focal speakers!

[roon_VR]

hello all,

just thought I'd let you all know that the focal 165V1 splits are a whole new sound level. I just upgraded from Alpine type R splits to these focal splits and the difference in quality is unbelievable. I made up some mdf pods to go with them and the amount of mid-bass it kicks out is ear deafening. I seriously recommend using these speakers as your front stage!

that is all

[StoneX]

Have done Focal, moved onto better things now

[vt748]

I have Focal splits and i have to agree they are very good. After 40 hours go get the installer to retune them and they will sound even better. They take time to break in.

[Tasmaniak]

Always been impressed with focal...especially how "bright" their tweeters are. Although I still love the "warmth" I get from MBQuarts.

Wait until you upgrade from those into their higher quality components....awesome.

[roon_VR]

Always been impressed with focal...especially how "bright" their tweeters are. Although I still love the "warmth" I get from MBQuarts.

Wait until you upgrade from those into their higher quality components....awesome.

what model MB quarts are you currently using? A close friend of mine is running a set of MB quart splits, and i must say i was pretty impressed by the clarity it produced, and they weren't even properly installed into mdf pods.

[bezz]

Nice pickup, I was very close to getting some focals this year but ended up with bostons instead (right price at the right time)

[the_duke]

focal are nice and bostons are good too,

But nothing beats the platinum line of rainbow splits.

[savage1987]

What's this sort of speaker worth for a good front split? Looking at slowly upgrading my system to one that I can just keep and move from car to car, might as well do it properly!

Do the focals etc need to be amped to get the best out of them? 2 or 4 way amp for cabin speakers?

lol sorry for all the questions, about to go to bed

[Tasmaniak]

I'm running Qs

[StoneX]

Most higher end speakers will sound much better running from an external amplifier. Head unit amps don't have much "grunt" in them to reproduce low bass-midbass frequencies as well as larger amplifiers.

The Focals mentioned in the first post, 165V1, are $399 RRP but street price would be low $300's, maybe high $200's. Reference: http://www.fastfoursforumscarclub.co..._pricelist.pdf

[savage1987]

Yeah I get the feeling even my Clarion 6" splits (front stage) need a little extra amplification.. no midrange at all really, all treble. Even my 6x9s seem to be underperforming. Could be a wiring issue I suppose, I've no idea what guage it is.

Thanks for those prices StoneX, they're not as bad as I thought they'd be!

Sam

[danja]

Can anyone recommend some good "smooth" splits? Was in my mates IS250 the other day, and the stock sound is excellent (granted it is an 11 speaker system..)

Something which sounds well defined, but isn't too sharp or bright. I had JL CSi's previously, which were great but possibly a bit on the bright side of what I'm after now.

[Tasmaniak]

MBQs are "smooth" in my opinion.

[danja]

MBQs are "smooth" in my opinion.

Good to know

Do you have any experience with the PVI 216 models?
MB QUART PVI216 PVI 216 PREMIUM 6.5" COMPONENT SET NEW - eBay (item 180291133121 end time Oct-19-08 06:46:07 PDT)

I've noticed you mentioned the "Q" series, but from what I can see form the MBQ site they are discontinued? The 216's seem to be at the lower/middle end of the price range (about 600 rrp, compared to 1400 for the Q's). Be interested to know how they hold up.

[Tasmaniak]

used them a few times and was impressed. for there brice range they sound ok not a fan that they wen't back to the omni directional tweeter though so placement of the tweet is critical. as for sound....thats up to you man. Hard to work out when buying from eBay.

[danja]

Oh don't worry about that. There's no way I'm spending $300+ on speakers without knowing what they sound like first-hand!

Trouble is finding stores which have higher-end gear hooked up on a sound board. Strathfield, Autobarn etc etc obviously don't stock the good stuff...

Don't suppose you're a Sydney-sider and/or could recommend good car audio places?

[savage1987]

Trouble is finding stores which have higher-end gear hooked up on a sound board. Strathfield, Autobarn etc etc obviously don't stock the good stuff...

That does suck...

[danja]

That does suck...

You in the same boat? I've found JB Hifi usually have a couple of decent component sets hooked up, but the range is usually pretty limited

[savage1987]

yeah mate best I've heard hooked up to an amp board is the alpine R type gear, and DDlinear splits.

[Tasmaniak]

Try an actual car audio store? I know my store we carried the entire range of Focal, MBQ Eclipse and Clarion. Oh and no, I'm not a sydney sider...I'm in Alaska at the moment.

[savage1987]

where? I've only tried Alberts, really

[bezz]

isnt FHRX studios based in sydney? They should have a lot of quality gear to audition. Sorry no idea on location.. just somewhere east of where i am

[danja]

I hadn't head of them, but Google has and tells me you're right! Cheers, I might check them out

[savage1987]

I hadn't head of them, but Google has and tells me you're right!

lol awesome