Hybrid Audio Technologies Imagine-Series, Imagine I6SW, Imagine I8SW, Imagine I10SW Installation Manual & User's Reference

Imagine-Series Subwoofers

Installation Manual & User’s Reference

Contents

Welcome and Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3

The Imagine Subwoofer – A Brief History ........................................................................................................................ 4

Imagine Subwoofer Attributes ............................................................................................................................................ 4

Basket/Frame .................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Motor and Voice Coil ....................................................................................................................................................... 4

Suspension, Cone, Tinsel Leads, and Terminals ........................................................................................................ 4

Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Imagine Subwoofer Specifications .................................................................................................................................... 5

Imagine I6SW Enclosure Recommendations .................................................................................................................. 6

Imagine I8SW Enclosure Recommendations .................................................................................................................. 6

Imagine I10SW Enclosure Recommendations ................................................................................................................ 6

Imagine I6SW Mechanical Drawing .................................................................................................................................. 7

Imagine I8SW Mechanical Drawing .................................................................................................................................. 8

Imagine I10SW Mechanical Drawing ................................................................................................................................ 9

Warranty .............................................................................................................................................................................. 10

Thank You! .......................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Welcome and Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of high performance Imagine-series subwoofer 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 drivers 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 subwoofer drivers using straight-forward installation advice. Keep this manual 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 subwoofer drivers. 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

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The Imagine Subwoofer – A Brief History

The Imagine I6SW was the first subwoofer ever offered by Hybrid Audio Technologies. Originally
designed to suit saddle-bag installations on touring motorcycles, the efficacy of the design was
quickly proven in a wide variety of installations in virtually any automobile, where a small vented
enclosure subwoofer could be used where space was at a premium. In Spring 2009, the first I6SW
prototypes were developed by company founder and lead designer Scott Buwalda, and the concept
of an Imagine subwoofer line-up was born.

All the while the I6SW had been developed and launched to an enthusiastic reception of enthusiasts,
custom installers, and motorcycle and ATV riders, we were working on the larger counterparts to the
Imagine I6SW, the 8-inch Imagine I8SW and the 10-inch I10SW. In January 2011, final prototypes
were approved for production after a long and strenuous program of evaluation by several Hybrid
Audio specialty retail dealers for their use and assessment in the field. The combined efforts of our
dealers and our own R&D team affirmed the design concept for a budget-friendly high-end sound
quality subwoofer, and the I8SW and I10SW product was commenced. Production began in August
2011, and was completed in October 2011, after an in-process change was made to the reverse-roll
surround to ensure reliability and longevity operation. The Imagine I8SW and I10SW were launched
in late November 2011 and complete the Imagine subwoofer offering.

Imagine Subwoofer Attributes

The Imagine subwoofers compliment a wide variety of front stage system designs. The following are
general Imagine subwoofer design attributes:

Basket/Frame

The basket of the I6SW, I8SW, and I10SW is a stamped steel design with semi-gloss black powder
coating. The frame includes spider venting for improved thermal power handling. The frame includes
reverse-roll surround tooling proprietary to Hybrid Audio Technologies, allowing for close-tolerance
flush and iso-mounting for easy grille clearance and locational clearance (such as underneath a seat,
in a touring motorcycle saddle bag, or in a center console enclosure).

Motor and Voice Coil

The motor of the Imagine subwoofer is conventional dynamic with a large, high-grade ferrite magnet
assembly with bumped and vented pole piece. The voice coil diameter for the three subwoofers is
51mm (2-inch) for elevated power handling, dissipation of heat (thereby lowering power
compression), and maximizing the size of the magnet around the voice coil for enhanced motor
compliance. The voice coil is a four-layer, high-purity aluminum, which is superior to copper for heat
dissipation, as well as significantly reduced moving mass. The result is an extremely light weight
winding, with low inductance and good power handling.

Suspension, Cone, Tinsel Leads, and Terminals

The inverted surround is butyl rubber which is highly consistent, and does not suffer the variance of
natural rubbers. This rubber surround terminates mechanical vibrations well, having a low stiffness for
positive damping of resonances. The spider material was chosen for optimal performance; the spider
is a 90/10 cotton/Nomex blend with single-dip low viscosity phenolic. This material provides the

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stiffness desired without being overly brittle or stiff, where vibrations in the spider are well damped

Parameter

Imagine I6SW

Imagine I8SW

Imagine I10SW

and do not translate into the former or the cone.

