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Wet Sounds REVO 6 vs. JL Audio


Introduction

Wet Sounds and JL Audio are two of the biggest and most popular marine speaker brands. These two companies dominate the OEM side of marine audio and compete in the aftermarket as well. In addition to making great products, both JL Audio and Wet Sounds have extremely loyal fans. Since speakers are such an important part of your boat's stereo system and the 6.5" size is the most common, we are going to compare the Wet Sounds REVO 6 vs. JL Audio 6.5" speakers. The REVO 6 is the top of the line speaker series from Wet Sounds and JL Audio has two competing series, the M3 and the M6. We will break down the Wet Sounds REVO 6 vs both the M3 and the M6 so you can determine which speakers are right for you.



Power Handling
First, we are going to compare the power handing of all three speakers. The power handling is important because it helps give you an idea of how loud and how clear the speakers will play. The more power you can give your speakers, the louder they will get, the cleaner they will sound, and the better they will sound when turned up and playing loud
JL Audio M3-650x
• 60W RMS
Wet Sounds REVO 6
• 100W RMS
JL Audio M6-650x
• 75W RMS







Grille Options

The Wet Sounds REVO 6 speakers offer more grille options than any other marine speakers available. One might argue that they have too many options and it makes it difficult to choose. The REVO 6 speakers are available in three different grille patterns. The XS is an open style grille, the XW is a traditional, closed style grille, and the SW is a combination of the two. It is closed like the XW, but it has the XS style, iron-cross spokes. The XS grilles are available in gunmetal, black, white, and silver. All of the XS grilles have stainless steel overlays except for the silver. Both the XW and SW grilles come in both black and white. Please see the product carousel below for images of each grille.

The JL Audio M3 and M6 both come in a classic white, closed-style grille and open-style sport grilles in both white and gunmetal. The sport grilles for the M3 and M6 do look a little bit different, but both are twin, 6 spoke designs.

JL Audio M3-650x
• White Classic (Closed)
• White Sport (Open)
• Gunmetal Sport (Open)
Wet Sounds REVO 6
• White XW (Closed)
• Black XW (Closed)
• White SW (Closed)
• Black SW (Closed)
• Silver XS (Open)
• Black XS w/ Stainless
• White XS w/ Stainless
Gunmetal XS w/ Stainless
JL Audio M6-650x
• White Classic (Closed)
• White Sport (Open)
• Gunmetal Sport (Open)







Efficiency Ratings
The speaker's efficiency rating gives you a standard baseline to tell you how loud that speaker will play. The higher the SPL, or efficiency rating, the louder that the speaker will play, given the same amount of actual power. This value is measured in dB at 1W/1m. This is somewhat subjective because you can always turn the volume up or down, but it is a good baseline to tell you how efficient the speakers are and how "loud" they play assuming the other variables are held constant. It is important to keep in mind that every 3dB the volume doubles. Does .5dB matter? Probably not. If it is 3dB louder, will you notice a difference? Yes, assuming everything else stays the same.
JL Audio M3-650x
• 89.5 dB @ 1W/1m
Wet Sounds REVO 6
• 90 dB @ 1W/1m
JL Audio M6-650x
• 89.5 dB @ 1W/1m




Tweeter Size & Material

Tweeters are very important when it comes to the sound profile of your speakers. There are three different types of tweeters for marine speakers, soft-dome (silk), hard dome, and horns. Neither JL Audio nor Wet Sounds make a horn tweeter, coaxial speaker so we can ignore that for this comparison.

The Wet Sounds REVO 6 speakers come with a 1" titanium dome tweeter. Metal alloy tweeters are popular for marine applications because they withstand the marine environment and they also play very bright. The 1" titanium dome tweeter that comes on the REVO 6 speakers is not only big for a 6.5" speaker, but the titanium material plays brighter and louder than most other tweeters, but it doesn't have the harshness and shrill sound that you sometimes get with aluminum dome tweeters.

The JL Audio M3-650x and M6-650x both come with specially treated, silk dome tweeters. Silk dome tweeters are very popular for their rich, warm, and balanced sound profile. Many people think silk dome tweeters just sound better. JL Audio has found a way to use silk in their marine speakers and use special treatments to ensure that it stands up to the elements including both salt fog and UV exposure. The silk dome tweeters are popular because they just sound better.

Now, if you are thinking, "Well I will just go with JL because they have silk dome tweeters," there are other things to consider. The titanium dome tweeter that comes in the Wet Sounds speakers is going to play much brighter and much louder than the silk dome tweeter in the JL M3 and M6. In an outdoor, marine environment, there is a ton of ambient noise from the wind, water, and engine. That noise is going to cancel out fidelity. Also, in a boat, the speakers are often located down low and not pointed toward your face and your ears. In these types of environments, the loud and bright speakers cut through all of that noise. In addition, what do you want from your boat's speakers? Do you want it to just be loud? Or, are you willing to sacrifice sheer volume for sound quality? A lot will also depend on the type of boat you have and how you use it. Also, how loud is "loud enough?" These are questions we can't answer for you, but these are important things to think about when selecting the right 6.5" speakers?

