I dont care about SQ I want SPL How?

Wow.  That describes EVERYONE at my damn high school.  People think I'm "mean" when I talk smack about their systems.  But I don't think you have a good system until every song on a CD sounds just as good as the last and your system sounds good throughout every genre. 

I'm all about SQ, and it seems like all the others are about running 4 Audiobahns in their car with the stock 3.25's in the dash and stock 4 by 6's or whatever in the rear.  It gets frusturating when people think this is how a system should be.  I don't know about anyone else, but I like to hear what the song is about instead of just distorted basslines and beats. 

I have yet to hear a system that wouldn't be sufficient (in my opinion) with just one 10" running at about 250 watts RMS and 2 sets of components at 60-80 watts RMS. 

But, this is just me. 

There will always be bad shops, sedate.  Sounds to me like you spent $4500 at a bad shop run by non-professionals.  Sorry about that, and I hope you take your future business elsewhere.

But your bad experience is amplified 100X with on-line etailers and eBay scam artists and hustlers.  There are far, far more idiots and rip off artists on line than you will find on the ground.  Anyone with access to a computer and a line on refurb or factory second gear can sell crap on eBay or set up a web site.  It takes a lot more committment and money to open a shop, and the monthly overhead is far higher.  So yes, sometimes prices are higher too.

My advice remains the same: buy your gear from only authorized dealers (including if you must AUTHORIZED on-line dealers.)  A professional, experienced human being who can look at your car and work with you is ALWAYS prefereable to text on a screen (including from this forum!) and yes, many times it IS worth $150 to get the RIGHT advice and guidance.  You can always get screwed and misled, sure, and some salesmen (especially at "big box" stores) know about as much about stereo as they do about geko mating habits.  Be selective and talk to others to choose your shop.

If you don't care about warrany and if you are driven purely by cost, do what ever feels right to you.  Buy two sets of speakers so you have a spare.  <shrug> But when you are ready to get serious find a GOOD shop and work with them.

And forbidden didn't lock the Focal thread, I did.

There are obviously two schools of thought on this issue.  I think it is a mistake to support either too strongly.  As Sedate points out, buying from an authorized retailer will sometimes be a rip off.  As DYohn points out, buying online will sometimes be a ripoff. 

The key word is sometimes.   Sometimes the inverse will be true.  Sometimes buying authorized is the only way to go.  Sometimes buying online can give a person on an extreme budget some ability to buy better equipment.

My point:  the INDIVIDUAL BUYER needs to make this decision.  He should make it based on as much information as possible.  This is true regardless of whether the individual buys online or not.  Part of this information is information about the risks involved with buying online.  However, once an individual buyer KNOWS the risks, HE should make the decision for himself whether it is worth it to buy online or not.  My hope for posters on this forum:  Please tell people wanting to buy online about the very real risks involved.  But, please don't shun them for shopping online with an eye on their wallet.  Since when was seeking the most efficient result a damning activity?  Our economy THRIVES on this valuable and productive process.

Personally, I'll be damned if I'm going to pay the crap dealers in my area for advice.  I bought and had my deck installed authorized because I wanted Eclipse's 3-year warranty and support.  I personally think this is the only way I'd ever buy an Eclipse product.  However, much of the rest of my equipment I purchased online.  Was it refurbished?  Maybe, who knows.  I don't care.  Does it work like new?  Yes.  Did I save a boat load of money in the process, allowing my dollar to go further?  Yes.  Might I have gotten screwed?  Sure.  Did I consider that before ordering?  You bet. 

Points:

Authorized fans:  Don't damn someone because they choose to buy online from unauthorized dealers.  Buying and even selling unauthorized products online isn't criminal.  Might some middle man have broken a contract?  Sure.  Should the buyer who can save a few bucks be damned for taking advantage of a deal?  No. 

On that note, http://www.woofersetc.com/ and http://www.acaraudio.com/ both sell unauthorized Focal products.  DYohn, I understand your support of authorized dealers, but shouldn't Focal be the ones policing their dealer contracts?  Hell, the continued existence of these two retailers as sellers of Focal product leads me to believe that (a) Focal flat out doesn't care or (b) Focal doesn't mind limited unauthorized reselling because it can help clear inventory.   Shouldn't we, as members of this forum, support the dissemination of as much (non-illegal) knowledge as possible so the12volt's users can make buying decisions with the most information - leading to the most efficient result? 

Online fans:  By the same token, the other school shouldn't damn people who 100% support authorized retailers.  In many cases the retailer IS honest and knowledgeable, and can add significant value.

I definetely agree with NIK, look at the people with at least 400 or more posts here, those are the people that have been here since the beginning, or at least are consistently checking back to the12volt to find new ways to offer their expertise.

In fact some of the real experts have replied to this particular thread, so just look out for posts from DYohn, oonikfraleyoo, forbidden, Alpine Guy, and there are a lot more out there, sorry if I missed anyone, but you can learn a lot from these people.  They are the real experts even if none of them had ever touched a car, they still could have learned a lot from reading other posts.

I am not in any way saying that I am an expert, after all I have only been a part of the12volt for a few months, and I have a long way to go before i can claim to know as much as some of the other people here.  Stick around, ignore some of the crap that you may get for posting a question that someone may think is stupid, and try your best to see it from the perspective of those who come here that work in those "over-priced" (what worth can you put on good, reliable information that's not full of lies to get you to buy something) authorzed dealers that won't just tell you what you want to hear, they will tell you the facts about the products you are considering buying from them; if you don't buy it from them, then don't expect too much.