Tower speakers... Help!

[premierproperties]

Just bought a tower for the Salt from DIYwake.com. Not sure which speakers to go with for the Tower. I have Polk audio 651's throughout the rest of the boat and I'm pretty happy with those, but they're not exposed to the elements all the time. I'm tempted to stay with the polks, but I'm also looking at JL audio or wetsounds also. Any thoughts of what amp to power these would be appreciated as well.
Thanks in advance!

[Wylietunes]

In terms of amps, which Wet Sounds model? They currently make 4 different models, all needing a little different power. You can also find aftermarket pods with the Wet Sounds 650 or 65 series 6.5" in-boats loaded in them. JL also makes a 6.5's and 7.7 tower speakers, and the 7.7's can be powered with quite a bit more wattage them the 6.5". How many? This will also have some bearing on the amp options.

[premierproperties]

The cans that are coming with the tower I believe are 6.5" and will only be running 2 for now...

[Wylietunes]

For a 6.5" coax, there are more options then you can shake a stick at and most will be good choice solid choice even though some will be a more premium option.

JL offers the M and MX series 6.5. The MX has a little more mid-bass
Out the Wet Sounds 650 and 65 series, I would go with 650 series, although the new 65i thats out sounds quite a bit better then the original 65.The 650 deserves some good solid power, but even with the same power as the 65, it does have a distinctly different sound.

Kicker KM6200

Rockford M626

Alpine SPS-M600

Arc Audio Moto series, but I would double check the OD and mounting hole ID on those.

With tower coaxials, I like to drive them at, if not above, their RMS. So I would decide on the speakers first, then the amp options will fall in line.

[dkelly4819]

MY '89 Sunsport is at Bennett's right now getting new stringers and deck and I visited a local stereo shop (Sound Sensations) yesterday in anticipation of upgrading the stereo system when I get it back. They recommended the JL Audio 7.7's, even though they sell Wetsounds and Bazooka Tubbies. The odd thing is the JL cans cannot rotate at all, and the clamp must be removed from the tower to remove the speaker. This seems very inconvenient and contrary to most every other manufacturer. The salesman said any speaker can that rotates or has a release mechanism is destined to fail. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Also, anyone know of any installers in the Atlanta area that do marine installs?

[Wylietunes]

Dkelly,

Did you ask this retailer how many Wet Sounds TC3-S clamp failures they've experience? Did theu have a Wet Sounds TC3-S clamp on display so you could see how its built? If you have a need to remove your speakers on a regular basis, or if the aiming of the speakers is needed due to the arch of tower, then go with a swivel clamp, like the Wet Sounds with the TC3-S

The JL M7.7 is one of the most linear speakers out there. For the open environment of a tower, I like the M series with the 1" tweeter as opposed to the MX. So if you are looking for a surf/party cove setup, I would highly suggest demoing the 7.7 and the Wet Sounds Icon-8. both are a tower coaxial, both have a strong 1" tweeter, the 7.7 is close enough to 8" to make it a fair comparison. Neither is a bad choice, so make it based on sound preference and clamp type.

If you want to talk with a marine install specialist, then AVC Marine in Buford. They sell and install and can take care of you start to finish.

[Wylietunes]

Dkelly,

Did you ask this retailer how many Wet Sounds TC3-S clamp failures they've experience? Did theu have a Wet Sounds TC3-S clamp on display so you could see how its built? If you have a need to remove your speakers on a regular basis, or if the aiming of the speakers is needed due to the arch of tower, then go with a swivel clamp, like the Wet Sounds with the TC3-S

The JL M7.7 is one of the most linear speakers out there. For the open environment of a tower, I like the M series with the 1" tweeter as opposed to the MX. So if you are looking for a surf/party cove setup, I would highly suggest demoing the 7.7 and the Wet Sounds Icon-8. both are a tower coaxial, both have a strong 1" tweeter, the 7.7 is close enough to 8" to make it a fair comparison. Neither is a bad choice, so make it based on sound preference and clamp type.

If you want to talk with a marine install specialist, then AVC Marine in Buford. They sell and install and can take care of you start to finish.

[dkelly4819]

Michael, thanks for the input and suggestions. They only had the Tubbies and JL Audio speakers set up on a tower display to look at. I doubted there was any widespread clamp failure and felt he was either a really big fan of JL Audio, or was getting a spiff from the manufacturer for pushing their product. I looked up AVC and I will make a trip over to pay them a visit and see what they recommend. Thanks again.