JL Audio M3-650x
• .75" Silk Dome Tweeter
Wet Sounds REVO 6
• 1.00" Titanium Tweeter
JL Audio M6-650x
• .80" Silk Dome Tweeter




Power Source
It is important that your speakers match up well with your power source. If you are powering your speakers directly off of your radio, the M3-650x is your only option among these 3 speakers. If your amplifier is putting out 50+ watts per channel, you should have enough power for any of the three options. Music is dynamic, so is the power output of your amplifier as the speaker cone moves. Can you hear the difference in 25 watts, outside, on your boat? Probably not. Can you hear the difference in 50 watts? Yes. If you have an amplifier that is putting out less than 50 watts RMS, I would probably defer to the JL Audio M3-650x. If you have a high power amplifier, remember that you can always turn the gain down. But if you don't have enough power and your gain is maxed out, you can't turn it up any higher.
JL Audio M3-650x
• Can be powered directly off of your head unit
• Amplifier Suggested
Wet Sounds REVO 6
• Amplifier Required
JL Audio M6-650x
• Amplifier Required




LED Lighting

The Wet Sounds REVO 6 speakers come with RGB LED lighting standard. The RGB LEDs are located behind the tweeter grille and shine backward onto the speaker to illuminate it. The JL Audio M3 and M6 speakers are available with or without RGB LEDs. If you want them, buy the model that comes with the LEDs. They are slightly more expensive, but that's because they have LEDs. The LED models for the M3 speakers are available in the white sport and gunmetal sport grilles. All three grille styles of the M6 speakers are available with LEDs.

Now, the real difference in RGB LEDs is seen on the JL M6 speakers. The M6 speakers feature JL's patented, Transflective RGB technology. On these speakers, instead of putting the LEDs in the grille, behind the tweeter, the LEDs are located on the speaker basket itself. The cone is made from special, translucent material and the LEDs light up the cone from the backside. Putting the LEDs on the speaker basket instead of behind the tweeter allows the M6 speakers to have more LEDs. In addition, because the cone is translucent, it lights up smoother with less halo effect and you don't see the "hot spots" that you oftentimes see when the LEDs are behind the tweeter. As a result, the M6 speakers are hands-down, the best looking LED speakers in the world. They light up brighter and the output is smoother than any other LED marine speakers.

JL Audio M3-650x
• Optional with Sport While or Sport Gunmetal Grilles
Wet Sounds REVO 6
• All Speakers come Standard with RGB LEDs
JL Audio M6-650x
• Optional for All Grille Styles
• The Best Looking RGB LED Speakers in the World







Our Recommendations
The price points between the M3-650x, the REVO 6, and the M6-650x are not that close. The M3 is significantly less expensive than the REVO 6. The REVO 6 is less expensive than the M6. If you want RGB LEDs, the difference between the REVO 6 and M6 becomes more substantial.

Best Value
JL Audio M3
Best If You Want it Loud
REVO 6
Best for Sound Quality
JL Audio M3
Best Looking Speakers
M6 with RGB LEDs
If You Use Your Boat to Party
Wet Sounds REVO 6
If You Want the Best of the Best and Money Doesn't Matter
JL Audio M6
If You Like Slammin' Beers and Gettin' Crazy
Wet Sounds REVO 6
If You Want it Loud, but Not Over the Top, and You're on a Budget
JL Audio M3

I personally do not think the M6 speakers are worth the money for 6.5" speakers. If you want sound quality, the M3 speakers are really good and they significantly cheaper. If you want it loud, REVO 6. If you want sound quality, M3.



Comparison
JL Audio M3-650x
Tweeter Size
.75"
Tweeter Material
Silk Dome
Deck Power Compatible
Yes, but an Amplifier is Recommended
Grille Options
White Classic, White Sport, Gunmetal Sport
 
LED Options
White Sport & Gunmetal Sport available with RGB LEDs
RMS Power Handling
60 Watts
Peak Power Handling
120 Watts
Efficiency @ 1W/1m
89.5 dB
Frequency Response
55 Hz - 25KHz +/- 3 dB
Mounting Depth
2.74"
Mounting Hole Diameter
5.00-5.25"
Outer Grille Diameter
6.90"
Wet Sounds REVO 6
Tweeter Size
1.00"
Tweeter Material
Titanium
Deck Power Compatible
No. Amplifier Required
Grille Options
White XW, White SW, Black XW, Black SW, Silver XS, White XS w/ SS, Black XS w/ SS, Gunmetal XS w/ SS
LED Options
All Grille Options Include RGB LEDs
RMS Power Handling
100 Watts
Peak Power Handling
2000 Watts
Efficiency @ 1W/1m
90 dB
Frequency Response
40 Hz - 25KHz +/- 3 dB
Mounting Depth
3.3"
Mounting Hole Diamter
5.00"
Outer Grille Diameter
6.80"
JL Audio M6-650x
Tweeter Size
.8"
Tweeter Material
Silk Dome
Deck Power Compatible
No
Grille Options
White Classic, White Sport, Gunmetal Sport
 
LED Options
All Grille Options available with RGB LEDs
RMS Power Handling
75 Watts
Peak Power Handling
150 Watts
Efficiency @ 1W/1m
89.5 dB
Frequency Response
55 Hz - 25KHz +/- 3 dB
Mounting Depth
3.00"
Mounting Hole Diameter
5.00-5.25"
Outer Grille Diameter
6.90"