New Tower Speaker Option

[boatnut 230]

Once again wetsounds......

[Shaka 146]

I actually think the 420 is more innovative that the speakers. Zone controllers are nothing knew but the implementation of the 420 and the way it ties up a bunch of issues in a neat bow makes it a product that I will buy. I also agree about the speaker clamps are cool and well engineered.

 

I also agree that I would probably be better off with a non-HLCD speaker. With that said I still think options in the marketplace are good. I thinka new product offering could help others like me that want an HLCD equipped speaker that doesn't have a premium price tag attached.

[boatnut 230]

Nah get the Rev 10's!! You know you want them, just pull the trigger!!!

[h20king 794]

Once again I appreciate the knowledge. However, are 2" voice coils necessary for folks that mostly surf? I'll tell you right now there are a lot of pro audio products designed for sound reinforcement applications that do not use 2" voice coils. Nor does the horn require hundreds of watts of power. These are products that are designed to be heard at distances that are farther than the average wakeboarder rides.

 

One other thing I don't understand is why you guys think Wetsounds is a great innovator. They aren't. They reinvented the wheel. Weatherproof coaxial speakers with HLCD's have existed for a long time. Anyone can spec out components and build materials and if you order enough Eminence, B&C, or a myriad of other speaker manufacturers will build them for you. Application specific crossovers have existed for a long time and really aren't rocket science. This stuff has been commonplace in the pro audio community forever. Just because the tech has been ported to a tower speaker doesn't mean it's all that and a bag of chips. I salute Wetsounds for making a high quality great sounding product that can sell at a premium price. However that doesn't mean that they necessarily win when it comes to bang for the buck. Frankly I like seeing other options come to market because competition is healthy. It's possible that they guy surfing 20 feet behind his boat might not need a 2" voice coil That can be heard 200 feet away, $1200 speakers, and a $400 high powered amp.

 

This debate is a lot like the guitar amplifier industry. Leo Fender copied RCA schematics to build his first amplifiers. Jim Marshall initially copied Fender. Today's tube amplifiers are mostly adaptations (some are exact copies) of those initial designs. Leo wasn't a great innovator although the electrical engineers over at RCA that he copied might have been.

yes you need them i have put together budget systems. I used the bullut lines Hlcd speakers and a cheaper amp puting out good power.boats are loud and the budget system was hard to hear when surfing. Built a new system with wetsounds and quality amps and have been a beliver ever sense. Now on my third wetsounds system and planing for number four. If you are looking to save money do it right the first time. Cheep does not always cost less. Wait tell you have a problem wetsounds customer service is the best i have a problem they take care of it no questions asked. You will be stuck with a product that has failed with no suport. It is true hearing is beliving. But if you don't see our logic go with the cheep speaker. You will not be the first to not take our advice and then come back later eating crow.

[viking 491]

The Rev 10's really are a good all purpose option (yes at a higher cost that others) but they are alot warmer sounding then the smaller HLCD options so they work great for the cove, surfing, and then can be throttled up for the wakeboard or ski distances as well. I talked with Tim at WS as I was debating my options and doing multiple tower speakers and his suggestion based on what I desired was 1 pr of 10's.

That's why I went with them and I don't regret it one bit. I'm a believer!!!!

 

If you don't EVER care about hearing them at 80ft. then go coaxals. If you don't care about using them while floating/surfing and you want to have them screaming while wakeboarding then you have several HLCD optons. But if you want a little bit of all of it then there really is only 1 option

[Shaka 146]

Was looking in the classifieds for speaker options today. Ran across some REV10's a guy had sitting in his garage for two years. He bought them at a boat show intending to put them on his Cobalt. He sold the boat before mounting them. They were new in a sealed box and were wrapped with plastic.

 

I picked them up for a price that would make you cry. I have now joined the Wet Sound ranks. Gosh I hate you guys.

 

They are going to be underpowered for the next little bit because I'm leaving for Lake Powell on Saturday and don't have time to deal with amplifier stuff. I think the four channel I have might be ok when I get around to bridging it. Maybe not though.

 

Any way to run the wires out of these so I don't have to drill a hole in the tower? I don't really want to deal with that in the short term but will if I have to.

[truekaotik 458]

Yes out the back top port. You will see a small square that comes off below clamp in rear..

[Shaka 146]

Yes out the back top port. You will see a small square that comes off below clamp in rear..

Thanks man, that will save me some time. I figure it would be cool to buy the LED rings. I'm assuming Wet Sounds makes a special wire that will power the speakers and hook up to the lighting. It would be nice to have all of that self contained.

[truekaotik 458]

No, but you can loom it yourself to look nice you only need 18 gauge for the RGB rings...

Edited July 17, 2015 by truekaotik

[Shaka 146]

What's a decent amp for these that's on the cheaper side? Keep in mind we mostly surf so being heard across the lake is not really a thing for us.

 

I doubt the Premiere I have will cut it (it would probably be ok but still significantly underpowered) in bridge mode. I think I'll keep it to run the in-boats and get something else for the REV 10's.

[truekaotik 458]

http://www.anchorexpress.com/Rockford-Fosgate-Full-Range-Class-D-4-Channel-Amplifier-600W-M600-4D?gclid=CI2WqsTJ4sYCFQUGaQod300BkA

 

Anchor express has this on sale.. It will work fine....

[Shaka 146]

That's perfect. I'll order it when I get back from Powell. In the meantime I hope the speakers can live with 100 watts per channel.

Edited July 17, 2015 by Shaka

[Stretch 409]

You're going to have an awesome set up for little cash Shaka!

[viking 491]

Shaka - fill us in. What did you end up stealing the 10's for?

Talk about a quality "budget" system

[Shaka 146]

Shaka - fill us in. What did you end up stealing the 10's for?

Talk about a quality "budget" system

$700

[Shaka 146]

Yes out the back top port. You will see a small square that comes off below clamp in rear..

How do I access the wire inside? Is there an issue with the wire that comes through the center of the clamp?

[truekaotik 458]

You need to unscrew the grill and speaker then remove to access wire for easy re-routing...

Edited July 17, 2015 by truekaotik

[Shaka 146]

The timing is funny. I have a buddy that's a rep for an electronics conglomerate that has consumer and pro audio sides. We found a water-proof coaxial HLCD speaker driver manufactured by one of the subsidiaries that would work great for tower speakers. It's commonly used for outdoor sound reinforcement and stage monitor applications. This buddy has a background in car audio and knows how to make fiberglass speaker pods. We were looking at existing clamp systems available for industrial applications and I was also talking to the guys that work in the machine shop at at my employer. I was going to tap into my audio engineer side using my parametric EQ's from my recording studio to help design a passive crossover that gets rid of any harsh overtones from the HLCD. Essentially I was going to build something similar to the speaker I just bought.

 

Sigh......

 

Now to decide if I want to soldier on just for the heck of it.

[Shaka 146]

OK I mounted my new speakers at Lake Powell. They worked great but then the horns in both speakers went out. Do these speakers have some sort of protection circuitry built in or did I fry the voice coils somehow? They were never turned up very loud but I fear the worst.

[Wylie_Tunes 146]

The Rev-10 does have a tweeter protection build into the corss-over, but it should return to operation when the volume is reduced. If not, you need to start ohm'ing individual components. Amp and head-unit setting is often the leading cause.