long to be surprised. I was surprised.

[David Analog]

How do the real Krypt loud speakers sound?

Pretty Loud. The 7.7" is decent. The 6.5" is horrible. Just a mix of parts without any real refinement.