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Zone Controllers and Bluetooth


Arick

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I did some searching and found a few posts, but I couldn't find any posts that compared the Exile & WS-220/420.

I recently purchased an 07 Sunscape with no tower that has the stock stereo (or so I think) and the Sony deck display is not working.  I can only control the stereo with the remote puck.  At this point I'm ready to replace the deck, get a sub, amps, and maybe some new speakers (Does my boat have an amp that I haven't seen yet, where is the factory location for an amp?).  I don't currently have a tower on this boat but I am strongly considering adding one in the future.  I don't play the radio and really only run my spotify so I plan on omitting the deck all together.  I've been looking at the exile and wetsounds zone controllers plus Bluetooth.   Are there any notable competitors that I'm missing?

  • Looking for good BT range.  My last stereo deck in previous boat, I would get interference/choppy signal.  Maybe thats because it was installed underneath the arm rest?
  • No Bow speakers (currently debating if I need them)
  • No Tower, but strongly considering one.

 

I'm not entirely sure I would need a 4 zone controller that the ws-220 offers right now and I haven't decided on putting in bow speakers just yet.  However if I did  It would be nice to be able to control the bow speakers/tower/sub/cabin all separately.  Switching to the 220 I would also lose the EQ,  boat-link (doesn't appear to be anything but an aux cord and I assume I could purchase A-Link if I wanted to do it properly).What else am I missing here? 

So that leaves me between the WS-420 and the Exile ZC.  

  • Both Have EQ (although I'm not sold on needing that??)
  • WS has multiple input,  EX has only 1 option?
  • WS has a mic EX does not. 

I seem to be leaning towards the WS-420.  I'm looking for feedback here.   Am I not considering something I should?  Is there something technically better than the WS-420?  

 

Exile

ZC

https://www.exileaudio.com/store/install-accessories/signal-processing/zone-controller-preamp.html

BT

https://www.exileaudio.com/store/install-accessories/bluetooth/exile-premium-bluetooth-music-receiver.html

 

WetSounds

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_867WS420BT/Wet-Sounds-WS-420-BT.html

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_867WS220BT/Wet-Sounds-WS-220-BT.html

 

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FWIW, I've had my WS420 for ~5 years, and I love it.  I like having the mic when I'm teaching people to surf, and my kids REALLY think it's cool.  I also like it for the EQ function, which I take full advantage of.

Edited by Brodie
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13 minutes ago, Brodie said:

FWIW, I've had my WS420 for ~5 years, and I love it.  I like having the mic when I'm teaching people to surf, and my kids REALLY think it's cool.  I also like it for the EQ function, which I take full advantage of.

Easily the best upgrade for the in boats and getting the most out of my Revs.

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If I remember correctly you've got a lot of projects planned for the boat - including an expensive on with the tower.  If you'd be willing to cut down to 2 zones of control at your fingertips you could go with an Exile EXDZ for two zones of control attached to a EXMC1 for the head unit.  In the long run I'd assume many people would be fine with controlling the tower and boat separately.  Being that I've never had the ability, I'm not sure how often one would really need to control only the volume of the sub while on the water.  Of course, you can always tune the amplifier up or down until you max or min our the power to a given channel.

Obviously not as capable as what you are discussing in turns of the 420 or like, but would save some $ for that tower.

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13 minutes ago, onwi said:

  In the long run I'd assume many people would be fine with controlling the tower and boat separately.  Being that I've never had the ability, I'm not sure how often one would really need to control only the volume of the sub while on the water.  Of course, you can always tune the amplifier up or down until you max or min our the power to a given channel.

 

FWIW, I control my sub, in-boats, and tower independently every time I'm on the water due to differences in music and activity on the boat; This is my favorite thing about the 420.  When we are surfing or wakeboarding, I crank up the tower speakers more than the in-boats, and when the rider falls, I turn the volume down on everything immediately.   For those of you that have a wife or significant other with sensitive ears, you know the importance of having quick and easy volume control.   Like others have said, it is THE BEST audio upgrade that you can do, IMO.

Edited by Brodie
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1 minute ago, Brodie said:

FWIW, I control my sub, in-boats, and tower independently every time I'm on the water due to differences in music and activity on the boat; This is my favorite thing about the 420.  When we are surfing or wakeboarding, I crank up the tower speakers more than the in-boats, and when the rider falls, I turn the volume down on everything immediately.   For those of you that have a wife or significant other with sensitive ears, you know the importance of having quick and easy volume control.   Like others have said, it is THE BEST audio upgrade that you can do, IMO.

