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Focal ES 165KX3 Elite K2 Power Series 6-1/2" 3-way component speaker system

Item # 091ES165X3

Handmade in France, the Elite K2 Power Series 165KX3 component system is the culmination of Focal's passion for...

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Handmade in France, the Elite K2 Power Series 165KX3 component system is the culmination of Focal's passion for...

9 questions - 9 answers

Item # 091ES165X3

Shop all Focal Component Speakers

About the Focal ES 165KX3

Alexander H.

Larger tweeter in a 3-way system

Handmade in France, the Elite K2 Power Series 165KX3 component system is the culmination of Focal's passion for perfect sound, exceptional standards, and technological advances. Focal's sound gurus engaged in intensive listening sessions designing this line of speakers so that you hear uncanny realism, sweeping dynamics, and breathtaking depth in your music.
Focal 165KX3

The K2 Power Series woofer features a Tuned Mass Damper rubber surround for minimized harmonic distortion.

Larger tweeter in a 3-way system

Handmade in France, the Elite K2 Power Series 165KX3 component system is the culmination of Focal's passion for perfect sound, exceptional standards, and technological advances. Focal's sound gurus engaged in intensive listening sessions designing this line of speakers so that you hear uncanny realism, sweeping dynamics, and breathtaking depth in your music.

A classic woofer with a new twist

The 6-1/2" woofer uses Focal's classic "W" sandwich cone design to reproduce your audio with incredible accuracy. The nimble Kevlar and glass-fiber woofers demonstrate the control needed to play delicate classical passages, yet they'll handle the power needed to drive your bass-heavy tracks with authority. Focal adds a new Tuned Mass Damper (TMD®) rubber surround which minimizes harmonic distortion for the cleanest midrange possible. The 3" driver in this 3-way system uses the same sandwich cone to deliver all the midrange details.

A redesigned tweeter

The ES 165KX3 employs a unique 1-1/8" aramid fiber tweeter with an "M"-shaped inverted dome design that disperses the highs with remarkable precision, all the way up to 22,000 Hz. The K2 Power crossovers use hand-made components developed by Focal to deliver an ideal blend of the highs and lows for a dynamic stereo image. Three levels of tweeter control let you dial in the sound to your car's environment.

Installation note: You'll need a pair of our universal backstraps to install the tweeters in the factory locations.

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Product highlights:

  • component speaker system includes two 6-1/2" woofers, two 3" midrange drivers, 2 tweeters, 2 external crossovers, and 2 woofer grilles
  • K2 Kevlar sandwich cone for woofer and midrange driver
  • Tuned Mass Damper (TMD®) rubber surround
  • 1-1/8" aramid fiber "M"-shaped inverted-dome tweeter
  • 2-way external crossover with 3 tweeter level settings
  • 4-ohm impedance
  • handles up to 120 watts RMS (240 watts peak power)
  • frequency response: 45-22,000 Hz
  • sensitivity: 93 dB at 2.83 V
  • woofer mounting depth: 3"
  • grilles included
  • warranty: 1 year
  • MFR # ES 165KX3

What's in the box:

  • Two woofers
  • Two midrange
  • Two inverted dome tweeters (with attached 20" length of speaker wire)
  • 2 Tweeter flush mount cups (installed)
  • 2 Tweeter angle mount adapters
  • 2 Midrange/Tweeter surface mount housings
  • 2 Crossover networks
  • 2 Woofer grilles
  • 2 Woofer grille mounting rings
  • 2 Midrange grilles
  • 2 Midrange grille mounting rings
  • 2 Woofer mounting gaskets
  • Grille putty
  • 16 Speed clips
  • Eight 1" Self-tapping screws
  • Two 3/4" Self-tapping screws
  • Eight 5/8" Self-tapping screws
  • Two 5/8" Screws
  • Two M3x8mm Machine screws
  • Owner's manual (English/ French/ German/ Italian/ Spanish/ Portuguese/ Dutch/ Russian)
  • 2 Focal window stickers

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More details on the Focal ES 165KX3

Pat M.

Features & specs

General
Speaker Size 6 1/2
Design 3-way
Tweeter Design M-Shaped Inverted Dome
Impedance (Ohms) 4
Tweeter Composition Aramid Fiber
Woofer Composition K2 Kevlar Sandwich
Woofer Surround Butyl Rubber
Parts Warranty 1 Year
Labor Warranty 1 Year
Specifications
Sensitivity (1W at 1 meter) 89
Sensitivity at 2.83 volts 93
Frequency Response 45 - 22k Hz
Minimum RMS Wattage ---
Maximum RMS Wattage 120
Peak Power Handling (Watts) 240
Top-mount Depth (Inches) 3 1/16
Bottom-mount Depth (Inches) 3 1/4
Cutout Diameter or Length (inches) 5 5/8
Mounting Height (Inches) 0.418
Frame Width 6.489
Frame Length 6.489
The Focal ES 165KX3 replaces these items:

Product Research

Woofer
Midrange
Tweeter
Crossover
Dimensions

Woofer

K2 Cone: The woofer cone is a sandwich composite consisting of a foam core, a structural glass fiber bottom layer, and a Kevlar top layer. This combination of materials results in a rigid, light weight cone with excellent damping characteristics.

