# Faital Pro 3fe22



## SPLEclipse (Aug 17, 2012)

I've had a few people ask me about these, so here's some subjective impressions and at least one graph. 

Link to info: FaitalPRO 3FE22 3" Neodymium Professional Woofer 4 Ohm | 294-1100

Build: They are tiiiiny, but that tiny-ness is somewhat nullified by the large mounting "ears". Standard sized grills will not fit over them. The point where the terminals are mounted to the basket is a little weak. I nearly broke one off just slipping a spade terminal on it. Soldering pigtails on the connections is recommended. Everything else looks great, although it's not a beautiful driver by any means. I have to admit when I received them and opened the package, my initial impression was "Oh God, this looks like the speaker from a 1994 Sanyo TV".

Install: They are currently set up crossed at 300hz 24dB/oct L-R and playing all the way up. They are mounted in pillar/dash pods (ignore the Vifa tweeter, it isn't connected to anything). The dash is still under construction so pardon the mess. On the bottom they are crossed to a pair of PRV 10W600 midbass drivers running IB in the kicks. The subs are usually turned off for critical listening.










Subjective: They are extremely sensitive. I had to cut the gain down on my amp to 0 and still had to bring the level down a bit with my DSP. I guess this means they are correctly labeled as "pa drivers". They can get extremely loud, and I haven't tested them to their limits yet. They sound fantastic! I listed to some tracks from Fiona Apple's "Tidal" and thought: "man, Fiona must have been really hungry during this recording, her mouth is full of saliva". Anyone familiar with this album can attest to the smackiness of her vocals on several tracks, and the Faitals reproduce this perfectly. Another memorable moment was listening to Ray Charles "Live in Concert (2011 release)". Many systems will make you back down on the volume knob a few clicks once Ray starts into his vocals because they are so dynamic. The Faitals laugh at it, and it's scary how the reproduce the dynamics so faithfully. This trend continued, as many live albums really feel powerful and real. In the past I've never really enjoyed many live albums in my car because they feel distant or unbalanced. That has changed. Even with no tweeters connected, the treble lacks nothing. During listening I did fiddle with my 1/2 DIN EQ a bit at 2khz+ because they are naturally bright, but this could be attributed to my install. Note that the measurement below includes no EQ.

Objective: I don't have a lot of measurements yet, but here's a shot of the FR in my car installed as seen above. This represents just the single driver, I will try to take measurements of the drivers side soon. I took 7 spacial sweeps, with 4 on axis (or close to it), two with the mic facing forward, and one facing at the drivers window. The speaker is not crossed over and has no EQ applied. Note that there is no smoothing in this graph, and no smoothing to the sweeps used to create the average.


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## teldzc1 (Oct 9, 2009)

Thanks! Great review! These guys definitely look interesting. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk


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## All-Or-Nothing (Apr 16, 2013)

What kind of watts were you putting to it. I am currently looking for a 3" or 4" midrange and these could possibly fit the bill.


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## SPLEclipse (Aug 17, 2012)

teldzc1 said:


> Thanks! Great review! These guys definitely look interesting.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk


Thanks!



All-Or-Nothing said:


> What kind of watts were you putting to it. I am currently looking for a 3" or 4" midrange and these could possibly fit the bill.


They're being powered by a crappy Audiopipe amp. The model number is AP3002, which is supposedly 150w per channel. Of course, it's much less then that, and with the gain reduction they're seeing realistically perhaps 15 watts each? Xmax is listed as 1.7mm (xdamage at 7.3mm) which is actually a TON of displacement for a high sensitivity driver like this. Assuming they are crossed above 200-300hz it would be difficult to get them to the point of mechanical damage due to excursion. The coil is 0.75" in diameter, so it would thermally fail well before that point (I would think).

Anyway, the point is I doubt they would need more than a rated 50wpc amp to power them. Even headunit power would probably provide enough output for most people, but headroom is always a good thing.


