The versatility of the tower speakers for Polaris, Can-Am, Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha and other UTVs is well documented. Originally developed for boat wakeboard towers, the offroad community has embraced these speakers for their sound and how well they hold up to the most punishing environments. Tower speakers come in a variety of sizes from as small as 4″ and all the way up to massive 11″ monsters.
To make the comparison as fair as possible, we’re only comparing speakers that are around 6.5″. These, along with 8″ speakers, are the most commonly sold for UTVs. The 6.5″ versions are big enough to get great sound, but are generally compact enough to easily mount when you’re tight on space. Many of the speakers on our list are available in larger sizes if you’ve got the room and you’re looking for even more sound.
JBL MT6HLB
These powerful 6-1/2″ tower speakers from JBL give you the sound you want, where you want it. The secret is the patent-pending design, which features an angled face that points the speakers right at the rider. The rider gets great sound and everyone inside your rig gets a better listening experience, too.
The MT6HLB features a 6-1/2″ long-throw polypropylene woofer cone with a rubber surround and a 1” horn-loaded titanium compression tweeter, so you’ll get the deep bass and thrilling highs you need to make your music sound great on the trails. Each speaker can handle up to 100 watts RMS (300W peak power).
Two spring-post terminals, accepting speaker wire up to 16AWG, are provided on the top of the enclosure along with the RGB harness socket. A screw-down cover is provided, hiding the wire connections and providing added protection. Both the speaker and LED wiring can be threaded through the bottom mounting bracket and into the speaker enclosure, limiting the amount of exposed wire and providing a clean looking install. The JBL Tower X marine speakers include a rugged 360˚ rotating bracket, designed to mount to round bar-tubing ranging from 1.75″ up to 3.0″ in diameter. Like the speaker enclosures, the mounting brackets are designed to withstand the harsh offroad environment. Two 20″ safety cables are also provided for securing the waketower speakers. Zippered neoprene covers are provided for protecting the speakers when not in use.
JBL offers a two year warranty on all their tower speakers.
JL Audio M6 Series VEX
JL Audio builds their powerful M6 VEX tower speakers to deliver quality sound while you’re tearing along the trail. You’ll definitely hear your music over the roar of your UTV. These speakers also feature JL Audio patent-pending Transflective™ RGB LED technology, which emits a smooth lighting effect through the woofer cone.
These rugged 6-1/2″ tower speakers are idea for marine or off-road use. The super-stiff mica-injected polypropylene cones feature durable synthetic-rubber surrounds, while the 3/4″ treated silk dome tweeters are mounted directly to the grilles for optimal sound dispersion. The 4 ohm JL Audio speakers can handle 75 watts RMS with a peak power rating of 225 watts.
The M6-650-VeX’s include JL Audio’s Sport Grille with RGB LEDs integrated into the frame. These produce a smooth lighting effect across the woofer cone. Individual colors can be selected, via the wiring, or you can have thousands of color variations using an optional RGB controller.
You will need to purchase mounting clamps seperately with these speakers. These low profile clamps are thin enough to attach even if you’re running a close fitting roof and are available in ten different sizes for various roll bars.
JL Audio stands behind the VEX tower speakers with a two year warranty.
Kicker 45KMTC65
Kicker’s 45KMTC65 marine tower speakers are an amazing combination of awesome sound and cool lighting. Like all Kicker speakers, they sound terrific, but with built-in LED lighting and aggressive styling, these speakers bring a lot more to the party. You can adjust the multi-color LEDs to match your UTV or your mood.
These 4 ohm, 2-way speaker pods include a 6-1/2″ polypropylene woofer with a santoprene surround and a 3/4″ titanium dome tweeter, all housed in a UV-resistant polymer enclosure that meets or exceeds ASTM standards for UV and salt/fog exposure. These include a 200 hour salt/fog test and a 400 hour accelerated UV test. The KMTC65 speakers can handle 65 watts of RMS power and 195 watts Peak power.
The Kicker speakers feature sealed motors, rubber cone surrounds, and locking terminal covers to keep the elements away from the internal components. They’ll also stand up to harsh sunlight, thanks to special UV treatments on the cones, surrounds, baskets, and grilles. The durable stainless steel/ABS clamps will fit tubing from 1-1/2″ to 3-1/4″, so these speakers will work on a wide variety of cages on your UTV. The clamps feature a tool-free locking cam/toggle system that allow the speakers to quickly and easily be swiveled up to 359˚, while their “through-clamp” design allows all wiring from the speaker to be routed through an internal conduit, for a cleaner looking installation.
The Kicker 45KMTC65 is backed by a one year warranty from the manufacturer.
Rockford Fosgate PM2652W-MB
The Rockford Fosgate PM2652W-MB is a black 6.5″ marine-grade speaker loaded into a sealed enclosure. The speaker features a 6.5″ woofer and 1″ bridge mounted tweeter, protected by a self-draining grille. Both speaker and enclosure are treated with UV inhibitors and conform to UV and Salt-Fog industry standards.
The PM2652W-MB features a 1″ aluminum alloy bridge mounted tweeter for crisp, clear highs. The midrange is made of a mineral filled, injection molded polypropylene material and features integrated UV inhibitors protecting it from sun exposure. This is attached to the UV stable, Centrex plastic, injection molded frame assembly by a Thermo-Plastic Elastomer (TPE) surround designed for maximum cone control and excursion. The cone also attaches to a moisture, fatigue and tear resistant Aramid fiber spider for additional linear control while being driven by Rockford’s high excursion, matched motor magnetic structure with IDHS which improves power handling. Together these great sounding speakers handle up to 85 watts RMS, delivering crisp, powerful sound on the trail.
You will need to purchase the Rockford Fosgate PM-CL2B mounting clamps separately. These clamps are capable or rotating up to 359 degrees and will fit any round tube from 1″ up to 2″.
These high quality tower speakers are warrantied for two years by Rockford Fosgate.
MTX MUD65PL
For great sound on a budget, it’s hard to beat the MTX MUD65PL. Each MUD65PL includes a RGB LED light ring that enables you to choose between red, blue, or green to highlight the speaker cone and make them look really cool at night. Use with the optional MUDLEDC remote and control harness and get complete control including up to 20 different color combinations and other features that allow you to customize the LEDs to match your ride and your style.
The MUD65PL includes low profile mounting brackets that are designed to fit 1.5″, 1.75″, and 2″ bars. Their low profile design allows the speakers to be securely attached to the cage and out of the way of harmful branches and other trail hazards ensuring you can enjoy them for many years. The included unique mounting bracket allows you to install the speaker facing whatever direction is best for your application. The bracket allows the speaker to swivel in any direction so the speakers are always pointed in the direction of your choice and are not limited by the shape or angle of your cage. The thin style allows these speakers to easily mount with tight fitting roofs.
The MTX speakers are rated for 50W RMS and 100W max, so it doesn’t take a ton of power to drive them.
The MUD65PL is backed by a one year warranty from MTX.
