OEM Audio Vs Complete Focal system

I was just wanting to get some opinions on a OEM Audio System Vs Complete Focal system in a double cab using Flax 6 1/2” Speakers and a 8” sub in the back. The flax Speakers up front powered by a AP 4340

 

Focal is gonna be quite a bit better than OEM y'know, nobody's gonna argue with that. just provide sufficient power so they can come alive, aftermarket amp required for ROI.

 

I should have typed it OEM Audio plus that’s the replacement plug & play. But I still thought Focal would b better but wanted to get as many opinions because I don’t know a whole lot about car audio. I just want to buy the right stuff 1 time and have it installed once

 

ah! big difference there lol

those Focals are high end and if setup and powered right, they will surpass OEMAudio quality. but the choice you're making to go with Focals means you'll need to go do it right with all the setup and equipment choices. and that all relates to the audio you listen to and what you'll do with the install (sound deadening primarily, because the Flax ones really need a low noise floor and quiet cabin to shine). if you don't put all the effort and resources into it, they may not sound better than a pre configured OEMA kit.

 

Agreed. Prep alone on the cabin will be $$$ if going Focal. Deadening the doors, back wall, floor and roof(?) will require a complete removal of the interior. If your paying someone, that’s a couple to 3 days alone. OEMAudio might be feared more towards the stock removal and replacement of components without the extra steps.

 

I havnt done anything as of yet. As far as having the whole inside of my truck sound deadened that’s not going to happen on my truck.

 

No point in spending Flax money if you don’t do the extras to make sure they won’t just sound like Alpine S.

Im not saying you have to rip out your interior, but you should treat the doors and the back wall. Don’t use those flimsy plastic speaker adapters either.

I’d go listen to some before hand as well. Focal is overrated IMO.

 

In my access cab I did the oem audio system with the dedicated sub amp as well. I would say if you are looking for a nice balanced sound it does that pretty well. If you like a lot of bass I feel as though it is lacking, even with the bass knob maxed out that they give you. Install was also fairly easy.

 

I can’t figure out what to put in there without doing a bunch of sound deadening and prep work. I don’t need a ton of bass but I’d like some to complete it. I do like a decent sounding stereo. But it doesn’t have to be a 3,000.00 system. I just don’t know what to put in the truck?!?!

 

JL audio stealth box rocks
I did audio control amps and alpine type r separates in the front and 6-1/2 s in the back and it really rocks
It surprised even me . I did a small amount of sound deadening in the doors behind the speakers and on the back wall and it sounds really clean and tight
The audio control amps are the micro amps ( really good and don’t take up much space )

 

Are you talking about the $900 stealth box in the back for Bass and 6x9’s in the front???

 

JL stealth boxes are nice but extremely over priced for what you get.

 

I did alpine 6x9 type r separates in the front ( tweeters in dash with passive crossovers )
6-1/2 in back alpine also coax
Jl audio stealth box
Two audio control micro amps 50 ish watts x4 and 350 - 400 for Bass
Pioneer Avic head unit
It sounds really good / I’ve been doing audio for years / hobby
Nothing crazy just good clean sound nice tight bass

 

Also I will add the alpine 6x 9 door speakers handle bass and midsize really well which gives the system a nice tone

 

I wonder how the flax PS165F would pair with the kicker key?

 

Only one way to know for sure.

 

The benefit of the OEM system over just speakers and an amp is the DSP!

 

I went with the Focal Is 165 and 190 toy front and rear , JL 5 channel amp and 8" ported sup that fits behind
the passenger back seat and kept the factory head unit. I spent double of what I wanted but I do not regret it at all
everyday I drive to work I'm listening to it and it sounds amazing. Now the problem is when I get a new car for the wife she wants a system.

 

"full coverage" type of sound deadening is not necessary.

I have a build I'm doing soon. It will by far be the most expensive build I've done on any of my previous cars/trucks. I've also spent hours watching youtube videos of stereo installs.

what I've learned is that completely covering the cabin in sound deadening is overdoing it, spending more than you need to and adding unecessary weight.

For an area like the rear cabin wall, I use a tap method with a blunt object. Typically any flat space is good to add sound deadening. With the tap method i'm listening to a "ting" vs "ding" sound if that makes sense.

For the roof, I am doing full coverage, but i'm doing it with Closed Cell Foam because it's light weight and i'm more concerned with temperature control than I am with sound proofing.

For the doors, I apply 1 - 1/2 sheets on the interior of the door panel especially the space behind the speaker. Then I apply deadening on the area around the speaker hole. I also apply foam tape between the speaker bracket and speaker. Then I follow up on the rear side of the bracket with a hot glue gun to cover any holes and on the screws that hold the speaker to the bracket because why not. I also drill a hole on the bracket for the speaker wire, the wires have cloth tape, then I hot glue gun the hole to secure it. I also glue and tape the harness to the door. On the inside of the door panel I will add sound deadening around the speaker hole. Finally, I use a foam ring around the speaker that gets sandwiched between the door panel. This creates a sealed path for the sound to get into the cabin and not get lost into the door panels. The interior of the door panel allows plenty of volume for air movement.

I no longer bother with applying sound deadening to the floor on modern cars. There is sufficient deadening from the factory and the carpet is much thicker on modern cars.

Sticking a pool noodle between the cab and bed alone made a huge improvement in reducing road noice because the noodle eliminates air from creating a vortex and the sound coming through the vents.

TLDR: sound deadening on speaker hole and lower half of the interior door panel. Sound deadening around speaker area of the door panel, seal any holes on the speaker bracket with glue, use cloth tape to tidy cables and harnesses in place, use foam rings on speaker so the door panel creates a seal. Prefer to use Closed Cell Foam for full coverage on the roof.

 

That’s pretty much what I did and it sounds great. As long as everything sounds clean and tight you are good to go . I think my total system power is 600 ish watts and it had plenty of power . I would like to be able to hear as I get older so that’s enough for me