Focal car audio any good??

JB-370z · 11-17-2009, 12:42 PM

I did hear them and I am blown away. The guy turned them way up, and he pointed out that you can turn the volume up very loud with no destortion. It's almost like the louder your turn the volume the better it sounds. Even with the voulme turned way up they did not bottom out and I could not tell the slightest hint of distortion. Just crystal clear! Tons I mean tons of mids and bass. It sounded like a mini sub, they sounded like a speaker twice the size of what they are. The highest end JL comps that were like 500-600 were very comparable in the mid/bass section with little to no distortion all around. But the JL did not have detailed highs like the Focal. Almost stuck between the JL and Focal! Trying to make up my mind. I kinda want either all JL or all focal setup. EX:amp,comps,sub all one brand. What do yall think? Im sure Focal will be the choice most will say just not sure about there subs im used to eclipse subs and comps so Im worried about keeping a very low hitting steup. I need someone to make me a tire well box for one 12 and two amps that I can make stealthy. How much is something like this I saw a build on a white z with hertz speakers. I might be willing to spend $1500-2000 on a custom box. No fiber glass/all wood.
I told my wife I would only spend 2000 on speaks and amps but now I dont think it will stay at that mark. : )

bigaudiofanat · 11-17-2009, 01:01 PM

^^ Just make sure you have a powerful amp. If you want them to sound good do not go cheap on how you get your power. You get what you pay for remember that. You are probably not going to need a custom box that will cost that much. Also JL IMO is over rated and over priced I would rather go with focal than JL but than again Image Dynamics is my personal choice.

JB-370z · 11-17-2009, 01:11 PM

I have now a phoenix gold 1000.1 mono and a 400.4 tanturm series amp. I want to upgrade plus its a new car so I want new equipment in there. I also have two 12' elcipse ti series subs. Way to heavy to go in the z. plus they are air space hogs! I need to just sell all of it. Its either all focal equipment or all JL equipment. Sorry for the spelling. I need to buy my euipment soon so I can have my wife buy me a custom box for x-mas : )

bigaudiofanat · 11-17-2009, 01:16 PM

Sell that stuff man and get focal if you want. I have not seen one company that makes everything great. Yes a lot of people talk about focal and JL but there are many companies out there. Focal is what I would say go with also might want to look at audison amps.

Z1Performance · 11-17-2009, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2fast4thelaw

They are really good but the highs are a little too laid back for my tastes. Morel speakers are not efficient and require a lot of power.

I would compare Focal to like Dynaudio, Rainbow, Seas, Morel. Focal is pretty much a top dog speaker manufacturer, just look at thier home audio lines! Some of thier speakers cost upwards of over 100 Grand. You are not going to find anything out there that is going to best them by much if any at all. They are hand made and thier approach to materials is "Cost-IS-No-Object". They are the Ferrari of the audio world.

any speaker in this class is going to sound it's best with more clean, pure power being fed to them

2fast4thelaw · 11-17-2009, 06:50 PM

True but not all of these speakers need 200 to 300 watts rms to get thier full potential. My 3-way Focal polyglass 165V3's crank on 75watts rms vs a set of old Morel Ovations I had that needed 3 times as much power and still were not near as loud.

abakja1 · 11-20-2009, 02:34 PM

I have Focals in the front and Im not getting any midbass at all...I was told that I have last year's model as new models came out. These are still the yellow midbass 6 1/2 components but there is no bass. not sure if its the crossover at speaker or amp as the stereo shop did it for me..

Is the front door or back spacing deep enough to produce enough bass? And I agree the tweeters are a little harsh,....different than being bright...

bigaudiofanat · 11-20-2009, 02:54 PM

I would say look at your amp at the crossover frequency and see what your amp is set to. they might of put it to HPF which cuts lows to go to your woofers. I would put it on full if that is on. Or keep your HPF on and change where it is cut off at. Their should be a dial play with that see where you like it. But make sure not to clip them or make them distort.

2fast4thelaw · 11-20-2009, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abakja1

I have Focals in the front and Im not getting any midbass at all...I was told that I have last year's model as new models came out. These are still the yellow midbass 6 1/2 components but there is no bass. not sure if its the crossover at speaker or amp as the stereo shop did it for me..

Is the front door or back spacing deep enough to produce enough bass? And I agree the tweeters are a little harsh,....different than being bright...