The Imagine subwoofers are cone-type drivers consisting of a polypropylene diaphragm with low
moving mass. Polypropylene provides a good balance of strength, moving mass, and water
resistance, in the event the Imagine subwoofers are used in all-weather climates, such as motorcycle,
ATV, golf cart, and marine uses. The tinsel leads are bonded directly to the former and brought out to
the terminals, which keeps tinsel lead slap to a minimum and does not compromise the structural
integrity of the cone. The Imagine subwoofer comes equipped with heavy-duty PCB-mounted male
blade-type terminals that are nickel plated to optimize contact, and give the end user flexibility in
tinned wire or crimp terminal terminations.

Summary

The Imagine subwoofers are the ideal multi-purpose sound quality subwoofer speaker driver.
Mechanical and electrical parameters are amenable to a variety of vented and sealed enclosures. At
home in virtually any arrangement, the Imagine subwoofer is Hybrid Audio’s Stage II subwoofer,
boasting exceptional performance and a high-fidelity design philosophy.

Imagine Subwoofer Specifications

Overall Diameter Φ 168 mm (6.6-inch) Φ 206mm (8.1-inch) Φ 256mm (10-inch)
Mounting Depth 85 mm 102 mm 130 mm
Bolt Circle Diameter Φ 160 mm Φ 192mm Φ 248mm
Mounting Hole Φ 148 mm Φ 184 mm Φ 235 mm
Pnom Rated Power Input 60 watts 80 watts 100 watts
Pmax Rated Power Input 120 watts 160 watts 200 watts
Frequency Range† 32Hz-800Hz, +/-3dB 30Hz-800Hz, +/-3dB 28Hz-800Hz, +/-3dB
Efficiency 2.83V/1 meter 90 dB 90 dB 91 dB
Mms 39.7 g 63.5 g 88.5 g
Cms 435.75 µM/N 310 µM/N 285 µM/N
BL 13.8 T*m 13.3 T*m 13.6 T*m
Voice Coil Diameter 50mm (2-inch) 50mm (2-inch) 50mm (2-inch)
Impedance 4 Ω 4 Ω 4 Ω
DC Resistance 3.9 Ω 3.8 Ω 3.6 Ω
Fs 38 Hz 35 Hz 30 Hz
Qms 7.7 5.5 5.65
Qes 0.18 0.29 0.34
Qts 0.17 0.27 0.32
Xmax 12mm (two-way) 16mm (two-way) 18 mm (two-way)
Vas 9.6 L 18.5 L 49.5 L
Le 1.42 mH 1.52 mH 1.48 mH
Sd 12,469 mm2 20,612 mm2 34,636 mm2

† Typically, in-car response including vehicular “cabin gain”, or the gain expected with subwoofer(s)
installed in the vehicle, will result in an extended subbass response. This is a result of these
frequencies being below the lowest resonance in the vehicle (typically around 50-125 Hz in most

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vehicles). In more practical terms, install the Imagine subwoofer(s) into your vehicle and you will see
a dramatic improvement in subbass and midbass output, much more so than just simply listening to
the Imagine in a large room, or worse yet, “free air” (we don’t recommend even trying the Imagine
subwoofers in “free air” without some form of recommended enclosure).

Imagine I6SW Enclosure Recommendations

Hybrid Audio Technologies highly recommends the use of the I6SW in a vented cabinet arrangement.
Design criteria are noted below.

Alignment Vented fourth order for all-

purpose performance

Internal enclosure volume 9.6 liters (~0.36 ft3) 16 liters (~0.60 ft3)
Vent dimensions 2 inch I.D. X 15.3-inch 2 inch I.D. X 12.5-inch
Fb (port alignment frequency) 38 Hz 32.3 Hz
F-3 (“cut-off” frequency at -3 dB) 38 Hz 29.4 Hz

† This enclosure and vent arrangement put the port tuning frequency considerably lower than the
I6SW’s resonant frequency. USE EXTREME CAUTION as this alignment will greatly reduce the
I6SW’s power handling to approximately one-half of the stated specifications. Damage as a result of
overpowering the I6SW through the use of this alignment will not be covered under Hybrid Audio
Technologies’ standard warranty. END-USER BEWARE! This alignment is for low-power
applications only.

