NVS Prodigy or Pro 485's and headroom on a FCT tower

[Nordicron]

Ok everyone here's the deal I got a 08 SAN 210 with what I think is the FCT4 tower or maybe the 2nd gen FCT 2??? Anyway who has either the Prodigy or the 485s. Wondering how they fit with this tower, are you constintly banging your head?

Also what kinda sound can you hear outside the wake? From everything I've gathered in the search either speaker is gonna pound behind the boat at rope length but I wonder if you'll be able to hear the wetsounds slightly better outside the wake due to their shape. I really like the NVS due to their lower hang height(about 2" less) and also being they are 10's I think the midbass will be a bit better as I've read that some people think the wetsounds can be a bit on the high side. The other thing is this tower is a BEAST to fold and the NVS are over 10lbs lighter each meaning I maynot have to remove them to raise and lower the tower. Anyway I posted a pic of my boat so you can see exactly what tower I have. Thanks

[wetsounds1]

if you take a look at our site, you will see a lot of pics of this tower and the other versions with 485's on them. They fit great and there is not really any headroom issues at all. This tower is pretty tall. We have had some CC dealers that install 485's on every boat that leaves their dealership.

As for sound, the 485's are still my favorite we offer. If you have the room, a pair of 485 can't be beat. The 485 are very smooth and have a ton of mid bass. Not anyway close to being bright. Any comments you read on that would be people using too little power and having them tuned wrong. Proper power is the key to any system. When running a high powered HLCD tower system, if you run too little power, you are not getting the mid bass to keep up with the more effcient compression driver.

Another thing to think about is the 485 come with our TC2 quick disconnect clamp. 2 allen bolts on the side of the clamps and the speaker comes off leaving the main clamp on the tower. So you can remove the speakers in no time at all before you drop the tower.

And to throw a monkey wrench in the mix. We just started shipping our PRO 696 RS. This is our ProAxial HLCD driver in a 6x9 size. It is a raw speaker and does not come with a housing. It is designed to drop into a 6x9 housing like what you currently have on your boat.

So might be something to think about as well.

Tim
Wet Sounds

[nvs1]

The differences!

Nordicron, firstly that’s a nice SAN. Someone mentioned to me about this post so I thought I’d check it out.
I actually agree with several things that Tim mentioned. That is a tall tower, possible the tallest ever mounted on a SAN? If you are rather tall however, this may be irrelevant.
I also like the comment about power. Actually that pertains to any speaker IMO. In this instance we’re talking about relatively high output speakers that require adequate clean controlled power in order to realize the full potential. But again, this pertains to any speaker.
What needs to be clarified is what is important to you. You’ve really already mentioned that and reading your post it looks like: ( I’ve added the posted specs as well. )
-Hang Height: 485 = 11” Prodigy = 8.6”
-Weight 485 = 33.5 lbs Prodigy = 24 lbs
-Mid Bass Tim and I likely will disagree here so posting my belief is likely not productive to this post. (but you are right hehehehe). It’s just as easy for me to say that “You do have room for a pair of Prodigy’s and they can’t be beat”.
I nearly forgot the Quick Release. Not everyone wants this so that's why it is an option on NVS speakers. It’s a true quick release that requires no tools at all. No tools and less then 5 seconds remove/install.
In the end, both products are very good, you just need to identify the differences (and their are several) and which are important to you…..good luck.
Duane

[SuperSquirt]

the real question here is how tall you are and how strong are you? I lift & lower a Titan tower every time i go out and i've got 2 485s on them. It is totally doable but does require some ummphh. The titan is much lower than your tower and a 5' 4" person can walk under them fine, of course headbanging is simply optional at this point.

[rksaint]

I have the same boat except I never got the nautique tower speakers when I bought it. Was thinking of getting a pair from the dealer installed but I see you have them and want to upgrade. What has been your experience with you current speakers and why do you want to upgrade?

[Nordicron]

I have the same boat except I never got the nautique tower speakers when I bought it. Was thinking of getting a pair from the dealer installed but I see you have them and want to upgrade. What has been your experience with you current speakers and why do you want to upgrade?

I really like the look of the factory cans its just that when your at the end of the line you can't really hear the music. The sound great just chillin around the boat but not being towed! I'm somewhat mixed now if I actually want to go all out and drop the $1800 on the pros now that the new WS HCLD 6x9's have come out, which drop right into these cans! But they are still $600 and I'm guessing to really hear it good your probably gonna need 4speakers anyway which is $1200 plus the cans. I'm gonna wait a bit untill some reviews of the 6x9s come out.

[flaudia402]

Both Wetsounds and NVS make great products. I myself have a pair of NVS Prodigy's and will soon have a set of Modus's on the tower as well. They don't hang very low on my '06 FCT and I'm 6'0 and clear the speakers fine. From the looks of the Wetsounds 485 you should be okay as well. Honestly, both are great speakers from great companies with excellent customer service. You really can't go wrong with either. Power them correctly and you'll be a happy camper.

Why did I go with NVS you may ask? Seriously, just to be different. Wetsounds speakers are found on every boat, (for good reason, it's a quality product), but I just wanted to go with something different. Plus, the 10 inch drivers look sick.

[Mikeski]

Good thread. I would say either way you will probably be happy in the end. I have 485's and my buddy has Prodigy's and we are both very happy. Don't underestimate the potential of the 6x9 wetsounds drop ins. They utilize the same horn as the pro 80's and pro 60's so you will surely hear them quite well at the end of the rope. Will they be as full as a Prodigy or 485? No but it will still be a night and day difference to what you have now.

Keep in mind all of the speakers mentioned here are designed to project sound to the rider, not bring music from the rear deck of a car forward 5' to the ears of the passengers inside a closed space.