Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: blizzard on December 09, 2005, 07:28:14 pm
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Just checkin to see if anybody here has had any experiance with Spa audios and what you opinion was on speakers or transducers and which one sounds better while in a hot tub. ???
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at first, i wasnt too thrilled with the transducer set up, but after hearing/experiencing it a few times, i was rather impressed.
didnt feel like i had to yell at someone across the way with a speaker in my ear. but, thats just mho
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Thanks for your opinion. I know most people, or some at least advise not wasting money on a stereo. I for my part would like to have one when hot tubbing by myself. I would think that the transducers wouldn't sound as good, but then again I think they last longer than speakers because of the enviourment that they are exposed to. :-/
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I spent the bux on the stereo for the Optima, and while it was relatively expensive, I don't regret it a bit.
I didn't have speaker vs transducer options.
We have speakers with a undercabinet sub woofer.
The thing sounds awsome- and I'm very picky when it comes to this type of thing.
I like the convenience of not having to tote a stereo outside, especially now that it's winter.
The way I look at it is this spa is a total luxury item, so why not get it exactly like you want? Stereo was maybe 10% of the cost of the spa- heck I paid almost as much in sales tax to the state as I paid for the spa stereo. We enjoy having the audio built right in.
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I'm with you, Brewman! We had guests over last night, and 2 of them have had a tub for about 5 years. They were blown away by not only the tub, but the stereo and sound quality. It definitely adds something to the experience when you're having a party, and when you're not in the mood, just leave it off. I've got the same system as Brewman...no experience with the transducer setup.
Steve
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The SpAudio sounds fantastic. The sound quality is crystal clear, even with the jets running.
With that being said, I don't sell very many of them. I don't think that they are very user friendly at the moment. I hope that is something HS is addressing for the upcoming '06 models.
Terminator
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just another thought....why not use the money to install out door speakers? they sound good, and can add more (imo) party flair. bbq's, b-day parties, etc....of course it would depend on how far away the spa is positioned from the house. just something else to think about.
i agree with term, the clarity of sound with transducers is excelent with jets on/off.
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I've pretty much made up my mind that I will get a stereo. I was kind of worried about popup speakers and their durability. I also wondered about the sound quality between the two different systems, and which one would allow you enjoy the music without bothering the neighbors since they are close. Don't live in the country here.
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We encourage and offer a full outdoor system.....using 2 pairs of outdoor speakers 1 pair for under the eves of your home and the other for your spa area...I think you just get more for your money this way and with an a/b speaker switch on your receiver you can run both pairs or one at a time.
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The pop-up speakers seem fairly durable...I thought that freezing weather would be an issue, and it has not been. I like the remote so I can change from fm to cd, volume, bass, treble from in the tub; it also operates the pumps, lighting etc. and is waterproof. I agree with you, Term, that the HS system needs a little improvement. The sound is supposed to be great, but I was turned off by the portable cd player / tuner thingy...it seemed a little cheap, and actually played a large part in my decision to go with SD instead (I probably would have a Vista in my backyard were it not for that!). My $.02.
Steve
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spAudio does sound great but controlling it thru HS auxillary control panel can be frustrating. I agree that the discman that comes with it is chintzy for a system that goes for $1900 (Term, get them to throw in a iPod and you'll sell a lot more!). The stereo on the SD is about half the cost, sounds as good, but probably not as durable due to speakers getting exposed to water and such.
As far as outdoor speakers go, I find that by time I can hear the music over the jets the neighbors are complaining!!! The built in systems eliminate that somewhat.
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hymbaw, I will say this: I do have customers that hook up their I-Pod to the SpAudio and it is AWESOME! Customers do have that option. We may start giving out I-Pods with every SpAudio purchase. Some HS dealers have been doing that with great success.
Terminator
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This is the third winter on our Optima's audio system, and no issues with pop up speakers.
At the time I put in our spa, outdoor speakers weren't a solution I wanted to persue, for reasons too long to list here. No doubt you could install a pair or two of adequate outdoor speakers and a reciever and even a CD player for less than I spent on the spa audio.
It wasn't something I wanted to do at the time, and I wasn't looking at the cost aspect.
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As far as outdoor speakers go, I find that by time I can hear the music over the jets the neighbors are complaining!!! The built in systems eliminate that somewhat.
Marquis system is similar to the Hot Springs ....the outdoor speakers are no more of an issue for sound regarding neighbors than pop ups are.
