PS165F3

Name: PS165F3
Brand: Focal
SKU: 196-20536
Price: 499.00 EUR
Availability: Discontinued

Official Italian warranty

Discontinued

Your price:

€ 499,00

Price per single item (VAT included)

Product code: #020536
Type: Speaker Systems - 3-Way Speaker Kits
Manufacturer: Focal
Website: https://www.focal.com/en

Type: 3-way separate kit
Woofer Size: 165 mm
Tweeter Size: 20 millimetri
MAX Power: 160 Watt
RMS Power: 80 Watt
Frequency Response: 55 - 28.000 Hertz
Sensitivity: 91.5 dB
Impedance: 4 Ohm
Woofer Material: Cono Flax

Focal PS165F3 - 3-Way 165 mm System - Flax Cone - Performance / Expert Series

The diaphragm, critical component of the speaker, diaphragm technology.

The speaker is at the heart as well as in the tradition of Focal production. For over 30 years we have explored the various possibilities offered by innovative materials to create the ideal speaker diaphragm. The list is long: Polyglass, K2 sandwich, W sandwich, Kevlar, Titanium, Beryllium, Aluminum/Magnesium. The meaning of this constant research comes from the awareness that the diaphragm is the critical interface for the speaker. Critical because it is that part of the speaker that moves air molecules and the fidelity of acoustic transfer depends on the quality of the materials used.
Currently for our Home, Car and Pro productions, we use two different types of diaphragms for the midwoofers: Polyglass for less expensive products and sandwich diaphragms for the top series (Utopia and K2 Power).
Sandwich diaphragms are entirely handmade and therefore have limited use due to high costs.

The "Sandwich" technology for rigidity
The ideal diaphragm must satisfy 3 contradictory characteristics:
1. lightness to allow fast accelerations
2. rigidity so it functions as a piston
3. high damping to not interfere with sound

Today it is practically impossible to use a single material to create diaphragms capable of satisfying the three points above, while solutions that use a mix of materials instead offer broad possibilities.
In particular, sandwich construction, in which two very thin fiberglass films contain a core made of a different material, is an unbeatable technology for diaphragm rigidity.

The core of a "sandwich" type diaphragm provides mechanical damping that is responsible for the acoustic neutrality of the diaphragm.

What material to use for the core?
Focal patented in 1995 the diaphragm called "W SANDWICH" consisting of a core made of Acrylic and plexiglass foam. Unfortunately, the type of core of the "W sandwich" diaphragm conditions its processing, which must be done by hand. This severely limits its use for obvious cost reasons.
Over the past three years our engineers have analyzed and tested several materials in search of one suitable to form the core of a sandwich diaphragm that can be made with industrial processes rather than by hand. And they looked especially among natural materials, less subject to price fluctuations typical of petroleum-derived materials.

FLAX (Linen)
FLAX, given its characteristics, very soon became a valid candidate and at the end of tests, analysis and comparisons it proved to be the ideal material for the core of a sandwich diaphragm of "popular" cost. Basically we found the solution around home, as France is the world's largest producer of linen, which is considered among the best quality. But there are other reasons that made us prefer it.

The unique qualities of FLAX
Composite materials have properties suitable for applications where rigidity and low specific weight are required. However, they have a serious drawback which is the lack of damping that leads to poor vibration control.
For this reason it is often necessary to add damping material for the absorption of vibrations inherent to the material. FLAX is twice as light as fiberglass, as the fiber has cavities. It also has very low elasticity which is ideal for increasing sandwich rigidity. Furthermore, it can be obtained in "non-woven" bundles of considerable diameters and thus produce the thickness required by the sandwich.

Flax also combines the 3 key factors required by the core of the sandwich material of speakers: