This is my first post here so I apologise if this has been posted before or if I am in the wrong area.

I will soon be wanting to purchase some new sound gear to replace my stock equipment and am kind of torn between Focal and JL. Has anyone got an opinions on these two standard of gear?

I was told a few days ago that JL won subwoofer of the year over Focal (this year?) and considering this, would there be any harm in having Focal splits and rears running off an Audison amp (I've been told these are the amps Focal recommend to use with their speakers) and then a JL subwoofer (eg: 12W3V2) running off a JL 500/1 amplifier.

Is mixing brands/quipment a no-no in car audio, or would I be better off with an all JL setup or an all Focal setup?

Cheers,

Khayman.

You shouldn't have any problems mixing gear - with a few exceptions, MOST of us mix gear, simply because some manufacturers do certain things better - eg - one company might make good amps, but soso speakers. Also, you may prefer one speaker brand over another. Mixing is no issue, basically Whatever your ears (and budget) likes better is the way to go!

yes, unlike perhaps home audio where you usually use matching speakers (sub+satellite) for tonal accuracy, it's usually wise to mix and match with car audio to ensure better quality gear for each job.

no probs with your proposal. as explained, most people will mix and match, particularly those in 'the know'.

Great. Thanks to both to you for your replies. Appreciate any feedback I can get.

What are your thoughts on the brands I have listed/am considering? ie:

Focal - splits
JL - rear and subwoofer
Audison - Amps

Focal 165 KP2 seem to be $150 - $200 more than other leading brands, are they really that much better say compared to a set of JL VR600's for $450ish? (rrp)

I don't really know much about Audison with respect to their amps.. are they comparable to say JL's amps in terms of price and performance or are they another step ahead?

Thanks for all your help!

focal are a very popular high quality brand. their K power series are great. but speakers can sound different, and everyone's tastes are different, like their favourite music. simply audition as many speakers as you can to determine what suits your needs and budget. you may prefer the sound of the JL's and save some money too. plenty of choice, with other top brands like boston acoustics, mb quart, morel, and also audition alpine's SPX-177R's RRP$699.

audison are a fine amp producer. what models/series are you looking at? i personally run VRx and a couple SRx. their midspec LRx are very good, but i usually suggest alternatives to these, for reasons of value and reliability. and i would personally choose JL / series ahead of audison LRx.

audison SRx and JL e series are both top value, very good entry level amps, and worth considering.

JL subs are also excellent. tough competition though; i personally don't consider them great value, especially the W6 or W7, but the W0 and W3 series are competitive.

I was looking at the JL 121W3V2 subwoofer so was possibly considering the Audison VRx 1.500 - would this be suitable? I'm still getting the hang of the 'power' thing and being able to figure out if an amp is too powerful/not powerful enough

the 12W3v2 is a very good sub. but the VRx1.500 will outclass it, and arguably far better than you need.

the LRx1.400 is more in keeping with the midspec quality of the W3 subs. but i'd recommend the JL audio 500/1 one amp ahead of this.

the VRx1.500 is rated at 560/1100/2000WRMS into a 4/2/1ohm load, respectively. a single W3 doesn't require heaps and heaps of power, so even a 4ohm sub - meaning 500+WRMS on tap - would be ideal. for 4ohm, you'd need the dual 2ohm model (12W3v2-D2).

i'd suggest either going up in quality with the sub or dropping down for the amp. having said that, i have a VRx1.500 and it's an awesome amp.

Sorry man, I'm struggling to grasp the whole power/RMS/ohm thing.. haha, gotta start somewhere I suppose!

I guess at the end of the day I'm not after a setup for show, but I am after something that sounds great. I've budgeted about $3500 to $4000 - I should get something decent for that, yeah?

Is there an easy way to tell if a subwoofer and amplifier are suited to one another? Obviously I was way off with the 12W3v2 and the VRx 1.500..

Sorry, this must be the last thing you feel like doing on a Saturday night..

some basic concepts:

*impedence' (ohm) is a measure of resistance through the voicecoil (internal structure) of a speaker/sub
*the impedence is essentially 'fixed' for that speaker/sub; note that dual voicecoil subs can have the 2 VCs wired together in either 'series' or 'parallel', making for 2 difference overall impedences; eg: 2x 4ohm VC wires in parallel = 2ohm; 2x 4ohm wired in series = 8ohm; DVC doesn't actually confer improved performance in any way, but merely a convenient means to produce '2 subs in 1' (ie: instead of the manufacturer building a 2ohm and 8ohm sub, they produce one DVC 4ohm sub to cover both)
*the power an amp produces is dictate by the impedence of the 'load' being connected to it; eg: VRx1.500 produces up to 560WRMS if you connect a 4ohm load to it; if you connect a 1ohm load to it, it can produce up to 2000WRMS; this makes sense, cos low resistance = more current flow => more power is produced
*low impedence has many negative effects: demands more current meaning you may need to upgrade the battery/alternator, and at least install thicker (expensive) powerwiring; more heat produced by amp; more distortion and less accuracy



the VRx1.500 will drive a 12W3v2 beautifully, no probs there. but i'm merely trying to save you money cos you don't need an amp as good as that to run that sub. it's like putting a set of $2000 tyres on your hyundai getz. so, the amp is good enough to run a far better sub, but if you really like that sub - and it's a good one - you may as well choose a cheaper amp and spend that money elsewhere.

$3500~4000 will buy a lot of excellent gear. what exactly do you need for that money:
*what components: front speakers, amps, sub
*installation?
*wiring/cabling/terminals?
*what car?

