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? on my black friday stereo build...


That Guy

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I have Sound Pack One in my boat, which is a headunit and 4 interior wetsound speakers plus the tower is wired for 2 pairs of speakers.

We probably swim/surf equally, and then have both kids/adults that ski, wakeboard, kneeboard and tube the rest of the time.

I THINK want a pair of Icon8's for the tower.... but have no idea what AMP to get. I'm open to speaker/amp recommendations.

Earmark Audio seems to have the best pricing on the Icon8's.....but not sure on amplifier pricing.

Some possibilities.....

http://store.earmarkcaraudio.com/Xcart/product.php?productid=17104&cat=346&page=1

OR

http://store.earmarkcaraudio.com/Xcart/product.php?productid=17609&cat=347&page=1

OR

http://store.earmarkcaraudio.com/Xcart/product.php?productid=16239&cat=347&page=1

OR

Is this a better Wetsounds Amp But for less because it's on sale? http://store.earmarkcaraudio.com/Xcart/product.php?productid=17610&cat=347&page=1

TBH I've never done a stereo build, in a car or boat, so I'm just looking to be pointed in the right direction. Will I need anything else to install this besides power wire for the amp? Just trying to save myself a headache in the garage when I get time to install them.

Anyone have comments on the clamps? X-mount VS Fixed Mount VS Swivel Mount? Never seen any of them so not sure what I need/which is better/worth it.

Thanks in advance

Edited by That Guy
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Do yourself a favor and just get ahold of Brian at Exile. They have packages already.

I have the SP2 on mine and while the Icons are nice I wish I would of gone with my gut and just gone SP1 and changed to exile.

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A few thoughts....

What is primary goal with the tower speakers? The Icon8 won't do as well as a Rev8 if you want good sound while wake boarding.

whichever route you take, I wouldn't power it with anything other than a wetsounds amp. Syn 4 is what you want...I run a pair of rev8s from one and it's a perfect match.

The mount you choose depends on the application - what are you mounting to?

You'll need an inline fuse between power source and amp

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You dont want "X" mount for sure.

Out of those 2 amp options, I like the HT-2, but just note that Wet Sounds has the new HTX series also. If you wanted to make your own package, I would consider the 6 chnl wet sounds amp, either the HT or the HTX, and drive the 4 in-boats and tower speakers.

You will need RCAs that will reach across the boat, circuit protection for the amp's B+, speaker wire if the tower is not prewired, etc.

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Do yourself a favor and just get ahold of Brian at Exile. They have packages already.

I have the SP2 on mine and while the Icons are nice I wish I would of gone with my gut and just gone SP1 and changed to exile.

Hmm....PMing you shortly....

A few thoughts....

What is primary goal with the tower speakers? The Icon8 won't do as well as a Rev8 if you want good sound while wake boarding.

whichever route you take, I wouldn't power it with anything other than a wetsounds amp. Syn 4 is what you want...I run a pair of rev8s from one and it's a perfect match.

The mount you choose depends on the application - what are you mounting to?

You'll need an inline fuse between power source and amp

Primary goal is to be able to hear music while behind the boat, whether that is swimming, surfing or anything else. I would say we probably surf/swim an even amount, and then between adults and kids probably split the remaining time skiing/wakeboarding/kneeboarding/tubing.

Thanks for the info on which amp to use.

I planned on mounting them to my tower, my understanding is with Stereo Pack 1 my tower is already pre-wired for up to 4 speakers.

You dont want "X" mount for sure.

Out of those 2 amp options, I like the HT-2, but just note that Wet Sounds has the new HTX series also. If you wanted to make your own package, I would consider the 6 chnl wet sounds amp, either the HT or the HTX, and drive the 4 in-boats and tower speakers.

You will need RCAs that will reach across the boat, circuit protection for the amp's B+, speaker wire if the tower is not prewired, etc.

Thanks for the info on the mounts. I have no idea. I like the idea of the swivel mounts because I read they are quick disconnect and obviously can swivel, just not sure if I'd ever use those functions to justify the additional $150 over the fixed mount.

After looking at that package a bit closer I'm definitely going to skip it and piece something together, as it just makes more sense price wise. Appreciate the info on amps and powering the in-boat speakers as well, didn't realize I should do that.

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hearing while swimming is easy. Any tower speakers will get you there.

For surfing a pair of icons might do it. Prolly not for wakeboarding. Even two pair of well powered Rev10s are not overwhelmingly loud at the end of a wakeboard line (like yeah, you can hear them, but it's not like you have a pair of headphones on). They would be mind numbingly loud in the boat tho.

The best "do it all" setup would probably be a pair of Rev10s. Sound good enough, and a single pair can definitely project to wakeboard length.

power those with an amp that gets them at least 300w apiece.

Then you probably want 50-75w (min) apiece to your cabin speakers, and 600w or so for a sub. You don't mention sub, but if you give everything else power and down fill out the bottom it's a total waste of $$$ imho (to the point that I would definitely do the sub and amp for the cabins before doing towers if you need to budget in stages).

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The best bang for the buck out there is the one set of Rev 10's - IMO there is not another set of speakers that you can just do a pair of and be completely happy other than the Rev 410's.

If you don' beleive me - just look at the old threads. Whether it is a Rev 8, XM-9, Icon 8 or SXT 9 - people just do not do one pair...

Throw an amp in there that does 350-400 watts per speaker and you will be golden!

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The best bang for the buck out there is the one set of Rev 10's - IMO there is not another set of speakers that you can just do a pair of and be completely happy other than the Rev 410's.

If you don' beleive me - just look at the old threads. Whether it is a Rev 8, XM-9, Icon 8 or SXT 9 - people just do not do one pair...

Throw an amp in there that does 350-400 watts per speaker and you will be golden!

I did one pair , but that's cause my CEO would have fired me, and she doesn't like loud music as it is. As far as she's concerned the rockford towers were plenty. Hahaha
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Appreciate all the input. I really don't want two pair because I'm worried about headroom. Maybe it's silly but I've never had a boat with tower speakers and when I got on/off a friends boat I would hit my head on the inside tower speaker if I didn't remember to duck. That was with 2 pair of 8's. Seems nit picky I know, but I'm no audiophile and part of me wants the system components to all match, so one pair seemed like the best idea. I'll look at the rev10's, but was thinking of the 8's for maximum headroom.

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swivels give more flexibility. Rev10s are big.

Flexibility in what way? Do you have them/what do you swivel them for? Maybe I'm not in the know but I just assumed people put tower speakers on to point directly behind the boat and be done with it. What am I missing?

And yes, size matters...and concerns me about putting 10's on there.

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swivels give more flexibility.

Rev10s are big. But way way more speaker than the 8s too. I wouldn't want a single pair of 8s.

I had TWO pair of 8's on my boat last year. After hearing Darkside's ONE pair of 10's, I'd rather have he 10's.

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They swivel and also give you the ability to remove the can from the tower with 1 bolt. Good for transport, storage, or anti-theft. They're also great for towers that would put the speaker at a weird angle.

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