Livestrong_TL

I have a 4G base TL. I am curious to know if this tweeter/speaker combo will fit in my car? My drivers side speaker is blown, so I'm shopping for replacements. I'm looking at the Integration IS 165 component speakers

http://www.focal-america.com/category/speakers/

By the sounds of it, everyone seems happy with leaving all of the rear speakers stock? My stock sub rattles just like others have stated, so I'd like to get that fixed as well.

Thanks

Mr Marco

This blown speaker issue is PITA, we tried to listen to a new download this holiday weekend road-trip only to be disapointed yet again by blown speaker #3. At this rate we will have new speakers in every door by next summer.

Livestrong_TL

It seems like alot of ppl have had the same issue. I didn't realize it is as common as it is. It's very unfortunate to say the least.

sarge_in

Btw, have you demo'd these speakers? When I was buying for another car (Odyssey actually), I found the lower series Focal not to be as good - they had sharp sound at high frequencies. As you go higher the effect reduces drastically. I went with the 165KR back then and absolutely love those. And you don't have to pay retail prices on them. A few online sites carry them at significant discount. For me, a local dealer in SoCal matched the online price so I went with them. Best of luck!

Of course, everyone hears different so may be fine for you. Just try to check them out before buying..

Livestrong_TL

Thanks for the reply Sarge. I would like to hear them in person but I don't think that'll be possible which is why I'm shying away from purchasing them. I've never heard of Focal before, besides this board.
Can you recall what websites you were looking at before you purchased them? Since these are 6.5" these should fit I assume, and will the tweeter fit as well?

Livestrong_TL

[QUOTE=Livestrong_TL;13390255]Thanks for the reply Sarge. I would like to hear them in person but I don't think that'll be possible which is why I'm shying away from purchasing them. I've never heard of Focal before, besides this board.
Can you recall what websites you were looking at before you purchased them? Since these are 6.5" these should fit I assume, and will the tweeter fit as well?

EDIT: wow, one website I was on had them for $699.99.....that's a lot of coin for car speakers it seems. I've been out of this game for a long time so I guess things have changed.

sarge_in

Seems like you found 1 website - sonicelectonicx.com. This is the one that had it cheap at the time. Another is woofersetc.com.

I bought them for $380 at that time (2 yrs back) + installation etc. Seems like prices on both the websites are now higher. Expensive, I know!

And oh, don't worry about the brand. It is a premier brand for both car as well as home audio (I find it better than B&W in home audio, just as a reference to its quality). There are other good car speaker brands too - Hertz (slightly more balanced I think but I haven't heard them), Morel (this is much warmer sounding), Dynaudio, Rainbow etc. Listening first hand is the best way to go. If not possible, look for reviews etc in car audio forums.

Livestrong_TL

Thanks Sarge,
ill keep looking around. I've always ran
JL subs...I'll take a look t their components as well

sarge_in

Seems the local dealer I got and installed from has a website now. The 165KR are at $550 here - http://www.goldstaraudio.com/car-spe...anufacturer=20

Perhaps try calling them to see if they are willing to negotiate even further.

JL is pretty good too, but even more expensive for comparable product (at least when I was looking). Focal tweeters are among the best once you get to their higher lines.

I hate cars

I'm a little late here but I have to vote for Dynaudio.

It depends on your tastes but Dyns consistently have the best tonality, detail, and realism. They're not bright or laid back or harsh or dull. They just play music as it was recorded and with amazing detail. They're a little pricey but you will never be wanting to upgrade or wishing you had gotten something else. There are several songs I've listened to hundreds of times over the years and with this system I've noticed sounds and instruments that I never knew were there. In some studio recordings you can hear a chair move or a mic stand being moved.

Again, depending on your tastes, they are capable of taking a ton of power while maintaining amazing SQ. This is one of the few car audio systems I've owned/heard that rivals a decent home setup.

There's a slightly used 3-way set for $700 over on DIYMA right now. I used to make fun of people that spent this kind of money on car audio but once you hear these speakers (along with a good install) you will make excuses to take drives and take the long way home everyday.

Livestrong_TL

You're not too late, thanks for the reply. I found it crazy that the prices of car speakers has gone up since the last time I was looking. I guess things change and if you're comparing these to the sound of a home system, that's something. I'm also looking at Hybrid speakers as well. There's so many to choose from nowadays lol

I hate cars

The thing I've learned about car audio is you start spending a lot of money for small gains as you go up in price. Going from a $500 set to a $1,000 set might get you a 10% improvement in performance. That's also assuming that more expensive means better which many times it does not. It's trying to find that level where you're happy that's hard.

Some of the better/more expensive car systems I've heard don't compare to a fairly cheap home system. It's not the speakers but the terrible environment they're put it.

I decided to start with a set of speakers that are tonally neutral and extremely detailed even though once they're installed in the car a lot of that goes to hell. At least you're not fighting an inherently bright or dull speaker, the base is there.


If you're comfortable with speaker specs, you can throw together a VERY nice system by buying raw drivers for a fraction of the cost of a set of "auto" drivers. I actually looked at Dynaudio because they produce such nice home speakers. Unfortunately the auto versions cost as much as the home versions.

ScorpioNAtl

If you're looking for a good 'bang for the buck' speaker set, look at the Hybrid Audio Technologies Imagine or Unity lines. I have the Imagines and would put them against any sub-$400 set any day....handle moderate power well being efficient.

Livestrong_TL

I have been looking at Hybrid speakers. I can't seem to find a price for any line they carry. Where did you pick yours up from? What speakers did you replace with your Hybrids?

ScorpioNAtl

I purchased mine from 12vElectronics-they are an authorized online HAT dealer. http://store.12velectronics.com/

I replaced the stock speakers. I was running 100w a side to them via my Zed aftermarket amp but have now switched to only 60 or so (with my old PPI Art A404) and still have plenty of volume.

Livestrong_TL

Since one of my door speakers blew on my I'm looking to replace them in my '09 I will look on the website you provided and see what they have. Did you install them yourself? Also, I wonder how much power is put out from the stock amp? I was thinking of just running them off of that since they run off of low power as well according to the website. Did you run all new speaker wire for the speakers or how did you get the amp powered? You replaced ALL the speakers in your car?

ScorpioNAtl

Replaced front door 6.5s and 1in tweeters in the dash with the Imagine 6s. I ran all new speaker wire since the HAT Imagines run off of a natural frequency roll-off when wired together and using a simple tweeter capacitor(no crossover). The stock TL's wiring for the stock tweeter is similiar. I don't think you would lose/harm anything by keeping the same wiring in place if you wanted to.

From what I know about the 4G's stock system, you're probably getting around 50 watts a side but the stock speakers are 2ohm and the HATs are 4ohm. You won't lose a TON of power since the HATs are so efficient but you will lose some utilizing the stock amp. Keep in mind I have an '08 so you may have the power necessary for your desired volume if you don't need a lot of extra volume. I just found myself listening above 30 on HU so I knew an additional amp was necessary for my 3G.

For my system design, I kept the stock amp powering my center and rear 6.5 mids. I tapped into the wiring post-amp in the passenger kick panel with 2 Line Output Converters (LOC) and sent the signals for the front 2 speaker sets and a sub I put in the trunk(bypassed stock sub). I had a local installer put everything in as I didn't want to deal with rattle issues and my installer put in sound deadening in my doors (to help with road noise as well as making the interior more sound-efficient).

I was initially worried I would lose the 5.1 speaker phasing for my DVD-A discs by adding aftermarket speakers/amp but my upgrade has really enhanced the overall sound with all music sources, and especially XM.