Focal Naysayers

[Beerdrnkr 5,000+ posts]

I think the Focals sound **** good. I heard them on a sound board along with Boston, Alpine, and JL Audio speakers and I thought the Focals sounded the best. The Bostons Pro 60's got very loud though but they just didn't have the midbass the Focals did.

 

[snb778 5,000+ posts]

i have focal components too, and i must say, after owning mb quart and boston acoustics in the past, the focals are BY FAR superior in my opinion.

which model of the MB's and Bostons have you ran?

I love that "diamond cutter" sound....preference my friend...preference.. BUT as long as everything else can keep up.

 

[99StangGt 10+ year member]

I have had focal 165ks and loved the mids hated the tweets, didnt matter how i installed them i didnt like. But I have heard the K2ps and they were better. I will be trying Dynaudios and I think they will be more what I like, well I hope they will be. I am sure I will try something else soon.

 

[headshot 10+ year member]

I've been a JM Lab freak for a few years, and they make some of the most beautiful loudspeakers on the planet for home use. I can't wait to actually hear what they put together for mobile! (JM Lab is the parent company in France that makes Focal, or is it the other way around?) At any rate, I tremendously respect the craft and quality that's put into the big guns.

 

[headshot 10+ year member]

PS - JM Lab's are notorious for being, as they say, "Brite" and are best used with Tube & analog amps, etc. or in my case, my B&K is one of the warmest solid state amps you can get. Maybe some of that reputation carries over into their mobile products?

 

[3.5Max6spd 10+ year member]

There are particular drivers in the focal brand that I wouldnt hesitate to use- none which are tweeters however, just not quite my style. I do like the tone of their midbass and their lively midrange- big reason I like Rainbow because its not a huge departure from that sound, i just find them to have a more pleasant and smoother approach to the top end without sounding laid back.

eqsandleds- i see you went with your gut instincts-glad you like them!

 

[04silverz 10+ year member]

nothing really sounds good on a board...may sound ok at best...IMO listening to drivers on sound boards r a waste of time..

which is why i said they were only on a soundboard

should still be able to get a feel for speakers and how they stack up against others

funny how people always say dont buy speakers without heraing them and then also say speakers on soundboards ****

 

[CBRworm 10+ year member]

I am not a Focal Naysayer, but I have had them and want to try something different.

I had K2P's in the front of my last truck and they sounded great, but to make them sound the way I wanted I was attenuating everything from 8K to 14K with an equalizer.

for an idea of my taste I previously had MB quarts, which I really disliked (harsh) and replaced with some Diamond components (in '99) that really sounded good - I don't remember the model. When I upgraded to the Focal 165K2P/ 165K combo in late '04 I was impressed with the sound quality, but for the money (retail) It wasn't what I expected.

I initially tried running the Focals with 2 MRV-F540s bridged, and the sound quality was good - and loud, but weak. Any major midbass and the amp would distort.

I put in my old trusty (rusty?) Mmats LM2120 amps from the 90's and they sounded much better, no more distortion - at least not at the levels I listen too. Those speakers need some power.

The Focal's did great with Dire Straits, ZZ-top, and most rock - but I mostly listen to Techno - which is frequently distorted during mastering - the Focal tweeters would take that recorded distortion and make it into a shrill that literally made your ears feel like they were going to bleed. Other speakers in the past did not have that effect with the same music using the same HU and amplifiers.

I am going to try the DLS Iridium 6.3's I think they are probably lower on the food chain than focal - but I am hoping that with the silk tweeter and midrange they will be more to my liking.

Sound quality is so subjective. You can achieve a flat response with a calibrated disc and a RTA, but that doesn't mean it will sound good to you.

 

[6spdcoupe 5,000+ posts]

I am not a Focal Naysayer, but I have had them and want to try something different.
I had K2P's in the front of my last truck and they sounded great, but to make them sound the way I wanted I was attenuating everything from 8K to 14K with an equalizer.

for an idea of my taste I previously had MB quarts, which I really disliked (harsh) and replaced with some Diamond components (in '99) that really sounded good - I don't remember the model. When I upgraded to the Focal 165K2P/ 165K combo in late '04 I was impressed with the sound quality, but for the money (retail) It wasn't what I expected.

I initially tried running the Focals with 2 MRV-F540s bridged, and the sound quality was good - and loud, but weak. Any major midbass and the amp would distort.

I put in my old trusty (rusty?) Mmats LM2120 amps from the 90's and they sounded much better, no more distortion - at least not at the levels I listen too. Those speakers need some power.

The Focal's did great with Dire Straits, ZZ-top, and most rock - but I mostly listen to Techno - which is frequently distorted during mastering - the Focal tweeters would take that recorded distortion and make it into a shrill that literally made your ears feel like they were going to bleed. Other speakers in the past did not have that effect with the same music using the same HU and amplifiers.

I am going to try the DLS Iridium 6.3's I think they are probably lower on the food chain than focal - but I am hoping that with the silk tweeter and midrange they will be more to my liking.

Sound quality is so subjective. You can achieve a flat response with a calibrated disc and a RTA, but that doesn't mean it will sound good to you.

Good well based response. Although I dont think your giving those Iridiums they deserve, I wouldnt exactly call them lower on the food chain.

In regards to your sig..

You had a Maxima, now a G. Any chance I know you from other forums? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[eqsandleds 10+ year member]

I think it all comes down to preference and install. The focal manual shows the preferred location of the mid and tweet. The preferred location for the tweet is actually in the far corner of the dash and I am lucky in that is where my stock tweeter location is at. They are not firing into the glass, but in the general location of the dome light. I listen to mainly house and techno and these tweets are not harsh to me at all.

Again I don't know if the upgraded version is that much different than the old. Focal told me that the only differece was in the mid and cross over.

 

[CBRworm 10+ year member]

I have been a lurker on the .org for a while, and am somewhat active on g35driver.com.

 

[6spdcoupe 5,000+ posts]

I have been a lurker on the .org for a while, and am somewhat active on g35driver.com.

Ahh OK, Im on both as well..Pearl96Max on the Org and Pearl05G on the G35driver. I dont frequent G35 to often tho..

 

[Hebrew Hammer 10+ year member]

which is why i said they were only on a soundboardshould still be able to get a feel for speakers and how they stack up against others

funny how people always say dont buy speakers without heraing them and then also say speakers on soundboards ****

I don't understand how why you think it's funny...think about it......they have been thrown in an relatively small enc....with switchers etc that degridate the sound...at an even worse listening position than a car....with even more horrible acoustics than a car...all makes for horrible listening....

 

[atwistd1 10+ year member]

just switched all my JL speakers out for Focal coax's 4's in dash and 6.5 in doors, sound is amazing, i listened to ED's, Boston's, and MB Quart's but the focals are kickin. They are really holding their own against 2 10" subs with 1200 watts. Focals are being fed 100 x 4 simply Amazing sound, clarity,and imaging. i hear things that were invisible with the JL's. I have become a true focal admirer! next upgrade will be to swap out one set of coax's for a set of K2P seperates. For now just amazing!