Rainbow SLC 265 vs. Focal Polyglass 165V Slim

[dbaudio 10+ year member]

I'm looking for components for my front stage setup. They are going to be in the doors in my new '07 CR-V, thus the need for mids that are less than 3in deep. I'm also cutting the budget of my sound install otherwise the total gets higher and higher. I was first looking at Focal k2p's then Polyglass V2's and then down it went.

So now i'm looking at the Rainbow SLC 265's and the Polyglass 165 Slims. Both in the same price range with similar dimensions. Looking to keep the price under $300 for the set, and the price of Rainbows here on the forum are making me lean toward them. So, which is the better choice for overall SQ and occasional output? I'll be powering them with 100WRMS. Any ideas? I need to make a decision before tomorrow night. Thanks in advance!

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[tbasile1 10+ year member]

I dont think you can go wrong with either, ive never heard Rainbow in person, but Focals i have, and theyre reallllly nice speakers and sound great!!

Some may say the Rainbows, cos i believe they have silk tweets and the Focals have aluminum or titanium, cant remember and theyre too harsh, but my ears dont find Focals harsh

Since both are good, maybe consider getting what ever is cheaper lol

 

[dbaudio 10+ year member]

I was thinking about that, considering the fact that Focals are a bit more expensive because of popularity. Paying for the name. But if I can pay less to have speakers that sound just as good, then im all for it.

 

[SQChevy 10+ year member]

You only somewhat pay for the name. Most of the cost involved with Focal is the product itself. They make excellent speakers and I have yet to find someone who has a set of speakers that sound better than what I have in my truck. I did a SQ only competition at finals last year and won by 11 pts to second place and about 20 to third place.

 

[dbaudio 10+ year member]

but would the SLC's still be a good choice for SQ?

 

[tbasile1 10+ year member]

oo yeah the Rainbows are awesome speakers, like i said, you cant go wrong with either speakers, they are both reallllllly good

at this point, i would just say its up to personal preference lol

have you heard them, or at least one of em?

 

[dbaudio 10+ year member]

I've only heard KP2's recently. Never heard the specific ones I want, hard to find a shop with them on display. Thanks. At this point i'm going to go with what good deal hits me first.

 

[DjiNN 10+ year member]

Where are you in NY .. i got a pair of Rainbow SLC 265 in my car with 150W to each speaker ... and they sound good at 36 Volume out of 60 ..

 

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

I've only heard KP2's recently. Never heard the specific ones I want, hard to find a shop with them on display. Thanks. At this point i'm going to go with what good deal hits me first.

I have compared both Focal sets (well, the poly's were not the slims) and to my ears the K2P's sounded much smoother than the Focal Poly's.

 

[SQChevy 10+ year member]

I have compared both Focal sets (well, the poly's were not the slims) and to my ears the K2P's sounded much smoother than the Focal Poly's.

As they should since the K2P's are the step up from the Polyglass.

 

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

As they should since the K2P's are the step up from the Polyglass.

Well yeah. The point I was trying to make was that he really should not make a decision to buy the polyglass based off of hearing the K2P's. To my ears the sound was very different. Some might even like the sound of the poly's better (stranger things have hapened), but there is no doubt they are different.

 

[dbaudio 10+ year member]

I understand that. My judgment was based upon the quality of Focal's products. I figured that the Poly's would at least sound half as good as the K2P's.

 

[WhoSayWho? 5,000+ posts]

I understand that. My judgment was based upon the quality of Focal's products. I figured that the Poly's would at least sound half as good as the K2P's.

I didn't mean to insult you, lol. It's just that I happened to spend some time listening to both sets during the last couple of weeks and I found them to be different. I am not saying that the Polys sucked, not by a long shot. They were just more in your face if that makes sense. I am sure that you will enjoy them if that is the route you take.