18 replies to this topic

[RUN41T]

Hey guys just a quick one, I recently instaled my Focal splits in the doors of my Vx commodore sedan with 2 door packs of Dynamat. The mids seem fine kick nice and hard, just wondering about the tweet placement as they are very bright. They angle at the opposite seat so driver tweet points at passenger seat.

Here is a pic of the tweet position:

Edited by RUN41T, 05 March 2008 - 07:08 AM.

[syd-monster]

I have heard a few people say this about Focal tweeters, but it can be improved.
Personally I wouldn't put them so close. I think down in the front area of the kick panel on axis to the opposite seat would be more ideal. (So that the person sitting closest is off-axis to the tweeter, but on axis to the furthest person/seat)

Before installing did you trial fit (with som blu-tac) any other positions, before deciding on that one?

If you don't plane to move it, try to cover it with speaker grill and use a -dB setting on the x-overs if they have one.
But trial placement first would have been more important/ideal. I don't know if you can go back now.

[~Spyne~]

mmm, definitely not the best place for focal tweeters me thinks -far too close to the listener
there was a thread not too long ago which had a post explaining Focal's own instructions on how their tweeters should be mounted...probably about 3-4months ago now
i'd agree with syd-monster though....would be much more ideal to run them in the kicks, off-axis to the closest listener

[20Hurtz]

do you have any EQ?

[Damo95]

you've got a VX..
stock tweeter locations are in the top of the dash, down in the corner of the a-pillar..
remove the trims and put them there..

Edited by Damo95, 05 March 2008 - 12:44 PM.

[RUN41T]

They are already in position, Took syd-monsters advice and set the x-overs to -3Db and it has taken the edge off them , I dialled in a bit more midbass on the eq aswell so sounds much nicer now.

[WhiteKnight]

damo95 said it..........^

[RUN41T]

i was under the impression that having the tweets firing straight at the glass is a bad thing???
Here is a pic of the location with the door closed. If u are sitting in the passenger seat the drivers side tweet fires at you and vice versa

[Damo95]

not really..

if you look at the focal manual, they recommend it.. no harm in trying it tho!

[syd-monster]

If the sound has improved then good for you...
Now you know for next time (oh and in sq there is always a next time ) to just experiment a little more with locations, before deciding on a spot to permenantly install.
Well done for having a go and making the best of it.

[~thematt~]

Firing at the glass IS a bad thing, unless you know how to do it properly. If your tweeters are anymore then around 25mm away from the glass, they're in the far field, which means you'll start developing combing throughout your high frequency ranges. It can be quite nasty.

Even if you dont detect combing (because you don't know what to listen for), you'll get early reflections because they are too close (but not close enough!!) and the direct + reflected sound seperation will play havoc with your image and stage.

If you want to use the windscreen, which is quite alright, you'll need to do it correctly for it to be effective. This means either preventing the 'direct' wave from hitting your ears first (reflection first, by burying the tweeters into the dash), or mount them closer then 1 inch from the glass. Directionality is critical here.

Or simply dont use the windscreen, and mount in the kicks

[Vincenzo]

i think that this was the focal article on tweeter positioning. personally i dont see a problem with mounting them firing at the windscreen as long as it is done properly (as explained by previous posts) but that said the focal tweeters do seem much more sensitive to sounding overly bright when mounted there. i do question the accuracy of that article though, it seems to me more like it gives such strict recommendations for installing because the tweeters may not perform well there, as opposed to it being a poor mounting position overall.

[cnks]

there is alot of room in the stock tweeter position to angle them towards opposite headrest, thats what i did, even if its just blutac under there

[~thematt~]

99% of that article, whilst may work for the masses, is supposition and slightly incorrect. They also use 'suggestions' and pass them off as fact. I'd take it with a grain of salt. Take their description of 'spill'. Its actually called Baffle Step Diffraction, and is a lot more complex then they make out.

Saying things like "dont use in the kicks because your legs will block the sound" and "install in pillars and aim at opposite headrest" are all well and good, and will get satisfactory results for most, but I give more credit to people and would explain the science behind it, so that you can draw proper conclusions on your own intentions/equipment/goals etc. This will allow you to get much better results, and some smarts too!!

[Vincenzo]

i do wonder why it is there though, on the official focal site. focals are not exactly a cheap, sub-standard product so it would be reasonable to assume that the majority of people with them have a decent degree of knowledge or had them installed by people who do. making all other options except for theirs sound like they will make the product perform well below its best also does not seem to work in their best interest marketing wise as there are multiple schools of thought regarding tweeter mounting and most have their advantages and disadvantages. using language like 'absolute no-no' also makes it sound like their intended customer base is composed predominantly of 5 year olds...

anyway, thats enough of a OT rant