Hybrid Audio Technologies Imagine, Imagine I51-2, Imagine I61-2, Imagine I69-2 Installation Manual & User's Reference
Imagine-Series Coaxial & Convertible
Component Systems
Installation Manual & User’s Reference
Contents
Welcome and Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Imagine Individual Component Parameters ..................................................................................................................... 4
Midbass Speakers (Imagine I5, Imagine I6, and Imagine I69) .................................................................................. 4
Tweeter Speakers (Imagine I1) ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Imagine System Specifications .......................................................................................................................................... 5
Thiele/Small Parameter Discussion for Imagine Midbass Speakers........................................................................ 6
Midbass Thiele/Small Parameters ................................................................................................................................. 6
Imagine I51-2 Mechanical Drawing ................................................................................................................................... 7
Imagine I61-2 Mechanical Drawing ................................................................................................................................... 8
Imagine I1 Tweeter Mechanical Drawing (Installed in Surface-Mount Cup) ............................................................. 10
Imagine I1 Tweeter Flush-Mount Cup Mechanical Drawing ........................................................................................ 11
Imagine I1 Tweeter Angle-Mount Cup Mechanical Drawing ....................................................................................... 12
Imagine I51-2 Frequency Response Graph ................................................................................................................... 13
Imagine I61-2 Frequency Response Graph ................................................................................................................... 13
Imagine I69-2 Frequency Response Graph ................................................................................................................... 14
Unpacking/Inventory .......................................................................................................................................................... 15
How to Use This Manual ................................................................................................................................................... 15
Section I - Getting Started – Basic System Installation ................................................................................................ 15
Coaxial / Component Set Conversion ......................................................................................................................... 17
Section II - Moving Forward – Advanced System Installation ..................................................................................... 20
Lessons Learned ............................................................................................................................................................ 20
Lesson One: Off-Axis Response.................................................................................................................................. 20
Lesson Two: Equalization of Pathlength Differences ............................................................................................... 20
Lesson Three: The Effect of HRTF, ITD, and IID ...................................................................................................... 22
Lesson Four: Point-Sourcing ........................................................................................................................................ 23
Lesson Five: Reference ................................................................................................................................................ 23
Advanced Installation of the Imagine Component Systems ........................................................................................ 24
Mounting Baffle Considerations ................................................................................................................................... 24
Acoustic Treatment ........................................................................................................................................................ 25
Advanced Installation Conclusions .................................................................................................................................. 26
Warranty .............................................................................................................................................................................. 27
Thank You! .......................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Welcome and Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of high performance Imagine-series mobile audio component
loudspeakers, and welcome to the world of Hybrid Audio Technologies, where high-end mobile audio
loudspeaker development is our passion! When installed and set-up properly, the Imagine component
system you have purchased will make a remarkable improvement in the sound quality of virtually any
mobile audio sound system and give years of superior performance.
Thank you for going “on line” to read and download your User’s Manual. Our offices are located
amongst the evergreens in North Georgia USA, and we happen to like trees. Aside from the obvious
aesthetic benefits, trees improve our air, protect our water, save energy, and improve economic
sustainability. Additionally, it is expensive to print and distribute thousands of copies of an owner’s
manual; we’d rather invest our production dollars into an incredible line-up of speaker systems for
your listening pleasure. With online resources becoming the main source of information for more and
more people, we are pleased that you’re here, reading this manual on line, verses having a print copy
which might get read once and put back into the gift box, or worse yet, discarded.
With the publication of this user’s manual and reference guide, it is our goal to assist the “do it
yourself” enthusiast and professional installer alike in getting the highest level of performance out of
Imagine 2-way convertible coaxial and component sets using straight-forward installation advice and
practical application of timeless acoustic principles. As you begin to read this document, you will
quickly realize that this is not your typical user’s manual. This manual has been written to be more or
less a miniature mobile audio reference guide that can be used to better any sound system, and in
particular, a system that utilizes the Imagine component speaker systems. It is an introductory primer
to the world of high-end mobile audio; we hope this user’s manual is not only informative, but
motivating. Keep it handy throughout your installation process, and any time you go to improve your
audio system with other Hybrid Audio Technologies products, or perhaps to take advantage of our
lifetime guaranteed value trade-in program. We are confident that if the principles explained in this
manual are exercised in your own installation, you will be ecstatic with the sound quality outcome!
We realize that you have a choice in loudspeakers, and are thrilled that you have chosen the Imagine
series. For more information about Hybrid Audio Technologies, our philosophies regarding high-end
mobile audio, to learn more about our lifetime guaranteed value program, and for information about
our other products, please visit us online at www.hybrid-audio.com.
Thank you, and happy listening!
