New Tower Speaker Selection Help

[tnvolgrad]

I currently have a pair of Samson 720's on the tower, 4 inboard Wet Sounds Cabin, and a 10" FA Wet Sounds sub - all of this powered by a Kicker 700.5 (sub and cabin speakers) and Kicker 350.4 ( for the towers). I predominatey surf, but have some buddies that wakeboard as well.

I have been looking at the Samson S7HD speakers and the Polk 6500.2 set-up. My other concern is the aesthetics - while the Rev 10's are phenomenal speakers they are ginormous to hang from a tube tower (both physically and the weight of 2 pair concerns me). I have the Samson Switchblade tower and Bimini (which is the other challenge I have with larger speakers- e.g. The larger the cans the less height you get when the Bimini is deployed.

If you had $2000-$2500 to spend on a 2 pair tower system out the door - what would recommend for someone who predominately surfs, but also wants the versatility. Also, what would recommend on my amp set-up to power them?

[majestic]

If you live in Portland you should atleast stop and see Brian at Exile. He will work on a system that will also use your current Amps but you will probably need more power for the towers. You could use your current Amps for the in-cabins and sub and then add two pair of XST-65q's (which are removable just like your Samson's) and add a 1000watt Harpoon amp which would give 250 watts to each tower speaker and should be within your budget.

I went above and beyond but here is a thread of my install;

http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16071

[ds@earmark]

I certainly have no desire to get into brand comparisons here and there are many great tower speaker products today from Wetsounds, Exile, NVS, Bullet HollowPoint, Kicker and so on.
However, since you already have the Wetsounds product and their distinctive cosmetics in your subwoofer and in-boat coaxials you might want to consider the Wetsounds REV8s. You have an 8-inch HLCD that is in a compact package the size of the previous Pro60. And, its an HLCD speaker that remarkably smooth. Also, you can add the swivel/quick-release collars. A Wetsounds Syn2 will do a great job on two pair. Kicker should also have a large two-channel amplifier that will fit the bill when loaded into a 2-ohm load. Check in with Tige'Mike on this as he is dialed in on the Kicker amplifiers.

David
Earmark Marine

[Brianinpdx]

TNV -

Thats probably my favorite samson tower you have on your boat. Where do you go out? I think I've seen your Tige on the water this summer. Nice boat. You have several good local options for help, advice, sales, service, and installation. I'm guessing Samson put your tower on, so you already know about them out in Camas. Exile is located down in Lake Oswego, 7 miles South of Portland. If you felt like the hauling your boat over here we could do a run down and look at several options. There is also a few great retailers in town like KingPin Marine Audio in Wilsonville, or MobileWest in downtown PDX and NBA Audio in Vancouver. Really depends on your location in town.

The 720's are a good sounding speaker and targeted toward the wake surfer or party cove / cruising situations. If we where talking face to face, I'd be quizzing you on how you use your boat - family time cruising? big time wake boarding? Wake surfing... etc. Depending on all those answers, I'd make some informed suggestions on an upgrade path.

I agree with you about your statement about weight on your tower. Samson does OEM towers for several boat mfg's and they are not thrilled with people loading the tower up with mega speakers, boards and racks etc. That said, the tower you have on your boat is a vey stout one.

I'm happy to help you out, regardless of the brands you choose. We just had a pro rider at our office with blown speakers (of brand I won't mention). He was super stoked that we gifted him some horns out of our RD pile of spare parts. hehe. Managed to get 2 of his 6 speakers working and taught him to setup his gains properly on his DIY install. It's all good... You've got some great local resources.

Cheers!

-Brian
Exile Audio

[ds@earmark]

Oops, I meant to write Chpthril rather than Tige'Mike. Actually one in the same.
Not relating to any kind of preference, but just maintaining what you have for cosmetic continuity and cost-effectiveness you can also add a second ZX350.4 amplifier and have 175 watts to each of all four tower speakers. That will be plenty for the occasional wakeboarding on any HLCD or non-HLCD tower speaker that you might choose.

David
Earmark Marine

[chpthril]

Oops, I meant to write Chpthril rather than Tige'Mike. Actually one in the same.
Not relating to any kind of preference, but just maintaining what you have for cosmetic continuity and cost-effectiveness you can also add a second ZX350.4 amplifier and have 175 watts to each of all four tower speakers. That will be plenty for the occasional wakeboarding on any HLCD or non-HLCD tower speaker that you might choose.