For that sort of money you should be looking at VRx and maybe IDMax or something similar if you are simply after a sub and amp combo

Thanks for all that info, I'll have to read it a few more timed to fully wrap my head around it

I was hoping to get away with a full setup for $3500 - $4000 including installation and all. Do you think I have budgeted enough? That includes front/rear speakers, amps, sub, headunit, all wiring and installation. This is all hopefully going into a 2002/2003 Mazda SP20, so not a huge car.

I've had a listen to the JL VR600-CSi splits and they sounded good, but I was in an environment where there was a lot of noise so it was hard to concentrate. I'd like to have a listen to the Focal 165 K2P's, but again they're $200ish more than the JL - depending on the sound of the Focal's I could maybe look at upgrading down the track to save some money first off. I haven't even considered Boston or MB Quart yet either! Aare they on a similiar price range as the JL/Focal stuff?

Maybe if I went for the JL 12W3V2 sub and the JL 500/1 amp combo, that might free up some extra money for a better headunit or something like that. I'd like to think I could get a fairly good setup for the money I have budgeted.. and I guess down the track if I can (equipment wise, not money wise) I could look up upgrading each componant.

so many options. first, settle on the system-design. with your budget, you can afford to have new rears if you really want them, and run the fronts/rears off a 4-channel amp. mind you, most enthusiasts rely only on the front speakers and sub; rears are only for rear passengers, so a low, low priority. at the most, i'd say upgrade the rear with a size that 'drops in' into the factory locations to save on installation hassles - what size is that?

i'd divide the budget up something like:
*CD HU: $600: alpine, eclipse, other
*2-way front 6~6.5"splits: $700: focal, boston acoustics, mb quart, alpine type-X, rainbow, other
*2-way rear factory-size coaxials: $100
*4-channel amp: $600+: digital designs C4, alpine MRV-F345
*single quality 12" sub: $600+: alpine type-X, boston acoustics G5
*subamp: $800+: digital designs M1, alpine MRD-M605
*installation including subbox, wiring, fuse/holder, terminals, etc: $1000

that's still over $4K, so you'll either spend more than budgeted or trim the fat somewhere.

Hey mate, couldnt help but notice that ya got the same budget that i had
Check out this

http://www.caraudioaustralia.com/forums/in...showtopic=61164

This is my system i just bought on the weekend

Thanks shiny and Robin, a bit more info for me to play around with now.

Went out and sampled the Focal 165K2P's today, sounded quite good (and was in a small car).. just not sure if they're worth ~$600-$700!

How does the Alpine 12" type-x sub compare to the JL 12W6v2 in terms performance? I know price wise the 12W6 is ~$1k and the type-x is ~$899 rrp. To power them I'd be looking at either the Alpine MRD M1005, or the JL 1/1000 - I don't think the JL 1/500
or the MRD-M605 would be sufficient(?).

some would suggest the W6 is a more accurate sounding sub. both are excellent.

but for kinda money, i'd prefer the image dynamics IDMAX12. awesome value sub, around $800.

in a similar class are:
*alpine type-X
*JL audio 12W6
*image dynamics IDMAX12
*boston acoustics G5
*digital designs DD3512

all are excellent subs. the G5 is probably one of the best value, so too the IDMAX and DD. i run an IDMAX, and it's the best sub i've owned and is a 'keeper'. i've also won SQ comps with it.

the type-X also isn't the most efficient sub around. off the M605 some people say it's not enough; but an IDMAX would run extremely well off one.

Also FHRX are having a special on IDMAX at the moment, and the prices look very good. Worth a look anyway

That's interesting! I've heard of Image Dynamics but never thought twice about them. Personally, you would use an IDMAX12 over a 12W6? (going purely on performance/sound and not cost)

Do you know of anywhere in Brisbane that sells them. I'm intersted to have a listen.



Sorry Tick, you'll have to pardon my ignorance, but what is FHRX?

Edit: Nevermind, found FHRX - http://www.fhrxstudios.com/ - that the one?

the IDMAX is an awesome sub. fantastic blend of value, accuracy, low-end response, and loudness. you could PM member 'hutch' as he's the distributor, and based in Qld, to find out local retailers.

yes, that's the FHRX website. they do mail order too if the price suits you.

If you like the sound of focals you might want to look at:

# Pro series Pro 160 X (6.5" & 1" component set) $367 (RRP$459)

in all seriousness :mellow:

I have a set and usually hate recommending stuff I own but they are pretty similar to focals. You might also want to audition the lower spec focal's and see if you can pick the difference and if you'll be getting your money's worth.

That seems to be good price. What make are they?

Eton

You prolly won't have a chance to audition them though in QLD I'm not sure who has a set of them.
Best to audition the lower-spec focals and then see if you're getting your money's worth by spending more.

The only point shiny_car might have missed in his very good advice is that for some people spending a certain amount of money on a component doesn't give them any extra satisfaction. That's the case with my car... I have a $200 H/U and I'm perfectly satisified, yet I was dissatisfied with my $700 amp and now have a $2500 amp.

So although shiny has offered you a very good budget mix, there's no point spending your money in exactly that way if some higher spec components don't offer you any more satisfaction.

Very good point by Stazed. Advice to shop by.

That would be me champ.B)

Haha, yeah, thanks! I found out about one minute after I posted. I've been using your website quite alot to get prices for different stuff .. quite excellent!! Cheers.