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Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       03-19-2014, 10:36 AM Reply   
I have a 2010 Sante and looking to upgrade the stock audio to Wetsounds. I like the idea of the ICON8 speakers providing more mid-bass and giving a good sound in the boat, my concern is if I will be able to hear them at 75 feet.

Planning on upgrading my interiors to the XS-650s and hope my current amp will push them. 4x500

If the consensus is that I will be able to hear the ICON8s while boarding, will the SYN4 be the right amp to push them?

I am trying to accomplish this upgrade at a somewhat effective price. Jumping into the REV8s pushes me out of my budget a bit....... that said - will I be disappointed in the ICON8s?
Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       03-19-2014, 10:54 AM Reply   
BTW - I am planning on putting 4 of the Icons on the tower.

Thanks for your help!
Old     (chpthril)      Join Date: Oct 2007       03-19-2014, 11:08 AM Reply   
Syn-2 would deliver 175W rms to ea of the 4, where as the Syn-4 would deliver 125W rms. Less expensive to.

Your current 4 chnl would do fine for the in-boats.
Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       03-19-2014, 11:27 AM Reply   
Thank you for the help Mike!

How audible do you think the Icons will be at wakeboard distance?

I could 'sort of' hear my 4 stock Polk tower speakers while riding, I have to assume there will be a significant increase in audio with the Icons.
Old     (tn_rider)      Join Date: Dec 2009       03-19-2014, 11:41 AM Reply   
It will be an increase but not nearly as substantial as the jump to the Rev 8. IMO if your wanting mid bass, keep your stock towers for now and save to get rev 10's. You won't be disappointed. I almost got the 8's and I'm very glad I didn't now.
Old     (LYNRDSKYNRD)      Join Date: Sep 2012       03-19-2014, 11:48 AM Reply   
I second one pair of rev10's on a syn4. Should be roughly the same price as 2 pair of Icons.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
Old     (nautibouys)      Join Date: Aug 2010       03-19-2014, 12:04 PM Reply   
I haven't heard them directly so I can't comment from personal experience, but what Tim from Wet Sounds told me was you would be able to hear them, but they will lack the detail of a HLCD at that distance. The 1" Tweeter just isn't designed to throw that far, where an HLCD is. I am contemplating trying it however, as I have Pro 80's right now and they are just too much for anyone on the back of the boat....erratic as its defined...I would say too much treble. We are on a small lake so I am more concerned about being "that guy with the stereo" than having perfect sound 80 or 280' behind the boat. If the Icon's sound anything like the XS-650's with more bass they will sound sweet.
Old     (chpthril)      Join Date: Oct 2007       03-19-2014, 12:41 PM Reply   
At MSRP, a single pair of Rev-10FC and Syn-4 is less then 2 pair Icon8-FC and a Syn-2. So if you are looking to shave down the budget, there you have it with not sacrifice.
Old     (Midnightv10)      Join Date: Feb 2012       03-19-2014, 12:59 PM Reply   
If you want great sound in the boat and surfing go with the ICON's but if you want great sound at wakeboard distance go with the REV's

IMO the ICON's just don't cut it at 80'.... maybe with an FAE installed
Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       03-19-2014, 1:21 PM Reply   
I've thought about going with the Rev10s, but like the look of 4 tower speakers. Plus, on the FCT3 tower, I have the swivel speakers that are mounted directly to the tower on these jagged plates. Without a tower speaker using this space, I would have a hole.


https://wetsounds.com/media/products...que-fct3-b.jpg

Will a single pair of REV10s provide good sound in/around the boat like the Icons are designed for?
Old     (kx250frider617)      Join Date: Aug 2013       03-19-2014, 1:56 PM Reply   
I think the ICONS will be more than enough. I don't have either but I have 4 7" alpine speakers in a custom box I made myself and they are plenty loud when boarding. These speakers are like Walmart quality compared to wet sounds. I too like the look of 4 speakers vs 2.
Old     (DavidAnalog)      Join Date: Sep 2013       03-19-2014, 3:00 PM Reply   
One pair of Wetsounds Rev10 driven by one bridged Syn4 versus two pair Wetsounds Icon8s driven by one stereo Syn2 is a great debate. There are pros and cons to each when compared head to head.
Certainly an FAE would make a big improvement in either, allowing either amp/speaker package to operate a little more conservatively and cleaner.
There are a few facts that you cannot get around.
*That which plays louder at 80 feet is louder in the boat period, regardless of which route you take.
*A strident speaker can be more unsettling in the boat than sheer volume from a warmer & smoother speaker.
*The Rev10 is a major departure from past HLCDs, smaller HLCDs and other HLCDs.
*A speaker with more surface area, which usually translates to a lower resonance, in combination with a larger pod displacement, which translates to the same, determines the depth of midbass extension. The Rev10 is larger in both aspects. You can have ten speakers of a given size, which will play much louder than one, but will not play any lower than one. One Rev10 has 60%+ more surface area than one Icon8. That is a very audible difference. Two Icon8s have no more than 25% added surface area than one Rev10. Much harder to make that distinction.
*The direct-radiating 1" dome tweeter of the Icon8 has an advantage near field. The larger tweeter diaphragm, compression chamber and horn flare of the Rev10 has a tremendous advantage at 80 feet.