The initial harshness will go away after break in. A lot of your issue with lack of mid bass is the door panels in the Z. I can't wait until fiberglass door pods are available from Wicked CAS for the 370. I bought a set for my 350Z and they made a HUGE difference in bass and overall output. The door pods aim the speaker towards the listener and imaging is dramatically improved.

I had a set of the older KP series and they sounded like 10's in the doors.

SlikNik · 11-21-2009, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2fast4thelaw

The initial harshness will go away after break in. A lot of your issue with lack of mid bass is the door panels in the Z. I can't wait until fiberglass door pods are available from Wicked CAS for the 370. I bought a set for my 350Z and they made a HUGE difference in bass and overall output. The door pods aim the speaker towards the listener and imaging is dramatically improved.

I had a set of the older KP series and they sounded like 10's in the doors.

I agree. That guy looks like he makes nice stuff.

JB-370z · 11-21-2009, 04:26 PM

Yeah I cant wait till some 370 stuff comes out from this place. Has anyone talked to them yet? I would be interested in door speaker mounts.

Z1Performance · 11-21-2009, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2fast4thelaw

True but not all of these speakers need 200 to 300 watts rms to get thier full potential. My 3-way Focal polyglass 165V3's crank on 75watts rms vs a set of old Morel Ovations I had that needed 3 times as much power and still were not near as loud.

You really cannot compare the rms outputs amp to amp. It's like comparing one dyno to another

100 watts RMS on a McIntosh amp, and 100 watts RMS on a potentially lesser brand can be vastly different things

how the speakers are crossed over (active/passive, as well as the points), among many other things, have everything to do with overall headroom

overall though, it's like anything else..the speaker needs to be teamed to the right amp to get the most out of it

abakja1 · 11-22-2009, 04:55 AM

This might be the solution,..

I talked to the installers and they told me that that on the amp the crossover is set to full pass.... I ordered 6 1/2 mdf spacers..but reading the threads even though I have a base with Sport package, the door speakers are 6x9 cutouts? Not sure as I have 6 1/2" in there now, but will take the panel off tomorrow and see if it needs a cutout to be placed in there..

Can't wait for the 6 1/2 pods though as I saw 350z ones on ebay...

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2fast4thelaw

The initial harshness will go away after break in. A lot of your issue with lack of mid bass is the door panels in the Z. I can't wait until fiberglass door pods are available from Wicked CAS for the 370. I bought a set for my 350Z and they made a HUGE difference in bass and overall output. The door pods aim the speaker towards the listener and imaging is dramatically improved.

I had a set of the older KP series and they sounded like 10's in the doors.

JB-370z · 11-22-2009, 09:54 AM

Yes I can't wait for some pods as well! This will help give the 370 some quality sound imaging and lower mids with a big sound field. Good sound = happy me. I am very hard to please when it comes to audio though.

ConchZ2 · 11-22-2009, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Z1Performance

You really cannot compare the rms outputs amp to amp. It's like comparing one dyno to another

100 watts RMS on a McIntosh amp, and 100 watts RMS on a potentially lesser brand can be vastly different things

how the speakers are crossed over (active/passive, as well as the points), among many other things, have everything to do with overall headroom

overall though, it's like anything else..the speaker needs to be teamed to the right amp to get the most out of it

I agree………..some people push certain amps on this site without realizing the detailed knowledge of the product’s specs.

11-17-2009, 12:42 PM	#31 (permalink)
JB-370z A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Houston, Tx Posts: 1,859 Drives: Stage 2 Twin Turbos Rep Power: 19	I did hear them and I am blown away. The guy turned them way up, and he pointed out that you can turn the volume up very loud with no destortion. It's almost like the louder your turn the volume the better it sounds. Even with the voulme turned way up they did not bottom out and I could not tell the slightest hint of distortion. Just crystal clear! Tons I mean tons of mids and bass. It sounded like a mini sub, they sounded like a speaker twice the size of what they are. The highest end JL comps that were like 500-600 were very comparable in the mid/bass section with little to no distortion all around. But the JL did not have detailed highs like the Focal. Almost stuck between the JL and Focal! Trying to make up my mind. I kinda want either all JL or all focal setup. EX:amp,comps,sub all one brand. What do yall think? Im sure Focal will be the choice most will say just not sure about there subs im used to eclipse subs and comps so Im worried about keeping a very low hitting steup. I need someone to make me a tire well box for one 12 and two amps that I can make stealthy. How much is something like this I saw a build on a white z with hertz speakers. I might be willing to spend $1500-2000 on a custom box. No fiber glass/all wood. I told my wife I would only spend 2000 on speaks and amps but now I dont think it will stay at that mark. : ) Last edited by JB-370z; 11-17-2009 at 12:47 PM.

