Focal Audio enters the marine market

[nyryan2001]

http://www.roswellwakeair.com/series_nighthawk/

For the folks after super premium sound..... and these arent going to be cheap. somewhere around $1000 for a pair of 80w rms 6.5" inboats.

[Murphy8166]

Those towers are a waste of time...surprised that Roswell even made a 6.5". The industry is geared toward toward an 8" on the tower MINIMUM!

Now those 6.5's for the in boats - yeah they are pretty but again...the newer boats are going to 8"

and you just might see WS in the Bu's next year....think I heard something about that

[wakebrdr94]

Actually, If the 6.5 can put out the same sound as a larger speaker, I'm in. I went with the SXT9s, because of sound, but I prefer the smaller speakers as they are not as in the way. I think the smaller speakers look better too. I think they are "geared" for bigger speakers because they generally will sound better. But get the same quality out of a 6.5, why take up the space?

Edited February 4, 2014 by wakebrdr94

[David]

"[Those towers are a waste of time...surprised that Roswell even made a 6.5".]"

Look closer. They actually package 5" components with 6.5" components on two of the three tower speakers. Smallish on the tower makes no sense to me either.

I am a huge fan of Focal as being one of the very top speaker companies in the world, whether home or car. I have personally heard the Focal Stella Utopia $100K, 364 lb ea, home fidelity speakers. And they did things that I would have never thought possible.

Perhaps this is a good move on the part of Roswell because they really need credibility as an audio company, which they are not. The existing tooling and pods, also available in a polished version sporting Phoenix Gold speakers, is driving the speaker sizes and packaging. Because of the pairing with Roswell, I don't think you are seeing the true Focal potential. Focal has the capacity to make the very best sounding boat speakers by a country mile, but not in this configuration.

[nyryan2001]

well I dont think they will get very far on this at those types of prices...and only 80w 6.5s.

had they come out with 200w rms 6.5s... and 300w rms 8" coax at Focal quality... maybe then.

[Murphy8166]

Actually, If the 6.5 can put out the same sound as a larger speaker, I'm in. I went with the SXT9s, because of sound, but I prefer the smaller speakers as they are not as in the way. I think the smaller speakers look better too. I think they are "geared" for bigger speakers because they generally will sound better. But get the same quality out of a 6.5, why take up the space?

How can a 6.5" speaker put out the same sound of a larger speaker? Do you really think you can get the Mid Bass out of 6.5" that you can with an 8".

Don't think so! Physics much!!!!!!

Edited February 4, 2014 by Murphy8166

[skyskier]

Ugly.

[Murphy8166]

Ugly.

I just changed a diaper that had that color yellow in it....must have fed the little guy oranges at daycare for his snack.

That would be another concern, I could see it working in a solid black or yellow and black boat and that is it.

[UofM_MXZ]

Don't care for the towers. With that said Focal as a whole is audio bliss. I have high end focal in my truck and they are amazing.

[Earmark Marine]

Great speakers. But nobody who understands (a) what a tower speaker is for, and (b) what the Focal 165KR was designed for, would pair those two products. That's like using a Mercedes S65 to tow your boat trailer and then wondering why people say Mercedes is a great car when it can't haul your boat out of the water.

[Brianinpdx]

this whole thread cracks me up

[David]

well I dont think they will get very far on this at those types of prices...and only 80w 6.5s.

had they come out with 200w rms 6.5s... and 300w rms 8" coax at Focal quality... maybe then.

That's a good point, especially in light of the fact that the in-boat components have external second order symmetrical crossovers, which have a fair amount of insertion loss. So you would definitely need to power that particular speaker with considerably more power than you would a typical marine coaxial. - - - - - On the other hand, manufacturers and importers do not rate power handling on the same basis so I would not compare that spec to another brand. Rarely would you see a stand alone high dollar tweeter (Vifa, Seas, Scan Speak, Audax, etc.) with more than 25 watts real RMS power handling. The rest is often marketing fluff. The better brands tend to rate their products more conservatively and honestly. And in reality, they are probably the only ones to have actually tested their speakers.

[Zombie]

Don't care for the towers. With that said Focal as a whole is audio bliss. I have high end focal in my truck and they are amazing.

X2. I have them in my truck as well as using them as my main boat speakers. I'm also using two the of the Focal 10" subs in the boat.