aviator

The only quote, it's the mfg. sugg. retail in fact, I can provide is the german price for the Hotspring SpAudio. If you consider the relation between spa price and music system price to be the same in the US it might give you an idea. So here are some 2007 prices (incl. 19% Sales Tax): SpAudio Sound System 2.150 Euro (2.960 US$) SpAudio II Sound System (incl. Remote & ext. Speakers) 2.710 Euro (3.730 US$) Jetsetter 11.100 Euro (15.280 US$) Sovereign 14.300 Euro (19.690 US$) Grandee 17.800 Euro (24.510 US$) So I would consider at least 1500/1900 US$ for a SpAudio/SpAudioII.

Thanks for more input ! Whether I use a marine stereo or a power amp will mainly depend on having a good idea how to place the amp in a dry place. I have to admit that a marine stereo would be easier to place. I like that dolphin remote since a receiver is installed in my spa already and I could use it right away.

I'm not sure about US prices (I never bought a spa in the USA). All I know ist, that Hotspring offers a Tiger River Bengal for less than a HS Jetsetter in Germany. I suppose it's the same in the US. If you look around what people claim to have paid (epinions.com etc.) 5-6K seems to be the usual range. You might ask for a demo, if you like a spa that goes over your budget. That's what I did, since spas a more expensive over here. I got a 24% discount on an almost new demo modell (and they even delivered a brand new one).

Take a look at the Tiger River line from Hot Springs and the @Home from the D1 line. Forgot to mention: I'm using a Hotspring Jetsetter (2007). Since this might be to small, I would recommend the Tiger River line as well. I wet tested the Bengal extensively and opened several HS and TR models to have a look a the interior. Quality and parts seem to be the same in general. Both lines are very energy efficient. One thing I'd like to point out is, that both the Tiger Rivers and the smaller Hotsprings do not offer much for your legs. E.g. the Jetsetter does have a foot jet which is strong enough to reach one's lower legs, but there are no other special leg jets. It doesn't bother me, but might be an issue for the ladies.

Looks like the problem won't be solved in Germany. I checked for a couple of items people recommended in this thread yesterday. Boomboxes: Not a great variety to find, since the demand is rather small in my country. (not that many beaches ) Home entertainment systems: Mostly Bose, very expensive and not too suitable. Outdoor Speakers: My favourite solution so far (with a power amp and mp3/ipod etc. as recommended by Chas), but I'll wait for my trip to the States since a decent pair of LS is three times the money here. As an intermediate solution I bought a pair of JBL Control 2.4G and will install prewired hook-ups close to the spa. It's kind of a hassle, but will do for now and I will have other use for those wireless speakers later. Thank y'all for your suggestions!

I would even go further than whatley and call a wet test a must. My first spa was a "cheap" china import sold through a decent looking salesperson at a showroom comparable to other dealerships. I could only dry test at that time and bought. That spa was big, good looking and all the seats/loungers suited me perfectly. What one couldn't see was that even though that big thing got three even bigger pumps and and an airblower (and would have tripled my kw-bill easily) almost nothing happend when you turned the pumps on. The pressure of the three pumps vanished somewhere in the bad tubing but didn't arrive at the jets. The only noticeable effect was some bubbly water from the airblower's outlets. Not to mention the other problems I was confronted with soon thereafter, so I returned the spa (cost me $700 in transport) Even though my first tub might have been the lowest end of the line, I think you're right looking for quality first and sacrifice some gadgets for it. Since the price level of portable spas in Germany is quite high, I even sacrificed size for it. Most of the time there is only one person using our three seater spa. If it's not used to entertain and there isn't a big bunch of kids, a smaller one might just suit you as well. At the same time it keeps your energy bill smaller and regular care easier. Good luck

Some more food... To keep the flexibility I used a solid base (paving stones) big enough for most spas (approx. 8' x 10') and built a surrounding step around my 7' x 5.5' spa, which is not connected to the deck and can be altered in sized or removed at all. The step consists of two parts, that can be removed in seconds by two adults for access. To access the drains only, I will cut out a small piece and attach small hinges. Even though the surrounding is not touching the spa the noise level produced by the circ pump increased a bit.

Don't worry, I'll try. At least this seems to be the best quality sound closest to the ears. But, the Jetsetter is a rather quiet (and a small) spa. Two people sitting in there can easily talk to each other jets running. Thank you again.

Thank you, I thought an in-spa system would provide better readability. Maybe mounting marine speakers close to the spa at ear level will be just as good and I don't have to drill holes in the spa shell Chas, thank you for your extensive input. I like the ZON system. It's a little on the expensive side, but worth a look. I'll be in the United States (CA,NV,FL) for 4 weeks in September and will see, if I can have a look at it. I don't like to have a boombox standing around, but have to admit that it is easy and inexpensive and might be not as bad as one would think. ...but I couldn't hear the other people anymore Thank you.

Being totally happy with my 2007 HS Jetsetter II, the only thing missing is an audio system. I read the posts about using wireless speakers and searched the marine equipment manufacturer's websites. The only problem with those solutions is, that my neighbours are close and you have to turn the volume up quite a bit to have a decent sound in the spa. Does anybody know about hq aftermarket spa audio systems like the HS SpAudio (not offered for the Jetsetter) or any option I haven't thought about? Installement in the spa or the wooden deck would be possible. Don't worry about power, I can supply what is needed (12/115/240V). Apologies for my english. It's not my native language. Thank you in advance for your input!

Trying to contribute to a forum before asking questions, here are some pics from a hotspring jetsetter in Northern Germany. Portable spas are rather uncommon here. I think people need to try more...