Horns or 6X9s?

[Jeb1974]

Hello all,
I'm super excited to say I put a deposit down on a G23 on the weekend and was looking for some advice on the tower speakers. We have a deposit on one with the HLCDs but there is another one that we're looking at that has the 6X9s. Does anyone have any experience as to which is better for wakeboarding and surfing? We're getting the boat primarily for wakeboarding although music seems to be more noticeable and important when surfing (probably cause it doesn't take much concentration. haha, kidding)

I'm coming from an older Centurion that had Exile XM9s that worked just fine for both.

Cheers.

[MLA]

Assuming the 6x9 is a traditional coax and without knowing which HLCD, take it with a grain of salt. An HLCD is going to give you the wake range projection, but could sacrifice some sound quality near field as compared to a coaxial. The 6x9 coaxial could be the better for surfing sound quality wise, but will struggle at wake range.

The XM9 is an 8" HLCD just to give you some perspective. A larger HLCD, like the Wet Sounds 10" Rev-10, is going to yield the best of both worlds.

[Jeb1974]

Thanks. They are Focal 6X9 coax. I understand the difference between coax and horns but looking for some feedback from someone who has heard both (or has one or the other and how they like them). For those of your who have the 6X9s, how do they sound when wakeboarding?

Thanks

[NautiqueJeff]

I had the prototypes for those Focals on my boat last year. They are cool because the tweeter is directional, meaning you can twist it so that it sends sound out to the sides if you want it to. As said above, they sound great when close to the boat. Better than the horns for sure. They struggle to get sound out to wakeboarders though.

Consider dropping the factory tower speakers and going with the Wet Sounds as noted above, or do what I did and put a pair of Roswell Neptunes on there. They sound incredible, and have no issues getting sound out to the rider.

[Jeb1974]

I had the prototypes for those Focals on my boat last year. They are cool because the tweeter is directional, meaning you can twist it so that it sends sound out to the sides if you want it to. As said above, they sound great when close to the boat. Better than the horns for sure. They struggle to get sound out to wakeboarders though.

Consider dropping the factory tower speakers and going with the Wet Sounds as noted above, or do what I did and put a pair of Roswell Neptunes on there. They sound incredible, and have no issues getting sound out to the rider.

Good info, thx.

I live up in Canada and am exposed to the exchange rate which has moved a lot in the last few months. The boats they have on the lot are based on the price they came in at and most are about 10% less than ordering a new one.

Even boats in their inventory vary up to 3% based on when they came across. It's cheaper to just buy new speaker but somehow it doesn't seem right to have to change speakers on a $100K+ boat. haha.

[jonsquatch]

Forget the speakers and buy the boat you like the best. It doesn't seem right to spend a couple grand upgrading the factory system, especially when you buy on that has already had the couple of grand upgraded system put in it, its called cognitive dissonance. However, having 2 of the factory HLCD's (which are only a 6.5") on my boat, I wouldn't spend extra to get the boat with HLCD's unless aesthetics are more important than function. With the 4 6x9s you can almost make out the music at wakeboard length, with 2 of the factory HLCD's and amp you can make out the lyrics pretty well and get most of the highs, with a set of Rev 10's and a proper amp the rider at wakeboard length in the boat following you can hear the music loud and clear.

[Jeb1974]

Forget the speakers and buy the boat you like the best. It doesn't seem right to spend a couple grand upgrading the factory system, especially when you buy on that has already had the couple of grand upgraded system put in it, its called cognitive dissonance. However, having 2 of the factory HLCD's (which are only a 6.5") on my boat, I wouldn't spend extra to get the boat with HLCD's unless aesthetics are more important than function. With the 4 6x9s you can almost make out the music at wakeboard length, with 2 of the factory HLCD's and amp you can make out the lyrics pretty well and get most of the highs, with a set of Rev 10's and a proper amp the rider at wakeboard length in the boat following you can hear the music loud and clear.

The one boat has 4 HCLDs. Think that would be enough for boarding?

Here's the differences between the two boats. Exteriors are very similar and I'm indifferent. All other options are the same.
Boat 1 - Has the 6X9's and has the grey color flooring with primarily white interior. (I prefer these colors) It's also $2K less.
Boat 2 - Has the HLCDs and has the teak color flooring with primarily grey interior (My wife prefers these colors)

This might actually be moot if my wife decides to get what she wants. haha. Kidding......I wear the pants in this relationship.......hope she doesn't read this.

[swatguy]

Quite honestly it's a trade off. Unless you opt out of your choices and go Wetsounds Rev series( they will give you quality SQ near and far)choosing the 6x9 or the HLCD will be at a disadvantage to one of you're uses. The 6x9 better for the near field the HLCD better for boarding. I can't comment directly on the Neptunes , but have heard good things about them.

You stated you are primarily buying the boat for wakeboarding. Easy decision. You're going to apprIciate the horns in that scenario for their projection. You can't make the 6x9's scream out to wake range, but you can lower the HLCD to listen at close range. So again makes the HLCD more useable for you.

One other thing no one mentioned that I think would help a ton in your case is adding the Wetsounds 420SQ equalizer. This will give you the ability to take some of the "sharpness" out of the HLCD's for the near field. It's a simple piece to install and well worth it's money for a situation like this

[jonsquatch]

All other things being equal I would take the 2 grand and just replace the 6x9's with Rev10's but you would probably be better off with the one with the HLCD's and keep the wife... otherwise it might be hard to keep the boat

With 4 of the Airbornes it should be fairly comparable to the XM9's in terms of overall loudness but a little more forward in the high range but the midrange just doesn't have the same kind of presence as a larger driver, especially with the horn throat blocking as much of it as it does.

[Jeb1974]

All other things being equal I would take the 2 grand and just replace the 6x9's with Rev10's but you would probably be better off with the one with the HLCD's and keep the wife... otherwise it might be hard to keep the boat

With 4 of the Airbornes it should be fairly comparable to the XM9's in terms of overall loudness but a little more forward in the high range but the midrange just doesn't have the same kind of presence as a larger driver, especially with the horn throat blocking as much of it as it does.

Thanks everyone. It took a bit of work but I finally convinced my wife to go for the boat with the 6X9s. If we don't like the 6X9s I'll swap them for 1 or 2 pairs of Rev10s.

[nyryan2001]

Jeb, reccomend you consider a set of Rev10s, and sell the horns. They will outperform all of the others, around $1100 with swivel clamps and your existing Polk Pa 4000.4. bridged will feed them a legit 400w x2 at 4ohms, perfect. Easy DIY job.

[Whitetail15]

Will the stock amp run 4 rev10's.
Or are you better off with just two

[MLA]

No, the OEM 4 chnl amp will not properly drive 2 pair of Rev-10, but it will a single pair. For 2 pair, I like the Wet Sounds SD-2.

A single pair is plenty for most, but if you want to take it to the next level, 2 pair is off the hook.

[Jeeper92]

What if you ran a pair of each as a compromise?

[MLA]

What if you ran a pair of each as a compromise?

The HLCD is likely going to dominate over the coaxial, as you turn up the volume. So the the return on the investment is small. A larger single pair of HLCD will give you the sound quality and projection.