I don't doubt it. It sounds very cool.  I have an app that controls my volume based on GPS speed.  I certainly know the need to volume up and down all day.  And I have been out before with people using the microphone - I'd love to have that and some 410s to tell some water lice to scram.  I just wasn't sure if the OP would value all that control if he didn't have the money to mount a tower for speakers to be controlled on.  

 

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6 hours ago, Arick said:

but I couldn't find any posts that compared the Exile & WS-220/420.

a 220 is a 4 zone volume control with master volume, blue tooth integrated and talk back MIC. Has BT, MAIN and AUX inputs

A 420SQ is a 3-zone volume with master volume and DUAL 4-band EQ. It has an AUX input to which a universal BT can be added. 

A 420BT is a 3-zone volume with master volume, DUAL 4-bank EQ and blue tooth integrated. Has Main, BT and AUX input modes.

The DUAL 4-BAND EQ means you have 4 tone controls for the tower zone and 4 tone controls for the in-boat zone. Totally independent tone control. NO OTHER marine EQ on the market has this. Others on the market are a single EQ. This means if you tweak the tone of the tower zone, you are also changing the in-boat zone. Not ideal when you have different size and type speakers between the in-boats and tower. 

The ground isolation and adjustable internal gains are an invaluable tool in setting up and tuning the system.  

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How does one adjust the internal gains? I seem to have to crank the ws420 master volume all the way to get my output to tune my amps properly.

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2 minutes ago, surfdude said:

How does one adjust the internal gains? I seem to have to crank the ws420 master volume all the way to get my output to tune my amps properly.

This is typically done as part of the initial installation setup and tuning. Page 3 of the manual and your retailer should also be able to work with you on this. 

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2 hours ago, onwi said:

If I remember correctly you've got a lot of projects planned for the boat - including an expensive on with the tower.  If you'd be willing to cut down to 2 zones of control at your fingertips you could go with an Exile EXDZ for two zones of control attached to a EXMC1 for the head unit.  In the long run I'd assume many people would be fine with controlling the tower and boat separately.  Being that I've never had the ability, I'm not sure how often one would really need to control only the volume of the sub while on the water.  Of course, you can always tune the amplifier up or down until you max or min our the power to a given channel.

Obviously not as capable as what you are discussing in turns of the 420 or like, but would save some $ for that tower.

You are correct.  I will be looking at a tower towards the end of the season.  It would be something to have done over the winter to minimize the loss of time on the water.  I'm also not sure if I need that much control as well as if I need to spend that much given the options you've provided.  

 

1 hour ago, MLA said:

a 220 is a 4 zone volume control with master volume, blue tooth integrated and talk back MIC. Has BT, MAIN and AUX inputs

A 420SQ is a 3-zone volume with master volume and DUAL 4-band EQ. It has an AUX input to which a universal BT can be added. 

A 420BT is a 3-zone volume with master volume, DUAL 4-bank EQ and blue tooth integrated. Has Main, BT and AUX input modes.

The DUAL 4-BAND EQ means you have 4 tone controls for the tower zone and 4 tone controls for the in-boat zone. Totally independent tone control. NO OTHER marine EQ on the market has this. Others on the market are a single EQ. This means if you tweak the tone of the tower zone, you are also changing the in-boat zone. Not ideal when you have different size and type speakers between the in-boats and tower. 

The ground isolation and adjustable internal gains are an invaluable tool in setting up and tuning the system.  

I can see the benefits of the dual 4 band eq.  It would be great to be able to adjust once I get a tower.

 

1 hour ago, onwi said:

I don't doubt it. It sounds very cool.  I have an app that controls my volume based on GPS speed.  I certainly know the need to volume up and down all day.  And I have been out before with people using the microphone - I'd love to have that and some 410s to tell some water lice to scram.  I just wasn't sure if the OP would value all that control if he didn't have the money to mount a tower for speakers to be controlled on.  

 

What is this GPS app you speak of?  

Yeah the big debate about the tower is how much money I'm going to sink into it between speakers and racks. 