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## theoldguy (Nov 17, 2009)

sorry to dig up this thread, but I wanted to see what your impression is after some more extensive listening time. Im thinking about purchasing these to use as part of a 3 way. What dont you like about them - if anything (that hasnt already been mentioned)


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## thebetaproject (Oct 17, 2009)

theoldguy said:


> sorry to dig up this thread, but I wanted to see what your impression is after some more extensive listening time. Im thinking about purchasing these to use as part of a 3 way. What dont you like about them - if anything (that hasnt already been mentioned)


I can try and offer a second opion. I've listened to these full range and as a midrange, in both scenarios they exibit the same sound characteristics. First, on the plus side these drivers have good detail retrieval, get loud on little power and for a small driver good dynamics. A real plus point is their ability to pull ambiance detail out of the recording and filling the soundstage, live recordings and real instruments sound great. 

On the negative side they have a couple issues which can detract. They sound a bit thin to me and I had to move the low crossover 600hz+. Also even after the MS8 had EQd them, they needed extra EQ in the 1-2K range, inc a 6db cut @ 1.2k to stop them from sounding pushy.

The soundstage they present shows up other similar well regarded drivers like the Peerless 830987 and Fountek FR89EX but I'm not sure I can live with their pushy nature.


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## thebetaproject (Oct 17, 2009)

FYI: The listening tests were done using the 8ohm versions.


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## mrstop (Dec 15, 2009)

thebetaproject said:


> I can try and offer a second opion. I've listened to these full range and as a midrange...
> 
> The soundstage they present shows up other similar well regarded drivers like the Peerless 830987 and Fountek FR89EX but I'm not sure I can live with their pushy nature.


Given the choice, would you choose the Faital Pro 3fe22 over the Fountek FR89EX? Would I be missing a lot using them as a full range without a tweeter?


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

What does "pushy" mean?


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## thebetaproject (Oct 17, 2009)

mrstop said:


> Given the choice, would you choose the Faital Pro 3fe22 over the Fountek FR89EX? Would I be missing a lot using them as a full range without a tweeter?


This is a difficult call, I'm starting the install in a couple weeks and most likely the Founteks will be going in, being used as a midrange (L&R) and the Peerless as the centre. The Peerless and Founteks do nothing wrong as it were but on certain tracks the in your face nature of the Faitals puts a black mark against them. As the Faital pro has shown that the sound stage can sound more open etc. it will most likely be temporary as I'm now tempted to try a dome midrange. 

The Faitals, Peerless 830987 and Fountek FR89EX all benefited from a tweeter, on axis though the Faitals had the best top end. Off axis the Faitals top end drops off very quickly, here the Peerless were clearly the best.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

I would love to try those new Faital's but companies need to stop making smaller speakers with the ugly damn flanges... but that's my car audio side talking


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## thebetaproject (Oct 17, 2009)

sirbOOm said:


> What does "pushy" mean?


Maybe ‘shouting’ is a better word. One moment they sound like a high end driver and the next, as SPLEclipe said “…_like the speaker from a 1994 Sanyo TV_”. In comparison the Peerless and Fountek are more consistent in their presentation.

If you look at the RTA measurement in the first post you can see a slight peak at around 1.2k, I did a quick RTA in the car and I had a similar but larger hump in the same place, this is where most of the EQ was done. Some real measurements of the driver would help as I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s ringing or a distortion peak in this range.


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

Hmmm. I may try a pair of these just for ****s and giggles sometime soon... I can deal with "pushy" in the midrange department. I can't deal with "not there at all".


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## TallTexan (Dec 14, 2007)

I went ahead and picked up a 8 ohm pair from ebay seller: accurate sales. Search "Faital PRO 3" Neodymium Professional Woofer Speaker 3FE22" He is asking 29.99 each with make offer. I offered $52 (plus 9 shipping) which was accepted. (I guess I should have shot lower?)

Cute little speakers with a fairly strong neo. As others have mentioned, I hate the ugly ears mounting tabs. The other thing I don't like about some speakers, like these, is the terminals that intrude into the cutout diameter. But the mount is fairly strong and will tolerate some bending.

