Wetsounds Rev 8's or 10's

Just looking to put one pair on the tower. I assume the SQ is the same but just more DB's with the 10's? Opinions on if the extra output is worth the extra $200?

Good amp pairing?

Rev10 has warmer SQ and will be louder than the Rev8.

Good amp pairing:
- Arc audio KS300.4
- Wetsounds Syn4
- Wetsounds SD2
Im sure there are others. As long as you push at least 350w/ch you're good

The Rev10s are on a whole other level...

If your looking to get the rev 8s, I have a brand new set that came on my new boat with swivel clamps that I might be willing to sell (hadnt thought about it till now). It came with 4 on the tower and I already had two from my last boat. Never been used. Pm me if interested. Both sizes sound amazing!

if you can get the 8s at a discount that's what I would do!

Comparing retail to retail: If budget for the Rev-10 and an amp to drive them are not an issue, the larger 10" is absolutely worth the cost difference. More output and deeper mid-bass extension equals more balanced sound quality.

Originally Posted by eubanks01

Just looking to put one pair on the tower. I assume the SQ is the same but just more DB's with the 10's? Opinions on if the extra output is worth the extra $200?

Good amp pairing?

I feel like there is enough difference in output between the Rev8 and Rev10 that a single pair of Rev10s substantially increase the likelihood that a single pair will satisfy you for the long term and that you will be finished with your tower.

The swivel collars are a nice addition in that they enable you to raise the angle of the speakers to project farther out and parallel with the water level as the boat is squatted when pulling. This also serves to elevate the hottest portion of the speaker's output over the head of the rear occupants. A very nice feature

The Wetsounds SD2 is a great amplifier for a single pair of Rev10s, good for two pair of Rev10s, and perfect for two pair of Rev8s. Maybe a bit much for a single pair of Rev8s.
For a single pair of Rev10s you have the Wetsounds Syn4 bridged, Wetsounds SD2, and the JL Audio HD750/1 as good choices. Only the SD2 would be adequate to power a second pair of Rev10s.

If I am going to use a fan-cooled amplifier in a marine environment I would prefer it is conformal coated so you are not constantly pouring moist air over a raw circuit board, not to mention an open chassis. For that reason in a Class H amplifier I would stay with the Wetsounds brand and pay a little more. This doesn't apply to the closed Class D chassis of the WS SD2 and JL HD750/1.

Ok, I think I am sold on the 10's. Guy in front of me had a single pair on his Malibu yesterday and played me a quick demo. They are sick!

Place I am looking at to do the install does JL. So the 750/1 seems to be the best pairing?

Originally Posted by eubanks01

Ok, I think I am sold on the 10's. Guy in front of me had a single pair on his Malibu yesterday and played me a quick demo. They are sick!

Place I am looking at to do the install does JL. So the 750/1 seems to be the best pairing?

Whether or not it is the 'best' pairing could be debated into the ground. Certainly Wetsounds has several great offerings as mentioned above. But specific to the JL Audio....
The JL Audio HD750/1 is a great combo with a single pair of Rev10s because....
The HD750/1 is strictly regulated on both the power supply and output sections. This means that the thermal performance is stable over a broad range of speaker impedance loads. Power remains the same regardless of the impedance load. All audio components operate within their ideal supply voltage and ideal sonic window. The HD750/1 will equal or exceed its rated power with any realistic supply voltage (and not just at 14.4 volts which you cannot generate) and produce its full rated power across its entire audio bandwidth (and not just at one frequency). It will give the Rev10s (one pair) all the power they can handle.
The JL Audio HD750/1 is an analog switching Class D amplifier. Class D gives you maximum efficiency with minimum current draw. The switching frequency is more than 20 times faster than the highest audible frequency. The single cycle feedback loop is proprietary to JL Audio other than its use in some very good home audio equipment. Hard to get anything as clean as the HD series.

i'm running my 10s on a 750/1 and have no complaints whatsoever, if that helps any!

Wow, thanks David for the response.

Were you with EM Lewisville or Plano? I'm checking out Auto Sound and EM in Lewisville this week.

I just found that my 10w3v2 is toast as well. I guess I'll be looking into another JL 10.

Originally Posted by eubanks01

Wow, thanks David for the response.

Were you with EM Lewisville or Plano? I'm checking out Auto Sound and EM in Lewisville this week.

I just found that my 10w3v2 is toast as well. I guess I'll be looking into another JL 10.

Retired from the industry just one year ago. Until then I worked with Earmark Car Audio and Earmark Marine since 1980.
The number one cause for a toasted woofer is that it had a cheap enclosure that lost its airtight integrity a very long time ago. Plus, if it was tuned wrong (often the case) it would work itself to death with over-excursion yet under-produce in output. I could be wrong but I would strongly recommend that you check the box out in depth and don't put a new woofer in a bad box. Joe at the Lewisville EM has forgotten more than most people know about audio. He will get you on the right path.

Thanks all and Thanks David. I visit Joe yesterday and talked throught the system. Nice guy and very knowledgeable. What I'm thinking...

Wetsounds Rev 10's with Swivel Mount
Wetsounds Syn 4
Wetsounds 420BT (if they ever get another shipment)
JL 10w3

Excited to get it done if all the numbers work out. Thanks again!

Originally Posted by eubanks01

Thanks all and Thanks David. I visit Joe yesterday and talked throught the system. Nice guy and very knowledgeable. What I'm thinking...

Wetsounds Rev 10's with Swivel Mount
Wetsounds Syn 4
Wetsounds 420BT (if they ever get another shipment)
JL 10w3

Excited to get it done if all the numbers work out. Thanks again!

