New blog post: Living with Focal Speakers

@erik_squires I’m SOOO glad you have brought the DIY mindset to this forum! So many believe that the wrong things are responsible for how a speaker sounds like tweeter material, rather than the true contributing factor, the Xover. The tweeter material can have an affect, but it’s usually in how low the distortion is and how easily it is to integrate with the mid (Xover point). If Focal’s (of old) were perceived as being bright, it was because of the xover design and not the tweeter itself. If they measured as ‘bright’ it’s because that is what Focal was going for, it wasn’t unintentional. Please continue to educate the group on the measurement tools you employ and why they matter sooo much to tuning a speaker to what ‘you’ prefer (which might not be a totally flat response cure). 

This is a great read. I've always wondered how upgrading crossover components would align with Kanta / Sopra level Focals, not that many would be willing to try but can only imagine the benefits. 

@christianb5s4 You don’t have to destroy the speakers to experiment with a different Xover. Testing with an outboard xover board is pretty simple. Examining the stock boards also gives you an idea where the manufacturer cut corners (in components) and where you might be able to find some improvements. 

You don’t have to destroy the speakers to experiment with a different Xover. Testing with an outboard xover board is pretty simple.

Especially when the speaker is ported! :)

I really encourage modders to either A) Keep it simple and swap maybe the tweeter or mid range caps or B) Think about the entire crossover design.

The Focal profiles for instance had many resistors and caps in the bass section which could have been swapped, but what they needed was to remove all the resistors and add an inductor to raise up the impedance while keeping the frequency response constant.

My point is, if you start thinking of doing much more than simple cap swapping you should step back and consider starting from a blank sheet.

@erik_squires 

I admire your knowledge and abilities, but I am guessing that, like myself, 90% or more of the members here would have no idea whatsoever of how to modify a crossover, and if they did, they would need to have the measuring equipment to do so like you do. 

I've done simple part-swapping and wire replacement on several speakers, but I think that even that is beyond the comfort zone of most here.