I remembered I had some old Radio Shack Minimus 0.3 cube speakers somewhere. After removing the stock 3", the FaitalPros fit right in and the stupid mounting tabs aligned right up to the stock screw holes. I hooked these to my dual TDA7294 chip amp setup with repurposed Dell CPU heatsinks. 

How do they sound? Pretty nice (for a 3") and can get fairly loud but my ears detect a bit more "push" in the upper mid/tweet range. And on bass tracks they were clearly moving back and forth big time. I also just now got back from replacing on of the speakers with the old RS stock 3" which isn't a bad looking paper cone with a fair size regular magnet. The RS stockers sound a little weaker in the bass department and maybe few db or so less sensitivity (but not much). Are the FaitalPros better than the RSs? Yes, but not my huge amounts.

I have recently gotten a measurement mic and downloaded the great free REW (room eq wizard) program. These 3"ers will be my test bed to learn how to use the tool. I'll be comparing the FaitalPros to the only other 3" I have around: the RS stock minimus 3".

Excuse my messy table, too many projects and I had disconnect the amp from some crossovers to other speakers behind all this. Not shown is the power from a DIY power supply with toroidal with some big caps that keep these chip amps running a good 15 seconds or so after cutting the power. Approx +- 28 v to the chip amps.










Here are pics of the two 3" in comparison. My observations; The RS says 7W max. RS also had reverse 1/2 roll rubber surround (folds in instead of out). The RS also appeared to have a little more cone area before it went to surround. The dust cap on the FaitalPros looked nicer thicker maybe with some reinforcing strands thru it compared to the plain paper look of the RS. Also the VC diameter is noticeably bigger diameter on the FaitalPros.


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## Pillow (Nov 14, 2009)

I just put the 4" version in as a center mid and love it! On this review I will try the 3"s on full range as L&R dash speakers. (I am space limited) 

FWIW I tried the new Dayton Neo 3.5"s and they are not even close to a full range. Really disappointing. 

Thanks!


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## TallTexan (Dec 14, 2007)

Bumping thread for progress on install. I finally got around to doing something with my FatialPro 3"ers. Mounted in 3" PVC wrapped with vinyl and gaps filled with non hardening clay. This is because the 3" grills (less than $10 from ebay seller czhstore2013, on vacation, don't see them listed) have an inner mesh crease that lands right on the outer rubber seal that stands up just outside the surround. So the grill was like 1/8 to 1/4 from the PVC mounting (which I filled with clay). If I were to do them again, I would have used perhaps slightly less thick MLV and had it a little longer to cover the gap.
















While I wait (very patiently) for the promised KAXBLTWT I thought I'd try these in my setup not knowing how my JL 300/4 with its constant power for load was going to handle 8 ohm 3" and 4 ohm Morel Hybrids. I turned up the lowered gains I had with the higher crossed over Vifas. Set the miniDSP to xover them at 300 hz 24 db/oct. The PVC angle cut tubes are made of 3" PVC cut around 1" to 2" on a slant stuffed with polyfill and hot glued a thin HDPE cutting board cap on the end to create a sealed box. Mounted to A pillars with hot glue and heavy duty velco. I'll post pics once this crappy Texas weather passes (eat your heart out Yankees: it was in the high 60s/low 70s this last weekend... perfect for outdoor audio install).

How do they sound? Dam loud and smooth compared to the Vifa X25 they replaced. I liked the Vifas at lower volumes. But certain frequencies on different songs became almost untolerable unless I turned the volume down. Shrill like over powering. Plus the Vifas just start to lose it once you crank the volume. Still great speakers for the size and price for moderate volume systems.

