Focal 165ca1

[harshglare]

Review of Subwoofer or Speaker:

The Focal 165ca1 is a coaxial 6.5 two way with a VERY smooth response curve.

I had auditioned a JBL 6.5 coaxial which sounded louder (perhaps because it was a 2 ohm speaker [interesting for a 6.5]), but not necessarily better.

The Focals replaced some older MTX power series coaxials; the MTX coaxials were EXCESSIVELY bright with some harshness in the mids: I don't know why I stuck with the MTX for so long but one thing is sure: the MTX are bullet proof

I had listened to a few other component systems from Kicker and Polk with NONE of them coming close to the smoothness of the Focals.

The Focal 165ca1 feature a black woven glass cone with a butyl surround and an adjustable aluminum tweeter. As expected the tweeters are a bit peaky.

Even with the slightly bright tweeters, the response is so smooth, listener fatigue is a thing of the past with no harshness in the mids and a seamless transition from woofer to tweeter. I am not using any grills, so, I suspect, the tweeters may color down with grills installed.

Specs:

MSRP: $249

Nominal power: 60 W

Maximum power: 120 W

Sensitivity: 92 dB

Cone: Braided glass fiber®

Surround: Butyl

Nom. impedance: 4 ohms

VC diameter: 25 mm

Former: Kapton®

Pros:

Smooth

Great Value

Cons:

Bright aluminum tweeters

Click to read more...

 

[r0llinlacs 10+ year member]

Yes the Focals are very smooth, and un-colored. I can only imagine the flat line that is the frequency response curve. Best speakers for the money, period.

Compared to the Focals, Kenwoods are tinny, Rockfords are harsh, and Pioneers are colored, depending on what line of Pioneers you get.

 

[All_Logix 10+ year member]

not to be rude, but focal is way out of the range of the speakers you compared them too...OP I am a fan of focal so you made a good choice but to readers to come, if your looking for high end and your considering focal, you may want to audition brands like Hertz or Hybrid

 

[galacticmonkey 5,000+ posts]

not to be rude, but focal is way out of the range of the speakers you compared them too...OP I am a fan of focal so you made a good choice but to readers to come, if your looking for high end and your considering focal, you may want to audition brands like Hertz or Hybrid

Coming from someone who has owned both Focal Polyglass165VR sets and Hertz HSK165 sets, they are a completely different sound. I preferred the Focals. I thought the tweeter in the Hertz wasnt enough. I like a brighter tweeter, and the Hertz tweet just didnt do it for me. Sounded great, dont get me wrong, just not bright enough for me.