[D's Bimmer]

I am looking at upgrading my audio in my 2011 e90. I have the HiFi system with navigation. Looking at doing this in possibly three stages.

Stage I - Upgrade from speakers and tweeters

Stage II - Add Amp

Stage III - Upgrade under seat subs, etc as needed

My question is for those who have installed Focal speakers. I have an audio installer near me who highly recommends them. Which speaker model have members here chosen to install from Focal and how would you rate them?

I believe the largest diameter we can use is the 5" to 5 1/8" based on the opening.

Model options I am considering are the following:

Focal Elite 130 KR or 130 KRC

or the

Focal Performance P130

I appreciate any input here as I want to make sure I am going at this the right way and looking to get this process started in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks,

D

[ctuna]

Morels are considered to have a more warm less harsh sound.

Jehnerts are one of the best speakers for the undeseats if you are looking
to fill the mid bass to midrange hole the stock speaker system has.

Some of these speaker company's are starting to make speakers that exactly
fit a E9x without adapters. I believe Focal has something like that now.

Read the 6th entry in the following link.
There are links in it to more speaker info.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=641323

Read the whole thread above if you want to be fully informed.

[D's Bimmer]

Thanks for the insight! Greatly appreciated.

[Ml3456]

Did the whole thing thing at once in mt E93. Focal krs's in the doors, Jehnert under the seats, BSW rears, and a JL 600/6 in the trunk with Technic's wiring adapter. Get his sub connecter at the same time. Makes things much easier. Sounds great even at 90 with the top down!! I heard the same thing about the Morel's but never heard them. The speakers and amp easy to get from ABT electronics and they price matched. Technic has a thread about updating the system that is very helpful.

ML

[mathematics]

Even focal's entry level speakers are great. Can't go wrong with anything they produce. I also recommend the Jehnert products and Dynaudio. I have both of those in my e93 (Dynaudio MW152 mid-ranges (top mounted without the grills), MD102, and the Jehnert midbass kit in the door card and under-seat).

[D's Bimmer]

I have been to two audio stores that do allot of BMW work. The first I pushing the Focal 4" KRS 100's. The second is suggesting the Hertz Energy 5 1/4". Both shops do excellent fabrication and installation work.

The Focals cost twice as much as the Hertz. The installer says I really won't notice any difference and that the Focals are priced high in the marketplace. I am leaning towards the Hertz. Any reason why I should spend the extra money and buy the Focal's?

[kaigoss69]

The 5.25" Hertz will probably not find behind the door panel and need to be top mounted. The Focals are overpriced if twice the price of the Focals. Consider getting Morels instead or Jehnert flat line plug and play, or JL Audio C5.

[bmw325i]

I agree with kaigoss. The 5.25's will most likely require modifications to fit. The jehnert flatline kit is a really good option if your on a budget. Morels in the door with jehnerts under the seats would be a better option but more expensive as well.

[D's Bimmer]

Basically, the Focals are $580 Canadian which is a fair price for them as I have tried to shop around. The Hertz will fit as this installer has done about 30 odd e90's. some minor fabrication required but I have seen the work and it is very good.

[kaigoss69]

The Hertz would have to be top mounted so you'd lose the OEM look. If that is no problem/hurdle I'd go with the Hertz over the Focals any day.

[paprmkr]

i have focal's on my E38 if recall correctly have the 130 comp on doors and coxial on rear deck. amp is JL 900/5
love the sound so clear and loud. sounds like if next to stage.... running Image Dynamiic 12" sub

[mathematics]

if i had to choose focals vs. hertz, i would choose focal, even if they cost more simply because i have experience with them and can attest to their build quality and amazing sound.

[Briancanadiano]

Where did you get the sub and amp installed? I'm looking for a place in the Gta... Thanks

[Briancanadiano]

Originally Posted by D's Bimmer

Thanks for the insight! Greatly appreciated.

Where did you get the sub and amp installed? I'm looking for a place in the Gta... Thanks

[D's Bimmer]

Originally Posted by Briancanadiano

Where did you get the sub and amp installed? I'm looking for a place in the Gta... Thanks

A great local to me car audio shop. Hi Fi Audio in Whitby. They are an AD for Focal and JL. Do a ton of work on BMW's. Prices are hard to beat anywhere. Ask for Jun.

[Briancanadiano]

Originally Posted by D's Bimmer

A great local to me car audio shop. Hi Fi Audio in Whitby. They are an AD for Focal and JL. Do a ton of work on BMW's. Prices are hard to beat anywhere. Ask for Jun.

Thanks a lot man ! So when I give them the technic harness they will no what it's for instead of giving me a look of confusion. Lol
And also I bought a used technic harness but it didn't come with the loc.. Can I use any or does it half to be the same one as what comes with the harness when you order it? Thanks

[mediapimp]

I've had Focal in my last 3 cars. They sound amazing but can be a little harsh on certain source material.

At one point I was considering Hertz instead of Focal but after auditioning them next to each other, there was no comparison. Focal destroyed them.

[skrelnik]

I have a pair of 11 inch Focal Subs which are ridiculously awesome. Never heard Hertz before so can't compare, but you can't go wrong with Focal subs.

Mathematics and 6spdcoupe know their sh*t about car audio, and they recommend Focal so I would stick with that...

[Wongway]

Just going to say first of all, I'm just an average_joe_layman, so I guess I probably don't know my stuff as well...

Frankly, I don't think I've ever heard a Focal speaker worth its money. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they're a bad speaker, but to be honest, I've always felt with Focals, that I'm paying more for the name vs quality speaker. Generally speaking, I would think you could find at least as good sounding speaker for equal price.

Again, just the average guy out there, but that's what I've come across so far...


edit:
Also, in practice, I've found that a good DSP can make even crap speakers sound amazing. I once sat in a competition level vehicle that's won a few audio shows, and even made it to the finals this year (Alabama?). It used factory stock audio speakers. It's front stage and presence was astounding.

[ctuna]

How do they compare against Jehnerts
for comparable models . I noticed in the 4 inch category
both the Jehnerts and Morels are speced at playing lower
with the Morels winning over everything.
Focals are everywhere and the others are more boutique shop
items is one of the issues at getting a comparison.

[skrelnik]

This sounds like a coke vs pepsi argument, Focal vs Morel. I am not an expert either but in my other car (Wrangler) I have a kicker sub and it sucks relative to my Focal subs. The Focals were 2x the price of the Kicker, but well worth it.

Originally I powered these Focals with the PP82DSP and that just did not work well, so I added another amp to power the Focals and holy cow man...

Wongway - my Focals were worth every penny, if not more. I actually fear turning the bass all the way up cause my back window literally looks like it is going to pop out when I play heavy bass like Blackout(method man/redman).

As for price comparison, using Crutchfield prices, the speakers in the same price range as the Focals I have would be JL Audio 12W3v3 or a Kicker 10 inch or the Helix Esprit E12W. As I stated above I have a Kicker in my Wrangler, and relative to the Focals the Kicker is not very good. Focals are quality and you pay for what you get, I don't think you overpay for their brandname like Rockgate, Infinity or Alpine.

[ctuna]

Comparsion Oranges , Tangerines and potatoes

Where Focals and Morels are oranges and tangerines
and most everything else is potatoes.(maybe somewhat exaggerated)

The thing is up until now when everybody is starting to make BMW
3 way kits Focals and Morels and then Jehnerts were the only thing
that would fit in the doors on these things. (Well at least they were the
most common for the doors) In 500 dollar plus high quality 4 inch component
pairs.(500 plus for a 4 inch component speaker set!)