The FaitalPros on the other hand are just like the old Timex watch commercials: takes a licking and keeps on ticking. These guys can take power, Also they are very sensitive and we are talking about over 90 and not just for a half octave, but flat from 300 all the way to 10K plus. Compared to similar sized speakers with sub 85db/w it blows them away. Properly crossed over, these little guys can take the juice, get loud, and still maintain some composure at high SPL. I also noticed the change in sound stage now that what's on my dash covers 300 on up and my Morel mids are unencumbered with pesky high frequencies (was 3K). With miniDSP all slopes are 24/db oct. Stage sounds lower and more focused with a great center out on my hood. 


At 55+, I've taken the online hearing tests and I know my hearing doesn't extend above 10K. So I'm running these currently without tweeters. But, with that being said, the FaitalPros alone lack a little sparkle, detail, whatever buzz word du jour it is. What they give you in return is fantastically dynamic speakers capable of reproducing a wide frequency range at a very attractive price. Listening to MJ on Erin's demo do Billy Jean, the (wiki link to) cabasa with that chi-chi percussion sounds very alive and real. Of course the bass is great on that track. MJ voice is not quite as precise and "spitty" as with the Vifas. Not muffled, but more subdued in the overall mix. This gave his voice part of the track a bit more depth and a little better focus than the Vifas. Other tracks like Black Skinhead, Go Deep, and Maggies Farm, already loud tracks are almost overwhelming when volume is turned up. Hard to get these speakers to breakup before my personal loudness limit is reached.


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## tulse (Mar 16, 2010)

Thanks for that review, TT. I'm also looking to try something different than the XT25s in a beater truck. Might give these as try.


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## TallTexan (Dec 14, 2007)

tulse said:


> Thanks for that review, TT. I'm also looking to try something different than the XT25s in a beater truck. Might give these as try.


Wait till you see my pics next to the XT25's (not connected) currently in my A pillars. The XT25 at a little over 2.5" leaves a bit of pillar on each side (not taking the whole pillar width). The FaitalPros on the other hand, diminutive as they are on the bench and in your hand, appear ginormous (yes that is a real word) next to the XT25s especially in their PVC mini enclosures.

I'm still wondering if my old, poor suffering A pillar's clips can hold these heavy PVC/speaker combo. I've already lost one clip on the passenger side I've replaced with heavy duty Velcro. I currently have them resting on the dash butted up to the A pillar just under and inside of the XT25 above. So the pillar is not holding them.

I've had a least a dozen different tweeters bought used from DIYMA members or clearance/hot deals. But that's part of the fun of the hobby is listening and trying new set ups. FaitalPros allow you do try new things at a reasonable price point.


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## TallTexan (Dec 14, 2007)

Due to recommendations I read on other threads concerning going tweeterless, I went 4K 12 db/oct passive into the Vifa X25 sharing the FaitalPro's channels. I like this combo sound wise vs tweeterless. Just rounded out the top end nicely and gave more sizzle compared without. Thinking about putting a toggle switch for testing purposes to a A/B.

Without further ado, here are the semi installed pics. Semi because the FatailPros in their PVC are not permanently while I wait for the KAXBLTWT.


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## EricP72 (Mar 23, 2008)

thebetaproject said:


> I can try and offer a second opion. I've listened to these full range and as a midrange, in both scenarios they exibit the same sound characteristics. First, on the plus side these drivers have good detail retrieval, get loud on little power and for a small driver good dynamics. A real plus point is their ability to pull ambiance detail out of the recording and filling the soundstage, live recordings and real instruments sound great.
> 
> On the negative side they have a couple issues which can detract. They sound a bit thin to me and I had to move the low crossover 600hz+. Also even after the MS8 had EQd them, they needed extra EQ in the 1-2K range, inc a 6db cut @ 1.2k to stop them from sounding pushy.
> 
> The soundstage they present shows up other similar well regarded drivers like the Peerless 830987 and Fountek FR89EX but I'm not sure I can live with their pushy nature.


bringing this back up. question, i think i'm going to go with the FaitalPRO 3FE22 mated with Dayton Audio AMT Mini-8 Air Motion Transformer Tweeter. am i wrong in thinking that the Amt playing down below 1k will allow the 3FE22 to really shine? also how low can the 3FE22 play? like can i get it to play down to 250-200hz clean and then hit them with a 12db slope? FYI i'm looking at running a class a/b amp for the AMT and 3FE22. and i have run those peerless and loved them! so i'm hoping these will give me the spl i couldn't get from the peerless.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I hope that is a typo since those AMTs can't really do much past 5-6k.


