Wet Sounds 808
 

Hey all,

Looking at upgrading my Donzi 35 ZR's sound system. It is a little light on storage space so I think I might have to make do without subs and try an 8" speaker. I was looking at putting in JL like I had in my Sunsation. But, I noticed three things about the Wet Sounds 808 that made me think maybe I want to try Wet Sounds:

1) Mounting depth is less.
2) Cost is significantly less.
3) Handles a little more power

I know lots of people will rave JL is the best. I'm a huge fan, this isn't news to me.

I am thinking I want to replace the four on the cockpit floor with 808s and the 6.5s in the cabin with XS650.

But I do want to know, if anyone has heard them in a boat like mine and what was their impression?

I have only heard them at boat shows, but most people who switch are very happy with them. if they fit better than JL I say go for it. I have JL 8.8's in my boat but I am using wetsounds SD6 amps.

One other option would be the DC Gold 10s. Neodymium magnets so they have a small mounting depth and give good extension for a full range speaker.

I really like the specs of those 10s, but man, those grills are rough. I am having a hard enough time liking the Wet Sounds grills.

If you contact DC Gold, they'll do custom colors. I agree though, they aren't the prettiest. Definitely function over form.

I wonder if any aftermarket grills work. It's not so much the color as the 70s hardware design.

Give them a call. Can't remember the owner's name but he's very friendly and informative. Also, they make the speakers by hand so it's possible they could do some type of custom grill for you I'm guessing but don't know that for sure.

I just remember reading they sent out the components unassembled to a buyer, let him have them powdercoated and send them back and then they built the speakers for him. They seem flexible.

I've been selling and installing Wet Sounds equipment for 10 years now. They are one of the best companies out there in the audio market. The 808's sound great, but are by no means a subwoofer. Depending on how happy you get with the volume and music choice, you could set the high pass crossover around 80hz and have a lot of midbass. My shop is currently finising up 3 boats with a mix of 650's and 808's. Both have the XS10FA subs, but they have a noticeable difference on midbass versus a boat with only the 650's and 10's.

The 808's are louder, and cleaner then the JL Audio. The JL's do have a good sound, but they can't handle the loudness that the 808's can get to. When I say loudness, they still sound sweet and not distorted.

The speakers do need to be powered correctly. Pstorti mentioned he uses the SD6, and that's the perfect combo for a complete system. We run those a lot, in fact all 3 boats this week are getting SD6's, 2 of them are also getting SD4's for tower speakers.

So you're saying as a first step, four 808s in the cockpit and 2 650s in the cabin is a nice place to start?

Obviously the subs would be a next step, but that's one that can be done in isolation so it doesn't influence the first step.

I've run Jl for years. But lately I've had issues with there digital amps. Especially there mono amps. I think I'm going to give wet sounds a shot. See if all the hype is true. I have a very finicky ear. I've slowly loosing my Jl only thinking. Have had three Jl amps give me grief in two years. There best amps too. Piss me off quite frankly.

I honestly wouldn't waste any time or money on the cabin speakers, unless you want it loud in there. If you use the Sinister amps, I recommend 1 808 per channel. You can pair 2 650's per channel on that amp too. If you really want the cabin speakers, you could set up front to rear fade, that way you can turn down the cabin.

In a perfect world I think I should probably run the cabin speakers off the head unit then the four 808s on whatever matches well.

If you do that, you'll need something more efficient. 650's won't work too well on a head unit. Impedance is about 3.7 ohm

Maybe I'll leave the Sony stuff in the cabin since it is already crazy loud in there.

Tell me about using using the Sinister vs SYN DX for my application. Is it just that the Sinister has a little extra power over the 808 rating?

99% of the boats I've done have all left the cabin speakers alone, unless they were trashed.

Yes, the Sinister is a better platform. Both are great amps, the Sinister amps just have bigger balls. Both are class D, so they're the most efficient and won't have thermal issues.

I have a set in the boat & a set on the transom. I also have a set of 650's in the arch, all ran with SD amps... Sounds good to me. I'm not real impressed with the 10's but they are a free air sub so they will never pound like a good sub in a custom built sealed or ported box...

I can agree with that when you don't use an enclosure, but that goes for just about any infinite baffle speaker. The XS10FA's do okay with around 1 to 1.2 cu ft.

Looks like for the money, I might as well buy the six channel and find a place for another pair of 808s. Haven't heard them before but I'm guessing at 150 RMS a speaker...x6 it will be plenty loud.