Transducer Stereos

[spahopeful]

I am considering buying my first hot tub and am leaning towards the Marquis Epic.  For $750 I can add their transducer stereo system.  The system does not include an actual stereo, but just the internal speaker system that hooks up to your own stereo.  The nice thing is that if your TV is hooked up through your stereo, then you could listen to the TV (like the nightly news) or change CD's  with their waterproof remote while in the hot tub.   I'm interested in what other spa owners think of this feature or if there is a better option.

[Bonibelle]

Spahopeful, I am sure that there are others on here who will tell you differently, as we all value certain things more than others but...When my husband heard the sound on the Epic, he just had to have it. For him, it made the tub complete!  We also got the Dolphin and the command center that sends the remote signal to your tub from your home sound system. We love it and think it was worth every penny. The Dolphin also lets you control the volume. To me, that was very important since my husband and I have a very different volume range of comfortable listening! If we had to do it again, without hesitation, I can say we would get the Soundsations. You should be able to find a thread that I started  a while back where others explained how the system worked and their views of it.  Good luck, we really love our Epic!  

[Chas]

I think the sound quality is better with outdoor speakers - I am very picky.

But having said that, I will say that I have a "Spaudio" on the tub I have in my backyard, and I enjoy it quite a bit. I ran conduit for speaker wire when I poured the slab many years ago, but I haven't found time to run the wires through the conduit, put in outdoor speakers, then pull the wire the rest of the way up the wall and into my attic, through the attic and into the stereo. Plus, I ended up moving the home stereo further from the tub than planned, so I don't know if I would have a remote or not.

All things considered - the transducer type of system works well for me, and has saved me from my too-crowded time schedule. But if you have to run the wires to a home stereo anyway.....

[salesdvl]

Having sold a transducer brand along side a manufacturer that used traditional speaker system I would say that the reg speakers sounded much better and were much cheaper to purchase.  The tranducer always sounded muffled to me.

My 2 cents worth is that if you have to run wiring for your sound system to the spa why not just pick up some outdoor speakers.  Gotta be a bunch cheaper than $750.


Why is it "my 2 cents worth" , but it's only a "penny for your thought" ?    Somebody is getting jipped out of a penny.  

[Bonibelle]

I don't know if the transducers are different on different brands of tubs, but I am going to guess that they are because my sound is not at all muffled. We had friends over this weekend and they could not believe the quality of the sound from the tub. Since we also have an outdoor speaker system that sounds real good, I guess we didn't have to have sound built into the tub. The thing about the outdoor speakers is that the neighbors can hear them loud and clear. The sound in the tub seems to stay in the tub. (now don't ask me to explain that,  but my tub is only about 5 feet from my back door and I can't hear the music when I am in the house at all).

[bosco0633]

I would say that the transducers are overpriced.  I went to the local electronics store and purchased a set of paradigm outdoor speakers and ran wire from my stereo.  The sound quality is amazing, and great for parties.  It also allows me to watch tv and listen to the sound outside.  I just think that options like these on the tub are generally overpriced and not really worth it.  

[ssbraun]

 I just think that options like these on the tub are generally overpriced and not really worth it.  

Overpriced?  Probably...  Worth it?  That's a pretty subjective thing.  My tub stereo (not transducers) came as a factory incentive with the cost "built-in".  I'm guessing it would have been a $1200-1800 extra.  Worth it?  To me, you betcha  .

Steve

[Duffman]

When I was wet testing every top spa in the northern Virginia area I listened to many built in sound systems.

Since I'm a bit of an audiophile, I was very interested to hear what the spa audio systems sounded like. Here are my general conclusions

• Spas with built in speakers that pop up like the Jacuzzi: Average sound quality and a nice convenience, but in my humble opinion they are not worth the high cost. Also, the housings for pop-up speakers may have metal frames inside, but there seems to be a lot of plastic that could easily be damaged.
• Transducer systems that turn the shell into a big speaker: For all of these spa audio systems, the sound was very tinny and seemed to have poor audio reproduction across most frequency ranges. This is a cool gimmick and it works, but for the money I don't understand how it is worth it.
• I found it interesting that most every dealer I spoke with had a very passive attitude about the audio systems. They generally agreed that they don't push the option because of how expensive it is. A few were brave enough to acknowledge the sound quality really isn't very good

I need to post some pictures but it was very easy and inexpensive to wire my backyard for high quality sound. Many inexpensive and high end receivers have an A/B switch to allow indoor, outdoor or both sets of speakers to operate. With my trusty dremel tool I cut a hole in the wall to run speaker wire to a pair of $220 Boston Acoustics outdoor speakers. Radio Shack sold me a cheap wall plate with banana plugs for the wires to give the installation a clean look. A little putty on the outside was pressed around the wires to keep air/moisture out. With a few clips I ran run the wires to the speakers such that they are hardly noticable.

