Contemplated System Upgrade

[Tulsah]

As the title says, I am contemplating a system upgrade in my 2013 RZ2. Spousal approval is highly unlikely, but I've never let that stop me before. The fact that I even managed to get this boat is a testament to that!

Anyhow, the boat is presently fitted with the full on Tige offering - 6xXS650 + 1xXS10FA on a Syn6 and 2xRev10 + 2xRev8 on a Syn2. While this system is wholly adequate, I feel it could be better. After much research and deliberation, I've arrived at the following scheme:

8xXS-650 @ 145W each, 2Ohm on ch1-4 of SD6

1xXS-12 @ 585W, 4Ohm on CH5/6 of SD6

4xRev10 @ 310W each, 2Ohm on SD2

1xWS-420SQ

So, a few questions that come to mind are whether such a system is realistic in terms of power delivery to the speakers and whether there are any potential electrical/charging system issues with the boat proper? Any comments and advice would be highly appreciated.

-tulsah

[chpthril]

Your plan is perfect. No issues with these amps and their current draw on the boats charging system.

[Tulsah]

Your plan is perfect. No issues with these amps and their current draw on the boats charging system.

Thank you very much!

I should have also asked whether the Tige trim pieces between the Alpha Z and the tower speakers is the same for Rev10's and Rev8's? In other words, can I replace the 8's with 10's and reuse the trim piece? This will greatly reduce my cost of that particular piece of the upgrade as I wouldn't have to purchase the 10's from Tige.

[boardman74]

The trim pieces are the same.

[jzts0214]

I have 4 rev10 and I dont think you will hear much of a difference if you have 2 rev 10s and 2 rev 8s. Now all 4 speakers are ran off just 1 syn 2 then you should upgrade that amp for sure. The 420 is a must when it comes to having loud music and I would also up grade your sub. I am a big wet sounds fan but I would go with a different sub. I havent been impressed with there subs.

[ChrisBarnes05-12-84]

You could always keep your syn 2 for the sub and run 2 sd6's. Pump 585 to each rev 10@4ohms. I would also recommend the xxx for the sub.this setup works nicely in my boat until I drink to much beer and try to let every single person on my lake listen to the music I like.

[ericinmich]

First dibs on your Rev8s!

[JohnnieMo]

Where do you plan on putting the extra pair of 650's?

I wouldn't want more hardware hanging off the tower. It's bad enough for inadvertent concussions as is

[Tulsah]

Thanks for all of the responses.

I guess I thought that the 4 Rev10's was the way to go by all of the good press on the forum. Maybe I'm ok, or even as good to just keep the 10's and 8's and upgrade to the SD-2 amp?

When I started to think about what I wanted and could achieve in the system, I turned to the SD series amps for the flexibility that they offer over the SYN series ... at a cost though! I really don't want to add a whole pile more in the way physical amp boxes to the boat. In order to build the system I described, I would be adding at least two more SYN series amps for comparable power specs. The other criteria is that I want all of the amps to be from the same series for aesthetics.

I was thinking that the extra set of 650's might work in the recesses above the side seats. If not there, perhaps in the sides at the floor level. This would ultimately come down to where they add the most to the system. Not dead set on this yet though.

The sub is not a firm choice yet either. I'm going to need to find the right driver and enclosure combination for under the RZ2 helm. I like the price of the XS-12, but I can't seem to find any specifics for a slot ported box backed up with end user testimony. I also think that after all this time, Wet Sounds could have come up with a matching grille for their 12" subs! Other alternatives will surely need to be considered ...

-tulsah

[Tulsah]

First dibs on your Rev8s!

You'll be my first contact if/when I pull the trigger on the swap!

[chpthril]

I guess I thought that the 4 Rev10's was the way to go by all of the good press on the forum. Maybe I'm ok, or even as good to just keep the 10's and 8's and upgrade to the SD-2 amp?