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## WhippingBoy (Dec 21, 2010)

^^^^ What he said is spot on. I have two pairs of the AMT mini's (8 ohm version) and they don't play well below 5k. On the positive side of things, you shouldn't need to cross them over below 5k if handing off everything below that frequency to the Faitals.


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## SPLEclipse (Aug 17, 2012)

Wow, I totally abandoned this thread and just noticed it again for the first time, lol. Apologies to anyone asking questions that I never responded to.

To answer manish: I think they would be fine at 200-250hz. I get a lot of natural gain around those frequencies (I assume because of the placement on my dash), so you results might be different. There's no reason I can see to cross at 1khz to any tweeter with these drivers. Anywhere from 3khz to no filter would be appropriate depending on your taste. I've noticed in testing that harmonic distortion tends to rise and peak out around 3-4khz which may be causing some of the "shouty"ness, however (a) I never really trust my in-car HD tests, and (b) using the appropriate crossover filters and tweeter levels gets rid of the issue.

In case anyone is wondering these are still in my car and sounding great! Besides the crossover filters I think I have one or two simple EQ cuts per side and that's it.


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## axipher (Oct 7, 2015)

SPLEclipse said:


> Wow, I totally abandoned this thread and just noticed it again for the first time, lol. Apologies to anyone asking questions that I never responded to.
> 
> To answer manish: I think they would be fine at 200-250hz. I get a lot of natural gain around those frequencies (I assume because of the placement on my dash), so you results might be different. There's no reason I can see to cross at 1khz to any tweeter with these drivers. Anywhere from 3khz to no filter would be appropriate depending on your taste. I've noticed in testing that harmonic distortion tends to rise and peak out around 3-4khz which may be causing some of the "shouty"ness, however (a) I never really trust my in-car HD tests, and (b) using the appropriate crossover filters and tweeter levels gets rid of the issue.
> 
> In case anyone is wondering these are still in my car and sounding great! Besides the crossover filters I think I have one or two simple EQ cuts per side and that's it.


That's great to hear, I'm was looking at these to fill the void between my sail mounted tweeters and door mounted 6.5" mid-bass woofers. If these go to 400 comfortably mounted up beside my tweeters then I can have my tweeters take over at 3-4k where you say they start to lose their nice sound.


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## EricP72 (Mar 23, 2008)

thehatedguy said:


> I hope that is a typo since those AMTs can't really do much past 5-6k.


 yes it is...lol good catch. i have the new lg v10 and the keyboard is still learning. but i assume based on the responses that 5k is where i would want to x-over on the 3FE22 to eliminate any issues.


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## axipher (Oct 7, 2015)

Just ordered a set of the 3FE22 8 ohm versions to fill the gap between my Morel Ultra Tempo 602 6.5" and 1" drivers.

When I get them I'll update here with some response graphs while I decide on mounting location within the car. Still not sure if Tweeters will go in the sails and Faital's in the corner of the dash firing up at the windshield or vice versa with the Tweeters in the dash corners and Faitals right below the sails aimed slightly up and towards the driver.


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## EricP72 (Mar 23, 2008)

waiting on more updates. I just got a deal on a pair of intimid8tr's so now my setup will be those 8" in the door (99 dodge durango), with the 3FE22 and DA AMTPOD-4 tweeters. Am i correct in assuming the "pushy" sound can be eliminated if a person mated them with a nice tweeter to take over that region? Also, i was looking at the 4ohm versions, are the 8 ohm version better?


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## mwmkravchenko (Oct 6, 2009)

And?

What about the KAXBLTWT's?

This dudes gotta know!


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