Here is what would absolutely send me over the edge in one direction. If I was going to use the lower and verticle tower location for the second pair of Icon8s then I would go with a single pair of Rev10s. That lower position places the off-axis radiation (about 30% off-axis which is still very 'hot') directly in the face of the rear cockpit occupants. And that would negate any advantage that the Icon8 might have.
Old     (WaverRider)      Join Date: Mar 2014       03-19-2014, 4:04 PM Reply   
This might be a stupid question, but how would it sound if he went with a set of Rev 8s and a set of Icon 8s with the Syn4 amp? Would it allow him to save a little money, have good sound up close, while still being able to hear the music 80' back?
Old     (obriengotwake)      Join Date: Feb 2003       03-19-2014, 4:08 PM Reply   
I had 2 rev 8s mounted on my outback v I was told they would be loud enough to hear riding but they won't rattle the houses on the lake. Should two do the job. For comparison I was running 4 Polk 6.9s on my last boat and those seemed fine.
Old     (CHern5972)      Join Date: Jul 2012       03-19-2014, 4:34 PM Reply   
I was going to get the Icon 8 and went with the Rev8 instead and glad I did. To me it was a big difference.
Old     (bruizza)      Join Date: May 2009       03-19-2014, 5:39 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by WaverRider View Post
This might be a stupid question, but how would it sound if he went with a set of Rev 8s and a set of Icon 8s with the Syn4 amp? Would it allow him to save a little money, have good sound up close, while still being able to hear the music 80' back?
Syn 4 won't do very well for that set up. Just a set of Rev 8s should get a syn 4 all by themselves.

My brother keeps flip flopping on selling his boat/stereo equipment. I listed a set of Rev 8s in the classifieds that work flawlessly. I will check with him tonight and see if he still wants to sell them. Might solve the issue the OP is having.
Old     (DavidAnalog)      Join Date: Sep 2013       03-19-2014, 5:44 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by WaverRider View Post
This might be a stupid question, but how would it sound if he went with a set of Rev 8s and a set of Icon 8s with the Syn4 amp? Would it allow him to save a little money, have good sound up close, while still being able to hear the music 80' back?
That's a good question. I'll do my best according to how I see it.
The Syn4 in the four-channel mode is a bit light for the Icon8 and very light on the Rev8. At the same time I would want different channels to power the two different speakers types. The moment you go with asymmetrical speakers your cost of powering the tower becomes more complex and expensive. The other challenge is that the Icon8 and Rev8 have different efficiencies, different output, and different power handling. In this mix do I have the Rev8 under-performing so I can protect the Icon8 or do I run the risk of over-driving the Icon8 while trying to keep pace with the dominant Rev8?
The reason why Wetsounds made a larger 8" surf speaker in the Icon8, and abandoned the smaller 6.5" class of tower speakers, was to have a warmer, more powerful proposition. Two pair will get the job done. It's understood that a hybrid mix is usually to cover up the weaknesses of one or two speakers and try to obtain the positives of both. As speakers have become better, like the Icon and Rev, this is no longer necessary. Each has its own strengths but the weaknesses are minimal. You just have to pick your first priority and run with that. A hybrid mix is not a valid solution to indecision. We're well past that hybrid/mix phase now, at least with the Wetsounds product.
Old     (chpthril)      Join Date: Oct 2007       03-19-2014, 5:49 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by WaverRider View Post
This might be a stupid question, but how would it sound if he went with a set of Rev 8s and a set of Icon 8s with the Syn4 amp? Would it allow him to save a little money, have good sound up close, while still being able to hear the music 80' back?
A single pair of Rev-10 on a Syn-4 is less expensive then a mix of Rev-8/Icon-8 and Syn-4. So the Rev-10 has the price advantage

Each Rev-10 would receive 400W rms as compared to 125W to each of the other 4 pods. So more power has the advantage

The Rev-10 option would deliver deeper mid-bass new-field. As good as the Icon-8 sounds, I would have to give it the thumbs up based on the other attributes here.
Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       03-20-2014, 9:11 AM Reply   
Bruizza, I can't seem to find the REV8s in the classifieds. Interested to hear a price if your bro wants to sell.

David and TigeMike - truly appreciate your help!