11-17-2009, 01:01 PM	#32 (permalink)
bigaudiofanat Car Audio Installer Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Magnolia DE Posts: 8,342 Drives: 2012 Infiniti G37x Rep Power: 853	^^ Just make sure you have a powerful amp. If you want them to sound good do not go cheap on how you get your power. You get what you pay for remember that. You are probably not going to need a custom box that will cost that much. Also JL IMO is over rated and over priced I would rather go with focal than JL but than again Image Dynamics is my personal choice. __________________ Need help with car audio or electronics? Let me know!! Need Help Let Me Know Direct email address reimermatt@gmail.com Owner of: Dynamic Mobile Audio Follow me below https://www.facebook.com/Dynamicmobileaudio/ Last edited by bigaudiofanat; 11-17-2009 at 01:06 PM.

11-17-2009, 01:16 PM	#34 (permalink)
bigaudiofanat Car Audio Installer Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Magnolia DE Posts: 8,342 Drives: 2012 Infiniti G37x Rep Power: 853	Sell that stuff man and get focal if you want. I have not seen one company that makes everything great. Yes a lot of people talk about focal and JL but there are many companies out there. Focal is what I would say go with also might want to look at audison amps. __________________ Need help with car audio or electronics? Let me know!! Need Help Let Me Know Direct email address reimermatt@gmail.com Owner of: Dynamic Mobile Audio Follow me below https://www.facebook.com/Dynamicmobileaudio/

11-17-2009, 06:50 PM	#36 (permalink)
2fast4thelaw Enthusiast Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Denver Co Age: 50 Posts: 403 Drives: 09 370Z Sport/MT6 Rep Power: 16	True but not all of these speakers need 200 to 300 watts rms to get thier full potential. My 3-way Focal polyglass 165V3's crank on 75watts rms vs a set of old Morel Ovations I had that needed 3 times as much power and still were not near as loud. __________________ To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

11-20-2009, 02:54 PM	#38 (permalink)
bigaudiofanat Car Audio Installer Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Magnolia DE Posts: 8,342 Drives: 2012 Infiniti G37x Rep Power: 853	I would say look at your amp at the crossover frequency and see what your amp is set to. they might of put it to HPF which cuts lows to go to your woofers. I would put it on full if that is on. Or keep your HPF on and change where it is cut off at. Their should be a dial play with that see where you like it. But make sure not to clip them or make them distort. __________________ Need help with car audio or electronics? Let me know!! Need Help Let Me Know Direct email address reimermatt@gmail.com Owner of: Dynamic Mobile Audio Follow me below https://www.facebook.com/Dynamicmobileaudio/

11-17-2009, 01:11 PM	#33 (permalink)
JB-370z A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Houston, Tx Posts: 1,859 Drives: Stage 2 Twin Turbos Rep Power: 19	I have now a phoenix gold 1000.1 mono and a 400.4 tanturm series amp. I want to upgrade plus its a new car so I want new equipment in there. I also have two 12' elcipse ti series subs. Way to heavy to go in the z. plus they are air space hogs! I need to just sell all of it. Its either all focal equipment or all JL equipment. Sorry for the spelling. I need to buy my euipment soon so I can have my wife buy me a custom box for x-mas : )

11-20-2009, 02:34 PM	#37 (permalink)
abakja1 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Hawaii Posts: 351 Drives: STI, MDX, Titan Rep Power: 305	I have Focals in the front and Im not getting any midbass at all...I was told that I have last year's model as new models came out. These are still the yellow midbass 6 1/2 components but there is no bass. not sure if its the crossover at speaker or amp as the stereo shop did it for me.. Is the front door or back spacing deep enough to produce enough bass? And I agree the tweeters are a little harsh,....different than being bright...

11-21-2009, 04:26 PM	#41 (permalink)
JB-370z A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Houston, Tx Posts: 1,859 Drives: Stage 2 Twin Turbos Rep Power: 19	Yeah I cant wait till some 370 stuff comes out from this place. Has anyone talked to them yet? I would be interested in door speaker mounts.

11-22-2009, 09:54 AM	#44 (permalink)
JB-370z A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Houston, Tx Posts: 1,859 Drives: Stage 2 Twin Turbos Rep Power: 19	Yes I can't wait for some pods as well! This will help give the 370 some quality sound imaging and lower mids with a big sound field. Good sound = happy me. I am very hard to please when it comes to audio though.

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