Thanks for the comments guys Have installed a bunch of these and their 3 way counterparts with the mid range woofer into a variety of cars since uploading this video. I would agree these speakers definitely perform much better under power rather than off a head unit as they arnt very sensitive, only 88.3dB I think. You definitely get more punch and depth running then off an amplifier, but I would say that in both situations they were astonishingly clear, I love the magnesium/aluminum inverted dome tweeters they're brilliant. Again thanks for comments, always keen to hear what other people think.
I've got a set of KRXS speakers I my car and once I'd deadened the door properly and sorted out the proper mounts they sound pretty amazing to my ears. I'd like to hear these and see how they compare.
Since you have some good experience with these dpeakers, have you had a chance to hear the PS165F? They appear to be pretty similar to the FX, just a smaller voice coil and magnet and the dust cover compared to a phase plug. I know part of the extra expense of the FX over the F is the better passive crossover, but I wonder if the FX mid is actually better than the F mid. I'm trying to decide which would be better since I have an all active system.
Car Audio.etc, I was curious as to why you haven't done any installs with the F model. Is it because of a supply issue with Focal not sending you the F models or do your customers just prefer the FX version?
Where I work we just choose to only sell the fx model because they arnt that much more expensive than the f model and you know you're getting the best you can get without spending $800+ Did you know the fx series won an EISA award for "Best in-car speaker system" for 2014?
i won't push to much into EISA award. In the end it's a promotion system where only the systems released that year are compared to each other and i doupt there is an actual performance measurement done SQL wise.
I just wanted to let you know that the little mass on the tweeter grill is not to limit excursion, it should never make contact with the cone or else damage will result. Its there to alter the dispersion pattern making the frequency response better. Possibly to tone down the on axis response to better match the off axis response. I'm sure Focal has more details on that. Secondly, you theory on the tweeter cone shape is not correct. Keep in mind the the tweeter gets pushed and pulled around its diameter, not near the center of the cone. The use of the cup shape, as opposed to a dome, has more to do with dispersion pattern. Do you have any thoughts on this models sound quality?
I agree with what you say about the magnetic mass in the center it probably does help with the on/off axis frequency response I would rate the sound quality 10/10 and the three ways even better if possible... Wonderful speakers With the cone shape I am simply passing on exactly what the NZ reps who colaborate with the design engineers in France told us
+Car Audio.etc That's pretty interesting. Since Focal knows that a lot of people will not be using the grills, it must not effect the tweeters magnetic field. I guess it's just a novel way of holding the grill on.
You said something about the red card having the serial number on it, but but in your video I didn't see a serial number. I purchased a set online for a small discount from Italy, but my red card has no serial number on it.
+Gian Perez I haven't heard the PS165 F set to tell you whether there is a noticeable audible difference, but I do know some technical differences between them; Obviously the main difference is the crossover. With the ps165fx, you can choose to power of its own channel like normal or you can Bi-amp them (meaning separate amplifier channels for the woofer and tweeter) or you could even completely go active and remove the crossover from the system. The PS165fx crossover has adjustable tweeter parameters as well (0dB, -3dB or -6dB) and also the tweeter crossover slope and frequency range can be chosen between a couple of options. The other difference that I know of is the woofer. The PS165fx woofer can handle more power for one, and it also has a static phase plug in its center. (the dome in the middle of the visible side). This according to focal creates better sound dispersion. Hope some of this has helped you in some way :)
I just had some put in my truck and they sound horrible, not clear at at all. And bit very loud either. The rockfords i had in before were louder and clearer.
+Fly Cat 1154 ya i have a focal on them. The first set friend in two weeks. The second set tweeters quit playing and the amp mysteriously went hay wire. Focal is starting to leave a bad taste in my mouth
+Fly Cat 1154 i have. No idea, the shop that put them in said all his wiring looked good. There under warranty. Guess ill keep goin back till he decides to do something different
K2 is the next step up from Flax/Performance series. They are even better in so many ways. I have done an install with full K2 series speakers all around and they sounded amazing.
are you sure it is a step up? I'm not being sarcastic They are just priced very similar, I'm wondering how the K2 is so much better? I am trying to replace my old focal 6.5s. I think I have 4 6.5 and 2 tweeters in my silverado. It is between sticking with the focal brand or I am also looking at the HERTZ HSK 165XL. What is the best set you recommend under 1000?
The theory that flax is somehow lighter is nonsense! For example; Focal PS20 sub - MMS 95g Peerless SLS 8 - MMS 75g or Diaphragm Mass Inc. Airload (Mms)34.78g according to parts-express.