Scott E. Buwalda
Founder – Hybrid Audio Technologies
Imagine User’s Manual ©Hybrid Audio Technologies Page 3 of 28
Imagine Individual Component Parameters
Your Imagine system contains speaker drivers and a tweeter passive crossover network that were
developed and assembled with a significant effort in research and development, materials science
engineering, an exhaustive level of sampling and prototyping, real-world testing, and obsessive
attention to detail. The specifications and parameters of your Imagine component system is detailed
as follows:
Midbass Speakers (Imagine I5, Imagine I6, and Imagine I69)
Frame: Cast ABS plastic. The basket is a high-quality cast ABS design, which plays a critical role in
aligning the voice coil in the magnetic circuit. Additionally, the cast ABS frame allows for better
clamping strength verses typical stamped steel frames, and ensures that the voice coil remains
centered in the former. The frame is a shared technology with the Unity component sets, and allow for
immediate upgrade potential due to identical size footprint, mounting depth, bolt circle diameter, and
motor diameter as the Unity systems.
Cone: Pressed paper with water proof treatment. It is widely acknowledged that pressed paper
cones are the best marriage of lightness, stiffness, and ability of the cone to damp unwanted cone
and edge modes and resonances (read: distortion). The paper cone, known for its excellent sonic
attributes, is water proof, thanks to a polymer developed exclusive and proprietarily by Hybrid Audio
Technologies. The treatment does not change the look and parameters of the driver like oldfashioned “glossy” polymers which added an appreciable amount of moving mass and significantly
colored the sound. No, the Imagine cones look like any “normal” paper cone, but in reality are likely
the only high-performance water proof paper cone car audio speaker systems on the market. The
treatment protects the cone from periodic drips (such as inside a door panel), as well as accidental
splashes to the front of the cone. On the hybrid-audio.com website, we have hosted a video of an
actual water-proof demonstration where we pour two liters of water over an Imagine coaxial, and then
connect it to a musical source. That video is located here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sso8sqY2umc&feature=channel_video_title
Phase Plug: Cast ABS plastic. When using the midbass in component set mode, the tweeter pole
piece is replaced with an ABS extended phase plug pole piece. The extended phase plug pole piece
is critical for focusing high-frequency information at the center of the cone. This design ensures the
speaker’s response remains linear into the lower- to mid-treble frequencies.
Surround: Inverted high-loss rubber surround. The inverted high-loss rubber surround (in concert
with the spider, detailed below), helps to provide the compliance and “restorative force” needed for
the Imagine drivers to play effectively into the lower midbass, and even upper subbass frequencies
(depending on in-car cabin gain and other factors). You'll also know a Hybrid Audio midrange and
midbass design by its inverted surround; this design feature allows for the use of a smaller height
grille, better clearance with OEM panels, and more flexibility in mounting options.
Spider: Phenolic fabric and tinned tinsel leads. The spider is the brownish/yellow corrugated
(rippled) fabric that attaches the cone and voice coil. The spider for the Imagine designs was the
subject of a considerable amount of our research and development. The spider is a phenolic
symmetrically-rolled fabric which provides excellent restorative force during excursion. The spider is
vented courteous of the speaker frame; a design element not typically found in this price range of
speaker system. The spider venting increases the thermal power handling of the Imagine midbass
driver. The tinsel leads are connected to real epoxy PCB, not flimsy cardboard.
Imagine User’s Manual ©Hybrid Audio Technologies Page 4 of 28
Voice Coil and Motor System: The voice coil used in the Imagine midbass is a 2-layer aluminized
Parameter
Imagine I51
-2
Imagine I61
-2
Imagine I69
-2
copper wire coils on a round former. An “overhung” voice coil was selected to improve sensitivity
while still keeping distortion to a minimum.
Tweeter Speakers (Imagine I1)
Dome: Small diameter impregnated silk textile dome with high-loss rubber suspension. The I1 has
an impregnated fine cloth silk dome diaphragm for a linear, smooth sound, with a high-loss rubber
suspension to damp edge modes and resonances. The dome is of extremely low mass and is much
less susceptible to mechanical deformation than other designs, and yet yields a smooth response
over the extent of its range. At Hybrid Audio Technologies, we feel larger diaphragm tweeters sound
heavy and unremarkable, lack detail in the upper treble frequencies, have undesirable polar
response, and are difficult to install. Additionally, we find metal dome tweeters to be harsh, brittle, and
sound unrealistic. As a small diameter, soft-dome tweeter, the I1 is the antithesis of large diaphragm
and metal-dome tweeters, for the effective and convincing reproduction of treble frequencies.
Voice Coil and Motor System: 25mm complimentary design. The motor assembly is “conventional
dynamic”, with a compact neodymium magnet structure to ensure a small footprint size and shallow
depth. A perforated grille protects the dome. The voice coil is ferrofluid cooled and damped, and the
tweeter housing consists of extruded plastic with three different mounting options in component set
mode, giving the end-user flexibility in not only placement of the I1 but also in physical installation.
