Wet Sound Rev8's
 

Just had 2 wetsound rev8's installed. running off of a Rockford amp. just threw down close to 3 g's for it. First time out last weekend with the new system installed. What a disappointment to say the least. Really clear but could barely hear them while surfing behind the boat. After hearing so much praise about these speakers and I am fairly sure I blew them the first time out turning them up. Any opinions on these speakers or did I go the wrong route for speakers or should I add more speakers. We only surf on our boat. I could see these speakers being really good for wakeboarding

What amp are you running, who installed the system, and is it properly tuned. For surfing I would have probably gone with the Icons from wet sounds. Two rev 8's properly powered and tuned will be very,very loud when cranked up especially at wake surf distance.

Local shop did a great install. I provided the amp. Rockford Punch P450.

I know it's not a mono amp but would it really make that much difference?

I could of ducked taped a Walkman to the back of my boat and it would of been louder. Everyone can hear it at their vehicles I am told... But that don't do shi t for me while I am surfing

I am hoping the amp is the problem and I can just swap it out... :)

clarify- Rockford punch p325.1 and it is a mono amp

WAY underpowered, that installer should never have installed that. I know the customer is always right, but in this instance that amps has to go.

Really. That's what I was thinking because my wetsound interior speakers are really good and they are on the cheap side forsure.

Here is the info on the amp.

AMP

Product Identifiers
Brand Rockford Fosgate
Model Punch P325.1
MPN P325.1
UPC 780687323462


Key Features
Amplifier Type Mono Channel
Channels Mono
Bridgeable Not Bridgable
RMS Power at 2 Ohms 325 W x 1
RMS Power at 4 Ohms 175 W x 1


Performance
Frequency Response 20 Hz - 20 Hz
Signal to Noise Ratio 80 dB


Crossover / Equalizer
Bass Boost With Bass Boost
High - Pass Frequency 40 Hz - 400 Hz
Low - Pass Frequency 40 Hz - 400 Hz


Technical Features
MOSFET Circuitry No
3 Way Ready No


Dimensions
Width 11 in.
Height 2.1 in.

Speakers

Description Value Downloads (in PDF format)
Impedance: 4 ohms PDF Revolution User Manual

RMS Watts: 200
PEAK Watts: 400
Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20KHZ
Sensitivity: 92 db at 1watt/1 meter
Mid Bass: 8 inch Kevlar reinforced EFG™ cone woofers with polyurethane surround.

High Frequency: Pro-Axial™ Driver - Coaxially mounted Titanium Diaphragm High Output Horn Loaded Compression Driver

Size & Weight
Front-Back: 11 1/2" (292.10mm)
Hang Height 9 9/16" (242.88mm)
Width: 8 3/4" (222.25mm)
Hang Weight: 12.8 pounds / 5.80 kg each
Note: All specifications are for each REV8 enclosure

Those speakers will take 300 watts easily, those speaker need power. That amp is just not the right one for that application.
An arc 600.2, maybe a wetsounds SD2 would be a much better choice.

All the blame on the speaker, wow! Is that mono amp even suitable for a full range application?

Read the post. The amp is assumed to be the problem or wrong application. Don't see were the speakers were blamed?:confused:

That's what I thought. I will look into a different amp. Thanks :D

Ypu should reread your own opening post, its full is displeasure about the speakers.

Can't read what you just wrote... But clearly you are winning

The KS600.2 or SD-2 would way more amp than a single pair of Rev-8 would need. Id look into the Syn-2 or HT-4 from the wet Sounds stable or the Arc Xdi600.4

The Arc looks like a good amp. Looks like you can bridge it if you need more power. I will look into it. Thanks Mike

2 chnl mode is exactly how I would suggest running both the HT-4 or the XDi600.4. Both will deliver 300W x 2.

Although that is less power than these speakers deserve, having too little power really doesn't increase your ability to blow speakers. Power, in one form or another, is truly what thermally damages speakers....melts enamel coatings, burns voice coils, etc. Voice coil size is the first determination of power handling. And the Rev8 has as large of a voice coil as you will see, in fact larger than other 8-inch HLCDs. Driving an amplifier into hard clipping will enable the amplifier to deliver far more continuous power than the amplifier is rated for.
The other potential cause for speaker damage is mechanical where you tear up braided VC leads, tear spiders, and damage bonds through too much excursion or mechanical stress. You can only displace so much air in a .15 cu.ft. pod before you hit the wall. It's a tower speaker made to project and not a subwoofer made to go low or made for 1-inch peak to peak excursions.
Whether one pair of 8-inch HLCDs at wake range is enough is debatable (I don't think it's enough) but there is no doubt that one pair of these speakers is more than plenty for surf range.
It's got to be a) the worst possible job of set-up and tuning, or b) flat out abuse whether by use of equalization, crappy downloads, too much volume, etc. I have no idea how you could blow these speakers without the distortion being blatantly obvious, especially at near field. How is it that no one detected the speakers sounding totally hammered long before they blew???