David
Earmark Marine

Now worries David, I get called lots of names. Our buddy from the other site calls be a "****-star" I think it was.

Volunteer, I would agree, if hang height and weight are a concern, then check out the Rev-8. It will fit right in with the rest of your Wet Sounds system. The Revs will give you great sound for surfing and the party-cove as well as the the flexibility to reach your wake-boarder. Like David, this is based on the fact that you are already sporting the brand. End of the day, get a listen to the different types and sizes.

[tnvolgrad]

TNV -

Thats probably my favorite samson tower you have on your boat. Where do you go out? I think I've seen your Tige on the water this summer. Nice boat. You have several good local options for help, advice, sales, service, and installation. I'm guessing Samson put your tower on, so you already know about them out in Camas. Exile is located down in Lake Oswego, 7 miles South of Portland. If you felt like the hauling your boat over here we could do a run down and look at several options. There is also a few great retailers in town like KingPin Marine Audio in Wilsonville, or MobileWest in downtown PDX and NBA Audio in Vancouver. Really depends on your location in town.

The 720's are a good sounding speaker and targeted toward the wake surfer or party cove / cruising situations. If we where talking face to face, I'd be quizzing you on how you use your boat - family time cruising? big time wake boarding? Wake surfing... etc. Depending on all those answers, I'd make some informed suggestions on an upgrade path.

I agree with you about your statement about weight on your tower. Samson does OEM towers for several boat mfg's and they are not thrilled with people loading the tower up with mega speakers, boards and racks etc. That said, the tower you have on your boat is a vey stout one.

I'm happy to help you out, regardless of the brands you choose. We just had a pro rider at our office with blown speakers (of brand I won't mention). He was super stoked that we gifted him some horns out of our RD pile of spare parts. hehe. Managed to get 2 of his 6 speakers working and taught him to setup his gains properly on his DIY install. It's all good... You've got some great local resources.

Cheers!

-Brian
Exile Audio

Thanks for the info - I will definitely come check out the Exile's. I did not realize you guys are so close.! I typically boat at either Hagg or Newberg (Willamette). Are you guys planning to be at the boat show next week?

[tnvolgrad]

Oops, I meant to write Chpthril rather than Tige'Mike. Actually one in the same.
Not relating to any kind of preference, but just maintaining what you have for cosmetic continuity and cost-effectiveness you can also add a second ZX350.4 amplifier and have 175 watts to each of all four tower speakers. That will be plenty for the occasional wakeboarding on any HLCD or non-HLCD tower speaker that you might choose.

David
Earmark Marine

That's a good idea - I would like to keep the asthetic look in place and also minimize costs. Buying another 350.4 is certainly cheaper than buying a larger amp. Thanks for the feedback.

[tnvolgrad]

Now worries David, I get called lots of names. Our buddy from the other site calls be a "****-star" I think it was.

Volunteer, I would agree, if hang height and weight are a concern, then check out the Rev-8. It will fit right in with the rest of your Wet Sounds system. The Revs will give you great sound for surfing and the party-cove as well as the the flexibility to reach your wake-boarder. Like David, this is based on the fact that you are already sporting the brand. End of the day, get a listen to the different types and sizes.

Thanks Chp! I am going to try and get a demo at the upcoming boat show. Sounds like the Samson, Exile, and Wetsounds are the three to look at.

[chpthril]

Thanks Chp! I am going to try and get a demo at the upcoming boat show. Sounds like the Samson, Exile, and Wetsounds are the three to look at.

Dont overlook the Kicker KM6500.2 setup either. Especially since Kicker is rolling out thier brand new pods next month.

The 4 pod KM6500.2 setup gives you a pair of dedicated horns and a pair of 6.5 continuous cone mid-bass drivers. This gives a bit of advantage over a traditional HLCD with the horn through the center of the mid-bass. For even more mid-bass, add an extra set of the KM6500 mids. The 6-pod setup could also be driven with the addition of a 2nd zx350.5. Thats 700 watts RMS.

[Brianinpdx]

TNV - yup, Haag is where I think I saw your boat. I'm out there a lot with the kids.

re boat show... I suspect you'll see our speakers on 70+% of the boats there. I won't be there as Exile will be at CES show in Las vegas. I do believe Samson exhibits there. They can take good care of ya. Probably have some kind of show special to that bundles the amp and towers etc. Regardless of what you end up with on the tower, your more than welcome to come rap with us down in Lake O, any time.

-Brian
Exile Audio