Tweeter Passive Crossover: Low-Tolerance Mylar Capacitor. The tweeter’s protection circuit and
crossover filter is a very high-quality, low-tolerance Mylar capacitor that has been affixed to the
midbass frame. An outboard crossover “box” is not included for empirical reasons, explained in this
portable document format download:
http://hybrid-audio.com/White%20Paper%20-Imagine-Series%20Crossovers.pdf
The set ships as a coaxial, and is ready to install. Should the end-user want to connect the tweeter in
component set mode, simply unscrew the tweeter, remotely mount the tweeter, and extend wiring
back to the midbass terminals for re-connection to the tweeter output posts. Refer to Page 15 for
more details on how to convert from coaxial to component set, as well as view an informational video.
Imagine System Specifications
Frequency Response†
Efficiency 2.83 V/ 1 meter 91.4 dB 93.2 dB 94.5 dB
Continuous Power Handling (transient
music input)
Peak Power Handling (musical transient
peak power handling)
Recommended Power Range 20-150 watts 20-150 watts 20-150 watts
Nominal Impedance 4Ω 4Ω 4Ω
† Typically, in-car response including vehicular “cabin gain”, or the gain expected with midbass
installed in the vehicle, will result in an extended midbass and upper subbass response. This is a
result of these frequencies being below the lowest resonance in the vehicle (typically around 50-125
Hz in most vehicles, described in more detail on page 23). In more practical terms, install the Imagine
midbass into your vehicle and you will see a dramatic improvement in midbass and upper subbass
Imagine User’s Manual ©Hybrid Audio Technologies Page 5 of 28
55Hz-22KHz
+/-3dB
50Hz-22KHz
+/-3dB
40Hz-22KHz
+/-3dB
100 watts 100 watts 100 watts
230 watts 230 watts 230 watts
output, much more so than just simply listening to the Imagine in a large room, or worse yet, “free air”
Parameter
Imagine I51
-2
Imagine I61
-2
Imagine I69
-2
500 µM/N
7.4 T*m
40 mm
45 Hz
2.448
0.464
0.390
28.4 L
(we don’t recommend even trying the Imagine speakers in “free air” without some form of enclosure
or infinite baffle for the midbass).
Thiele/Small Parameter Discussion for Imagine Midbass Speakers
The mechanical and electrical parameters of the Imagine midbass speakers are amenable to a
variety of different installations and speaker locations. The high Qms (Q factor of mechanical system)
and Qts (Q factor of total system), coupled with the driver’s Fs (resonance frequency) allow it to be
used in an “infinite baffle” configuration. In more practical terms, install the Imagine midbass such that
the front and back waves don’t “meet” (as detailed in Section I – Getting Started - Basic System
Installation), including in a door or kick panel, or in the case of a motorcycle, in the fairing (using only
the airspace behind the speaker as a pseudo enclosure), with no need for a real enclosure or “box.”
Midbass Thiele/Small Parameters
**please note, the following parameters are for the midbass drivers only**
Overall Diameter Φ 150 mm Φ165 mm See drawing
Mounting Depth 68 mm 68.8 mm 88 mm
Bolt Circle Diameter Φ 140 mm Φ156 mm See drawing
Mounting Hole Φ 123 mm Φ140 mm See drawing
Recommended Minimum Highpass
65 Hz 60 Hz 50 Hz
Crossover Frequency (fourth order)
Pnom Rated Power Input (No Crossover) 25 watts 35 watts 60 watts
Pmax Rated Power Input (No Crossover) 50 watts 70 watts 120 watts
Frequency Range of midbass driver alone
(not including tweeter device)
60-11,000 Hz
+/- 4.5 dB
55-11,000 Hz
+/- 4.5 dB
Mms 8.9 g 12.05 g 25.136 g
Cms 489 µM/N 376 µM/N
BL 5.5 T*m 5.5 T*m
Voice Coil Diameter 25.5 mm 25.5 mm
DC Resistance 3.4 Ω 3.4 Ω
Fs 76 Hz 75 Hz
Qms 3.3 4.108
Qes 0.468 0.647
Qts 0.424 0.559
Xmax 10mm (two way) 12mm (two way) 16mm (two-way)
Vas 5.2 L 9.1 L
Sd 8.659 mm2 13.070 mm2
45-8,000 Hz
+/- 4.5 dB
3.9
Ω
19.99
mm2
The following eight pages contain mechanical drawings of the Imagine I51-2, I61-2, I69-2, I1, and the
Imagine accessory tweeter hardware, as well as frequency response graphs1 of the I51-2, I61-2, and
I69-2.
1
Please note that the response peak at approximately 170 Hz is a testing room mode and is not indicative of the speaker’s
performance at that frequency. All speakers tested show this same phenomenon, and it has been concluded to be a room artifact.
Imagine User’s Manual ©Hybrid Audio Technologies Page 6 of 28
Imagine I51-2 Mechanical Drawing
Imagine User’s Manual ©Hybrid Audio Technologies Page 7 of 28
Imagine I61-2 Mechanical Drawing
Imagine User’s Manual ©Hybrid Audio Technologies Page 8 of 28
Imagine I69-2 Mechanical Drawing
Imagine User’s Manual ©Hybrid Audio Technologies Page 9 of 28
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