New Player to the Tower Speaker Arena: Exile Audio XM7

[chpthril]

http://www.exilecaraudio.com/

Dont know if many of you have seen or heard about these, or even heard them yet. I first read about them a while back and have been keeping them on my radar for awhile now. About a month ago Brian @ Exile sent me an email and I responded with a few questions. I liked what I had heard about them and after a number of emails with Brian, I decided to put in an order and see/hear for myself.

My shipment of tower speakers and amps finally arrived today. I ordered a couple pair of XM7 tower speakers, and a couple Xi800.4 and S400.4 amps. I opened the speakers up so I could check them out and snap a couple pics. I hope to get them powered up tomorrow and have a listen.

XM7 Specs:
*250W RMS / 500W Peak Power Handling
*34mm Titanium Diaphragm Compression Driver
*Injection Molded Polypropylene Cone
*Weather Proof Rubber Surround
*Composite Hybrid Grill/Horn Throat
*Speaker Dia: 175mm
*Clamps to Tower Fit: 1-7/8" to 2-1/2"
*Direct Cast Tower Mount Approved Boats: Malibu, Illusion X, XS, Tige Alpha and Centurion.

A few cool features I like:
Includes Speaker Sox that also double as a storage/carry case.
Quick-Release clamp that allows 360* rotation
Includes both tube style and direct mount clamps.
The speaker wires are hidden by the clamp when installed.

Here's a few pics!












And coming this Spring: The Exile Audio Harpoon 1K 2Chnl amp. It will do 300W's RMS x 2 @ 4 Ohm for a pair and 500W's RMS x 2 @ 2Ohm for 2 pair, that's 250W's to each speaker!


"PORTLAND, USA – Exile Audio introduces the “SAMSON HARPOON 1K”, a 2 Channel 1000 Watt Limited Edition Wake Sports Amplifier. Sure to be enjoyed by its listeners for best in class output power, HARPOON 1K will ultimately be treasured by the Captain for its unique ease of use features. Designed with our innovative tower speakers in mind, HARPOON effortlessly powers 1 pair of tower HLCD speakers with 300 x 2 watts of continuous power at 4 ohms. Or double up with four speakers and drop this weapon down to a 2 ohm load and slam 500 x 2 watts output power.

The Build of HARPOON 1K. Weighing in at 16 lbs and measures 18 inches long, this audio weapon is built from a solid 6063-T5 aluminum chassis supporting more than 9 grams of aluminum per millimeter (most amplifiers average 6g/mm). Why so much you ask? Because it’s critical for marine performance and we designed it to absolutely play all day long at full volume at 4 ohms or 2 ohms in a harsh environment! We’ve coated the PCB with a corrosion emulsifier to protect against oxidation and we’ve selected stainless steel hardware wherever applicable to protect the amplifier from the elements.

This Exile limited edition amplifier offers the Captain of the boat two very special master control functions:

Thrust Control: In a typical wake sport boat installation this remote controller allows the Captain to adjust the overall volume of his tower speaker output levels. When his rider drops, he simply adjusts the thrust controller back to eliminate the full force of the tower sound. The ThrustTM controller can be remotely mounted in a number of handy locations.

Throttle Box TM Control: An optional add-on remote controller that allows the Captain to actively shape the sound of the tower speakers depending on the real world listener position i.e. wake boarding (far out), wake surfing (close in) or cove (stationary). Whatever the case may be, Throttle Box TM tunes your tower speakers from full throttle (wide open) to Sound Quality (completely engaged). It’s so unique; were even applying for a patent. The Throttle Box TM controller can be remotely mounted in a number of handy locations.

HARPOON 1K also offers very special design features that make this a one of a kind limited edition Exile marine grade amplifier:

ISD Monitoring: Built in back-lit display that shows the end user what is
Happening inside the amplifier. The ISD circuit is constantly monitoring the
Throttle Box, Signal, power output and protection conditions of the amplifier.

Ice Cooling: High density aluminum fins within the vented die cast end caps are engineered to work in sync to keep the amplifier running cool and impossible to overheat.

Easy Click Crossover: All crossover frequency potentiometers have 41 detents or “clicks” so the end user can set the exact crossover frequency desired.

Selectable logo illumination: Flip the switch to choose blue or white logo color. When the amplifier turns on, the color will be the opposite for a few seconds as it slowly changes/fades to the color selected by the switch.

