2023 G23 tower speakers

[Laketexoma]

I just placed my order for a G23. I ordered the upgraded stereo, but could not justify buying their tower speakers at 5k.
I also decided to pass on the tower prep option. When looking at the prep option is came with a 8 channel jl amp for 2k.i will only be running 2 tower speakers and could not justify having 4 channels not being used (if I decided to bridge half of the amp). So this now brings me to a decision on what tower speakers to run. I like the wetsounds equipment and the kicker equipment. We live on a lake, so all we do is surf (no party cove lol). What have you'll run and how did you like it?

[NautiqueJeff]

You should look hard at the Roswell R1 Pro tower speakers. They are hard to beat.

[Laketexoma]

Thanks. I'll check them out.

[MLA]

If you want to mount to the factory locations, it will be a short list or you will be having adaptors custom fabricated for, for example, the Kicker KMF11.

If I was going to do a true HLCD, id go with the larger 9, 10, 11 or 12 inch. Much better mid-bass. The Roswell R1 8 falls in the middle of an 8" dome tweeter and HLCD. Louder then a dome tweeter, but a more rapid dispersion of sound then a true HLCD that has a longer horn flare. Very good sound for an 8". Rockford released a 10" HLCD, but I have not heard in person. (thanks hurricane Ian for canceling IBEX) and I dont know what adapters they may offer.

[Laketexoma]

I was hoping to be able to use the original mount location. I don't want to do clamps on the tower.

[xrichard]

I went through a similar process with my 2023 G23 and also felt like I was wasting a bit of money on an 8 channel amp when all I wanted to run was a single pair. Long story short, installing after market gear is relatively easy because the wiring to the tower speakers is complete and the existing amp has a 4 port fused distribution block (and a negative terminal block) on the panel to which the existing amp is mounted (though that stuff is on the back side, so you get to it by pulling off the vertical cushion in the bow seating area). The zones are controlled by the JL headunit and are turned on in the LINC menu through the dealer settings section.

A couple of things I'd look at:

1. the boat includes the JL MVi hub which lets you tune all of your JL MVi amps through one connection--not necessary, but nice. Also, the MVi amps let you tune through the TUN program from JL. That's super nice. The appropriate amp for you, if you want those features, is the MV400/4i at a little over $1000. I'm thinking about moving to that amp (though I didn't install it as I had a solid amp laying around and figured I'd try it out first). The downside of the MV400/4i is it's 200wx2 at 4ohm bridged, which is slightly on the light side for Rev10s. But keep in mind that JL output ratings are typically conservative and their amps are high quality.

2. I went with the factory JL 8.8 speakers after buying the boat. The JLs sound great--IMHO, smaller and as good or better than Rev10 near-distance and moderate volume (e.g. hanging out in a cove, in the boat, etc). Not sure about surfing as I haven't tried it. At wakeboarding speeds and distances, my opinion is that the Wetsounds are way better...but nothing sounds great at wakeboarding speeds.

FWIW, I've had multiple full Wetsounds installs in my last two boats, so I'm very familiar with how Wetsounds performs and less familiar with the JLs since I just got them and have only ridden a couple of times with them on a friend's boat. I originally planned on a complete Wetsounds setup, but ending up changing my mind after I took delivery of the boat.

You can also get the downlights on the JL speakers--nice and also prewired from the factory. A friend bought the non-nautique version of the JL 8.8 and had mounts printed for them at a reasonable price. I opted to order the speakers from my boat dealer and paid a bit more to get the factory mounting brackets and the downlights already installed (...the downlights are a part you can purchase from JL or a dealer if you don't buy the Nautique version).

One last thing: if you fold your tower, you'll want to make sure your tower speakers don't interfere and press on your rear sun deck upholstery. The JLs don't--not sure about any of the Wetsounds models. That was a concern for me.

[bird_dog0347]

Congrats on the order for the new boat! I can say that the JL system sounds amazing and came stock on the Paragon so I wouldn't hesitate to suggest getting some JL speakers and amps. Scream Marine is right there close to Buxton and could help you pick out a system and give you a cost... You might want to check with them first before deciding not to do the factory stuff as the cost might not be much cheaper unless you're planning to do all the labor yourself?

Also, we keep ours up at Texoma too on the TX side, if you see a blue and white paragon usually just west of Highport area that's us.

[Laketexoma]

Thanks for all the help. I did order the jl audio mv 600/2i. I wanted to stay with matching amplifiers. I'll talk to scream marine about what tower speakers they suggest. Might have them just run up to Buxton's and put some on.

I did like the Nautique tower speakers. They were cool and sounded great. The only issue I had with them is when taking a test drive (in rough water) the bottom pannel came flying off. It is only held on with plastic velcro. I was told that they have lost a few while trailering the boats. I don't want to have to worry about that happening to me (I'm sure that piece is not cheap to replace).

Thanks for all of your advice!!

[Laketexoma]

Congrats on the order for the new boat! I can say that the JL system sounds amazing and came stock on the Paragon so I wouldn't hesitate to suggest getting some JL speakers and amps. Scream Marine is right there close to Buxton and could help you pick out a system and give you a cost... You might want to check with them first before deciding not to do the factory stuff as the cost might not be much cheaper unless you're planning to do all the labor yourself?

Also, we keep ours up at Texoma too on the TX side, if you see a blue and white paragon usually just west of Highport area that's us.

We are located down little mineral cove (south of grandpappys). We live water front and have a ramp in the back yard so we hardly venture out.