Tower Speaker Options

[jslipher]

I'm considering a boat that only has the smaller tower speakers mounted the side of the tower that come as one of the factory options? Are these speakers any good and do they push some good sound back to the rider or do you recommend adding additional tower speakers mounted under the center of the tower? If upgrade is the way to go which brand is preferable Wetsounds, Exile, or JL Audio? Thanks!

[swatguy]

Here comes the can of worms


What are you looking for the speakers to do..........more for surf/party cove or more priority to get to wake range while riders are Wakeboarding. What boat model and year do you have so we. An get an idea of what's up there.

[MLA]

To start, I would not add to existing speakers unless you can match them. 2nd, you need to know exactly what they are and what they are capable of. If your goal is wake range projection, then adding a 2nd pair of 6.5" coaxial speakers, will not be worth while. If your goal is surf and party cove listening, then yes, adding a 2nd identical pair with solid amp power, can get the job done.

No need to talk brands just yet. First figure what type of speaker setup you need, then you can discuss whats offered and their differences.

[jslipher]

I'm not sure which model the existing ones are. I've been looking at 2011 Sport 200s and these speakers come installed a s one of the audio packages that Nautique offered. They are smaller and always installed on the side of the tower. We are more interested in hearing them well behind the boat while wakeboarding or skiing.

[MLA]

I would suggest going with a Horn Loaded Compression Driver (HLCD) such as the Wet Sounds 8" Rev-8 or 10" Rev-10. JL does not offer an HLCD. An 8" HLCD will give you solid wake range projection and good near-field sound quality, where as a 10" HLCD will give commanding wake range projection and even fuller more balanced sound quality near-field. With either option, im willing to bet that an amp upgrade will also be needed.