HARPOON 1K Ratings
Into 4 ohm Stereo 300 x 2
Into 2 ohm Stereo 500 x 2
Into 4 ohm Bridge 1000 x 1
Onboard Fuse Size: 40 amp x 2
Power/Ground Wire Size: 4 Gauge
Dimensions: 18”L x 10”W x 2.45”H


HARPOON 1K Specifications:
Frequency Response: ± 1dB from 20Hz to 20kHz
Signal to Noise Ratio: >110dB
High and Low Pass Crossovers: 18dB per Octave
Low Pass Crossover Range: 40Hz to 400Hz
High Pass Crossover Range: 20Hz to 400Hz
Input Sensitivity: 200 millivolts to 8 volts
Lowest Recommend Load: 2 ohm

MSRP: 699.00"

As soon as I have a chance to demo these, I'll post up more info.

[G-MONEY]

sweet let us know how the sound.

I like how the speaker wire is hidden the the clamp.

[majestic]

Those quick realese clamps are great but if you take your eye off your boat for two minutes at the gas station, dock, etc your speakers may be gone when you get back.

[chpthril]

Those quick release clamps are great but if you take your eye off your boat for two minutes at the gas station, dock, etc your speakers may be gone when you get back.

Good point - There is actually an allen head in the end of the thumb-screw that can be used to tighten these beyond hand tight. An allen wrench is included, and I would actually recommend using it rather then leaving the quick-release at finger tight.

[Brianinpdx]

Greetings

Greetings guys - As my first post over here I just wanted to say hello! I'm pretty active over on WW and will chime in here from time to time if questions come up that I can help with. It doesn't need to be Exile related. Doesn't matter. I've been around the circus of audio for 20+ years and seen it all.

Thanks chpthril for posting up some info on the XM7. A lot of guys are confused how the clamp actually works etc. It will direct fit into your Tige towers right out the box with no optional additional add on BS. There are some exceptions to this but for the most its ready to go!

I know someone asked about the quick disconnect. we built this with theft in mind so if you want it permanently installed on your tower you just tighten down the allen and its not hand removable. If your out for the day and want to swivel the hand tighten setting is more than adequate. We find that people LOVE being able to easily take down or swivel the speakers. theres a few youtube videos of this if you want to see it in action.

chpthril let me know how you like the speakers and enjoy!

-Brian

[MoneyPity]

Sounds like another option to look at when setting up a new system for the members who like to run the best for the money and that can do a lot of the work themselves. The wiring idea is great.

I would interested in how they sound but odds are against replacing what I am running now.

[Timmy!]

What's the MSRP on the speakers? I see $699 for the amp?

[chpthril]

What's the MSRP on the speakers? I see $699 for the amp?

$850.00

[chpthril]

Here is some info posted by Exile in regards to the new XM9 tower speaker soon to be released.

Here's the 411 on XM9:

- Design and construction method never seen in tower speakers to this date.
- Differs from XM7 in that its speaker has no basket of any kind.
- Offers increased cone area output.
- New SwitchFire crossover design lets you toggle on the fly.
- Utilizes the patented thumb screw feature.
- Utilizes the same clamp design as the XM7 and SXT'65's.
- Ships with the Socks like XM7.
- Retails for 1,100.00

If you need info on any of the above points, let me know.

As to your question about Illusion tower - I'd probably suggest you look at the SXT65's for that tower because of the mounting location in relation to the driver and swim deck. It's very low as compared to other towers on the market. HLCD's tend to BLAST people when installed in the factory locations. Large diameter HLCD's tend to take up a lot of space and blast people. The SXTs sound 10X better but are optimized more for the surf market.

If you have a decent sub-woofer in the system, I'd consider the XM7 for the space saving considerations. However, if you want to be the guy thats king of the lake, Here's some information mounting onto the XS tower.

- 1 pair XM9 will direct bolt onto either of the factory tower positions.
- 2 pair would either need an adapter to stager them, or mount one pair on the hoop as Nubu suggested.

If you opt to do 2 pair, change your screen name to "Deafpoet", because these things are loud. Seriously! Hope this helps. Cant say I didnt warn ya. hehe!

-Brian
Exile Audio

Looking forward to seeing and hearing these new speakers.

[chpthril]

Nothing new from Exile that Ive been given any info on. Check back later.