JL M Series vs Wetsounds xs 650s

[jchamlin]

I know there are plenty of threads here and ww but I haven't seen any comments about how the sound compares while under way. I've heard both (in stores) but not been able to demo side by side or even been able to demo on the water. People describe the jl's as very linear and that seemed accurate based on my listening experience. No matter how loud, it was very clear and nothing seemed out of balance. Demoing the wetsounds, they sounded great, but I felt the sound may have been a little bright, based on my listening preferences.

The wetsounds are less expensive by a fair margin and handle more power and I know people love em. There is no stem going through the woofer cone, where I think the JL does (not sure how much that really matters). I'm wondering if the sounds balances out with the boat moving and all the wind blowing by, i.e., the brightness is better to cut through the wind. I imagine a good sub helps balance it out too.

Can anyone with first hand experience provide some input?

[David Analog]

I have extensive experience with both speakers, in an optimized sound room side by side, plus in countless boats as part of major systems.
Some of what you wrote is accurate and some of it is not.
Power handling is rated differently but these are unqualified specs. You don't know all the conditions and standards applied by both. It's impossible to compare specs outside of a brand, and brand to brand. In truth, the power handling is similar. I've heard both driven by 200 watts per speaker for demonstration purposes, which allowed you to hear only the speaker abilities and took the amplifier out of the equation.

You don't want the JL Audio M series 6.5". You would be better served by the MX650. The M has a larger dome tweeter while the MX has a larger midbass cone surface area. On balance, in a 6.5" speaker, I'll take more midbass cone. The tweeter is balanced in either case and in both models has a low resonance soft dome with a 2nd order highpass versus a 1st order found in virtually every other coaxial. You are not losing anything with the MX650....but you gain surface area....not a great deal....but it's a difference. What I'm sharing only applies to the 6.5". In the case of the 7.7", the M series is better than the MX across the board.
Yes, IMO, the JL Audio is the most linear and smooth 6.5" available. In musical accuracy, it holds an advantage at rest and near field.

The Wetsounds is voiced hotter on the tweeter and has a bit more of an erratic response if you are getting ultra picky. Versus countless other coaxials, it has no holes. IMO, it's a well balanced speaker. The extra tweeter brillance on the Wetsounds gives a boost to the upper harmonics and makes everything sound a bit more distinctive. The little extra tweeter kick also helps overcome the wind and engine noise when underway. The XS650 does not sound the least bit aggressive when you are moving across the water.

Both have the best possible marine construction.
Both have great midbass.
In no particular order, these are the two best options out there by a country mile. Pick either for a win.
I have the advantage of hearing both under the best of conditions so I'm not influenced by bad execution, bad supporting equipment or poor tuning.
Some will like the euro soft dome sound based on the music they play, especially with heavy vocal content. Some will like the slight emphasis of the hard dome based on their favorite music selections. Familiarity, previous experience and past exposure does create bias. We like what we know. So you can't completely remove subjectivity from how something sounds. I'm just trying to give you as much objective information as I can.

[jrz1]

I'm not even shopping but that was a great post David. I can almost hear the difference now.

[ski4evr]

I have the mx's and two of the jl 10" subs (one sealed and one IB). Pushing 75w rms to each mx and 300 rms to the subs. Unbelievable sound! Best system in the house. Hard to believe the quality of the JL equipment. Not knocking the WS equipment, have two pro 80's on the tower, but very impressed with the cockpit sound. I routinely get slapped on the back to get my attention because no one can get my attention yelling at me while cranked up.

[vision]

Personal preference.

The JLs sound much fuller with more harmonics than the WS to my ear, at nearly every volume level, at rest and at 25mph.

On a side note, I would suggest the best way to improve the sound of your stereo while under way is to install a Fresh Air Exhaust.

[jchamlin]

Yeah, David, that post was pretty amazing. Interesting about the JL M vs MX in the 6.5. I'll probably be doing 150 watts RMS. I think you said you've had the M series on 200 watts, but can the MX series handle that too? Also interesting to hear your real world comparison between the M and MX series, and the 2X price difference between the two.

Thanks for the input everyone. I started this thread because (the boat needs a new stereo) but also because I had just bought some Definitive Technology outdoor speakers for my Dad for his birthday and tested them against some outdoor Boston Acoustics I already had. Similar scenario here. The Defs have a hard dome metal tweeter (like the wetsounds) and the BA's have a soft dome (like the JL's). I listened back and forth at least an hour to all sorts of music and ended up liking the BA's better because I felt the sound was more balanced and I could hear more of the music coming through.

My instincts are telling me to go with the JL's but some part of me is also very drawn to the wetsounds. Decisions, decisions.

[David Analog]

Actually it was the MX 6.5" that was on the 200 watts. It was in a soundroom and ran that way for several years without a failure from either the JL or the WS. You just don't have much room for abuse in that scenario.
Two different sounds. But you can't go wrong if you stay with one of those two.