Go 2 way over 3 way . 3 way speakers are going to be more expensive than 2 ways and if you buy the right set of 2 ways you will think you are in heaven.
If it was my car I would shy away from the HIFI amp and do a fully active system(where you have no extrnal crossovers, it is done by the amp or sound processor)

165KR from focal would the speaker I would choose for the cash.

2 channel audio is where it's at !

 

What is the advantage of using the amp's crossovers instead of the ones that come with the speakers?

 

Just pretend you never read that

Its a slippery slope you do not need to consider...it involves sperate amplifier channels for each driver and when used with the prper electronics, gives you ultimate flexibility with things like crossover slopes and time alignment...

It is debatable whether the cost is worth the result.

Do you have a decent car audio shop in your world? You might spend a day hanging out and listening to what real car audio should sound like....you can get very good results with 3 channels and 5 drivers.

 

I think more so then flexibility it gives you more power. I have noticed the same setup active vs using the passive crossovers that the midbass dramatically increased with several different brands of speakers .
and the flexibility rules as well it lest you compensate for not having the best envirement for audio i.e. a car. A good stereo shop can set this up for you and explain the cost difference .

My advice would be to start passive and get a amp that would support active then later on when you want better sound (or catch the bug as I like to say ) you have something to move forward with.

I said this before , you will never regret getting top quality speakers and amps they never go out of style and you can take them from car to car.

a great single amp for a active system would be a Audison lrx5.1K

I agree with MiniSq I dont think you should purchase anything without trying it out with the type of music you listen to first. There is no perfect speaker or amp they all colorthe music in their own way.

For instance some people prefer a more pronouced tweeter or high frequency in that case I would recommend Focal(165KR based ont eh price you said). If thats not you cup of tea and you want a smoother tweeter I would recommend the Polk Sr6500(this is a really great speaker for the cash, if you purchase at a discount it can be had for around $300)I think this speaker does a really good job of not "coloring" the music

I know this might be too much information and sorry if this is creating more

What type of music do you listen to?

On you next day off you should go to a good shop like minisq recommended and listen to some speakers and report back I would love to hear your findings.

 

Not my cup of tea.

Are you familiar enough with the Image Dynamics CXS64 V.2 to compare it to the Polk?

 

Based on the last version I owned I owuld say the tweetr is very smoooth on the Image Dynamics, I enjoyed them when I owned them. I do like the polks a little better than the older Image dynamics , but I have not heard the new version that you own.

From what I remember they need a crap ton of power I think the older version was 89db sesitivity. I think this is the reason they made them in 2 ohm as well.

I really like their subs

 

If you want the most out of your speakers you will buy these or something along the lines of this. IMHO best $20 bucks you can spend in Car Audio

http://www.dynamat.com/products_car_audio_dynaxorb.html

 

That looks good. I already have Dynamat Xtreme behind the speaker. Not easy to reach much further, and removing the window is reputed to be a major hassle in the R56.

 

I was considering purchasing the Focal 165KR but didn't know that the tweeters were so pronounced. Can they be turned down on the crossover without affecting the SQ too much? Or is it better to choose something smoother, like Polk?

 

have you listened to them? I would recommend this before you cross them off the list

Yes they can be turned down to your preference

I think other speakers are very harsh on the high end so many people associate the harshness with a more pronounced tweeter. This is not the case with the Focals. They are by far the most musical speaker I have ever heard.

Polks are nice as well. The polks are a little shallower so it might be easier to install them.

 

Thanks, Veg. My local shop carries Focals, and I'll likely have them do the install because they'll need an amp too.

I'm still deciding between a 5-channel "master" amp to run all fronts + rears + sub-I'll-install-later, or a lower channel amp for just fronts + future-sub with rear HiFi speakers disabled. It still feels weird to me to think of disabling rear speakers in a car, but so many people have recommended it... but the extra $200 for the Focal 690CA1's in the rear could be worth it, and that's not a bad deal.

 

I would say if you can spend another $200 put in on a better set of front speakers or better amp.

Rear speakers do more than hurt your pocket book they destroy your image and soundstage.

Fade your speakers to the front of your car and try it for about two weeks and see what you think.

What brands of amps do they carry?

 

Good idea, I'll see what it's like with the fader up.

This is a list of brands that the closest shop carries.

 

mmmmmmmmm they carry Steg see if they have a twister amp you can audition , they are Stegs little brother . They come from the same place so they should be able to get them.

Focal makes agreat 5 channel amp and so does JL Audio

Keep in mind when you get a better set of speakers up front they tend to image better than factory speakers so it will be less noticable you have no rear speakers if you are used to them.

Fading to the front with factorys is like a worst case senario , usually companies make crappy speakers seem better by adding more of them.

Give it a few weeks without changing it back.

 

That's great advice. Thank you for the amp suggestions. Did you suggest the 5-channel amps specifically because they could power any additional upgrades directly, like a sub?

 

Hmm, that shop is about 40 miles from me, and may be the closest "good" shop. Just went into Kar-Tunes in Monterey and they didn't carry Image Dynamics, or Acoustic Systems' Twister amps. Never heard of either of them. Not much there for me to hear. They did have sub boxes that would fill a minivan...

We should meet up sometime and compare our systems when they are done.

 

What's the next step up in the Focals?

Sure, I'd be interested to see your new setup.

 

165KR2

check them out here

http://focal-america.com/

 

Or just beat your credit card into submission and get some utopias =)

I have 165 polykevlars in my truck.. incredibly good speakers.

I have the 3 ways the OP mentions in the first post for my MINI (earlier model though). Those are very good too but not as strong as the polykevlars. A friend of mine had the 3 way utopias in a jetta *drool*. I wouldn't be able to justify the price.

Pics of what I got for the MINI: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...80-post17.html

The fronts sounds awesome with 140w rms available to them. The 6x9's were powered off the stock hifi amp - seriously they weren't worth installing. I'm sure they would have sounded better off a good amp but I faded almost completely to the front anyway.

I pulled all my stereo stuff out of my 07 mini when I got my 09. I really need to take the time to install everything into the new mini.

 

the link says it is $45.

I fully agree with you on this though. I used deflex pads - basically the same thing:

http://www.amazon.com/Deflex-7-Power.../dp/B00067IUTA

 

Thats what I have the kit no 6 they are the bees knees

I have a steg 402 just running my kit no 6 , it is 110w to each speaker . I will be biamping them.

 

The DynaXorb is available for $25 at WoofersEtc.com, and $20 at SonicElectronix.com. Shipping costs might balance those out some.

I forgot to order DynaXorb, then it occurred to me, wouldn't a 6" square of carpet work as well? Just find a coner in the livingroom that isn't used much...

Seriously, I'll be using some carpet in my MINI remodeling. This Black Box Carpet is what I used for before, and it matches the MINI interior very well. Looks factory installed. So, I'll have some scraps. Any reason I shouldn't use carpet instead of DynaXorb? Already have Dynamat Xtreme behind the speakers in the door.

 

imagine how nice that carpet will smell once it gets wet...

 

Oh, good point.

The other question that occurs to me is, are these pads big enough to be effective? DynaXorb is 6x6" and Deflex is 7" dia. The magnets on some speakers are quite large. Does sound come straight back through the speaker? Or, would the sound waves going out the back of the speaker pretty much miss one of these pads? Putting four of them behind each 6.5" speaker is going to cost $75.

What about using closed cel foam?

 

IMO...its not going to be noticeably different...you would be better off using mass to deaden the door skin if you hear ringing. Something like Elemental Design eDead. Use google....