What sounds hybrid system?

[Night Rider]

Considering a new stereo, two pairs of WS surf speakers and one pair of REV 8s. Thinking of running each pair on their own amp. I'm coming from a pair of red 10s and am Looking for better close proximity sound while keeping The ability to punch at distance. Time is spent approximately 50% wake boarding 50% surfing And am curious if anyone can offer suggestions or experience with this type of setup.

[skyskier]

JL in the boat and at surf range leaves me completely satisfied. Que up "Brick House" by the Commodores (for you ancient audiophiles like me) and note how freakin' real the snare drum feels and then argue (if you dare) about how (name a speaker) sounds more real and " right there" than JL. If you want ecstacy at 80 ft, just make it 4 JL's on the tower. I did and I have zero complaints from me or the people I pull. I have no need for horn speakers at all. It just takes 4 non horn speakers ( and the best class d watts money can buy) to get the job done.

To be totally fair to WS, who I have been totally critical of in the past due to their "Pro" series, I have heard the new REV series (first class set up) and I think I could live with those as long as I had a 420 equalizer to balance the sound at close range. If I wanted to hear music at the end of the line (which I don't because I am thinking about a million other things when I am riding) I would prefer the prescence and digital glare free honesty of the new WS Rev series. Don't get me wrong, the Rev speakers are horn speakers for sure, but I think less listeners would be so "sure" at close range. Tim, you pulled it off dude. I am so uncharachteristically PROUD of you!

Night Rider, to answer your question directly, put JL in the boat and on the tower for surfing and general all around audiophile fulfillment.. Keep a pair of WS Rev 10's on their own seperate amp on the tower for those who just gotta "feel" it when they ride. Spend more than you could ever POSSIBLY afford for a quality subwoofer and amplification all around. Include a bottle of Grey Goose for me for taking the time to save you lots of time and money and you will have a system you will never have to apologize for.

[Murphy8166]

Why not just go with a set of Rev 10's...I spend 85% of the time surfing and they are very punchy and the horns are not overpowering.

IMO - WS speakers don't need a Hybrid model...The Rev's stand alone!

[Night Rider]

Thanks guys. That was kind of what I was thinking. My previous boat had two pairs of Rev 10's and they definitely had the punch. It seemed as though I was always playing with the equalizer to get a surf setting. I Was just hoping to set it up and leave it up to the Volume knob. I was not impressed with the 420's ability to manage the speakers. But can't verify how the amps were tuned. Don't Get me wrong, Wet Xounds has top-quality equipment I am Simply gputting some feelers out to see if anyone had tried this type of setup

[skyskier]

I am VERY close to agreeing with Murphy 8166, but not quite. If I spent 90% of my time driving (as I do) I would prefer the balanced sound of JL. I do agree that there is no need for a hybrid WS sound, although I would like to hear it because I am a "hear it" kind of guy.

I promise you this. You will never hear me comment on a sound I have not heard. Two years ago I purchased five pairs of tower speakers just so that I could give meaningful feedback. I tested each pair with a DB meter and my own ears. My desire to shake my groove thing was given priority over any other parameter.

[Murphy8166]

Take a look at the Audiocontrol Three.2. For the EQ

[shawndoggy]

I am VERY close to agreeing with Murphy 8166, but not quite. If I spent 90% of my time driving (as I do) I would prefer the balanced sound of JL. I do agree that there is no need for a hybrid WS sound, although I would like to hear it because I am a "hear it" kind of guy.

I promise you this. You will never hear me comment on a sound I have not heard. Two years ago I purchased five pairs of tower speakers just so that I could give meaningful feedback. I tested each pair with a DB meter and my own ears. My desire to shake my groove thing was given priority over any other parameter.

But if memory serves that was before the Rev series, right?

(ha, I'd search, but that test predated the infamous stereo meltdown of '11, so all record is lost)

And skyskier to elaborate, are you saying that the JLs sound best in the boat or at surf distance? Not that there's that much difference, but when competing with exhaust noise it probably takes more midbass to sound good right behind the boat than in the boat, no?

My biggest complaint is not close proximity sound from the Rev10s, but rather how hard they still are to hear at the end of the wakeboard rope. A fresh air exhaust has helped immensely in that regard, but I'm still not sure in the sound at the end of the rope is worth $3K.

Edited January 5, 2013 by shawndoggy

[Earmark Marine]

Night Rider,

If you want closer to perfection then here is a possibility.

Get the most powerful tower speaker option that offers a good degree of linearity.

Power the speakers at or close to their limit.

Add a trunk-mount hide-away EQ on the tower signal path only (because it has many more bands).

You'll need to access an RTA to start and it would be nice to have the assistance of someone with lots of experience (knows how to translate what they hear into the controls). You can add the finishing touch by ear.

Leave the dips alone. Moderate the peaks.

A dash-mount EQ with limited bands is a great expansion on tone controls. As the bands are fewer the 'Q' or bandwidth of each control covers a wider range of the spectrum. This works great for very moderate tonal adjustments on the fly like transitioning for 'at rest' to 'underway'. But the moment you start adding a lot of boost/cut the sound becomes extremely peaky, and you recognize it. With few bands it is hard to line up the center frequency of any given control with the issue you are trying to address. Sometimes you are close as a coincidence and sometimes it's just not possible. A more segmented EQ allows you to get closer and even combine two or three bands to address an issue.

David