Surround: Focal's patented butyl rubber TMD (Tuned Mass Damper) surround helps control unwanted resonances, providing a clean and neutral midrange with very low harmonic distortion.

Voice Coil: The voice coil is wound around a 1-9/16" diameter low-mass Kapton former, ensuring no coil deformation.

Size Classification Note: Some manufacturers, including Focal, call this size woofer a 6-1/2". Because it requires a larger cutout than a standard 6-1/2" speaker, Crutchfield has traditionally referred to this size as a 6-3/4". Please enter you vehicle information to confirm fit in your vehicle.

Midrange

K2 Cone: The woofer cone is a sandwich composite consisting of a foam core, a structural glass fiber bottom layer, and a Kevlar top layer. This combination of materials results in a rigid, light weight cone with excellent damping characteristics.

Phase Plug: The bullet-shaped phase plug in the center of the midrange ensures a smooth, flat off-axis frequency response by preventing the high frequency sound waves emanating from one side of the cone from interfering with sound waves from the other side of the cone.

Size: The midrange drivers are not a standard size, approximately 3" diameter. They can be top or bottom mounted and have these dimensions:

  • Depth (top mount): 1.314"
  • Mounting height: 0.272"
  • Flange height: 0.165"
  • Depth (bottom mount): 1.479"
  • Tweeter protrusion: 0.107"
  • Cutout diameter: 2.885"
  • Frame diameter: 3.452"
  • Grille diameter: 3.847"
  • Grille height: 0.595"
Tweeter

Inverted Dome: The "M" profile, Aramid fiber, inverted dome tweeter is designed to increase precision at very high frequencies. The push-pull motor also damps acoustic resonances on the back of the membrane and extends the low end of the frequency response.

Mounting Options: The tweeter can be surface or flush mounted using the included adapters. The included angled cup allows surface mounting at one of two angles; approximately 60° and approximately 40°.

Tweeter/Midrange Mounting: Two surface mounting pods are included that hold a midrange and tweeter. The pods' dimensions are 6-7/8" x 4-1/4" x 3-1/8" (height above mounting surface).

Crossover

Components: Focal uses audiophile grade polypropylene capacitors and air core inductors to ensure high definition and a dynamic sound quality. Thermal camera imaging is used to optimize component power dissipation, improve reliability, and lower temperature.

Bi-amp Inputs: Each crossover has bi-amp inputs, one input for the midrange/tweeter combination and one for the woofer. When using only two amplifier channels the crossover inputs must be shorted together using two short pieces of speaker wire. Focal recommends using four amplifier channels to bi-amp the speakers for the improved dynamic range and to present an easier load for the amp(s) to drive.

Wiring: The inputs and outputs are set screw terminals; they will accept bare wire up to 10 gauge.

Slope: The midrange (band-pass) and tweeter (high-pass) crossover slopes are 12 dB/octave. The woofers' low-pass slope is selectable between 12 dB/octave and 6 dB/octave.

Crossover Points: There are three crossover frequency options between the woofer (low-pass) and midrange (high-pass), 300 Hz, 400 Hz, and 500 Hz. The crossover point between the midrange and tweeter is fixed at 3.5 kHz.

Adjustments: Five switches allow customizing the crossover output:

  • Tweeter Level: three position switch; -3 dB, 0 dB, or +3 dB
  • Tweeter Shelf: on/off switch; high-frequency boost emphasizes extreme (high) treble frequencies, designed to improve definition
  • Midrange Level: three position switch; -3 dB, 0 dB, or +3 dB
  • Midrange Frequency: midrange high-pass crossover point; 300 Hz, 400 Hz, or 500 Hz
  • Woofer Slope: low-pass crossover slope; 12 dB/octave or 6 dB/octave
Dimensions

Tweeter:

  Flush Mount Surface Mount 40° Surface Mount 60°
Mounting Height 0.45" 1.85" 2.007"
Mounting Depth 0.48" screw depth screw depth
Frame Diameter 2.305" N/A N/A
Cutout Diameter 2.026" N/A N/A
Frame Width N/A 2.326" 2.326"
Frame Depth N/A 2.345" 2.273"

Crossover:

  • Width: 7-1/2"
  • Height: 1-3/4" (2" including the bolt heads)
  • Depth: 4-3/4"

