PxH_83

Alright, I got ya now. I'm gonna go digging for the stock sets now, if I still have them. I have to admit, I was most happiest with the original setup before I modified anything. If I remember correctly though, I may have blown both the front and rear stocks back then - making them only playable at mid-level volume. Let me also look into the comp sets you recommended. Thanks as always, MJ.

PxH_83

MJSC400, 88supramki, or anyone else that thinks they can help me:

Is there anyway I can contact you guys about this installation beyond the forums? AIM?

MJHSC400

hipple.matt@gmail.com

88supramki

bowtiefanatc@gmail

or

hit me up on my aim

88supramki

not if they're designed from the ground up for free air applications. trust me I had a set of 130 V2's in a ported modified version of the stock enclosure, and the output difference between that 5.25 and just stepping up to a 165 V2 was extremely noticeable. It was better in all out volume, in midbass, everything.

I have also talked with Focal techs about this exact situation because I wanted to build little enclosures for my Utopias, mainly to keep them from being exposed to the elements. I was told that their mid range speakers were not designed for that and that I would get much better quality sound out of the free air scenario. I can give you the number to Focal to ask if you like seeing as I deal with them on a daily basis.

MJHSC400

Seriously-- IB alignments ALWAYS roll off earlier than a sealed or ported, but especially ported--

IB's claim to fame is musicality, faster attack, and better sq because of that, BUT, it decreases power handling and cone control in the lower frequencies--

I doubt the 5.25's you were using were in the proper sized enclosure, as I recall them requiring about 15L to operate properly-- that's 3.5 gal, 15000 cc's, or (15000cc/2.54^3in^3/1728in^3 per ft^3 ) -- About .535 ft^3 ---

The factory enclosure is about half that volume-- Unless you doubled it's volume, which I doubt, it wouldn't have been the ideal enclosure for the 5.25--

Down to a certain freq, the 6.5 will be louder even freeair, but will always lack in LOW extension, 65hz~75hz just won't work that well--

Focal's are extremely good quality, but are still limited by the same limitations of every other cone driven by a voice coil damped by a surround and spider-- Their displacement needs to be aligned with a certain volume, and when this is not done, there are a few things you can do to make the suspension stiffer for cone control, but compromises begin to happen--

Again, VERY rarely will you ever see pro-sound or home theater EVER use IB alignments for subs, mids, or anything-- even tweeters and mids have chambers for tuning-- A midrange soft dome for instance will lose a great deal of it's low extension without a tuning chamber behind it to tune it's rolloff--

BUT-- FOCAL IS awesome, and I am in no way knocking ANY brand out there whatsoever, all automotive audio manufacturers have a very difficult task on their plate to design a perfect speaker in very very very imperfect conditions, and it's really just impossible to do--

I only commented on the actual benefits of a true 3rd order alignment vs. an Infinite Baffle alignment and it's inherent benefits--

This is why Lexus/Toyota paid engineers to design the audio system, and it's not strange that they chose ported enclosures with a 5" mid-- it will play lower and higher and more efficiently with a less expensive driver than many more expensive drivers in an IB setup--