I used to really be into audio years ago but have recently got back into it. In my car I had a pair of Focal speakers and I really liked the sound they produced. At one time Parts Express used to sell Focal 8ohm speakers for home use. Now I can't seem to find them anywhere except for car audio or in a prefab cabinet. I could get the car audio ones and build my own but it would be a 4 ohm speaker and not an 8 ohm. I would also be paying extra money for the crossover network which I would like to avoid. I am building a system that is digitally crossed over where each channel has its own amp.
Onto my questions:
1. Anyone still supply Focal home speakers? I can find prefab cabinets, etc but not just speakers. I want to use them to build my own.
2. Anyone out here have any suggestions for alternatives? How do they sound compared to a Seas, Dayton Audio, Morel, or HiVi driver?
I still have old brand names that I remember like "Polk" (which I never liked), "Boston Acoustics" which were o.k. and M.B. Quart.
It's hard to describe the sound I am looking for but I will try:
I'm looking for a Midrange that can handle good Bass and is strong and has low distortion in the sound. Highs that are not "Tinny" but are soft in their presentation. Focals to me had that sound. The high end Boston Acoustic speakers had that sound to me as well. None of these brands are on parts express so I have nothing to compare to anymore. Any chance someone has had Focal speakers and can compare to what an equivalent my be in a Seas, Dayton Audio, Morel, or HiVi Driver?
Onto my questions:
1. Anyone still supply Focal home speakers? I can find prefab cabinets, etc but not just speakers. I want to use them to build my own.
2. Anyone out here have any suggestions for alternatives? How do they sound compared to a Seas, Dayton Audio, Morel, or HiVi driver?
I still have old brand names that I remember like "Polk" (which I never liked), "Boston Acoustics" which were o.k. and M.B. Quart.
It's hard to describe the sound I am looking for but I will try:
I'm looking for a Midrange that can handle good Bass and is strong and has low distortion in the sound. Highs that are not "Tinny" but are soft in their presentation. Focals to me had that sound. The high end Boston Acoustic speakers had that sound to me as well. None of these brands are on parts express so I have nothing to compare to anymore. Any chance someone has had Focal speakers and can compare to what an equivalent my be in a Seas, Dayton Audio, Morel, or HiVi Driver?
You really can't miss with any respectable brand of drivers.
Call it Seas, Peerless, Scan Speak, Dayton, HiVi and so on...
The real question is whether you know what to do with them.
Many commercial 2 way home speakers are using 4 ohm
bassmids and 8 or 4 ohm tweeters. So you can easily stick
with Focal.
Call it Seas, Peerless, Scan Speak, Dayton, HiVi and so on...
The real question is whether you know what to do with them.
Many commercial 2 way home speakers are using 4 ohm
bassmids and 8 or 4 ohm tweeters. So you can easily stick
with Focal.
Hi, Msgarris:
There are a number of other driver suppliers besides Parts Express, such as Madisound. You may want to browse some sites that have measurements of various current drivers, such as:
Zaph|Audio
DIY Loudspeaker Projects Troels Gravesen
and
Linkwitz Lab - Loudspeaker Design
Drivers and measurements have come a long ways...
There are a number of other driver suppliers besides Parts Express, such as Madisound. You may want to browse some sites that have measurements of various current drivers, such as:
Zaph|Audio
DIY Loudspeaker Projects Troels Gravesen
and
Linkwitz Lab - Loudspeaker Design
Drivers and measurements have come a long ways...
"Years ago" (meaning before the mid 1990s) there was a large gulf between high-end driver (such as the Focal brand you recall) and stuff sold to DIYers. These days that doesn't apply. You can find good and bad from any manufacturer and at almost every price range. DIYers now have the ability to make their own measurements and no longer need to trust what the manufacturer tells them in the datasheet. Also DIYers can easily measure distortion of various kinds, and some people publish the data so that others are informed when they find a driver with good performance.
jplesset provided some good links for you to check out. There is also a web site called Medley's Musings that has some driver test data posted. These are good resources, plus various threads that pop up now and then about drivers, etc. so keep an eye on the forums or do a weekly search for info.
jplesset provided some good links for you to check out. There is also a web site called Medley's Musings that has some driver test data posted. These are good resources, plus various threads that pop up now and then about drivers, etc. so keep an eye on the forums or do a weekly search for info.
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I had the opportunity of buying some Dayton Audio speakers this past weekend at a steal of a deal. I love them. So comparing to Focal ... I would say that they are just as good. The highs aren't "Hissy" or harsh. I hear details in my music I haven't heard before and once I get them tuned I expect to be able to hear more. I just hadn't heard them before so it was difficult for me to jump in and buy something I hadn't heard before.
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