Tower Speakers ... so many choices

[jetboater4life]

There is a good deal on a pair of wetsounds M-80's plus the 420 EQ here
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/ele/5167029848.html

However I would like to get white tower speakers and am leaning towards the Fosgate M-282 's

If I go the used route, is there anything specific I should look for when purchasing them. I don't know I will be able to test them out when/if I visit the seller.

A tough decision, what do you guys think? Spending other people's money is always easy right?!

 

[redthumper9]

All depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Trying to rule the cove or sandbar?......or just nice clean sound maybe while lounging or surfing?

 

[jetboater4life]

I'm not an audiophile and we don't really have any cove's where I boat, but after 3 seasons without speakers hanging I think it's time to start accumulating the pieces. I would like a nice clean sound I can hear from the back. I wakeboard between 55 and 60 feet out (depending on the rope I use). With the used wetsounds equipment, I'm concerned that I might not be able to detect an issue until I start to use it. The seller is about an hour and a half away.

 

[redthumper9]

True.....I'd be leary about used equipment as well, but just so you know, you're dealing with two totally different types of speakers here. The Wetsounds pro 80's are HLCD speakers. Properly amplified, you WILL hear these at the end of your rope. The Rockford's are coaxial type speakers.....something like you would find in your car. You may hear these while boarding, but likely very distorted and on the brink of failure. If you truly want to hear music at the end of the rope, go with some sort of HLCD like Wetsounds REV series (formerly PRO series) or Exile XM series. It's the expensive route I know, but I was talked into it a couple of years ago and am so glad I was.

 

[Speedling]

Not to derail the thread but how does one determine if a speaker is hlcd or not? I know I can google but have found you guys do a better job summing it up anyway.
I just got a tower from my wife and are waitinf on thw speakers and wakeboard racks to come in. They are the Fusion speakers which I assume is coaxial. That's all we need for now as we mostly just go swimming off the back with an occasional tubing run.

 

[PaulyB]

You can find good deals on Wet Sounds if you search hard enough for long enough.... I bought 4 REV8 speakers off ebay for 1000 dollars, in two seperate auctions, 500 per pair... The only thing I would change them for are Rev10s, and I may do that this winter... Another good resource is www.zoomthelist.com , if you use that link you can search every craiglist ad in the country for what you are looking for, while you may have to get the person to ship it to you, good deals can be found....

 

[redthumper9]

HLCD is "Horn Loaded Compression Driver". You can read and research deeply into this, but here is the short version. Coaxial type speakers are used for near field listening. Something like in your boat, in your car, etc. HLCD speakers project sound at distance (kinda like a stadium). As a general rule of thumb, a properly amplified coaxial in a nice sized pod will deliver better overall sound at close range. A properly driven HLCD will sound a bit more harsh, but can easily be heard over wind, engine and water noise at speed at rope length.......or in my case, hundreds of yards away!

 

[njmr2fan]

I love our 282 tower speakers. Sound nice when we're swimming, wakeboarding, or have them facing inboard and just cruising...

 

[PaulyB]

Here are some I just found..... http://boise.craigslist.org/boa/5199649076.html

 

[Julian]

OK....was reading about the Fosgates at the link in the first post and couldn't help but laugh at the line:

• 363 degree rotational mounting capability for unlimited flexibility

Is that like the amp that goes to 11? LOL In case you boat through a worm hole and the space time continuem is warped and you need 3 more degrees of rotation?

 

[redthumper9]

If I would have had the cash.....I would have sprung for the Wetsounds REV 10's without question. My problem was that where I wanted to mount them, I had to have swivel clamps. The REV's offer this, but for an additional $200. Couple that with an additional $100 or so for the speaker covers and you have nearly $1500 in a single pair (retail of course). Exile XM9's are more comparable to the REV 8's, but include quick disconnect swivel clamps and speaker covers. They also have demo units from time to time that carry a new warranty......not to mention, if you buy during their black Friday deals, you can get an additional 20% off. I paid $770 for one pair and $660 for the other.

 

[RightStuff]

If I go the used route, is there anything specific I should look for when purchasing them. I don't know I will be able to test them out when/if I visit the seller.

You could just bring your own stereo amp (plug in your phone for some music to play) with and power them up with that, they just are speakers, so any stereo should do the trick to make sure the speakers are functioning properly. As for the EQ, without having it totally hooked up it'll be tough to guarantee it works 100%. Looks like a good deal to me, even if the EQ doesn't work.

In the end if it all works/functions you won't be disappointed by the sound from these. You will hear them very clear even 60 ft back.

 

[leatherneck33]

I have the M282 and really like them. You can hear them while wakeboarding, not to the level of the HLCD's. They sound great while hanging out and swimming.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/tower-speakers-installed.940/

 

[betterwhenitswetter]

Add a poll.

Buy HLCD's new, I called Wetsounds directly and they gave me the TX deal since we have to pay tax as they are based in Houston TX.

I would like to add a point here, when being pulled behind the boat at 15+ mph there is a lot of engine noise, and the normal water & wind noise. coaxial speakers just don't cut it (from actual experience from both types coaxial vs HLCD) HLCD's are superior for reach and clarity. I would hate for you to go through all that trouble of installing the speakers and not meet your expectations.