David, when you mentioned that placing the Icons on the lower portion of the FCT3 tower would have 30% radiation - does this mean that a lot of the sound is getting directly thrown at the occupants in the rear seats? If so - this might be an uncomfortable place to sit.
Would setting up REV8s here be less of an issue or do all of these speakers need to be mounted to the top of the tower?
Old     (DavidAnalog)      Join Date: Sep 2013       03-20-2014, 11:06 AM Reply   
David, when you mentioned that placing the Icons on the lower portion of the FCT3 tower would have 30% radiation - does this mean that a lot of the sound is getting directly thrown at the occupants in the rear seats? If so - this might be an uncomfortable place to sit.
Would setting up REV8s here be less of an issue or do all of these speakers need to be mounted to the top of the tower?[/QUOTE]

A speaker has a polar pattern which becomes a little more directional as the frequency increases and as the distance away from the speaker increases. And it is the upper mids and lower treble where we are most sensitive to volume and where we become uncomfortable. A speaker plays the hottest (most output) inside a cone shaped pattern. Inside that cone the sound is more intense. Outside that cone (off-axis) you lose some output. The intensity cone becomes narrower with distance. Low speaker placement on the tower sides has the rear cockpit occupants within the path of that 'hot' cone, which extends to about 30% off axis....hotter toward the middle.....and less intense to the perimeter. Low on the tower is a terrible place to locate speakers because to a great degree the sound is in your face if you are seated toward the rear or just behind your ear if you are seated more forward.
If you had the side-mounted Icon8s on swivel clamps then you could aim them up a little which would direct the sound more to the rider and more over the head of rear seat occupants when the boat is pulling and squatted. That's a partial solution but not a great one because the speakers are still TOO darn low.
A majority pretty much agress that one pair of properly powered Rev10s will do the job of two pair of Icon8s. One pair of Rev10s has the distinct advantage of only taking the higher tower position allowing you to avoid placing speakers on the lower side of the tower.
Old     (whatshesaid)      Join Date: Jun 2013       03-20-2014, 11:27 AM Reply   
Rev's all the way!
One pair of rev 10's on a SD2 amp, so you can add another pair later after you hear them.
The Rev's do not even sound like the old Pro 80's. The Rev's sound awesome up close
Old     (bass10after)      Join Date: Feb 2010       03-20-2014, 9:29 PM Reply   
I'll second whatshesaid. A pair of rev10's is really good and then when you crave more just add another pair and they're amazing. In the process of adding a second set myself. You wont be disappointed going with the rev10's. In my case they're amazing but can't wait to hear two more and blow my mind.
Old     (ryanw209)      Join Date: Jan 2010       03-20-2014, 10:17 PM Reply   
It sounds to me the debate you are having is that you like the look of 4 tower speakers but can't afford 4 rev 10's so your trying to find out a cheaper option to still meet your 4 tower speaker wants? I went through the same situation last summer and I ended up going from a 4 tower speaker setup to a single pair of REV 10's and I absolutely made the right choice. The difference is huge. Don't sacrifice quality for quantity. If you still decide you want 4 tower speakers I would go with nothing less than 4 rev 8's.
Old     (tn_rider)      Join Date: Dec 2009       03-21-2014, 5:26 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by bass10after View Post
I'll second whatshesaid. A pair of rev10's is really good and then when you crave more just add another pair and they're amazing. In the process of adding a second set myself. You wont be disappointed going with the rev10's. In my case they're amazing but can't wait to hear two more and blow my mind.
I'm adding a second pair as well and possibly a third a couple weeks after. I can not wait to hear it!!! Nothing comes close to the WS gear.
Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       03-21-2014, 10:08 AM Reply   
Consensus seems to be to go with a single pair of Rev10s. I'll miss the look of having 4 tower speakers, but want to do it right.

Given that the price of the Rev410 is the same price as two Rev10s, is there a reason not to add the horn?

Once I figure that out.........next comes amp selection.......
Old     (ryanw209)      Join Date: Jan 2010       03-21-2014, 10:34 AM Reply   
I'm not sure what you mean by not adding the horn but in comparing one rev410 to a pair of rev10's there is pluses and minus to each. The 410 typically has more midrange and is typically preferred when it comes to sound alone compared to rev10's. The drawback of the 410 is it will only point straight back where with rev 10's you can angle them out slightly and cover more area behind the boat with sound.

The most common amp for the rev 10's will be one syn4. Or you can look at a SD2 if you think you will add another pair later. For a rev410 get a syn2 or an SD4 if you plan on running 2 410's in the future
Old     (DavidAnalog)      Join Date: Sep 2013       03-21-2014, 11:41 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by ride152 View Post
Consensus seems to be to go with a single pair of Rev10s. I'll miss the look of having 4 tower speakers, but want to do it right.

