lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Looks like they installed some sound dampening material too. That alone can make a stunning difference, but we all know manufacturers go cheap on speakers. It's a rare car indeed that actually has audiophile quality drivers in it from the factory.

So the only thing you replaced was what comes in the Focal kit? Just wondering because there are a whole lot more speakers in the car, and I'm wondering what it might cost to replace them all with better drivers.

hvdcman

So far have been happy with the sound. My hearing is not what it once was. My other car has a Bose system and the ML system sounds better to my ear.

finny76

So what can be done to improve the ML system without messing with the Radio/? Better speakers? If so what brand of speakers would pair well with the ML & sound better than stock speakers?

WaterFish

They installed some sound skins and instantly you get that "basement" effect.

All I did was $200 Soundskin on both sides and the Focal kit. The original treble on the ML system was actually pretty good but with the upgrade it is even more clear. There was basically no mid range before, now the voices and instruments are very defined and clear. The base is much tighter than before.

The deck and amp was not changed, theefore radio, Sat radio, usb, and cd player still all work just like before.

Replacing the front tweeters and the side "woofers" was more than enough for me. It will cost an arm and a leg to replace everything.

For speaker wise just visit a store and have a demo. Everyone has their own preferences but Focal is known for sound quality and decent price.

finny76

Thanks for the info & details...

For those of us that want to be below $1K what are the best options of speakers/tweeters other than FOCAL?

WaterFish

You can try the old gen of the Focal 165k. They were pretty good too.

GregCanada

Saw you on the 403 last week - first GSF I've seen in person - beauty of a car! I was in my tacoma so you wouldn't have recognized me trying to catch up to you...

WaterFish

thanks for the compliments! Surprised to see another Canadian on this forum.

95bat

Look at Hybrid Audio or Morel. I've never been a fan of focal highs, but many people love them.

I owned the Hybrid Audio Clarus speakers, they're the best I've ever heard. If I were in the market, I'd buy the Morels right now. Some super high end shops use them exclusively, which is where the recommendation came from.

TrevorR

iTrader: (2)

I'll admit that the ML system in my GSF isn't as good as my 2016 RX350 F-sport (Not sure if F sport makes a difference) sound system, and the RX has the standard system not ML.

Although, the sound of the engine is the only thing I care about ha!

WaterFish

Yea i have heard Morel are also very good. Honestly you just gotta go demo the speakers before you install them. Every company use very different materials for their speakers and therefore produces different sound very differently.

Don't just listen to people's opinion or review, you just gotta try them

Also before I thought the Focals were every "bright", but the new es 165KR2 have fixes their tweeter and is much more balanced now. The old generations are much brighter.

95bat

Yeah, the older ones made me feel like my ears would bleed. I liked the midbass, but can't stand high frequencies that make me cringe.

I've actually always wanted to try a nice sold 6.5 or 8 for midbass and use a 3" full range for highs. Supposed to be very mellow...

GSFDreams

So all you did was use the one set of components and sound deadening in the doors? No chance of anything else? Works fine with the factory amp? Middle channel speaker in the dash still the same?

finny76

When i talked to CarToys they were recommending of putting an Aftermarket amplifier with these speakers to get the most out of them!

finny76

I have a few question on this install:



1) Did you Install the Speakers with the Focal Crossovers through the ML Amp?

2) Or Did you just only replace the speakers and run them off the ML Amp?

I’ve been told that the ML Amp has Prebuilt in Crossovers, so I’m trying to figure out which is the best way to set these speakers up?

Thanks