I'm interested in putting these in my '02 and wanted to see what kind of experience people have with it? From reading some past threads, it appears that some cutting is required to fit the speakers?

I also have PPI 450 and PPI 1400 amps from my last car and wanted to see if they would be adequate or appropriate for these Focal speakers?

Finally, I know these are pricey speakers but what have most people been paying?

Thanks.

 

I have the Focal Utopia 165Ws in my car. I installed them myself and I did have to cut the 'basket' that the OEM speakers are mounted in but aside from making some speaker mounts out of MDF (around about 20mm - can't recall exactly though) no other work was required. Once installed the door trim went back on without any issues.

I too am using a PPI amp (can't recall model # but it is 90w RMS per channel) which I mounted in the spare tyre. I am not familiar with the particular model numbers that you have quoted, but if they have around 90w RMS per channel or more you should be happy!

When I bought mine (about 1 year ago) I paid approximately $1100 AUD which is about $600 USD.

Hope this helps.

 

I have these in my 2002 and they sound magnificent. I have a JL 500/5 with 100 watts to the Utopias. I did no cutting. Just removed the basket and made a mounting ring out of 3/4" plywood and they fit perfect. Also mounted the tweeter in the stock location without cutting. If I remember correctly I paid a little over $500 for mine.

 

Thanks for the info.

1 more questions...might sound stupid...but I'm assuming you guy have nice HU for the setup? What would I need to look for in choosing the right HU?

I'm looking definitely more for sound quality.

Thanks.

 

The PPI 450, is it 4 x 50? Are you going to bridge it? I don't know what the specs are but it might not be enough for the Utopias.

Are you planning on getting a sub as well? What about rear speakers? You need to decide all this before you buy a HU. If you're going to bridge the amp and want rear speakers as well, better get a HU with decent power so you can get decent sound from the rears without adding another amp. If you're getting a sub later, the HU should have output for that. If your amps do not have good adjustable crossovers then you might wanna get a HU that has built-in LP/HP adjustable crossovers. If you want to keep the audio controls working with the new HU, you should do some research on this board to find out which HUs are better for that - e.g. Sony & Alpine can be hooked up directly to the controls using some sort of adapter, other HUs with IF remotes can be made to utilize the audio controls via the PAC-SWI (spell?).

Don't forget to check Lucid's website!