Vented fourth order for low bass
output with lower power
handling†

Imagine I8SW Enclosure Recommendations

Hybrid Audio Technologies highly recommends the use of the I8SW in a vented cabinet arrangement,
although a sealed application may work in certain installations. Design criteria are noted below.

Alignment Sealed second order Vented fourth order
Internal enclosure volume 9 liters (~0.32 ft3) 18.5 liters (~0.65 ft3)
Vent dimensions N/A 2 inch I.D. X 9.6-inch
Fb (port alignment frequency) N/A 35 Hz
F-3 (“cut-off” frequency at -3 dB) 98 Hz* 35 Hz

Imagine I10SW Enclosure Recommendations

Hybrid Audio Technologies recommends the use of the I10SW in either a sealed or a vented cabinet
arrangement. Design criteria are noted below.

Alignment Sealed second order Vented fourth order
Internal enclosure volume 15 liters (~0.53 ft3) 49.5 liters (~1.75 ft3)
Vent dimensions N/A 3 inch I.D. X 9.6-inch
Fb (port alignment frequency) N/A 30 Hz
F-3 (“cut-off” frequency at -3 dB) 66 Hz* 30 Hz

* Not including vehicular transfer function and cabin gain below the vehicle’s Fs.

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Imagine I6SW Mechanical Drawing

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Imagine I8SW Mechanical Drawing

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Imagine I10SW Mechanical Drawing

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Warranty

Hybrid Audio Technologies extends a limited one year warranty to the original purchaser, certifying
that this product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal and proper use
for one year from the date of purchase.

Hybrid Audio Technologies’ responsibility under this warranty is limited to replacing or repairing, at
Hybrid Audio Technologies’ option, products or parts determined by Hybrid Audio Technologies to be
defective either in materials, or workmanship. To attain warranty service, the customer must deliver
the product or the defective part(s), appropriately packed with proof of purchase date, to an
authorized Hybrid Audio Technologies dealer. In the event that a direct return from a consumer is
required, the consumer must obtain from Hybrid Audio Technologies a return authorization number,
and ship the defective product directly to Hybrid Audio Technologies. All shipping expenses are the
customer’s responsibility. If the product has been updated or superseded, a replacement will be made
with a current model of the same quality and function. Warranty of the replacement parts is limited to
90 days or the unexpired portion of the warranty period of the product on which the parts are being
used, whichever is longer.

This warranty does not cover any defects or costs caused by: (1) modification, alteration, repair or
service of this product by any persons or company other than Hybrid Audio Technologies; (2) physical
abuse to, overload of, or misuse of, the product or operation thereof in a manner inconsistent with the
use indicated in the instructions; (3) any use of the product other than that for which it was intended;
or (4) shipment of the product to Hybrid Audio Technologies for service. This warranty does not cover
labor costs.

Hybrid Audio Technologies is not liable for any special incidental or consequential damages,
including, but not limited to, personal injury, property damage, damage to or loss of equipment, loss
of profits or revenue, costs of renting or buying replacements and/or any other additional expenses,
even if Hybrid Audio Technologies has been informed of the prospect of such damages. Any express
warranty not provided herein, and any remedy which other than the warranty contained herein might
arise by inference or operation of law, is hereby excluded and disclaimed including the implied
warranties of merchantability and of the fitness for a particular purpose.

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Thank You!

Hybrid Audio Technologies is delighted that you have chosen an Imagine component system for your
high-end mobile audio sound system. We are convinced that a great product offering, backed up with
unsurpassed customer service and technical support will advance the Hybrid Audio Technologies
namesake in the coming years. We are pleased that you have joined us in our “new generation of in­car audio.”

If there is anything we can do to help you get the most out of your Imagine installation, please do not
hesitate to contact us at [e-mail], or by visiting us at www.hybrid-audio.com!

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