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We spend most of the morning running the speaker wire into our sun room from the tub. At first the sound was great but then it kind of died out. I think my husband's older sound system is to blame. I just ordered a receiver and hopefully that will resolve the issue. Mendocino, 100 W per channel should drive those speakers right? Otherwise this could be a very expensive addition!.. Thanks
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Yes 100watt will work but be sure to get a real 100 watt of RMS power ....I can help you if you need it....
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Yes, Please Help me. The sales guy at C.C. told my husband that the brand that he picked is truely 100W per speaker and that Sony is never what it says. Is that what you are talking about? He is heading out in about 1 hour to get the receiver. What exactly is RMS power?
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What you want to look for is 100 watts of RMS power at less than 1% THD ....(total harmonic distortion )...I can get you amp that is 125 rms power with a small mixer ...If you need it it would be 329.00 plus the shipping. it is a good value. Let me know if that helps you. OH if you do not have a cd player I can get you one for $39.00....
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Unless they have made some kind of change in the last 6 months otherwise I dont think the SpaAudio sounds good at all. And I agree with Term, it is not easy to use. I remember our display would go into "sleep" mode on a reg basis.
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I wasn't impressed with the transducer sound from HS or Arctic. I thought it sounded garbled when the jets were on. For built in, Sundance sounded the best to me. We went with exterior speakers for cost. They run to the receiver in the HT area in the basement. We have no one behind us so volume isn't a big issue. Klipsch AW-525's sound great and will play quite loud without distorting. But I also have a Marantz receiver that puts out clean power. Universal remote in a baggie and an IR extender and I can run receiver/cd/dig cable box from the tub.
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Thanks to the info from Mendocino, my husband picked up a receiver that can drive the speakers in my Epic. The sound is awsome, my whole deck is rocking! This is just what we expected ;D I don't know if the Soundsations system in the Epic is unique but honestly, it was worth every penny!
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Oh my gosh...We just put in an old Phil Collins Album,
If any of you remember the awsome drum segment in
In The Air Tonight....well the Epic has just raised it to a new level. ;D
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Bonibelle did you put a new stereo or just an amplifier in you epic? How old is the Epic? Does it have speakers or transducers in it?
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Blizzard, You will have to wait for Mendocino or one of the other Marquis people to tell you exactly what the set up is. I just know there are speakers in the tub shell.
Our stereo was older and apparently the system requires 100 Watts per channel to drive the speakers. My husband picked up a new receiver and all that I can say is that it sounds awsome! Look carefully though, it is not cheap and others on here may be able to tell you
other ways to bring the music to your tubbing experiece. My husband insisted on the sound system and we had to wait for our tub because of it. I can honestly say now, it was well worth it. ;D
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I have a new HS Grandee with the SpAudio. In contrast to others, I'm not impressed. The CD player (a Memorex) that comes with it is of fairly low quality. I have tried an Ipod, but the output level does not seem high enough to drive the speakers. Using either the Ipod or the CD player, you have to play the unit at the highest volume to get any sound at all, particularly with the jets running. This causes constant clipping.
Note that with the SpAudio, you are limitted to just changing volume from inside the hot tub at the secondary panel, and there is no indicator that you are correctly on the setting that affects volume. You just hit the buttons and hope that you got the right combination to make it work!
You have to turn the cd player on from outside, and adjust its output and pick songs. Then it gets shut up in a very flimsy case. Given how expensive this option was, it is disappointing. I also would fault the comments that the sound quality is clear. Many of the high frequencies are absorbed/muffled by the water. I played REM's Monster last night and it was almost unrecognizable.
Just my take on it. I have some doubts that my system is working correctly, since it is so awful. But given my experience, i would not recommend it.
BearBath
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It sounds like the epic just has transducers or speakers in it and you have to hook your own stereo up to it. If that is the case how is the stereo hooked up? Is it through wires or something else? Looking at their web site they even mention a water proof remote. If anybody knows more about the system please inform, because I would like to know what all you get and about how much it will cost. Thanks
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the transducers on the SpAudio give a great sound if installed correctly. orginally on my Grandee I installed them incorrectly and i was dissappointed, but i went back in and correctly my problem after speaking with tech support.
Now i have a Beachcomber 750 with the Aquacustics with 4 transducers installed at the factory and the sound beats my speakers that i had installed outside 7 years ago.
By far if you love your music in the hot tub the only way to go is transducers.
