Whelen 4004 vs 4003

[Bloomblueberrymuffin]

Now, before I start my question, yes I am aware the difference between the Whelen 4003 and 4004 are how many speaker drivers they have. The 4004 has 4 and the 4003 has 3...my question comes from how do siren enthusiasts tell them apart upon glance and sound? Is the 4003 quieter? I'm sure they of course sound the same. But wouldn't you have to actually see inside the siren to tell if it has 3 drivers or 4?

[Randomizer]

I don't think you can. There's no visible difference between the two and unless you had a super scientific set-up to measure dB on axis at 100' or 70 db difference (even then having variance from real world conditions), you'd just perceive the siren head as "loud."

[Bloomblueberrymuffin]

I don't think you can. There's no visible difference between the two and unless you had a super scientific set-up to measure dB on axis at 100' or 70 db difference (even then having variance from real world conditions), you'd just perceive the siren head as "loud."

That explains a lot. I figured it would be that way. Just confused me on how enthusiasts managed to figure out the difference amongst the two; unless they've actually looked within the siren.

[Ziginox]

The only real way to tell is to peek inside the control cabinet. The 4004 has four amps, 4003 has three.

[Bloomblueberrymuffin]

The only real way to tell is to peek inside the control cabinet. The 4004 has four amps, 4003 has three.

Ohh, that makes sense. But then why does Whelen offer the 4003 when they have the 4004? The 4004 has all four speaker drivers. I’d assume price purposes, but I’m not entirely sure.

[Ziginox]

Yes, although I don't know what the price delta is. The speaker drivers and amplifier aren't very cheap, though.