Waketower vs Sound Bar: Which Boat Audio Setup Fits You?
By BOSS Audio Systems | Life at Full Volume | Published: 2026-10-16
Category: Comparisons
Compare waketower speakers and marine sound bars for your boat. Learn the trade-offs in coverage, mounting, and weather protection to pick the right setup.
Quick Answer
For riders behind the boat, waketower speakers project sound outward and are the only option that reaches a wakeboarder at rope length. For cockpit listening at anchor or low speeds, a marine sound bar mounts cleanly overhead and covers the whole seating area with one unit. If you split time between towing and hanging out, a tower setup serves both; if you mostly cruise and anchor, a sound bar is simpler.
Coverage: Who Actually Hears the Music
Waketower speakers mount high and aim outward, so the sound carries behind the boat. That is the entire point for wakeboarding, wakeskating, or tubing, where the rider is 50 to 75 feet back and the engine and water noise work against you. Tower speakers also throw sound forward into the cockpit, but their off-axis coverage is narrower than a sound bar's.
A marine sound bar mounts under the top cap or overhead, firing down and across the seating area. It covers the cockpit evenly at anchor and at low speeds, but it cannot project clearly to a rider at rope length. If your priority is conversation-level music while floating, the sound bar wins on coverage per unit.
Mounting and Space: Tower Real Estate vs Overhead Clearance
Tower speakers need a wakeboard tower or a sturdy overhead structure. They clamp to the tube, so you need to check tube diameter and whether the tower is reinforced for the weight and wind load. Once mounted, they live up and out of the way of passengers.
Sound bars need a flat overhead surface and enough clearance so seated passengers do not hit their heads. The BRT18A uses a multi-fit clamp system for 1.75-inch and 2-inch outer-diameter tubes, which means it can mount to a tower or a rail without a flat surface. That flexibility is the sound bar's biggest installation advantage.
Weather and Power: What Each Design Handles
Both categories are built for marine use, but the ratings differ. The MPWT50RGB waketower speakers carry an IPX6 rating, which means they handle heavy spray and washdown. The BRT18A sound bar carries an IPX5 rating, which handles splashes and rain but not direct pressure washing. Neither rating is a license to submerge the product.
Power also differs. The MPWT50RGB is a 2-way system with a 5.25-inch midbass driver and a 1-inch neo dome tweeter, sold in pairs with a 500W max power rating. The BRT18A is a self-contained amplified sound bar with a Class A/B full-range amplifier, two 4-inch speakers, and two 1-inch soft dome tweeters. The tower speakers need an external amplifier; the sound bar does not.
Lighting and Controls: Convenience Features That Matter
The MPWT50RGB includes 20 color illumination options with a wireless RF remote, plus multi-pattern illumination modes. That is a social feature for evening raft-ups and sandbar parking, and the remote works from the cockpit without running new wiring to a switch panel.
The BRT18A has illuminated soft-touch controls on the bar itself, plus USB charging, USB playback, and aux-in. If you want to plug in a phone or charge a device at the helm, the sound bar covers that without a separate head unit. Tower speakers do not include source or charging functions.
The Real Trade-Offs
- Projection vs. even coverage: Tower speakers project sound backward to a rider at rope length but leave narrower off-axis coverage in the cockpit. A sound bar covers the cockpit evenly but cannot reach a rider behind the boat. Choose based on where people actually listen: behind the boat or inside it.
- External amp vs. self-contained: The MPWT50RGB needs an external amplifier and wiring run to the tower. The BRT18A has a built-in Class A/B amplifier, so it only needs power, ground, and a source connection. If you want fewer installation steps, the sound bar is the lower-effort path.
- IPX6 vs. IPX5: The MPWT50RGB is IPX6-rated for heavy spray and washdown. The BRT18A is IPX5-rated for splashes and rain. Both are marine-ready, but the tower speakers tolerate more direct water contact. Match the rating to your exposure: open-water spray favors IPX6, protected overhead mounting is fine with IPX5.
Product Facts
- MPWT50RGB: All-terrain system with IPX6 weatherproof/dustproof rating, 2-way design, 5.25-inch midbass driver, 1-inch neo dome tweeter, 500W max power, sold in pairs, 20 color illumination options, wireless RF remote. IPX6 handles heavy spray and washdown, the 2-way design separates mids and highs for clearer vocals at distance, and the RF remote lets you change lighting without a wired switch panel.
- BRT18A: All-terrain system with IPX5 weatherproof/dustproof rating, full-range Class A/B amplifier, two 4-inch high-power speakers and two 1-inch soft dome tweeters, aluminum enclosure with internal heat dissipation system, multi-fit clamp system for 1.75-inch and 2-inch O.D. tubes, USB, USB charging, aux-in, illuminated soft-touch controls. The built-in amplifier means no external amp is required, the multi-fit clamp mounts to common tower or rail diameters, and USB charging plus aux-in covers phone playback and charging at the helm.
Which Setup Fits Your Boat
Best for
- Wakeboarders and tow sports riders who need music at rope length
- Boaters with a wakeboard tower or reinforced overhead structure who want lighting effects and remote control
- Owners who already have an external amplifier and want maximum output from a pair of tower speakers
Not for
- Boaters without a tower or sturdy mounting point who want a simple overhead solution
- Cruisers and anchor-out listeners who do not need sound to carry behind the boat
- Anyone who wants a self-contained amplified unit with USB charging and aux-in without adding an external amplifier