 

 

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Just used mine this week for first time this week adjusting for different songs , wife vs my pleasure on in boat volume while turning up towers for surfer, sub volume for different songs , going to try snd turn up mic volume to see if that works , 420 is awesome, and the master volume is so easy to use and turn down 

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Yeah, I know android apps only.  Works great for me.  I set it to jump from 65% to 100% volume once I hit 7 mph.  No lag, the change in volume is immediate.  

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@Arick

I don’t think you can go wrong with either option. 

A couple points of clarification:

1) The Exile has two inputs/sources (green box) that you can switch between using the aux button on the face (green dot). Most people plug their headunit into “main” and the tiny Exile BT receiver into the “aux” which effectively bypasses your headunit altogether (usually a good thing in these boats). 

2) The Exile controls all three zones in the boat (red dots) and has a master volume knob (blue dot). 

B2AB24DF-A81D-4C28-8E39-CA71A9F886BA.jpeg

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38 minutes ago, onwi said:

Yeah, I know android apps only.  Works great for me.  I set it to jump from 65% to 100% volume once I hit 7 mph.  No lag, the change in volume is immediate.  

What is the exact name of the app?  There are several that claim to do GPS speed volume control but the one I downloaded did not.

Sounds great though.  Thanks!

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18 minutes ago, minnmarker said:

What is the exact name of the app?  There are several that claim to do GPS speed volume control but the one I downloaded did not.

Sounds great though.  Thanks!

Smart Volume Control+.  It should look exactly the same as what is shown in the video.

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6 minutes ago, onwi said:

Smart Volume Control+.  It should look exactly the same as what is shown in the video.

I'm not finding it for android. Who makes it?

Edited by Kojak
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1 minute ago, Kojak said:

I'm not finding it for android. Who makes it?

I found another that seems to do the same thing.  Has 4.1 rating.  It's called "Speed of Sound."

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40 minutes ago, Kojak said:

I'm not finding it for android. Who makes it?

I tried to look it up after I saw your question.  It is still on my phone as I purchased it back in 2014ish.  I cannot find it to rate it.  Must have been pulled from google play for some reason.  Thankfully for me  it transitions from phone to phone via my account.  Sorry I cant be of more help.

 

Edit: This WEBSITE has links Links that go nowhere.

Edited by onwi
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3 minutes ago, onwi said:

I tried to look it up after I saw your question.  It is still on my phone as I purchased it back in 2014ish.  I cannot find it to rate it.  Must have been pulled from google play for some reason.  Thankfully for me  it transitions from phone to phone via my account.  Sorry I cant be of more help.

No problem. Thanks for checking.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/13/2018 at 11:11 AM, shawndoggy said:

volumatic is the name of the ios gps volume app.

Just bought it, will family share with wife’s phone we use mostly for BT source, thx, my head unit worked great for volume control, we were missing it

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On ‎6‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 12:15 PM, minnmarker said:

I found another that seems to do the same thing.  Has 4.1 rating.  It's called "Speed of Sound."

That one works pretty well.  My buddy stopped using his Boost Box and move on to this instead.  I found this worked a lot better this year than his Boost Box did the previous year's vacation.  I haven't used it much on my setup yet but I think I will seeing how well it worked on his setup.

I personally wouldn't bother with bow speakers for a number of reasons:

  • Gives a quieter escape spot for passengers
  • Kids are the typical bow passengers - again, the quiet spot thing
  • Dash speakers reflect so much sound up front already, you really don't need additional front sound

Save your time/money/effort and skip the bow speakers.  

As for the Wetsounds Microphone, I'm not really impressed with it.  Hard to understand the person behind the boat (especially on a long line) and kids are way to attracted to them.

If you don't care about the EQ side, you could always do the Exile Bluetooth with the dual zone audio controller feature:  https://www.exileaudio.com/store/install-accessories/bluetooth/exmc1.html

Or the JL equivalent, JL and Exile had this made by the exact same manufacturer - as they did for the regular Bluetooth adapter (I bought the JL version as it was $35 instead of $50, exact same thing).  The regular adapter has great range and what I needed for my setup.

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I went with the AudioControl 3.2 EQ.  It sounds amazing.  I still run everything through the head unit first as I really like the auto volume control on the Malivue.  I considered the WS also but at the time about 6 years ago the AudioControl had better sound.  All I did was add the EQ to the factory system, adjusted the EQ gains and retuned the amps, it was like having a whole new system.  Absolutely night and day difference.

I have the Exile BT module and am not a huge fan. Pairing for me has been hit or miss, lately more of a miss. Considering something different for BT. 

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