This is the information given to us by the New Zealand reps for focal who colaborate with the engineers/manufacturers in France. Flax fibers are hollow tubes like drinking straws which instantly removes a large percentage of the volumes mass. The fibers are layered and pressed for strength. Hollow cylinders are also one of the strongest naturally accruing 3D shapes and they react to stress very well because no matter what way you try to bend it, there is always the same opposing force. Light weight and rigid materials are perfect for making speaker cones hence why focal used flax fibers. On a personal note when you are the head of an internationally renowned speaker manufacturing company, and can show your working, maybe then people will take your advice.
Car Audio.etc I'm still trying to decide between the Focal KRX2 and the Fx. I can get both for pretty similar prices (the KRX2 I'm going for from crutchfield can be had for $650 from crutchfield). The link for then is here... www.crutchfield.com/S-F1D789nACFi/p_091165KRX2/Focal-K2-Power-165KRX2.html. Anyways which would you personally go for? I'm thinking of throwing in a JL audio w7 in as my sub to go along with the speakers. I'm very into the details of the music, line clear highs and clean mids that allow vocals to shine.
Thanks for the comments guys
Have installed a bunch of these and their 3 way counterparts with the mid range woofer into a variety of cars since uploading this video.
I would agree these speakers definitely perform much better under power rather than off a head unit as they arnt very sensitive, only 88.3dB I think.
You definitely get more punch and depth running then off an amplifier, but I would say that in both situations they were astonishingly clear, I love the magnesium/aluminum inverted dome tweeters they're brilliant.
Again thanks for comments, always keen to hear what other people think.
I'm looking to install these into my 2003 Range Rover. I'm looking for the 3 way components. Love these speakers.
I've got a set of KRXS speakers I my car and once I'd deadened the door properly and sorted out the proper mounts they sound pretty amazing to my ears. I'd like to hear these and see how they compare.
What do you think will be the next thing you change in your sound system? will you ever upgrade these speakers to the K2's
Which focal speaker sounds more alive? Flax Evo or the K2 series?
I just got mine from France, 200 usd with tax refund from the store i go. Love them, any tips on crossover points for the speakers are appreciated.
You said it's possible to have a splitted input signal. Is it also possible to use one input signal for the woofers and the tweeters?
Please do a full install with amplifier.. I’m lost as to what I’m doing wrong . The instructions are poor to say the least . Thank you!
that red card in the box, is there supposed to be a serial number on the back of the card?
with focal tweeters is the wire with the red stripe + or -?
How’s CT sound messo 6.5 components compared to focal 165 FX?
The wire with red stripes is always + ? Is a info about polarity on wires?
Hola, como conectar los rca, al amplificador,, cuando hacemos la biamplificacion?
Since you have some good experience with these dpeakers, have you had a chance to hear the PS165F? They appear to be pretty similar to the FX, just a smaller voice coil and magnet and the dust cover compared to a phase plug. I know part of the extra expense of the FX over the F is the better passive crossover, but I wonder if the FX mid is actually better than the F mid. I'm trying to decide which would be better since I have an all active system.
Another person asked the same question.
Check out my answer below in the comments
Sq or spl ?
I am looking for new sq oriented focal and i am not shure what to buy
Focal 165fx VS. JL Audio c3?
These are better than the KRs?
Car Audio.etc, I was curious as to why you haven't done any installs with the F model. Is it because of a supply issue with Focal not sending you the F models or do your customers just prefer the FX version?
Where I work we just choose to only sell the fx model because they arnt that much more expensive than the f model and you know you're getting the best you can get without spending $800+
Did you know the fx series won an EISA award for "Best in-car speaker system" for 2014?
i won't push to much into EISA award. In the end it's a promotion system where only the systems released that year are compared to each other and i doupt there is an actual performance measurement done SQL wise.
I just wanted to let you know that the little mass on the tweeter grill is not to limit excursion, it should never make contact with the cone or else damage will result. Its there to alter the dispersion pattern making the frequency response better. Possibly to tone down the on axis response to better match the off axis response. I'm sure Focal has more details on that.
Secondly, you theory on the tweeter cone shape is not correct. Keep in mind the the tweeter gets pushed and pulled around its diameter, not near the center of the cone. The use of the cup shape, as opposed to a dome, has more to do with dispersion pattern.
Do you have any thoughts on this models sound quality?
I agree with what you say about the magnetic mass in the center it probably does help with the on/off axis frequency response
I would rate the sound quality 10/10 and the three ways even better if possible... Wonderful speakers
With the cone shape I am simply passing on exactly what the NZ reps who colaborate with the design engineers in France told us
+Car Audio.etc Are you saying that the little mass on the tweeter grill is an actual magnet and not a piece of plastic?