That's good to hear and I hope everything works out. I like the selection.
Definitely have them take a close look at the existing sub enclosure. And have them re-tune the entire system. You'll see a major upgrade from that alone.

Definitley getting a new rhino lined enclosure. Very expensive but I'm sure my old carpeted box is toast. It was never elevated and it looks pretty poor at this point.

Since the OP decided to go with a SYN 4 for the REV 10s this is kind of a moot point but may be helpful to others in the future. I remember reading not to long ago how JL switched the frequency range from full to just "wide" on the 750/1 making it not so ideal for a full range speaker like the REV 10. Here's a clip from JL website.


You see how it says wide range on the 750/1 and full range on the 600/4. Was this ever tested to see if it impacted the performance of the REVs? I know the older generation 750/1 used to say full range.

Originally Posted by cal2vin

Since the OP decided to go with a SYN 4 for the REV 10s this is kind of a moot point but may be helpful to others in the future. I remember reading not to long ago how JL switched the frequency range from full to just "wide" on the 750/1 making it not so ideal for a full range speaker like the REV 10. Here's a clip from JL website.


You see how it says wide range on the 750/1 and full range on the 600/4. Was this ever tested to see if it impacted the performance of the REVs? I know the older generation 750/1 used to say full range.

That is a very good point but still a total non-issue on the tower.
JL Audio is ultra conservative so they changed the language to cover any possible criticism. A big company has to be careful where no one is going after a small company.
The actual tests on the new version of the HD750/1 shows a nearly flat response to 20 kHz @ 4-ohms with a 2 dB greater roll-off @ 2-ohms.
Now you, or anyone, can't hear to 20 kHz with even a whisper of wind or even any minor level of ambient noise and probably not unless you are a 12 year old girl.
And an HLCD with a 1.5" to 1.75" tweeter VC and diaphragm loading into a compression chamber with the correlating phase issue certainly will not play flat to 20 kHz.
In a showroom no one could hear the difference between an HD750/1 and a HD600/4 on an HLCD, let alone out on a lake.
In an objective DIY test you can take a 1 KHz and 15 kHz 0dB test tone and measure the output voltage as being virtually identical when converted to decibels.
Would I use the HD750/1 fullrange in a super quiet luxury car with $1000 a pair Focal, JL Audio, Audison, etc. component speakers? No. On a tower of a towboat? In a New York minute.

Ahhh OK I see now. I knew that it had been brought up somewhere, but I hadn't heard any actual follow up

Thanks guys.

I'm actually still open to the JL 750 but I don't know if the extra $100 is really worth it over the Syn 4. I'm all ears to the debate, but I'm not sure I am going to tell a difference between the two.

Originally Posted by eubanks01

Thanks guys.

I'm actually still open to the JL 750 but I don't know if the extra $100 is really worth it over the Syn 4. I'm all ears to the debate, but I'm not sure I am going to tell a difference between the two.

There are many beefy subwoofers driven very well by 400 watts. And this is not a subwoofer by any means. It is a lighter, broader bandwidth, more sensitive, mid/woofer, just a really big one. So a bridged Wetsounds Syn4 really powers a pair of Rev10s very well. In fact, it is the most common packaging. Never heard a complaint.

Past that I would put that $100 to work on a better sub enclosure and professional system tune.

Past that I would put that $100 to work on a better sub enclosure and professional system tune.

That's the plan as Joe is doing both my enclose and install. :-)

Last thing I'm debating...if it's worth trying to fit a 12w3 under the helm instead of my existing 10w3. I think it might be a tight fit and don't know if the extra gains is worth the trouble. thoughts?

Originally Posted by eubanks01

That's the plan as Joe is doing both my enclose and install. :-)

Last thing I'm debating...if it's worth trying to fit a 12w3 under the helm instead of my existing 10w3. I think it might be a tight fit and don't know if the extra gains is worth the trouble. thoughts?

It's absolutely worth it!!! If we are talking a sealed enclosure then there is not a monumental difference in price between the drivers of the same series or the enclosure. And a 12-inch sealed enclosure is not too tough of a fit in your boat. But in an open air boat, surface area rules. I'm not a basshead and I like super clean bass. The larger woofer doesn't need to travel as far. The woofer that works the least always sounds the best. Plus, you have a couple of big HLCDs to keep pace with now. Never a good time to retro it later.

Do you not suggest a ported enclosure? That is the route I was going.

Originally Posted by eubanks01

Do you not suggest a ported enclosure? That is the route I was going.

Well, a ported 12-inch would definitely change things. I can't speak for Joe. But I would think that a bass-reflex 12-inch enclosure would have to be more complex in shape and far more expensive. It would also change your façade situation which would add cost.
Back to the 10 and 12-inch comparison. A bass-reflex 10-inch is absolutely in the same game with a sealed 12-inch of the same series. So maybe you were already on the correct path if you guys where speaking a bass-reflex 10". My previous comments were comparing the two sizes IF, if the loading is the same, whether that is sealed or ported.
You're in great hands with Joe, his audio knowledge is off the charts, so let him go into the nano details with you on what fits for you the best.

Sounds good David. You both have great things to say about each other which is awesome.

I thought most were putting these JL subs in a ported enclosure, but I will talk to Joe about differences between the two options. Thanks!

Originally Posted by eubanks01

Sounds good David. You both have great things to say about each other which is awesome.

I thought most were putting these JL subs in a ported enclosure, but I will talk to Joe about differences between the two options. Thanks!

What I say about Joe is genuine. I pay Joe to say great things about me.