Typical HLCD's
Kicker HCLD http://www.kicker.com/41KMS674C (low grade)
Krypt http://www.krypt-towers.com/tower-speakers/ (mid grade)
I had Exiles/Samson before, but never installed them I could not find a good way to add lights so I sold them and took a heavy loss. (if you don't care for lights best value esp... if you can land a demo set) http://exileaudio.com/store/index.php/tower-speakers/wake.html (high grade)
I now have 1 pair of Rev 10's full loaded with swivel and removal with RGB led's and light ring, I can tell its expensive, but was worth it in the end, they pound my riders hard, I always asked them have you every listen to music when tubing and wake boarding and they always say its 10x to jam out when riding. https://wetsounds.com/pages/products/REV10.html (high grade)

and some food for thought.
When controlling tower vs in boat speakers I found that Wetsounds offered the best EQ for my needs and liked the functionally better, no EQ is perfect but they do it a little better the other guys.

Another note here, I always leave my Wetsounds EQ volume the same, I change the volume via my Sony deck or swim deck controller so I can adjust the volume with better ease rather than always adjusting from the EQ, you just have to set/fade the speakers to tower-boat depending on what your doing riding or chillin which is a full time job btw esp... when towing driver, DJ, all in one!!!
FYI since you have a tower, then tower speakers make the best swim platform speakers vs the non tower boats, I feel bad for those guys.

Dilemma where does the EQ go?

see through and unmodified fiberglass:


prototype



you can see here, I only needed to remove a little where the wetsounds EQ would slide into, you can see where you need to sand down/remove the little bit of fiber glass to make it fit correctly. (not the final product)


I don't have a pic of it mounted in the boat I will have to go out there another time and get some pics, and I increased the thickness of the ABS plastic and beveled the edge to match the other trim design better, again let me get pics.

 

[redthumper9]

@betterwhenitswetter ......nice follow up. I set my Wetsounds 420 where I want it and use the headunit as well. The only time I control the volume with the EQ is when it's in bluetooth mode (I have the 420BT). Nice work on the dash. The cost of nice HLCD'S are a hard sell to someone who has never experienced them......it was for me. But glad I went that route the first time. And I agree about Exile! If they could only come up with an easy way for LED'S. I remove my speakers after every outing so that make LED installs too challenging for me.

 

[jetboater4life]

Thanks for the great input guys. I need to catch a ride with someone that has the HCLD's. There are several newer mastercraft and malibu's on Lake Zumbro and I think I know a friend of a friend of one of them so I'll see if I can get a ride or maybe just follow them around the lake (a little creepy lol )

I remove my speakers after every outing so that make LED installs too challenging for me.

One of the reasons I was leaning towards the M282's is because I'll be needing to remove them often and they look much easier to remove than the PRO80's. How much effort is it to remove the exiles?

Unless I find a small fortune I'm not going to be able hide the purchase of some new Rev80's or exile's from the wife so if I go that route they would have to be used.

 

[betterwhenitswetter]

HLCD' are worth saving for

I remove my speakers from the tower everytime as well, you got to, sun will destroy the rubber surrounds

Exile/Samson and RF have the same exact release knob/screw setup Exile/Samson had it long before RF did, Wetsounds has a allen head screw so a tool is needed but what really makes the difference is with Wetsounds locking collar much better design, far less prone to stripping or failure, far more stable for mounting and vibration, The Pro 80's are no longer made, the Rev 8's & 10's are the newer line up and have been out for some years now.

Let me see I can dig up some video or pics

damn its harder than I thought
about the 31-36 sec mark you can see the locking collar on the clamps

Exile/Samson design, no "good & clean" way to add LED's

 

[redthumper9]

Thanks for the great input guys. I need to catch a ride with someone that has the HCLD's. There are several newer mastercraft and malibu's on Lake Zumbro and I think I know a friend of a friend of one of them so I'll see if I can get a ride or maybe just follow them around the lake (a little creepy lol )



One of the reasons I was leaning towards the M282's is because I'll be needing to remove them often and they look much easier to remove than the PRO80's. How much effort is it to remove the exiles?

Unless I find a small fortune I'm not going to be able hide the purchase of some new Rev80's or exile's from the wife so if I go that route they would have to be used.

I remove all 4 of my Exiles and put them in the provided cases (bags/covers) within 2 mins. They have a large thumb screw. Once you get the thumb screw tight, just go another 1/4 turn with the Allen wrench and done! Like I said.....I picked up my last set of Exiles for around $660. Keep watching Exile's site over the next few months. That's when the demos usually go in sale. If you get lucky enough to find some during the Black Friday sale, you get an additional 20% off. All with a new warranty. Regardless of which HLCD you go with.......save and do it once!

 

[David Analog]

Just an FYI, while Odin w/ Earmark Marine does not sell any used/demo equipment, he does offer the big Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts on new Wetsounds gear. Plus, he offers progressively deeper forum, zone and system discounts. So you can get some great deals year around on both Wetsounds and JL Audio. Odin w/ Earmark Marine is an authorized on-line dealer for Wetsounds, JL Audio and much more.... so full warranty and support.
In an HLCD, I like the build quality of Wetsounds. Just for starters....the contacts on the WSswivel/quick disconnect collars are 100% contact area between the male/female plugs versus a phone jack. And, the Wetsounds collars are tougher stainless steel versus cast aluminum so the collar threads don't easily strip out when a little too much torque is applied. Yeah they cost a little more but the quality is there to justify it.

 

[jetboater4life]

I will schedule a time to talk to Odin. I think I'm going to pass on the used PRO 80s after reading one of your (@David Analog 's) review's on a wakeboat website. The REV8 seems like the tower speaker for me. It's way more than I want to spend but as many of you have said it will be worth it. I wish the swivel quick disconnect mounts weren't a $200 upgrade

The EXILEs are nice but they don't make a white can, as I think white cans will look really nice on my tower.