REVIEW
FOCAL PS 165 FX Component Speaker System FREQUENCY RESPONSE (showing tweeter and mid attenuation)
Focal PS 165FX -3dB Freq Resp
Focal PS 165FX +3dB MD.tds
Focal PS 165FX 0dB.tds
Focal PS 165FX -3dB.tds
8192 Samples in 6.8 s, Frequency Res = 116.8 Hz, Time Res = 8.58 ms (9.68 feet)
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that enables them to combine modern composites with natural materials. While thin skins of fiberglass pr ve to be the optimum material for rigidity, a lightweight yet strong and well-damped material is required for the core of the sandwich. Focal went looking for a material consisting of non-woven fibe s that could be formed into a cone by an automated stamping process to keep costs down. The best material available happens to be a common crop in France – flax. Flax i also used for linseed and flax oils, but in thi case, the real focus is on the plant’s naturally straight and strong fibe s. One of the oldest textile fibe s I LISTEN LONG ENOUGH THAT I'VE known to man, fla ACTUALLY LOST TRACK OF TIME. has been used to WHEN I FINALLY HAVE MY NOTES make fabrics and paper for many cenCOMPLETE, I REALIZE I’VE BEEN turies. It is very low AUDITIONING THESE SPEAKERS FOR in mass (thanks to OVER FOUR HOURS! AFTER ALL THAT, a hollow center) and YOU HAVE TO KNOW THESE ARE FAIRLY its cellular structure provides excellent EXTRAORDINARY SPEAKERS. natural damping. In addition to its low mass and natural damping, flax is also ery strong, with a Young’s modulus of 60GPa similar to Kevlar fiber or aluminum The Focal engineers were so impressed with the potential that flax will be used i many of the brand's finest loudspea ers in the future, for both car and home audio lines. My fi st experience with flax cone spea ers is a set of Performance Expert Series PS 165 FX components, which have a list price of $599.
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Frequency (Hz) Octave Smoothing = 33.0%
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The 6.5-inch midrange obviously utilizes the breakthrough technology flax con augmented with a butyl rubber surround and specially-shaped phase plug. Focal goes to great lengths to discourage thieves, to the point of actually engraving the speaker serial number right on the inner edge of the surround where it attaches to the cone. The midrange driver is built on a nice cast aluminum basket and the moving assembly is driven by a 1.25-inch voice coil, powered by a 3.6-inch ferrite motor. Flat spade type electrical connections are integrated into the basket and are solidly mounted. The motor assembly features chrome plated top and bottom plates. The whole driver has a high end look and feel. The PS 165 FX tweeter is equipped with an aluminum/magnesium alloy inverted dome and PORON urethane suspension for long life and reliability. The tweeter comes with flush-style mounting cups or angle surface mount pods. The crossover modules included in the kit are fairly typical in size, but they include the ability to bi-amp the system and use highquality components inside. You won’t fin any iron core inductors or electrolytic caps here - only air core inductors, mounted correctly to prevent magnetic interference, and polystyrene capacitors. There are two available adjustments in the crossover: a switch that changes the level of the tweeter by 3 dB, and another that has a similar effect on the upper midrange. These adjustments are designed to provide optimum system performance across a wide range of mounting locations. As an added luxury, the outer
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TR Orca - Focal PS165FX v2.indd 2
12/18/2013 10:43 AM