What Makes the Focal PS 165 Component Speakers System a Superior Choice?
Have you ever had a set of speakers that just gave you listening fatigue?
Harsh edges, missed notes, and shrill tones can set you on edge and ruin your experience. The Focal PS 165 Component Speakers System may just change the way you feel about music. No need to worry about garbled podcasts or missing bits of your favorite talk radio program. Classical music sounds like you are sitting in front of the orchestra.
These speakers were designed with quality in mind, whatever genre you prefer to listen to.
Focal Car Speakers Pros & Cons
Let’s talk about some of the advantages versus disadvantages of purchasing a Focal PS 165 component kit for your vehicle.
PROS
CONS
Focal Car Speakers PS 165 Speakers System
- 165CA1 SG - Focal 6.5" 2 Way Coaxial Speakers
- Adjustable aluminum inverted dome tweeter
- Integrated crossover (4.7kHz)
- 6.5-inch three-way component kit with woofer, tweeter, midrange driver, separate crossover
- 160 Watts maximum power handling with 4-ohm impedance
- Woofers and midrange driver feature woven glass fiber cone and butyl rubber surround
Sound Quality
The bass driver brings rock and jazz to life. The tweeters produce clear, exquisite high tones. Lifelike voices come through as if the singer were standing next to you. Tunes you have listened to for years will sound brand new again.
Smooth tones and clean, clear, distortion-free treble make listening a pleasure again. If you spend a lot of time on the road – commercial driving, traveling, commuting to work or just enjoying a sunset, these speakers will transport you to a new level of enjoyment.
Focal car speakers have clarity of sound that surpasses others in the price range, and many in higher priced lines as well.
Play your music soft and low for a romantic evening, or put the top back with the windows rolled down and pump up the volume. The PS 165 holds up, without distortion or loss of integrity, at any equalizer settings you choose.
Many reviewers have stated that the Focal car speakers PS 165 component speakers system gives superior overall quality and fidelity, as if you were at a live event. Close your eyes and you can almost believe there is a live stage in front of you. Some have suggested adding this system to a sub-woofer for a bit more depth and clarity, even at extreme volume levels.
Design and Engineering
The designers of these speakers had their thinking caps on when they created this system, and the results of Focal’s technology are impressive.
A rigid glass layer composed of tiny glass micro balls molten to cellulose pulp form the base of the Poly-glass cone, complementing the surrounding paper cone. The aluminum surface of the tweeter has been given a treatment that allows dampening of the harshness in the treble while maintaining the clarity.
Crossovers
The PS 165 has a crossover network that can be installed as two separate pieces. This allows for installation as one unit where possible, but if space is at a premium, they can be separated and installed with the low-pass crossover close to the woofer and the high-pass crossover nearer the tweeter. With an adjustable tweeter, you can customize the crossover point.
Focal Car Speakers Review: Specifications
Focal Car Speakers Review: What’s Included in the Package?
Installation
If you are a novice and have not attempted to install Focal car speakers before, we recommend that you have a professional place these speakers in a 10” sealed box for the best results.
However, a skilled or experienced do-it-yourselfer who can build a custom mount from MDF may also have a successful install. Use a master sheet from Crutchfield so you don’t go into it blindly. There is also a myriad of YouTube videos that explain it all and will help ensure good results.
When installed correctly, the fit should be clean, look great, and the resulting sound quality will be worth the effort and any cost for materials or professional help. 18 inches of 12-gauge speaker wire is included. However, you may need to purchase additional wire to complete the job.
Recommended Add-ons
Many aficionados recommend baffling your Focal car speakers PS 165 for optimum performance. The foam baffling forms a seal when applied during mounting to help prevent frame to panel vibration, and it can absorb unnecessary road noise as well.
Your music will be optimized when the other noises are neutralized. It will also serve the purpose of keeping the system clean.
Furthermore, dirt, dust, and grime can snake their way into your driver components and shorten the life of your speakers. Baffling tightens the seal so you are less likely to have to deal with that issue. Dynamat brand foam sheeting seems to be a popular choice, especially to line car doors, but you can also find inexpensive, fitted foam baffles in the range of $10 to $15.
Accordingly, a speaker component is only as good as its power source.
Also, reviewers have recommended the addition of an amp to power up the sound to its full quality.
Consumers have successfully matched various combinations of amps and heads with the PS 165. For example, try pairing a JL audio 110×2 channel amp with the Kenwood KDC 396 head unit for spectacular listening results. Other options we’ve seen are the Alpine F4 or the RF Power T400-4.
Whichever amp you choose, you’ll be blasting your tunes in no time.
Focal Car Speakers Review: Comparisons
Although it appears that the Focal car speakers PS 165 is a serious speaker for the money, its main competitor seems to be the Alpine SPR60C.
Moreover, the Focal car speakers PS 165 holds it’s own at lower frequencies. The Alpine type R 6.5″ set is a bit less expensive than the PS 165 and they compared well in the low to mid frequencies, though the Alpine surpassed the Focal in the high ranges.
The Alpine SPR60C is a superior speaker but you pay for it.
Focal’s intuitive design and quality of construction show up most other brands in the price range, and well above. In fact, if you were to decide against purchasing the Focal car speakers PS 165 components, you may just want to upgrade to an upper-level Focal product. That being said, with a bit of tuning, baffling, and the right amps and head, there may not be enough difference between the two to warrant the additional cost.
Some higher-end speakers may provide more depth of bass, but tend to lose clarity with the highs.
The PS 165 hits the mark, with top performance for the price on both ends.
Almost without exception, those who have purchased these speakers have been satisfied with the quality. Compared to the industry standard Bose system, the PS 165, when paired with a bi-amp, almost come up to PolyKevlar level, so you can save yourself the additional cost of a top-of-the-line system.
Additionally, compared to the Hertz HSK 165 6.5” components, the Hertz did have more power at 250W at peak, compared to Focal’s 160W at peak.
So if blasting your music is important to you, you may want to take a look at the Hertz. However, the Hertz components are a little bright and hollow, with distant vocals. Accordingly, the Focal PS 165 wins out for sheer quality and tone.
How Much Will You Spend?
We found the Focal car speakers PS 165 at a number of prices, but all within a similar range. For instance, it sells quite pricey on Amazon, while it can be found lesser price at WalMart. NewEgg.com is asking a bit more for this component system . There does not seem to be much variance, if any, in what is included. So shop around for your best deal.
Focal Car Speakers Review : Would We Recommend the Focal PS 165?
Our vote would have to be a resounding “Yes!”
Going off of the many glowing testimonials and user reviews we have seen, it would be hard to find fault with this component system, especially in this price range. There are some better component systems available. However, you will pay much more for them, and the performance of the PS 156 can be tweaked to come close.
Overall, we give the Focal PS 165 five stars and ask, “What are you waiting for?”
- 165CA1 SG - Focal 6.5" 2 Way Coaxial Speakers
- Adjustable aluminum inverted dome tweeter
- Integrated crossover (4.7kHz)
- 6.5-inch three-way component kit with woofer, tweeter, midrange driver, separate crossover
- 160 Watts maximum power handling with 4-ohm impedance
- Woofers and midrange driver feature woven glass fiber cone and butyl rubber surround
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Featured Image via Amazon.com with text, banner, and logo added.
Last update on 2023-04-15 at 07:41 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API