Given that the price of the Rev410 is the same price as two Rev10s, is there a reason not to add the horn?

Once I figure that out.........next comes amp selection.......
The Rev10s have a similar horn tweeter. It's just less obvious being through the middle of the 10" speaker rather than beside the 10" speakers as with the Rev410.
In a single Rev410 versus a pair of Rev10s choice, you really have to go with the pair of Rev10s for the reason provided by Ryan.
I give the Rev410 the slight edge in SQ but on balance could never give up the pair.
Very best: One SD2 stereo amplifier on a pair of Rev10s.
Next best option at a lower budget: One Syn4 bridged amplifier on a pair of Rev10s.
Old     (whatshesaid)      Join Date: Jun 2013       03-21-2014, 11:44 AM Reply   
I installed one Rev410/SY2 on a friends boat, and that monster is a MONSTER! With the RE410 the sound seems to carry at lot more that my 4 Rev 10's on a SD2. We have not had the boats side-by-side to compare, but i think mine seems to have more mid bass, but his sound carries more. What i notice most about the single Rev410 is you can really hear it coming (the boat driving towards you), and the speaker facing away its so loud and clear!
I think one Rev410 (SYN2 700WATTS RMS) is louder than my four Rev10's (SD2 310WATTS RMS EACH) at a distance.
One Rev410 is no joke, two would be awesome, and i would have two of them on my boat, but they would not work out for me and my boat situation!
Who is ready for some loud music on the water!??? THIS GUY!!
Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       03-21-2014, 7:03 PM Reply   
David,

I think you have forgotten more than most know about marine audio...WetSounds in particular.

Do you sell WetSounds? If so, love to talk with you and place an order through you. Can you PM me your #?

Thanks!!

Nate
Old     (polarbill)      Join Date: Jun 2003       03-21-2014, 7:49 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by ride152 View Post
David,

I think you have forgotten more than most know about marine audio...WetSounds in particular.

Do you sell WetSounds? If so, love to talk with you and place an order through you. Can you PM me your #?

Thanks!!

Nate
He used to. His old shop is Earmark Audio in Texas. He definitely knows a ton about Wetsounds. To me it seems like comparing a single set of Rev10's on a syn4 or 2 sets of Icon 8's on a syn 2. I bet both would be great setups but from what others have posted, the single pair of Rev10's, especially with a ton of power the syn4 would give them, would be quite a bit better at wakeboard lengths. Also, it sounds like the Rev10s are much better sounding near field than the pro80s. Unless you really, really want the look of 4 tower speakers the smart money seems to be a the Rev10s.
Old     (DavidAnalog)      Join Date: Sep 2013       03-21-2014, 8:31 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by ride152 View Post
David,
I think you have forgotten more than most know about marine audio...WetSounds in particular.
Do you sell WetSounds? If so, love to talk with you and place an order through you. Can you PM me your #?
Thanks!!
Nate
Nate,
Sorry. I'm not selling anything. I retired from Earmark Marine July 1st 2013. You can get in touch with my good friend Odin at Earmark Marine who is an authorized on-line dealer for Wetsounds.
Fantastic service and quick shipping. Here's a little info on Odin....
Odin, who administrates the Earmark on-line store, has been with Earmark since 1992 and has worked in installation, sales, purchasing and management. A musician since 1984, Odin combines his love for music with a technical understanding of audio extending well beyond mobile and marine electronics. Odin has performed with local band Southbound since 1999, worked as the in-house sound engineer for hundreds of local and national touring artists at local music venue Hank’s Texas Grill since 2004 and collects and restores vintage amplifiers.
In support of his customers, Odin will walk you through any part of your pre-system design and installation. Everything from charging systems to fabrication to system tuning and much more. He'll keep it simple if you have a limited tolerance for technology or get very advanced when needed. I would consider Odin, with his considerable prosound background, to be one of the leading experts on system tuning and gain structure. With his guidance the same equipment will absolutely sound better. Odin is a great resource.
Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       03-21-2014, 8:57 PM Reply   
David,

Thank you for the referral to Odin! He sounds like a great guy and I'm excited to talk with him.

I truly appreciate you taking time to help me here instead of enjoying your retirement. It shows how much you must appreciate the WetSounds brand and Earmark!
Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       04-08-2014, 6:35 PM Reply   
David,

I've got to thank you again for the referral to Odin at Earmark Audio.

He is awesome!

He is super patient, giving superb advice and answers guys who don't know a lot about audio can understand.

Anyone reading this, don't hesitate to reach out to Earmark to get your WetSounds gear.

Nate
Old     (EarmarkMarine)      Join Date: Dec 2013       04-10-2014, 3:57 PM Reply   
Thanks Nate! You've got quite a project on your hands, it's going to be great when it's done.

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