Who knows ANYTHING about the Focal 5KX subwoofer??? Please help me!

[bdonkersgoed 10+ year member]

Hey Everyone,

There is a local sale on a pair of Focal 5KX mini subs for $200USD. I don't really know much about these subs, and I can't find information on them anywhere, except for the little bit of info on Focal's site:

http://www.focal-america.com/support/5kx.htm

Some questions for you guys:

1.) Is this a good deal?

2.) What is the mounting depth?

3.) Can I use these as subs and put them in the rear doors of my '99 Passat? I can't have any subs in my trunk . . . Would they be decently bassy to make up for the lack of subs?

4.) What is the impedance? Is it SVC or DVC?

5.) Is this considered bottom-end Focal, top-end Focal, or somewhere inbetween?

6.) What is the RMS power rating?

7.) How does it compare to the Focal 5WS (Utopia Series)?

Thanks for ANY help you guys can give!

Regards,

Bryan

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[loserpunk 10+ year member]

i couldn't find out much about them actually, but going from Focal's site, i wouldn't expect these to perform like subs, they call them midbass/midranges, if you really want bass in the back, maybe put some 8's in your doors, or at least go to a 6.5, a 5.25 is goign to have a hard time playing as low as "subs" would, i'd try and squeeze the largest diameter driver you can in your door if your looking for solely bass from them

 

[bdonkersgoed 10+ year member]

Thanks man,

I don't need huge bass. I just want a little bit of bass. I am going for a completely SQL setup this time around. So far I have the following:

- Alpine CDA-9835 HU

- Focal Utopia 165 for the front

- PPI Ax400 (Art Series) to power Utopia

- Orion HCCA 225 G4

- Need two subs . . . possibly these Focals?

I know that Focal is known for their amazing SQL which is why I am looking into these subs/midbasses. I can't have a sub in the trunk because it has already been stolen twice in the last 10 weeks //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif I just want a little bit of bass in the rear doors to make up for the lack of a sub a little . . .

I like that these are small, hopefully aren't too deep, and hopefully should fit in the rear doors of my '99 Passat OK. I am going to use sound deadener to form a type of sealed "box" within the doors.

Do you think these subs might serve my purpose? I was looking at the likes of Image Dynamics ID8v.3's and Resonant Rengineering RE8s, but they might be difficult to squeeze into the rear doors.

Thanks for the help //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Bryan

 

[bdonkersgoed 10+ year member]

I also like that I can get these local . . . they are even cheaper than the ID8s because I don't have to pay Canadian 15% taxes, customs brokerage fees, or large shipping . . .

Regards,

Bryan

 

[bdonkersgoed 10+ year member]

Can anybody answer some of the questions that I asked in the original post?

Thanks,

Bryan

 

[Beat_Dominator 5,000+ posts]

I have 2 Focal Utopia 5WS "subs" and I garantee that those will not have enough bass. I was trying the same thing you are, but the problem is that though they can do a decent job producing lower frequencies, they cannot produce enough volume without distortion.

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

from what i seen it takes like 6-10 of them to equal a sq sub and 2 to= a good sized displacement midbass. ed has a new driver in the works that might be up your alley. personally you are canadian and you have what i consider the best small midbass making manufacturer in the world right there AVI.

http://www.avisound.com/

 

[bdonkersgoed 10+ year member]

Thanks guys,

Here are some specs that the seller sent me:

Mounting depth: 65.5mm/2.56"

RMS Wattage: 120w

Impedance: SVC 6ohm. Good for a standard bridgable amp rated for 4ohm mono to run this pair.

Model line (i.e. Access, Polyglass, Utopia?): Xpert

Age: 3 or 4 years I believe.

Do you think that the 5KX would be any different from the 5WS? I am needing a subwoofer effect for the rear doors, not a midbass. How loud is "not loud enough"? I don't need things to rattle or anything . . . I just need good clear bass.

I am either interested in this, or some other good high-quality 5 - 8" subs that have a fairly shallow mounting depth. The Resonant Engineering RE8s seem to be the closest match in the 8" subs that I have found so far (supposedly high quality and 3.5" mounting depth).

Do you recommend a sub by AVI, or a midbass? I want a subwoofer effect, remember . . . AVI has an 8" subwoofer, but it is meant for ported enclosures. I wonder if it is possible to kind of "port" my door? I want to run small subs in the rear doors free air, but sealed in tight with Dynamat (or similiar).

Thanks for the help guys!

Bryan

 

[bdonkersgoed 10+ year member]

He is going to email me the actual spec sheet today sometime. I will let you guys nkow what it says when it arrives.

Thanks again,

Bryan

 

[req 5,000+ posts]

you might wanna take a look at the new 6.5" sub\midbass from elemental designs. lookin pretty beefy to me.

 

[bdonkersgoed 10+ year member]

I have always ben scared of Elemental Designs because of the bad wrap they get. I her some bad stories about their products from time to time (but maybe this is just with their amps?)

So i should look at their mids? What about their 9kv.2 (but ti still has a mounting depth of 4.25" . . .)

Or would their midbasses give me enough of a subwoofer effect? It's gotta be like a sub . . .

Thanks,

Bryan

 

[bdonkersgoed 10+ year member]

Don't you think the RE8 would be a better fit for me? the only thing about the RE8 is that I don't think it comes in DVC. I would really like to get a 1-ohm load out of a pair to match the Orion HCCA 225 G4 amp I have . . .

Thanks,

Bryan

 

[req 5,000+ posts]

jjust FYI - the RE8 is strictly subwoofer duty. nothing higher than that is recommended (by me at least)

they ARE dvc4's just to let you know. so a pair of them will get to 1ohm, or you can get a nice 2ohm 2channel amp. bla bla blah. id only give them 250w in a sealed box at most tho. id not feel comfertable knowing their coil can hit the back plate.

 

[bdonkersgoed 10+ year member]

jjust FYI - the RE8 is strictly subwoofer duty. nothing higher than that is recommended (by me at least). They ARE dvc4's just to let you know. so a pair of them will get to 1ohm

So it sounds like the RE-8s are probably the driection I should go? That's great that they are DVC at 4 ohms . . . that is exactly what I need for my Orion HCCA 225 G4. It is also good that they are meant to be a sub . . . because that is what I am looking for too.

Would the RE8s suit me better than the Focals? I just really wanted Focals because of their reputation for SQL (I just bought Utopias for the front) and because of their small size (should be easy to mount in the doors).

The RE8s on the other hand get good reviews for SQL as well, and I believe (but am not certain) that they have a mounting depth of 3.5" (which is pretty good for an 8" sub). Their website is not informative at all //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

What do you guys think? Should I go for RE8s? Or do you have any other mini sub options I should look into?

Thanks again!!

Bryan

 

[bdonkersgoed 10+ year member]

Here are the ratings on my Orion HCCA 225 G4:

2 x 25 @ 4 Ohm

2 x 50 @ 2 Ohm

2 x 100 @ 1 Ohm

2 x 200 @ .5 Ohm

1 x 100 @ 4 Ohm

1 x 200 @ 2 Ohm

1 x 400 @ 1 Ohm

If I wire at 1-ohm, I will get 400W RMS. Do you think this is too much (because you recommend 250W)? Isn't it OK to have an overly-powerful amp, and then just turn the gain down? I thought this is the way that you get cleaner power, instead of maxing out a smaller amp?

By the way, does anyone know where I can find the specs of the RE8s, since their website doesn't tell me much? Very important is the mounting depth, RMS rating, etc.

Also, can someone tell me what "Mounting Depth" actually means? Is "Mounting Depth" the overall height of the speaker, or something else?

Thanks!!

Bryan