+JasonWW2000 yes when you hold the grill over the tweeter you can feel it magnetically center and pull itself onto the tweeter
+Car Audio.etc That's pretty interesting. Since Focal knows that a lot of people will not be using the grills, it must not effect the tweeters magnetic field. I guess it's just a novel way of holding the grill on.
You said something about the red card having the serial number on it, but but in your video I didn't see a serial number. I purchased a set online for a small discount from Italy, but my red card has no serial number on it.
Robert Dooley not sure why that would be...
The serial number should definitely be on the membrane of each woofer
Running JL Audio HD600/4 amp to mine. What is a good cross over setting on the hpf? Thanks guys
100
Let your ears and intuition be the judge
what's the main difference on ps165f with ps165fx quality and performance wise?
+Gian Perez
I haven't heard the PS165 F set to tell you whether there is a noticeable audible difference, but I do know some technical differences between them;
Obviously the main difference is the crossover.
With the ps165fx, you can choose to power of its own channel like normal or you can Bi-amp them (meaning separate amplifier channels for the woofer and tweeter) or you could even completely go active and remove the crossover from the system.
The PS165fx crossover has adjustable tweeter parameters as well (0dB, -3dB or -6dB) and also the tweeter crossover slope and frequency range can be chosen between a couple of options.
The other difference that I know of is the woofer.
The PS165fx woofer can handle more power for one, and it also has a static phase plug in its center. (the dome in the middle of the visible side).
This according to focal creates better sound dispersion.
Hope some of this has helped you in some way :)
+DJCarAudioGoProGuy awesome info thanks for the reply!
At 1:28 you say they put the serial number on the red card. There is no serial number on the card. I have one also no serial number.
Same here
I just had some put in my truck and they sound horrible, not clear at at all. And bit very loud either. The rockfords i had in before were louder and clearer.
+Andrew Brister focal's need a fair amount of power, these sorta speakers wont run very well off your headunit power
+Fly Cat 1154 ya i have a focal on them. The first set friend in two weeks. The second set tweeters quit playing and the amp mysteriously went hay wire. Focal is starting to leave a bad taste in my mouth
Andrew Brister sounds like you have a electrical problem lmfao otherwise they wouldn't just randomly blow up
+Fly Cat 1154 i have. No idea, the shop that put them in said all his wiring looked good. There under warranty. Guess ill keep goin back till he decides to do something different
the difference between the K2 Power series ?
K2 is the next step up from Flax/Performance series.
They are even better in so many ways.
I have done an install with full K2 series speakers all around and they sounded amazing.
Oh! Cos I have a K2 series set up... I didnt know that!...
are you sure it is a step up? I'm not being sarcastic They are just priced very similar, I'm wondering how the K2 is so much better? I am trying to replace my old focal 6.5s. I think I have 4 6.5 and 2 tweeters in my silverado. It is between sticking with the focal brand or I am also looking at the HERTZ HSK 165XL. What is the best set you recommend under 1000?
The theory that flax is somehow lighter is nonsense! For example;
Focal PS20 sub - MMS 95g
Peerless SLS 8 - MMS 75g or Diaphragm Mass Inc. Airload (Mms)34.78g according to parts-express.
This is the information given to us by the New Zealand reps for focal who colaborate with the engineers/manufacturers in France.
Flax fibers are hollow tubes like drinking straws which instantly removes a large percentage of the volumes mass.
The fibers are layered and pressed for strength.
Hollow cylinders are also one of the strongest naturally accruing 3D shapes and they react to stress very well because no matter what way you try to bend it, there is always the same opposing force.
Light weight and rigid materials are perfect for making speaker cones hence why focal used flax fibers.
On a personal note when you are the head of an internationally renowned speaker manufacturing company, and can show your working, maybe then people will take your advice.
why do they need to make crossovers look good? because people like you fall for it.
More like Because they CAN, I yes I have fully "Fell" in love with these speakers for their build and sound quality.
Car Audio.etc I think dynaudio do better
any difference in speaker between F and FX? I know the crossover is different
Car Audio.etc I'm still trying to decide between the Focal KRX2 and the Fx. I can get both for pretty similar prices (the KRX2 I'm going for from crutchfield can be had for $650 from crutchfield). The link for then is here... www.crutchfield.com/S-F1D789nACFi/p_091165KRX2/Focal-K2-Power-165KRX2.html. Anyways which would you personally go for? I'm thinking of throwing in a JL audio w7 in as my sub to go along with the speakers. I'm very into the details of the music, line clear highs and clean mids that allow vocals to shine.
i would like an answere to this as well. Currently owning the Fx and thinking about those elite lines.