controlled test??? WTF is that - I'm into car audio - not control testing. Think real life scenarios not stupid test environments! Sounds to me like you have no money left after spending it all on these controlled tests!

rlspense - good luck with your search....MR2NR is a great guy to deal with and the eclipse amps are a great combo as well!

You could always bridge a XA2000 into each speaker......300 rms per side front stage....

with that much power he'll be eating the TN52's for diner or his warranty:cheeky4:

Actually everyone hears different, so how can you or Richard Clark tell anyone what they can and cannot hear?

What sounds good to one person might sound like ass to another. Also different people have different reference points for what sounds good to them.

As long as he is not too agressive with the gain control, he will be fine.

Some of the best systems I have heard have had 300-400 watts RMS per channel on the front stage. As long as the components and install are solid, the system will most likely sound much better with the control and headroom that the higher wattage offers.

Thanks for the replies-but does anyone have any actual experience with the Focals.And if the Alpine amp.is "sufficient",what does " upgrade" mean? I live hundreds of miles from any high end dealers,so its not possible for me to actually listen to anything I want to buy. By the way, I'm powering the sub with a Alpine MRP 1000( 600wts.at 4 ohms.)

i used focals with alpines for about 6 months and disliked it completely. You may hear things differently. I changes to my first Audison after listening to a focal car with K2Ps and audisons. I was sold...don't get lost in the brand name voodoo(quote Fozzz)!

Hey rlspence, your alpine 4 channel bridged will give you 250 watts per channel which for the majority of isntallations is going to be plenty.

To optomize the sound of the system, make sure your install is strong: good power and ground with at least 4AWG wire for + and - .,Use a half decent RCA cable, build MDF plates to mount your mid-bass to (and then to the door)and use some sound damping/deadening materials in your doors. Also upgrade your speaker wire from amp to components to some 14AWG or 12AWG.

I always prefer a dedicated V- from amp all the way back to the battery. Worth every cent and effort!

And finally ........... tune and tune and tune! experiment with the K2P crossover settings as they are substantial. try different positions with your tweeters focus/aim.

Cheers

Add some non-hardening clay to the doors with the sound dampening..this wil help too!

What ever you do don't put them in the kicks on axis(facing towards you). The sound is at your knees - well that was the case for me! I heard a set in the kicks but the PL's were 1ft wider and deeper. If you have a small car stick to the door off axis or in the a pillar. Before I sold my TN52's I played with their position for a final time and came to the conclusion that they need wide PL's and off axis install.

also don't be afraid to go up to 75-78 on the eclipse volume knob...Keep your gain at nil utilize the HU's 8volt capabilities. I do this daily with Vifa tweeters Focal K2 4" and 6.5 extkit - active setup mind you and they take it happily!

Lastly - break in your focals for 48 hours or more using a loud rock disc with great dynamic. I always use Chevelle Wonder what's Next Album. I put them in a corner in my basement powering them with a POS JVC system from the late 90's with a shoe box as an enclosure. Keep the volume around 60- 75% loud enough to get some movement. I then put two footon matress around them to muffle the sound - like a tipi then blankets.

Cheers Man - good luck with your K2's they will be missed but I'm sure the HAT's will do the job I'm looking for!

I am with avidedtr on all counts. As for the original question, 250 watts a side is already enough. Not sure if you want to do anything at all, might as well leave it.