Hi guys....
I'm looking to upgrade the factory speakers in my Astina.
Fell in love with some Focal 165KP2 today, and have pretty much decided to get these with a focal amp (unsure which yet). My dilemma is for improving bass - I mainly listen to acoustic/vocals, no doof doof etc - I can have a pair of 6x9 in the parcel shelf, or go for a subwoofer.
Would the 6x9's be basically compromising?? Should I just cut to the chase and budget a tad more for a sub??
I'll probably get the fronts done and amp fitted, then go for rears/sub, but some advice upfront would be much appreciated..... cheers! (Car is a 02 Astina, all factory apart from Pioneer HU.)
Lee

I'm not much more then a newbie myself but from what I know the sub is the way to go. 6x9 and their oval shape have a rep for not reproducing correctly. They also are geared towards being full range speakers where a sub is geared towards those lower bass notes.

Hope that helps one newbie to another
Anyone feel free to correct / add to that lol

Hi Astrodog and welcome to the forum,

The Focal 165KP2 are a nice set of splits and it would be a real shame if you were to combine these with a set of 6×9's. I would definately be looking at getting a subwoofer over a set of 6×9's. You will get much more out of your system by using a subwoofer as it will provide better sound and be able to go down lower than the 6×9's.

Is space a concern in your car?

If not i would get a subwoofer and since you don't want a particularly loud system and want more sound quality you won't need a large subwoofer. A 10 inch sub will probably fulfil your needs.

Thanks for the welcome and fast replies guys!

Being an Astina it isn't huge - I would make a removable sub-box for the boot..... I haven't built a speaker (have made some home hifi 2 channels) for a few years, kind of looking forward to the project!
Amp wise - if I pick up a 4 channel Focal - can I have the fronts off 2 channels and the sub off the other two? Or should I foot for a second amp??

Yes you can run the front channels to power the front and bridge the rear channels to power the sub.

Getting a second amp just for the sub is ideal but it really depends on your budget. How much are you looking at spending?

I am assuming that you are looking at the FP4.75 which is a nice amp and should do an alright job but it really depends on what sub you are looking to get because bridged it will give about 200wrms.

Ideally if you are looking at focal amps and want to get to amps i would look at either a FP 2.75 or FP 2.150 for the front and a FP 1.800 for the sub.

However there are other brands of amps you could look at but we really need a budget to help you out.

Haven't got a deadset ceiling to be honest (within reason!) - I had a quote for $2K for the 4 focal speakers mentioned above, plus a focal solid 4-channel amp fitted and rewired. I'd like to get out of it all under $3K, seems easy with using the one amp, less easy with two amps What benefit is there from the separate amp??
I'm only after excellent musical reproduction to be honest, I don't want to even be aware the sub is there, just nice smooth sharp bass when needed.

Yeah you could get by just using a Solid 4 and maybe get a Focal sub like a 25A1 ($229) or a 27V1 ($299) if you want to have a complete Focal sytem. Have a listen to a sub in your price range in the store running of this amp and see if you like it.

For 3k it might be possible to do this with some bargining with your dealer. Get a Solid 2 for the fronts which sells for $150 cheaper than the Solid 4 and get a Solid 1 for the sub and get a sub to suit. It should come to around 3K for that maybe a bit more but shouldn't be much more.

Assuming by Focal 165KP2 you mean Focal 165K2P (rrp 899)? The Focal 165KR2 has also just been released so it might be worth listening to those if you haven't already? They both sell for 899.

Here's a setup to consider:
Fronts: either K2P or KR2 - $899
Front amp: Focal FP2.150 - $619, plenty of power for your front speakers and they'll love it.
Sub: Focal 27V2 (11" sub) - $449
Sub Amp: Alpine MRP-M500 - $399
Total: $2366

Reason I haven't suggested the Focal FP1.800 to run the sub is cause the sub really only requires 300w (Alpine puts out 500, focal 800) but the Focal is $300 dearer.
Your location says NSW so if that's true consider checking out FHRX as they have a sale on their Focal gear right now but it's best to confirm with them first to see what they have in stock etc (website here)

If you get a little bit of a discount (which you should) on the $2366 worth of stuff mentioned above then there should be plenty left over for a bit of sound deadening and a proper install.

There are lots of other subs out there to consider, and with your budget, your best off getting a decent sub to complement your front speakers rather than 6x9s!!

Done....

Fronts will be the K2P's
Amp the FP 2.150 (2ch 150W)
Sub - Focal BombA 27V1 active sub (300W)

being installed this week....

and the bug has bitten!!

Thanks again for the advice guys.....

sounds like a good set up.

Well..... installed through the week..... It didn't take me long to decide the best subwoofer setting was "OFF"! Even set at about 10% gain I didn't appreciate it's input, and have found the K2Ps deliver all the bass I am after!

The dealer is going to swap the sub for a new HU.....

Does your Current h/u have sub controll if not you should think about keeping your sub and saving for a h/u with it. you should be able to tune that system so the sub is not overpowering as you describe and also giving a fuller sound right through the freq range. just a thought

My (then) head unit did have sub control, and the sub had a level knob - I really enjoyed things much more when it was off.... The sub was a display one picked up for $650 - swapped it over for an Alpine CDA-9887 - very sweet.
All the cabling is obviously still there, so it is just a matter of hooking up another sub another day if I decide to experiment again! No harm no foul!
The 6.5" Focals aren't slack in the bass department anyway.....