Focals really worth it?

So I've got to ask, are focals really worth the extra dough? What about some lesser priced alternatives like MB Quart or Infinity etc.? Also, I've noticed a few people using CDT. Are they worth the money?

I LOVE MY FOCALS!!!!! Also depends on what amp you are using and what head unit....its all a combo...if your head unit isnt giving you certain frequencies, no matter what speakers you use they wont be there. I have Kenwood, Audison, Focal...love it....

Without a doubt Yes. -td

This is true, but I like to say that a good speaker can enhance the sound of a cheaper amp/ head unit. It would be worth more to spend money on great speakers and less on the head unit then get a great head unit and cheaper speakers. As far as is it worth it for the Focal it depends on your budget and sound preferences.

no...a good speaker will only play what a head unit will deliver....but in most cases, bad head units also have bad speakers....most stock head units have the high end PURPOSELY cut off so you wont blow tweeters and the amp will have a limiter not to blow low end speakers....these limitations with good speakers still will not take complete advantage of the Focals potential....you may as well get some cheaper speakers because they will sound pretty much the same. Focals arfe great because they can handle lots of power, which a stock system wont have, and they can reproduce a wider spectrum of frequencies, which a stock system wont deliver....so its almost a waste of money...will it sound better than stock speakers? yes...but you would get the same quality with a pioneer or kenwood or clarion or sony speaker....or low end MB Quarts or something like that. To fully hear the Focals like they are meant to be heard, you need a head unit putting out a nice signal, and a good amp with enough clean power to properly drive the speakers.

i'll tell you tommorro- getting nakamichi cd, soundstream amps, and focals 6.5" 3 piece seperates installed tommorro.

I have Focal Polykevlar K2P's in my X5 and like them a lot. They are much better speakers than MB Quartz or Boston Acoustic. Remember, Focal is the company that makes the 80K JM Lab Grande Utopia speaker which is a reference for many studios. That being said, I am putting together a system for my 996 right now and might not go with them. The tweeter can be a bit harsh and without a good amplifier (I have a couple of Butler Tube Driver tube amps in my X5), they can be a bit bright. Combine that with them bouncing off the windshield and it could make for a bright or even harsh sound. You might want to consider Dynaudios which I am considering for the Porsche. Dynaudio is another company that makes incredible home speakers and they use a silk dome tweeter, which would be less bright in the car. Combine that with a solid state amp (basically any amp other than Milbert and Butler), and your sound would probably be less harsh. I haven't decided what I am going to do yet, but if you have an opportunity to hear the Dynaudios before you go with the Focals, I would go listen. Good luck!

janagler, I looked at Dynaudios but couldn't find any that would fit. Which models were you considering?

Mostly I listen to Jazz and classical but just behind that are Classic Rock, Reggae and Downtempo. I don't really have a budget though I can't justify spending $800 on just two speakers. Maybe that much on a three way. What I was looking at right now was a 3-way CDT system that came out to $599 or something. The silk tweeters appeal to me greatly as I hate harsh highs. I prefer something warmer and more mellow (what do you expect from a cellist). What I've read is that focals all use titanium. I listened to some Focals at a car audio place around SMU and while the focals sounded good, they didn't sound $899 good. Given that this is a car and the imaging is going to be a little off almost no matter what, a slight increase in sound quality isn't worth the sharp jump in price. First thing I plan on upgrading right now is the sub as that it what my stereo is lacking most. There's another spot I need help on. I'm afraid of someone jacking the subs from a back seat system (I have a cab) so a passenger footwell speaker is my current plan. PS: The current stereo in my car is a Pioneer AVIC-N2, JL 300/4 amp, and focal access all around. I've replaced the HU with a Alpine 9861 and most likely add a sub next, followed by speaker and amp upgrade (buddy of mine into stereo suggested something with more power)

You mean my 996 has an audio system?! I have the PSE. It's all the music I need.

The dynaudios that fit our car are the System 240MKII which is a two way and the System 340. Both of these I am sure would do a great job.

This is from an earlier thread that list the Focal speakers that can be used in our cars: I put the 100KP's in my dash and they are great. I used 5.25" mids from a 136KP set for my doors, they are good but not great. The 5WS for the 13KS which are specifically subs for small enclosures would be much better. I got my 100KP from Woofersetc.com for a pretty good price. Since then I found this source ( http://shop.store.yahoo.com/vipmobileonline/17.html ) which seems to have the best price for Focal, only $105@ for the 5WS.

I think exact opposite, the HU gives out frequencies to the speaker so you can tune out bad frequencies and dial in the better frequencies. I have a Kenwood HU in my car and you wouldnt believe how good the system sounds with the factory speakers, but of course it will not be as good as the "whole package". Another example is my Mac computer. It has like a 10-12 band equalizer built-in and I run the computer through my home theater. The home theater has very small satellites that sounded a little "light" and a little harsh on some of the highs. After about a half an hour of tuning the little satellites sounded remarkebly "large" and full. Once I found the harsh frequency, I pulled it all the way out and boosted the mid-lows to get a fuller sound. As I stated before, the system has to be whole to get the best sound but I believe the HU influences the sound greater than the speakers alone.