I looked into that amplifier. Looks really cheap. Looks like it could be a stereo Class AB amplifier that is internally bridged to arrive at the monoblock designation. 162.5 watts max per each of two speakers. That's half of what many people run on the Rev8s without issue. I've seen the Rev8 run with 750 watts each on display for a year or two without failure....but they were not abused.
325 total watts at 14.4 volt supply at 1 kHz. Drop about 25 to 30% of that at a 12.5 volt supply. Drop another 15% when driven across the entire audio bandwidth. Lucky to be running 120 watts to each speaker real world.
Hopefully they are highpassed at 100 Hz or higher, especially with such low power. Hopefully the bass boost has NOT been used. Hopefully they didn't wire the amplifier in some weird scheme to protect it from thermal shutdown. Hopefully there is adequate supply wire. The recommended 8-gauge might be fine over a very short length. That's the short list.

I am assuming they are blown. Probably not though. Rockford amps are very under rated power wise ect and are excellent amps. I would totally agree with the opinion thay 2 REV8s might not be enough for wakeboarding. Its the end of the season and I will try adding 2 more 8's over the winter and install a different amp. I'm just extremely picky when it comes too stuff like this and won't be satisfied tell it's absolutely perfect. It has a long way to go but wetsound seems to have some solid stereo equipment. I will have to try a couple of their speakers out to get it dialed in.

If you want "perfect" get a good amp, you don't have that now.

^^My thoughts exactly!!

I'm still trying to figure out where you spent "3g's".

And to clarify, you're first post was about how disappointed you were in the SPEAKERS, not your poor system design.

You're post: "First time out last weekend with the new system installed. What a disappointment to say the least. Really clear but could barely hear them while surfing behind the boat. After hearing so much praise about these speakers and I am fairly sure I blew them the first time out turning them up. Any opinions on these speakers or did I go the wrong route for speakers or should I add more speakers"

speakerspeakerspeaker. disappointed because you couldn't hear the speaker. "did I go the wrong route for speakers"

Canada pricing. Different from the US. Speakers costed 1500 alone without the leds. Add installation material and price of the amp. Also add the mounting brackets at 250 plus taxes @ 12%. Not to hard to get upto 3k. Ya ya I know I probably could of gotten this stuff cheaper.

And yes I am not satisfied with the speakers as is. As stated. Thats my opinion and I guess my standards are higher than yours. That's just my opinion. I was asking an opinion of what people think of them being used when surfing. From my experience changing out the current rockford amp to a different amp won't make too much of a difference. It will make a difference though I will admit. I know allot of manufacturers over rate their equipment. Wetsounds seems too be accurately rated. Rockford has been a solid manufacture for their ratings. Amp wise atleast. I will however be swapping it out.

^^^So awesome...equivalent of dude buying 1600.00 golf irons and hitting plastic balls and being unhappy, but safely having a poor "opinion" of the irons.....get real bro.

Cool story Bra :p

Edit:I forgot you were a northerner..should have said 'get real buddy, fella, and or guy' my mistake.

I wouldn't be satisfied either, but it's not the speakers fault.

And "it won't make a difference but it will make a difference" - wow.

I don't have low standards, I just think you ****ed up when you put a ****ty amp on speakers that clearly need power. Go back to the drawing board on your amp choice. As an installer, I never would have sold you a pair of rev8's had I known you'd power them with that junk. A wet sounds syn4 would be the first choice which will put 300w per can on them.

I think he should do what his gut was telling him in his original post... Any opinions on these speakers or did I go the wrong route for speakers or should I add more speakers. Running two MORE revs would get you a whopping 40ish watts rms per rev...I think that's a no-brainer pal

Dammm u guys a bunch of straight up too the point aholes..... absolutely love it.. fuc k it. I go buy a wet sound amp this week and report back.

And this reply wasn't assholish?

Hey MATT, you may not realize this but, ever since your first post, you've come across as a total douche. Maybe you're an okay guy who just wants to be educated but you've been kind of rude to most posters here. First, YOU screwed up by not asking questions BEFORE you made your poor purchasing/install decisions. Second, you come on here bashing a known, proven brand. Everyone here knows its you that's the problem. Don't be a Richard.

Absolutely. ... never said I wasn't. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise

;)

I hope he at least has a poor excuse of being drunk. On top of that, his English and grammar are embarrassing to him. His critisism of others' English and grammar are so ironic. He's the pot calling the kettle black.

Matt, that should be straight up and to the point enough eh?

Really starting with the ehhh... hater...

OK me go back school

Okay. Back on point. To the OP: You should have all the speaker you need for surfing if your expectations are reasonable. But you need better quality power. A bridged Syn4 is a bit of excess but would still be my choice. And I like the configuration switches and the detailed manual so you can't screw up bridging. That is only the beginning of getting the right performance. Good program material. Good input voltage. 4-gauge primary supply. Correct crossover and gain settings. No EQ or bass boost at higher listening levels. A little education on usage. It's a big investment. Take good care of your possessions.

Matt,

Would the Rev-8 be my 1st choice for a dedicated surf speaker, no, but on the flip side, you did not make a poor speaker choice. Wattage aside, I think the bulk of your displeasure in the system, is either amp tuning or that mono amp just isn't cut out to actually run full range. Get a quality amp, and one with proper output, get it setup, configured and tuned correctly, and you will see what the speakers have to offer.

If you want an inexpensive amp for those speakers a lot of folks on here (including myself) is running the Precision Power PPi900.4 amp powering a set of Rev-8's.

in 2-channel mode- it works flawlessly.

Just another suggestion for an amp under $200