The whole project only took a few hours and cost $300 including the wire and other accessories. What matters to me more then the cost savings is that this installation sounds great! With the receiver I can plug in my ipod and enjoy my favorite tunes. Also, I can watch TV/DVD through the window thanks to an articulating arm that allows the flat panel TV to swing towards either the hot tub or to the sauna inside the house.

Another factor to consider with this type of approach is that if anything goes wrong with an external speaker system, it is very easy to replace components. If a spa audio system breaks down you are probably in for a very expensive and time consuming journey to get parts ordered and replaced and the system. I don't have a clue how problems with the transducer systems can be identified and fixed.

[socal]

i know that you were looking at consumer feed back but i wanted to chime in on something.
when i first started looking at becoming a dealer, i toured factories and "hubs" looking at a few different manufacturers. in essence, i was "shopping" for a brand that 1) i thought was a quality brand 2) consumer/dealer support (last thing i wanted was to be left out to dry OR my customers for that matter)..of course there were others but im stopping here lol.
2 manufacturers had transducers, i admit i was skeptical. then when i heard it, that little light clicked on. IMO they sound pretty good.
the transducers will NOT have the sound range that a bose stereo system has.....nor should it IMO. it is simply an option for those that would like some mello (volume) music to enjoy while they relax.

i think i used up salesdvl's other penny

[jsimo7]

I took the Duffman route and installed outdoor speakers and connected to one of my home systems and added a volume control on the tub. The sound is far better than the spa units. We live in a rural area so sound travel to the neighbors is not a issue. The other advantage is our patio is next to the tub so cookouts and partys on the patio have the use of the stereo. I bought the speakers and outdoorwire from OUTDOOR SPEAKERS INC. for about 175.00 and the volume control form ebay about 50.00 and it sounds awsome!!

http://store.outdoorspeakerdepot.com/aw650150w.html

If I had close neighbors they would hear the speakers and this setup would not work well. If the neighbors are not a issue this setup is by far better than the units that are built in to the spa.  Good Luck!!

[Duffman]

the transducers will NOT have the sound range that a bose stereo system has.....nor should it IMO. it is simply an option for those that would like some mello (volume) music to enjoy while they relax.

I have no argument with any of your statements. However, I'm sure you agree that the option to enjoy "mellow (volume) music" with a built-in system is a very expensive one. That said, if any shopper feels the convenience is worth the cost, I would not argue against their paying for it. I like cool gadgets and gizmos as much as anyone  

My intent was simply to share personal observations regarding sound quality vs. cost and how anyone can install a much cheaper and arguably far superior alternative.  I'll leave it to the shoppers out there to decide which is the better way to go.

For those who don't want to break out the tools and do-it-yourself, most major audio retailers will do the installation for you. I can promise it will cost a whole lot less then the built-in spa systems. Also, most stores will offer a 3-5 year protection plan.

[socal]

I have no argument with any of your statements. However, I'm sure you agree that the option to enjoy "mellow (volume) music" with a built-in system is a very expensive one. That said, if any shopper feels the convenience is worth the cost, I would not argue against their paying for it. I like cool gadgets and gizmos as much as anyone  

My intent was simply to share personal observations regarding sound quality vs. cost and how anyone can install a much cheaper and arguably far superior alternative.  I'll leave it to the shoppers out there to decide which is the better way to go.

For those who don't want to break out the tools and do-it-yourself, most major audio retailers will do the installation for you. I can promise it will cost a whole lot less then the built-in spa systems. Also, most stores will offer a 3-5 year protection plan.

i wasnt trying to argue for/against. i do agree with you that for the price, you can do alot twards an outdoor system. we even installed outdoor speakers for customers. like you said, gadgets can be fun and for some people its a must have.

[Spatech_tuo]

I have no argument with any of your statements. However, I'm sure you agree that the option to enjoy "mellow (volume) music" with a built-in system is a very expensive one. That said, if any shopper feels the convenience is worth the cost...

I've seen many customers not really care too much about cost, they simply want what they want. In this "plug and play" society the stereo systems are the ticket for many. I personally am not a fan of adding them but I've come to realize not everyone thinks like me (my wife is somewhere rolling her eyes right now). The main reason dealers have stereos is so customers who think they want one won't leave the store to go look for one elsewhere. Many customers start their shpping thinking they want a stereo but change their mind after a short while but if you don't have stereos in your showroom they'll find out somewhere else whether they want one.

[Duffman]

To social and Spatech... I think we are all in violent agreement  

It's all good input

[East_TX_Spa]

As some of you may know, I'm not a big fan of the SpAudio that HotSpring developed a couple of years ago.

BUT, 2 weeks ago, I saw SpAudio II in action.  I REALLY liked what I saw and, more importantly, what I heard.  I can't wait to get one in the showroom.

Terminator