DLS Iridium 6.2 vs Focal 165K2P

[lizardking]

Since my Utopia tweeters shorted out due to my mistake... I had to replace my speakers since the Utopias are no longer avaliable....only the Utopia Be... I bought the DLS Iridium 6.2 to replace them. I've been running the DLS speakers for about 2 months and the sound is very laid back. The tweeters are very smooth but lacking detail the Utopia tweeters had. The mid bass on the Iridiums sounds very good but they tend to bottom out and get muddy when you really get on them. I decided I needed the lively sound of my Focals back. I picked up the Focal K2 165K2P "upgraded" version. Installed them this morning and all I can say is WHOA!! I have my tight and accurate mid bass back and the tweeters sound even better then my Utopia tweeters did. I've heard the K2P's had better tweeters but wouldn't have believed it if I didn't hear them myself. The K2 tweeters are very detailed with concert like vocals is the best way I can describe it. The DLS speakers are very very nice and would suit most folks just fine so don't think I'm bashing them, but Scott Buwalda was right about the mid bass getting muddy at high volume. If I where to rate these versus other speakers I've tried it would be an honest 6 out of 10. I will be selling my DLS Iridiums on Ebay for $400 or $350

Note: The DLS Iridiums would probably sound totally different in the Titan. When I had my Titan I noticed having tweeters in the dash facing the windshield tended to make the tweeters a bit bright. Justintoxicated might give better insight on how the tweeters sound in the Titan.

[smoketitan]

interesting ?? i was never able to botton mine withh 200w each? adn muddy was nevr what Id call the 6,5"'s

now the 8's were a tad slow in the midbass, btu they made up for it in output


I will say that the focal k2p mid is awesome, very lively!!!,

i dig that set much more than the utopias

now the only thing left for you is to try scan speak, and seas drivers

[lizardking]

Too funny!! Let's hope I don't ruin these...lol... I even tried putting 500 watts RMS which I normally run 150 to 200. Don't get me wrong the DLS speakers sound nice but they do get muddy.. Haven't tried the 8's though. Scan speak not for me and the Seas from what I could research didn't get much praise. I think I'm just spoiled by having the Focals. By the way how's everything going in your setup?? If I remember the XMAX on the DLS is kinda low...but don't remember!!

What did you think about the build quality of the DLS Iridiums? I thought the crossovers where built like tanks but wasn't impressed with the build quality of the midbass driver or the tweeter compared to the Focals. I was very impressed with the crossover though.

DLS XMAX 3.5MM
FOCAL XMAX 5.5MM

[smoketitan]

hey im different thats all

the dls build qaulity is very nice IMO, the magnet structure, pressed cone material

the focal has a heavier magnet(hence larger xmax), the cone is a poly material, nice phase plug, basket is a nice cast

id give it to focal in the overall build department

soundwise

id take the dls over the focal simply becuase its more natural like a real speaker of voice,

but for rock, or live recording the focal is by far the better driver becuase it has a sense of "jumping out" at you almsot like your present in the music,

the dls is reproduces the sound with a more melodic representation,

jazz. rnb, even hip hop(becuase in the proper IB ennvironment these things output)

I jsut dont get how you were able to bottom them out? I was never able to do that in a larger door than on the 4 runner

tweeters--same difference, smooth laidback , not as much hihg end spirit (the dls tweets) versus very detailed, broad spectrum (but also can be harsh up high) hence the reason you have so much attenuation in the k2p passive

crossvers

the iridium used a better pcb,a nd better coils, , hence the weight, but hte focal has far more flexibility with the woofer/tweeter attenuation combos with all those switches

so all in all its kind of up to the listener I guess as I personally dont think one is overall better than the other if that makes sense

as far as my stuff goes

jsut sold IT ALL, as Im either going to fight nissan to replace my truck, or get rid of it as Ive had it with going to the service department all the time


im going to focus on home theater till my truck BS gets taken care of

im back to the peice or crap fosgate package

guess I should have moved to the toyota like you did

----------

and hey man I have chance to get a deal on a zapco 9.0xd is it REALLY worth all that cash?

[lizardking]

To bad about you truck!! I know the feeling but still miss my Titan everyday. I'm going to get another truck sometime next year and its going to the the NEW Tundra or another Titan.

Your right about the DLS tweeter, very very laid back and no where near the detail of the Focals. About bottoming them out don't ask me how I was running them active and had them crossed at or around 60hz. Just to muddy for me, just didn't do anything for me. The Focals are just so much more detailed then the DLS Iridiums. Even my wife could tell the difference, when I went to the DLS speakers she asked me why was the sound so much different. I said different how, then she replied, it just seems hollow compared to the Focals.

As for build quality I just wasn't impressed with the mid bass driver at all.. The old Diamond M6's I used to have seemed better built. The tweeter assembly seemed really cheap, but it just might have been the look. The crossovers where tanks though..lol.. Nice speakers overall that would suit most noobs..lol.. I'm glad I was able to try them out, I should have them up for sale tonight on Ebay... I will post the link later...

Your the man smoke, I hope the truck thing works out....If not wait for the Tundra this year its going to smoke the Titan.... I HOPE...


The Zapco amp....It's the best amp I've ever used... The Zapco SQ competitions speak for themselves... The best amps for a reason.. Its a very very advanced amp with alot of microprocessing... If you get one I recommend you buy the add on controller it will make fine tuning the amp a breeze and you can monitor the amp with the controller/display.. I WILL NEVER USE ANOTHER BRAND AMP IN MY LIFE ITS ALL ZAPCO FOR ME... Sorry had to shout that!!! LOL

[lizardking]

As mentioned they are for sale on Ebay.... link below...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=5833306321

[ecbmxer]

How do the DLS MS6's compare to the Iridiums? I have a set I'm waiting to put in right now.

