Adding 2 More Tower Speakers

[Thanley]

I have just purchased a 2020 VLX with 2 Icon 8's, pretty common factory set up. I would like to add 2 more, and am wondering if  the factory amp be able to handle it?

I have lined up a pair of Rev 8's which I thought would compliment the sound as well. 

Would the wiring be in the tower as well?

I can't seem to find any info on this. Any help you could give would be great.

Thanks in advance.

[Stevo]

The short answer is probably not.

the factory amps tend to under power the OEM components supplied as it is.

im not sure what amp model comes with the ICON 8’s but they are rated to 300w and the Rev8 to 400w. If I was in this spot I’d probably add another amp to power the REVs.

I’ll let someone else speak to the wiring components in the tower and if they are wired for 1 pair (you get the same harness as 2 pair ) or not.

for what it’s worth I re-wired my 2017 tower with this stuff and it was super easy to pass through the tight spots and the outer jacket shield gives added protection.

Monoprice 14 AWG 4 Conductor CMP-Rated Speaker Wire / Cable - 100 Feet UL Plenum Rated, 100% Pure Bare Copper With Color Coded Conductors - Nimbus Series https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017SDDUPS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0VXGFD2H8J9J64SJ34NW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[Brandonloos21]

52 minutes ago, Stevo said:

The short answer is probably not.

the factory amps tend to under power the OEM components supplied as it is.

im not sure what amp model comes with the ICON 8’s but they are rated to 300w and the Rev8 to 400w. If I was in this spot I’d probably add another amp to power the REVs.

I’ll let someone else speak to the wiring components in the tower and if they are wired for 1 pair (you get the same harness as 2 pair ) or not.

for what it’s worth I re-wired my 2017 tower with this stuff and it was super easy to pass through the tight spots and the outer jacket shield gives added protection.

Monoprice 14 AWG 4 Conductor CMP-Rated Speaker Wire / Cable - 100 Feet UL Plenum Rated, 100% Pure Bare Copper With Color Coded Conductors - Nimbus Series https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017SDDUPS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0VXGFD2H8J9J64SJ34NW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

If i were you I would honestly either do 4 icon 8's, 4 rev 8's, or 2-4 rev 10's. I would re amp them and get rid of the stock DSP junk amps that they come with, that way you could have them all on the same amp anyway. 

 

It is well worth it (and easy enough with preexisting wiring) to pull new wires through. That way its properly wired too!

[Stevo]

There is no problem with running icons and revs together they just need to be tuned properly, (think exile hybrid set up with essentially 2pairs of icons and 1 pair HLCD) .

[tjklein]

7 minutes ago, Stevo said:

There is no problem with running icons and revs together they just need to be tuned properly, (think exile hybrid set up with essentially 2pairs of icons and 1 pair HLCD) .

 

I ran the Exile Hybrid setup on my 2014 and it sounded really nice. Not quite as full as my Rev10s, but it was a solid tower system. 6 speakers was too much on the tower though.

[MLA]

2 hours ago, Stevo said:

There is no problem with running icons and revs together they just need to be tuned properly

Except that traditional coaxials and HLCDs do not evenly split the wattage when they are wired to the same 2 chnl amp, such as in the OEM system, nor do they play the same frequencies at the same amplitude. so yeah, no problem, except yeah, there is.

10 hours ago, Thanley said:

I would like to add 2 more, and am wondering if  the factory amp be able to handle it?

Yes, the OEM amp is designed to drive 2 pair.

 

[csleaver]

The tower should be pre-wired to accommodate up to four tower speakers.  If you add a second pair of Icon 8 speakers you can use the same amp an no programming is needed. 

I don't recommend adding a second pair of speakers that are different from the ones on the tower.  The amplifier programming will need to be set up for the lowest output speaker pair in use, so you won't be able to take advantage of the higher output available from the Rev 8 when mixed with a a pair of Icon 8 speakers.

You could replace your Icon 8 speakers with a pair of Rev 8 speakers, or install two pairs of Rev 8 speakers, but the amp will need to be reprogrammed.

If you decide to go with Rev 10 speakers, the amp will need to be reprogrammed and different mounts will be required.

[Stevo]

10 hours ago, Stevo said:

The short answer is probably not. the factory amps tend to under power the OEM components supplied as it is. I’m not sure what amp model comes with the ICON 8’s but they are rated to 300w and the Rev8 to 400w. If I was in this spot I’d probably add another amp to power the REVs.

 

3 hours ago, Stevo said:

There is no problem with running icons and revs together they just need to be tuned properly, (think exile hybrid set up with essentially 2pairs of icons and 1 pair HLCD) .

 

31 minutes ago, MLA said:

Except that traditional coaxials and HLCDs do not evenly split the wattage when they are wired to the same 2 chnl amp, such as in the OEM system, nor do they play the same frequencies at the same amplitude. so yeah, no problem, except yeah, there is.

Yes, the OEM amp is designed to drive 2 pair.

 

Huh, Thanks for the dynamite analysis RIchard, except I did note that I’d recommend running the revs on a different amp, as well as noting that they need to be tuned properly.

But thanks for the response 

Edited April 23, 2022 by Stevo

[shawndoggy]

2 hours ago, MLA said:

Except that traditional coaxials and HLCDs do not evenly split the wattage when they are wired to the same 2 chnl amp, such as in the OEM system, nor do they play the same frequencies at the same amplitude. so yeah, no problem, except yeah, there is.

aren't the rev8s and icon 8s both 4ohm speakers?  Why wouldn't they evenly split the wattage?  I mean evenly split wattage is probably going to result in the more efficient HLCD overpowering the coax, but I'm trying to understand how one speaker could pull more power than the other when two speakers of the same impedance wired in parallel?

[MLA]

9 hours ago, Stevo said:

except I did note that I’d recommend running the revs on a different amp

In the context of stating the HLCD is rated at 400W and NOT because of any difference between a coax and HLCD.

7 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

aren't the rev8s and icon 8s both 4ohm speakers?  Why wouldn't they evenly split the wattage?  I mean evenly split wattage is probably going to result in the more efficient HLCD overpowering the coax, but I'm trying to understand how one speaker could pull more power than the other when two speakers of the same impedance wired in parallel?

Yes, both have a nominal (static or at rest) impedance of 4 ohm. However, due their substantially different cross-overs and tweeters, their power demands are going to rise and fall differently.  

[shawndoggy]

28 minutes ago, MLA said:

In the context of stating the HLCD is rated at 400W and NOT because of any difference between a coax and HLCD.

Yes, both have a nominal (static or at rest) impedance of 4 ohm. However, due their substantially different cross-overs and tweeters, their power demands are going to rise and fall differently.  

Do you have a cite for this?  I’d like to do some studying up. 

[Brandonloos21]

13 hours ago, Stevo said:

There is no problem with running icons and revs together they just need to be tuned properly, (think exile hybrid set up with essentially 2pairs of icons and 1 pair HLCD) .

Understood that while you could, if revs are added you’re really not going to hear the icons as the revs will be overheard due to the horns. 
 

In addition, my OCD would be the driving reason to have all matching speakers. Haha

[atLakeSantee]

21 hours ago, Thanley said:

I have lined up a pair of Rev 8's which I thought would compliment the sound as well.

Ensure the amp is setup properly for the additional two speakers and all will go fine! If you decide later you need more volume, then the amp can be upgraded. If you later decide the tonal quality does not complement as expected, that could also be addressed later.

The side discussions on speaker impedance at different frequencies is a real thing; however, the final sound quality to the owner is of greatest importance. A shop doing the work for an owner must consider that stuff since they cannot hear it through the owner’s ears. This is an advantage to doing the work yourself!

[Thanley]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies. Sounds like I should hold out for another pair of Icons, that would make everything easier. 

Has anyone got a set sitting on a shelf, or know where the best place to get a set is?

[Brandonloos21]

11 hours ago, Thanley said:

Wow! Thanks for all the replies. Sounds like I should hold out for another pair of Icons, that would make everything easier. 

Has anyone got a set sitting on a shelf, or know where the best place to get a set is?

https://www.malibuparts.com/products/icon8-tower-speaker-malibu-white-15-21

 

They seem to be sold out, but here’s an option if they’ll be in stock here soon. 
 

Always check eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Malibu Facebook group too. 

[dwc032]

I added 2 icons to my tower on my 2020 23 MXZ.  The tower was already wired and the dealer told me the factory amp was good enough to run 4 Icons.  It did not sound bad, but just not up to par and that lasted about 1 month before I took out all the factory amps and had new amps installed.  I used the amp adapters so I did not have to cut the factory wires. 

[Thanley]

So I found some Icon 8's that were just taken off a 2021 Malibu. Will I need anything to add them to my first pair? I have a 2020 VLX with one pair already. I think the tower is a G3.5, and I have a shelf that the first pair sits on.

Also will be adding a transom remote. I have found the extension "cord" for the remote, but do I need a splitter off the "head" unit? Or is it already there?

[dwc032]

 

On 5/9/2022 at 8:14 AM, Thanley said:

So I found some Icon 8's that were just taken off a 2021 Malibu. Will I need anything to add them to my first pair? I have a 2020 VLX with one pair already. I think the tower is a G3.5, and I have a shelf that the first pair sits on.

Also will be adding a transom remote. I have found the extension "cord" for the remote, but do I need a splitter off the "head" unit? Or is it already there?

If you have the factory amp, it is already wired for a second pair and you can add another set of Icons no problem. 

Edited May 12, 2023 by dwc032

[HollywoodBall]

Bumping this.  I may have found a second pair of Icon8s but they are off of a G4 tower.  I have a G3.  Are these compatible with each other?  Anything needed to mount G4 Icon8s on G3 tower?

[MLA]

4 hours ago, HollywoodBall said:

Bumping this.  I may have found a second pair of Icon8s but they are off of a G4 tower.  I have a G3.  Are these compatible with each other?  Anything needed to mount G4 Icon8s on G3 tower?

That pod has had the same 2.5" bolt spread since the manufacture released their first tower pod in 2008. The only difference would be an angled spacer or OEM pod used by Malibu.