Review on 🔊 Focal PS165 V1 6.5-Inch Component Speakers - Expert Series by Trey Michaels

I can't describe how great this set of components is. I have never heard such a clear and natural sound without distortion in a car radio! Here I will analyze the sound elements. First my car setup - I'm using these Rockford Fosgate Prime 250x4 speakers in a 2013 Mazda 3 sedan (not Bose). The main unit is JVC KW-NSX1. It's currently bi-directional, meaning each woofer and tweeter gets its own channel. In all, I put about 80 watts into each woofer/tweeter for a total of 320 watts. With this speaker setup method, it's very easy to get the sound exactly how you want it, one step below the active crossover. The tweeters are set to 0 dB and phase 2. Pure 16 gauge copper wire (Monoprice) is used and the crossovers are mounted in the side panels for the shortest possible distance to the speakers. The woofer mounts with a PVC adapter as the standard speakers are oval shaped and mount with XTC speaker walls that are cut in the bottom half to provide more air space. I originally had car doors with no dampening, but I've since installed a silencer (KnuKonceptz Kno Knoise Kolossus Edition) to remove any resonance and make the panel stiffer. A MUFFLER is REQUIRED for these speakers. Otherwise you lose a lot of detail and get a lot of resonance, which really ruins the sound. Frequency Response - When the head unit EQ is set to "Flat" and the gain of the bass and treble channels is set equal, these speakers will have a very flat frequency response. They drop to around 60Hz but I set the high pass filter to 80Hz to let the subwoofer take care of the low end. Don't expect powerful bass from them as they were designed to be used with a subwoofer as any mid to high end system would require. The middle is very present and catches the eye. You really feel the kick in your chest and the guitars come alive. The vocals are also great and detailed. Even instrumentals like Iruma's "The River Runs Into You" or the intro to OneRepublic's "Secrets" sound precise and full, as if you were about to hear them live. The highs are also excellent, but not overly harsh, but there is some hiss (that grating noise you hear on high S-Sounds). It's not a big deal and seems to get better with longer playtime as the speakers break. This is also solved with an equalizer - simply lower the high frequencies a little. Overall, the speakers have audiophile-grade frequency response and really shine with vocals. It's as if the singer is right in front of you as you can hear every detail, including breathing and sustain. An interesting note: these allow you to really hear the cymbal rumble and sustain. You don't normally hear this single instrument, but with Focal you can! The separation of the instruments is clear and even, with slightly more pronounced mids. They also sound great in the V-shaped EQ if you're looking for a more immersive sound. When installing these speakers, make sure that the tweeters are slightly tilted. The sound waves should mix just above the switch/slightly behind the dashboard, not directly in front of the driver or passenger! When you do this, the audio becomes very separated, which doesn't sound very good. Mixing in front of the listener makes the sound more natural and realistic. It also prevents very harsh high frequencies, as the high frequencies are very directional and require proper placement for optimal sound. Make sure you use an amp with them! Running it on stock power or even aftermarket head unit power will not work. They require at least 80W RMS, but I wouldn't be afraid to crank them up to 200W for even better sound. Too much raw power almost never destroys a speaker, but too little power on a dirty, clipped signal is harmful! These speakers also bring out any flaws in the music recording, just like quality headphones do. You will know immediately if the music file you are listening to is of low quality. Make sure you have 320kbps MP3 files and lossless files such as FLAC and Apple Lossless. Store-bought CDs are fine too, as they're usually recorded in lossless quality. When ripping CDs for your iPod/phone, make sure you rip them in lossless quality too. Constant hissing can be heard even at low volume/between songs, which is also common with high-end headphones and low-impedance speakers. Once the music starts, it immediately disappears, so there's no problem here. When properly tuned, these are stunning, flat, realistic speakers that sound great. Definitely worth the money. Make sure you line them up properly, close the doors and give them enough power and they'll really sing. Great for any genre but especially good for acoustic/vocals. Combined with a good subwoofer (with a 1400W SA-12 D2 in a sealed enclosure) you get realistic music that makes you feel like you're in a recording studio with the band you're listening to. When fully active, they can be the key to making your car sound better than anything else on the road. If you're looking for serious performance check out the Focal Power range which can drive into 2 ohms and has better power handling. For SQ and everyday listening they are just perfect.