[lizardking]

I wish I could help...Never heard them yet.

[Justintoxicated]

Originally Posted by smoketitan

hey im different thats all

the dls build qaulity is very nice IMO, the magnet structure, pressed cone material

the focal has a heavier magnet(hence larger xmax), the cone is a poly material, nice phase plug, basket is a nice cast

id give it to focal in the overall build department

soundwise

id take the dls over the focal simply becuase its more natural like a real speaker of voice,

but for rock, or live recording the focal is by far the better driver becuase it has a sense of "jumping out" at you almsot like your present in the music,

the dls is reproduces the sound with a more melodic representation,

jazz. rnb, even hip hop(becuase in the proper IB ennvironment these things output)

I jsut dont get how you were able to bottom them out? I was never able to do that in a larger door than on the 4 runner

tweeters--same difference, smooth laidback , not as much hihg end spirit (the dls tweets) versus very detailed, broad spectrum (but also can be harsh up high) hence the reason you have so much attenuation in the k2p passive

crossvers

the iridium used a better pcb,a nd better coils, , hence the weight, but hte focal has far more flexibility with the woofer/tweeter attenuation combos with all those switches

so all in all its kind of up to the listener I guess as I personally dont think one is overall better than the other if that makes sense

as far as my stuff goes

jsut sold IT ALL, as Im either going to fight nissan to replace my truck, or get rid of it as Ive had it with going to the service department all the time


im going to focus on home theater till my truck BS gets taken care of

im back to the peice or crap fosgate package

guess I should have moved to the toyota like you did

----------

and hey man I have chance to get a deal on a zapco 9.0xd is it REALLY worth all that cash?

Heavier Magnet does not mean ****, DLS use neodymium magnets, which are very powerful, but people tend to think larger magnets are better and it costs more to make smaller powerful magnets, so most companies play people on this.

I for one Hate huge magnets, and I will take a smaller magnet of equal power anyway.

Iridiums do sound extremely good in the titan in stock locations especially with some DTA. I don't like harsh tweeters, I find the Iridiums produce very detailed sound but are extremely directional, meaning if the tweeters are not positioned well you might not hear the detail or have a good sound stage. They have very good midbass but they are not made to be used as subwoofers.

Focal makes good stuff too.

What you call detail I may call harsh ear piercing sound when I can't stand anymore, hell I have other silk tweeters that had a more sharp sound, but not really as much "detail" as the iridiums. I personally don't like overwhelming highs.

Liz no offense but the iridiums are anything but hollow it may be you did not have them setup properly (might require much different settings than you focals), or have something else to do with your install. I heard the 6.3's ina Miada (spelling) and the car was too small to handle them, and there were some cancelation issues due to the speakers being so directional (sounded 2x better with the doors open). My midbass rattles all the paneling in my titan after a full 5 rolls of RAAMAT and vibrates the piss out of my rear view mirror, I'm, not sure how much midbass your looking to get from a component set but anything more than this should be left to a subwoofer. Components are make to have clear distinct sound. I can feel the midbass kick me in the chest and so can others that get in my truck. but again this will vary from install to install.

Then again I was not running my Iridiums active, but I was using the active crossover on my HU with the same setting and my Bass at 0 on my HU.

I have found that the Iridiums don't have great sound for all rap music usually because it is recorded horribly and the iridiums pick up all the horrible details and even clipping in the recording. I find most people that like rap like really lively (harsh) ear piercing highs to balance with their really deep woofers. but this is not my idea of good sound. They sound extreamly excelent for acoustics though, and very good for rock also.

My friend has the Diamond Hexes and I found they were lacking in some of the areas you claim the DLS are so go figure. Then again you and me never agree on anything. (diamond are good speakers for the money though also and I'm extremely picky)

Hell some people like their audiobauhns and their Sony Explodes and can't tell you how good they are, but I can't stand them one bit.

I hope you were not powering your Iridiums the same as your Focals they are only rated for 100 watts!

I know an installer that has Adire components and he listed to the 6.2's 6.3's and CDT Euros, and still tells me that he can't get over how good the iridiums sounded in my install. Car Audio Mag also gave the Iridiums a very bad rating along with dynaudio...

In the end it will vary from listener to listener. And then again, I got my 6.2's for $450 new so for that price they are still IMO very hard to beat.

[lizardking]

Your right they are a good speaker and sound varies from the user to the install. I noticed the same thing about the doors being open it sounded better. I think those DLS speakers would have souned better in a proper kick panel with imaging like it should be. I don't know how in the heck you get those mid bass drivers to beat you in the chest....are you running them sealed?? They sounded way to muddy to me...the Iridiums are known for muddy midbass. I had them setup both active and with the crossover with serious power and didn't get anything I would call chest pounding...

Your right about different strokes for different folks...its all in how WE like our sound. Those tweeters as you said are very directional and should be positioned properly... I've heard one of the worst things you can do is aim the tweeters at the windshield....with how soft the Iridiums are it could acutally help wake them up a bit.

I would take the DLS speakers over any store brand for sure...I just don't think the sound is for me. Holding the focals in hand and comparing to the DLS speakers you can really tell and feel the quality in the Focals. There very very well built.

Don't get me wrong anyone these are good speakers and would suit most folks...


Justintoxicated, What do you have your crossover settings for the DLS...not that it matters much since the passive does most the work..but just curious...

Thanks

[titanse05]

Hey Lizardking....how bout some install pics of your 4Runner? I've been waiting to see what $10k+ looks like.

[lizardking]

Everyone keeps asking!! It's nothing fancy...no fiberglass or nothing... I don't think I spend 10k yet..lol