I decided to put this in it's own thread so it doesn't get lost in the other one here: http://www.peugeotforums.com/forums/3008-2017-138/focal-audio-276818/
So I've recently taken delivery of my 3008 with Focal and I can give my experiences as a directly comparison to a 3008 without Focal (I had a demo vehicle to drive for a month).
To test and compare, I moved between each vehicle while parked on my driveway, playing the same content in both to make a direct comparison between the two.
First Impressions:
-Physical appearance of the speakers are much nicer, with the metal grills and Focal branding
-The front windows look the same in appearance, apart from what you can see in the attached photos.
-The door bins where you keep items such as water bottle are coated in a soft felt, a nice touch. - Edit: As per "208GTi" post below, this is GT Line and above, not related to focal.
-The floor for the rear seats are 1.5" higher and flat
-As the radio comes on first, their is no immediate improvement to the sound.
After further use:
-The audio menu has the focal branding
-You can independently change the centre speaker and sub-woofer level
-Playing music content from both Flac and Spotify using the cable via Apple CarPlay:
I will attach some photos of the windows, as I was curious to see if there was any way to see they had been laminated. The only physical difference I can see is what I have attached. When you wind the window down, the top of the glass has a difference shape to it. "Photo.jpg" attached is the one with Focal, and has an indent to the glass, where as the one without (Photo_1.jpg) is your traditional curved top to it.
With regards to any symbols or codes on the windows, there is nothing I can see that signifies they are laminated like you can see elsewhere on the internet. The codes are a bit different, but I don't know if they are referencing the laminate? I don't think so. So the difference in the 'lip' of the window is the only physical difference I can find.
After 1 week of use
The more I have listened to the system the more I am enjoying it!
-I have noticed that initially when you turn the radio on, the sound quality isn't the best, possibly it's in mono and then later switches to stereo? So after a minute or so it sorts itself out, and the sound quality is improved.
-I have also noticed FM seems to be much better quality than DAB? This is also the case in both 3008's (with and without Focal) and a 308 I demo'd.
-Listening to BBC Radio 1 dance anthems on the Friday night I heard a huge benefit of the increased bass.
-Listened to an "Easy 90's" playlist on Spotify and I was actually blown away. In particular when U2 - With or without you came on. Played at sound level 21 it sounded incredible with such a wide sound stage. The best I've probably heard this track.
Summary
I am someone who appreciates good audio, and I have some rather expensive equipment, so sound quality is important to me. So for me the Focal system is worth it. The extra bass is huge and will be the main thing you'll notice.
When you have both vehicles side by side, and move between each one, as I say the main difference is the BASS. But what I think is important to get across is, you only really get to appreciate the finer points of the system the more you listen to it while you're actually driving daily. Parts of songs you notice a lot more, and can hear the wider soundstage. So it is important not to write the system off straight away. What I am finding is, the more I listen to music through it, the more I am enjoying it. It's the type of system where you'll find yourself listening to tracks that you don't particularly like, but because they sound much better you don't want to turn them off, haha.
If you are someone that mainly just casually listens to the radio, you won't really see much benefit. But if you're using music from your phone from streaming services such as Spotify and enjoy cranking it up a bit, you will definitely benefit, and it is definitely worth the extra money.
Edit: Unfortunately the forum has decided to rotate some of those photos I've attached.
So I've recently taken delivery of my 3008 with Focal and I can give my experiences as a directly comparison to a 3008 without Focal (I had a demo vehicle to drive for a month).
To test and compare, I moved between each vehicle while parked on my driveway, playing the same content in both to make a direct comparison between the two.
First Impressions:
-Physical appearance of the speakers are much nicer, with the metal grills and Focal branding
-The front windows look the same in appearance, apart from what you can see in the attached photos.
-The door bins where you keep items such as water bottle are coated in a soft felt, a nice touch. - Edit: As per "208GTi" post below, this is GT Line and above, not related to focal.
-The floor for the rear seats are 1.5" higher and flat
-As the radio comes on first, their is no immediate improvement to the sound.
After further use:
-The audio menu has the focal branding
-You can independently change the centre speaker and sub-woofer level
-Playing music content from both Flac and Spotify using the cable via Apple CarPlay:
-Bass is VASTLY improved. This will be the main this you will notice with regards to sound quality. You can now feel it in your seat and you hear all the real low frequencies which you can't with the normal sound system
-The sound volume is louder, and once you start going past "20"
is starts getting very loud indeed
is starts getting very loud indeed
-Listening to Podcasts voices are a bit clearer and fuller, there is a small improvement
-The highs i haven't noticed a huge difference, but it is there. The sound is more refined overall with the Focal
-Noise inside the cabin while driving doesn't seem to be noticeably any different
I will attach some photos of the windows, as I was curious to see if there was any way to see they had been laminated. The only physical difference I can see is what I have attached. When you wind the window down, the top of the glass has a difference shape to it. "Photo.jpg" attached is the one with Focal, and has an indent to the glass, where as the one without (Photo_1.jpg) is your traditional curved top to it.
With regards to any symbols or codes on the windows, there is nothing I can see that signifies they are laminated like you can see elsewhere on the internet. The codes are a bit different, but I don't know if they are referencing the laminate? I don't think so. So the difference in the 'lip' of the window is the only physical difference I can find.
After 1 week of use
The more I have listened to the system the more I am enjoying it!
-I have noticed that initially when you turn the radio on, the sound quality isn't the best, possibly it's in mono and then later switches to stereo? So after a minute or so it sorts itself out, and the sound quality is improved.
-I have also noticed FM seems to be much better quality than DAB? This is also the case in both 3008's (with and without Focal) and a 308 I demo'd.
-Listening to BBC Radio 1 dance anthems on the Friday night I heard a huge benefit of the increased bass.
-Listened to an "Easy 90's" playlist on Spotify and I was actually blown away. In particular when U2 - With or without you came on. Played at sound level 21 it sounded incredible with such a wide sound stage. The best I've probably heard this track.
Summary
I am someone who appreciates good audio, and I have some rather expensive equipment, so sound quality is important to me. So for me the Focal system is worth it. The extra bass is huge and will be the main thing you'll notice.
When you have both vehicles side by side, and move between each one, as I say the main difference is the BASS. But what I think is important to get across is, you only really get to appreciate the finer points of the system the more you listen to it while you're actually driving daily. Parts of songs you notice a lot more, and can hear the wider soundstage. So it is important not to write the system off straight away. What I am finding is, the more I listen to music through it, the more I am enjoying it. It's the type of system where you'll find yourself listening to tracks that you don't particularly like, but because they sound much better you don't want to turn them off, haha.
If you are someone that mainly just casually listens to the radio, you won't really see much benefit. But if you're using music from your phone from streaming services such as Spotify and enjoy cranking it up a bit, you will definitely benefit, and it is definitely worth the extra money.
Edit: Unfortunately the forum has decided to rotate some of those photos I've attached.