To drive either 2 pair 10's or 2 pair of 8's, the SD-2 amp is the top shelf way to go, so stick with your amp choice if your budget allows. Driving 2 pair of 8", the Syn-2 is a solid choice, heck the Syn-2 will even drive 2 pair of 10's with no real difference in volume at the end of an 80ft tow line with the added benefit of the near field mid-bass.

If you want 4 pods on the tower, either stick with 2 pair of Rev-8 or step up to 2 pair of Rev-10, dont mix the two.
1) with a mix of the two wired in parallel on a single 2 chnl amp, you cant optimally tune the setup. You are either tuning the larger speaker too high or tuning the smaller speaker too low. So to get the most out of both sets, you need a 2nd amp.
2) the cost diff between the rev-8 and rev-10 is a wash when you have to factor in that 2nd amp. Sell the current rev-8's to offset the cost of that 2nd pair of rev-10
3) No matter what, the larger HLCD is going to dominate the smaller HLCD, like a whisper on a scream. This means battery Ah thats going to waste to drive those smaller speakers with little contribution from them against the larger driver. Two drivers of the same size and type, when wired together, share the available power equally and their contribution is equal.

[Tulsah]

Thanks again chpthril. You've confirmed my initial thoughts, so I think I'll stick with my convictions and opt for 2 sets of 10's.

[wetsounds1]

I have 4 rev10 and I dont think you will hear much of a difference if you have 2 rev 10s and 2 rev 8s. Now all 4 speakers are ran off just 1 syn 2 then you should upgrade that amp for sure. The 420 is a must when it comes to having loud music and I would also up grade your sub. I am a big wet sounds fan but I would go with a different sub. I havent been impressed with there subs.

Don't judge the Wet Sounds subs based on the factory set up. Remember the factory is using a free air woofer. And a free air woofer is using the area behind the woofer as the enclosure. There is no real box. If executed properly, the XS-10/SW-10 will hammer. We have 4 in the center seat base of our Sea Hunter fishing boat. People think there are 4 12 inch subs or more subs hiding. You go to the bow. Same woofer. Same boat. Cant hear the sub at all. The bow is foam filled and foam had to be cut out for the woofer so there is no air space. Not the woofers fault. It is the location and execution. Same goes for the factory sub. The location behind the sub is very small so the woofer is choked up. We have solved this issue with the ASR where it has an actual enclosure and the boat hammers. And I am working on the current models that finds a blend of ease of production with output.

Also, you can ask anyone who has heard my Z3 with 4 XS-XXX subs if they have ever heard a boat louder. I have yet to hear one and I have heard a lot of boats with subs all over, 6-15's in a boat and so on. The Z3 has four of our spl 12 inch woofers is all. But they are also executed perfectly in the boat with the enclosure and the way it loads. right woofer, right power, right box, right location and so on

Just wanted to share some info. As you can't truly judge a speaker or sub for what you hear unless everything is right, location, enclosure, power, tuning, source and so on. I know its tough to actually hear that unless a dealer has a demo boat or sound room.

tulsah,

mike is very knowledgeable. Def listen to his advice, he has built some awesome systems. The XS-12 in the ported box pounds. You can get with mike or my office about the enclosure design.

Tim
Wet Sounds

PS: we will have a 12 inch grille in about 30-45 days. Sorry it took so long. I just have a thousand things in the works and a woofer grille got hit on the back burner

[Tulsah]

Thanks for the information Tim. I am in complete agreement on Mike. He never fails to provide great advice and information. I will be in touch soon with an enclosure design too.

Also, I'm glad to hear that there is a 12" grille on its way ... my jab was meant in jest rather than frustration btw ... Thanks again.

-tulsah

[Dandy]

Mike/Tim - For those of us with the factory set ups and the free air woofer, is there a sub that would work better in a sealed enclosure with similar space requirements as what is in place in our boats from the factory? I have a couple buddies that own a custom home/car audio shop and one of the installers builds killer boxes, kick panels, custom fiberglass mounts..... I would be interested to purchase a different sub that would work in that space and have a new box built. Let us know your thoughts/suggestions.

Thanks