Wetsounds at IBEX - whoa!

[Murphy8166]

Any of you guys see the new items that Wetsounds has on their Instagram page???

https://instagram.com/p/7sjZdvimUv/?taken-by=wetsounds

Edited September 16, 2015 by Murphy8166

[shawndoggy]

HU looks promising!

[hunter77ah]

HU looks promising!

That looks like the same shape as the axis HU... I wonder if axis will go to that as the stock unit?

[Levi900RR]

Wish they had that HU out before I bought my 420 AND HU...

[Murphy8166]

All I know is this - I asked Tim what was coming to the market this year and his answer was ALOT! But he also was cautious to say that they wanted to be really strategic about when they make the new products public knowledge b/c they don't want to get everyone hyp'd and then have delayed delivery.

I'm in the market for a new system and I for sure will wait till spring!!!!!

[shawndoggy]

But he also was cautious to say that they wanted to be really strategic about when they make the new products public knowledge b/c they don't want to get everyone hyp'd and then have delayed delivery.

I'm in the market for a new system and I for sure will wait till spring!!!!!

like the wireless boat to boat audio thing I've been reading about since 2010?

[Murphy8166]

like the wireless boat to boat audio thing I've been reading about since 2010?

or like October 2014...but I see your point

[Fman]

HU looks promising!

Probably a dumb question but why would you even need a head unit when running a 420 eq? Who even buys a head unit these days? Even the new MBs are running the Exile ZLD now, no head unit. Maybe I am missing something.... if they really want to create some hype put an automatic speed control (HSE) in the eq itself, that imo would be a game changer in the eq world!

[David]

Lots of new goodies. Tons more for next year that is still under raps.

I especially like the concealed and protected controls and switches on the new HT amplifiers. In marine that feature can make a big difference several seasons down the road.

DSP amplifiers with programmer.

New grill options.

10-inch coaxial.

[Murphy8166]

Fman - MB builds 300 ish boats a year, not even a blip on the radar when you look at the whole industry. Nautique uses a hideaway, Malibu and axis use a hideaway and mastercraft used a h/u I think. Supra built the headunit into the Murphy System ( which by the way does not work with a certain mfgr's amps).

I would not be surprised to see these in several of the bigger brands of boats.

EQ's have their place and have a place as a standalone where the fosgate black boxes are used. Now there is a viable replacement.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Murphy8166

[David]

To answer the HU question....

Some OEM won't accept a single source option. The MB Sport approach may or may not get universal traction.

Many want a transom or other remote control which isn't yet available using an EQ as the source unit.

The inland towboat is just a portion of the market. The offshore and cruiser markets are huge.

The Wetsounds Black Box includes 8-channel, 4-zone, AM/FM, weather band, Aux, Bluetooth, Sirius/XM, NEMA 2000 compatible, CANbus,

Apple, Android compatible, Pandora/Spotify ready.

And that's just the short list reading off the card.

[Murphy8166]

There is a reason Jim Aiken stopped making HSE... Probably jives with why no one new has started making them.

And pretty much all new boats (well minus the 300 mb's they make a year) come with some form of speed control volume

And all that have speed control have head units that perform well with the exception of Malibu which my be a non issue moving forward.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Murphy8166

[Fman]

There is a reason Jim Aiken stopped making HSE... Probably jives with why no one new has started making them.

And pretty much all new boats (well minus the 300 mb's they make a year) come with some form of speed control volume

And all that have speed control have head units that perform well with the exception of Malibu which my be a non issue moving forward.

Are all factory oem systems that great? Malibu is pretty much meh on there best day... I have no clue about Supra, nautique, mc, etc... I still don't see the reason for a head unit but I'm pretty simple, plug in my music device and turn up volume, ride. I don't want any issues with stereo integration into a computer system.

I still think there would be a market for a sound control integrated into an eq. There are plenty of older boats still out there that need this feature. And who knows how many newer boats being ordered today are going stereo delete and installing there own system.

[cowwboy]

I'm very interested. My deck died over labor day and was leaning towards the exile unit but one output split to two zones is still lacking compared to my 3 zone system.

This has my interest. I am thinking just run the transom remote and the black box.

[David]

Another BT controller option with a different zone control & multiple preouts is coming.

Jim discontinued producing the HSE auto volume control because it didn't sell at the initial price so he had to lower the price below what was profitable to fit the market and sell thru.

The HSE was expensive to build because of the limited production quantity and because it was a stand alone chassis which required a line driver. If the circuitry was incorporated into another product you wouldn't have the redundant costs. But it still might add a cost that is prohibitive for the majority. How many would pay $450 for an EQ with an HSE built in? Perhaps not enough for a manufacturer to commit based on Jim's experience.

[Murphy8166]

Are all factory oem systems that great? Malibu is pretty much meh on there best day... I have no clue about Supra, nautique, mc, etc... I still don't see the reason for a head unit but I'm pretty simple, plug in my music device and turn up volume, ride. I don't want any issues with stereo integration into a computer system.

I still think there would be a market for a sound control integrated into an eq. There are plenty of older boats still out there that need this feature. And who knows how many newer boats being ordered today are going stereo delete and installing there own system.

Fman - I see your point but I think the Industry as a whole is running towards integration as FAST AS THEY CAN. Supra head unit is built into the "Murphy System" - there is no stereo delete. I was on Rance's boat 3 weeks ago and they head unit performed flawlessly. I would agree that Malibu is bottom of the barrel when it comes to a major inboard builder "head unit choice".