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Customer Q&A

9 questions already asked

Q
Can i run this passive on a Focal FPX 5.1200?
matt  Oct 10, 2023
1 answer
A
I see no reason why not, Matt. If by "passive" you mean using the included crossover to properly send the correct frequencies to each driver, these Focal's can handle 120-watts. The Focal FPX 5.1200 puts out 75-watts RMS per channel and would sound great with these 3-way components. You must use the included crossover. The KX3 components are extremely impressive with a lush stereo soundstage and warm, musical playback. I hope this helps!
bo  Oct 10, 2023 (Staff)
Q
Will this set fit for a plug and play option on a 2022 Porsche 911 Cabriolet?
barry  Jun 10, 2023
1 answer
A
Greetings Barry, nig ride. Unfortunately we have not had access to a 2022 911 to this point, and being a Porsche, and a practically new one, its going to be some time. 3 way components are almost never plug and play for the most part unless you get real lucky. I would imagine you would be fabricating adapter brackets to install these, and running new wire from the aftermarket amplifier as well.
hogan  Jun 10, 2023 (Staff)
Q
Can I run this system active using 6 x 150 watt amplifier? I have a KX 3 component system and plan to run it active. I have two 4 Channel amps rated @ 150 WPC. I'm doubtful whether the amp may overpower the mid range and the tweeter who are rated to handle a peak power of 100 and 120 watts respectively. Alternatively, I saw a build on internet where they have powered same speakers actively using an FDP 6.900 amp which is again rated at 150 wpc. It would be great if someone could help me clear this doubt.
sandeep  Sep 13, 2020
1 answer
A
I'd expect that to work with the gains turned down a bit to keep the amp from pushing the extra watts (speakers only need 120 but the amp is rated at 150). The reason this isn't an issue is because technically, each driver's frequency range will not be full and so the amp will not output the full range power. It will output less power than it would output with a full range audio being played on each channel.
jason  Sep 27, 2020 (Staff)
Q
Another person asked the question and the answer is inadequate. The RMS rating of midrange is 50w and tweeter 20W. Yet the RMS of the speakers is reflected as 120W. If you run one channel of 100w to each side, won't this damage mid and tweeter?
michael  Sep 03, 2020
1 answer
A
The passive crossover splits the wattage between speakers. Using a single 120watt input, the crossover will send roughly 60 watts to the woofer, 40 to the midrange and 20 to the tweeter. If you can use a bi-amp setup with 75w x2, it would then send 75w to the woofer, 50 to the midrange and 20 to the tweeter.
taylor  Sep 03, 2020
Q
What is the recommended air volume for the mid range driver?
jeth  Feb 10, 2020
1 answer
A
Hi Jeth, thank you for your question. Focal has not published a recommended air volume for the mid range drivers to reach optimal performance. Feel free to chat with us online or by phone at 1-800-324-9695. An Advisor will be happy to answer any additional questions you may have!
jessica  Feb 27, 2020 (Staff)
Q
Is it possible to mount the midrange on the door panel by making a hole ?
aminask  Sep 10, 2019
1 answer
A
Absolutely! You can custom mount the speaker by fabricating an opening!
thomas  Oct 03, 2019 (Staff)
Q
If I bi-amp with a 4 channel amp, what ohm load is going to be for the woofer channel and for the mid/tweeter channel?
john  Sep 06, 2019
1 answer
A
I don't have the specifics for each, but given that the system is 4 ohms and the woofer typically dictates the ohms of the system, I'd expect it to be around 4 ohms and the midrange/tweeter to be higher than that.
jason  Sep 25, 2019 (Staff)
Q
Do you know what the RMS rating for EACH speaker is? On the Focal website they only list max power and nominal power. I'm assuming the nominal power is supposed to be the RMS? however the values for the mid range driver and especially the tweeter seem low. 50W and 20W respectively. I want a high end set of components to match with a JL 12w7AE (1000W RMS). If these Focal ratings are correct it would be a combined wattage of 380W RMS compared to 1000W RMS for the sub, which would result in a really unbalanced system.
matthew b.  Apr 18, 2018
1 answer
A
Nominal power is another way of saying RMS power. It still refers to the ideal watts that they can handle. Another thing to note is that it takes a lot more power to produce a bass frequency than it does to produce a midrange or high range (treble) frequency. So the watts for the bass will always be higher than the watts for the midrange drivers. And the midrange's watts will always be greater than the watts a tweeter needs. I've always used a general rule where you send a subwoofer 4-8 times the power you send the other speakers when I've been making sure the bass is neither too weak or to strong. This match is close enough that I know I've built systems using it. I think its a good match! My Bio: http://www.crutchfield.com/Support/Bio.aspx?bio=101
jason  Apr 30, 2018 (Staff)
Q
Do the Focal ES 165KX3 and Focal Utopia Be No.7 drop to 1 ohm like the Focal K2 Power 165 KRX3? I know some amplifiers have a hard time driving that load and have to be bi-amped.
ryan  Jun 28, 2017
1 answer
A
Technically, any speaker can drop to a 1 ohm load when its producing the deepest bass notes. However, that is not a sustained ohm load and is a built-in aspect of speakers and amps. And also why RMS power and nominal ohms are used to match speakers to amps. Think of them like the normal running watts and ohms so on average, that's what the amp sees and what we match to. My Bio: http://www.crutchfield.com/Support/Bio.aspx?bio=101
jason  Jul 03, 2017 (Staff)
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