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With the Epic it comes with a 100ft of speaker wire that you can run off of your home stereo or perhaps a unit you keep in a shed or a garage it needs to be at least 100 watts of clean RMS power...NO NOT buy into some portable unit that claims 300 watts or something like that...find a good 2 channel unit it is much better for this than an AV receiver....the speaker wire it comes with can be buried in the ground or if you are planning a head run some conduit ..as Bonibelle can attest it is very nice system when hooked up properly... if under powered it is not worth the time...it is also fairly reasonable priced compared to many of the other makers or so it seems to me....
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I have a new HS Grandee with the SpAudio. In contrast to others, I'm not impressed. The CD player (a Memorex) that comes with it is of fairly low quality. I have tried an Ipod, but the output level does not seem high enough to drive the speakers. Using either the Ipod or the CD player, you have to play the unit at the highest volume to get any sound at all, particularly with the jets running. This causes constant clipping.
Note that with the SpAudio, you are limitted to just changing volume from inside the hot tub at the secondary panel, and there is no indicator that you are correctly on the setting that affects volume. You just hit the buttons and hope that you got the right combination to make it work!
You have to turn the cd player on from outside, and adjust its output and pick songs. Then it gets shut up in a very flimsy case. Given how expensive this option was, it is disappointing. I also would fault the comments that the sound quality is clear. Many of the high frequencies are absorbed/muffled by the water. I played REM's Monster last night and it was almost unrecognizable.
Just my take on it. I have some doubts that my system is working correctly, since it is so awful. But given my experience, i would not recommend it.
BearBath
I agree. Someone stole the cd player out of our display model once and I had to go to Best Buy and get a new walkman. I didnt realize that Best Buy sold "Made for a Lifetime of Relaxation" sound systems, but for $20 we were back in business. The other problem we had was that playing cds burns thru batteries. Instead of being a system that uses the power from the spa, it is dependant on batteries (unless you rig in an adapter).
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but i went back in and correctly my problem after speaking with tech support.
If in doubt, call the manufacturer.
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hymbaw, I will say this: I do have customers that hook up their I-Pod to the SpAudio and it is AWESOME! Customers do have that option. We may start giving out I-Pods with every SpAudio purchase. Some HS dealers have been doing that with great success.
Terminator
Here's another related idea, Term...give out a satellite radio instead. I just bought an XM radio for my car, and intend to buy a kit for home use so I can use it in my spa (has a built-in FM transmitter the spa tuner will pick up). This may be old news for Americans, but in Canada it's just been approved. I'm kind of excited about it 8)
Steve
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I also just bought a xmradio. It's the small handheld one that is portable. It has it"s own builtin ant. and a seperate ant. for car and house. I too was planing to use it in the spa. Of course as much as they charge for stereos in spas I was wanting to make sure the system was quality in sound and simple to use because the wife sometimes gets frustrated with my electronic equipment that is confusing to use. So I want quality, simplicity, and affordable. Anybody know a general price of the epic system is? That might be the way to go since I supply why own electronics.
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I guess I don't understand the issue. I have the factory audio system in my Sundance Majesta and I wouldn't replace it with anything outboard of the tub. The placement on the two corners give excellent sound coverage and the volume and sound it generates to be heard in the tub is less than speakers even a few feet outside the tub would need to be.
I've set the volume at the level I like, which isn't low, turned on the pumps and visited the neighbours. You could hardly tell it was on from there. When the pumps stopped you could hear the music just slightly more but not a lot. I then moved my outdoor speakers to be level with the top of the tub and 3 feet away and had my wife set the volume so I could hear it the tub. The neighbours could hear it better than I could when the pumps were running. And no sub-woofer rocking the tub with the outdoor ones.
It listed at about $800 U.S. equivalanet up here and with some incentive they had, it was about $400 in the end. Money well spent in my books. paul
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Marquis system is similar to the Hot Springs ....the outdoor speakers are no more of an issue for sound regarding neighbors than pop ups are.
Except the pop-ups are 4" from your head so you dont have to have the volume as high which my neighbors would appreciate.
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Except the pop-ups are 4" from your head so you dont have to have the volume as high which my neighbors would appreciate.
ummmmm maybe, it depends on where you put the speakers .....if your set up allows for it they can work very well and are simply better sounding MOST of the time and for less dollars or least they can be .....
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BTW the remote for the Marquis SOundSations controls your home receiver, CD, TV, Satellite, DVD, etc.
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Does the remote have to be in line of sight of them to control them?
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No it's radio frequency.