Hybrid Audio Technologies Imagine Series Components User Manual

Imagine-Series Coaxial & Convertible Component Systems

(Including Imagine I57-2 Drop-In fit for Harley Davidson®)

Installation & Reference Manual

1240 Oak Industrial Lane Cumming Georgia 30041 United States

(T) +1 770 888 8200 (F) +1 888 886 4605

hybrid-audio.com

Contents

Welcome & Introduction

01 02

Pages 4-5

Component Specic Information

Pages 6-20 Midbass, Tweeter, & Crossover

Attributes, Specications, Parameters,

Mechanical Drawings, and Response Graphs

Getting Started

Pages 22-29 Basic System Installation & Coaxial / Component Set Conversion

Moving Forward

Pages 30-37 Advanced System Installation,

Lessons Learned, Mounting Bafe

Considerations, and Acoustic Treatment

Warranty

Page 38-39

Congratulations

Welcome and Introduction

by Scott Buwalda - Founder

on your Imagine

Component System purchase,

and welcome

to the world of

Hybrid Audio Technologies!

We realize that you have a choice in loudspeakers, and are thrilled that you have chosen the Imagine-series component systems. 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 at: hybrid-audio.com

Speaker 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.

With the publication of this manual, 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 Component Systems using straightforward installation advice.

Thank you, and happy listening!

Imagine Component Systems

Your Imagine system contains speaker drivers and a tweeter passive crossover network that were developed and assembled with a signicant eort in research and development, materials science engineering, an exhaustive level of sampling and prototyping, real-world testing, and obsessive attention to detail. The specications and parameters of your Imagine component system is detailed on these pages.

Midbass Attributes

Imagine I5V2, I57, I6V2 & I69V2

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 in the 5 1/4-inch and 6.5-inch format, 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, stiness, 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 old-fashioned “glossy” polymers which added an appreciable amount of moving mass and signicantly 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 may be viewed at: http://

hybrid-audio.com/imagine/

Phase Plug (except I57-2)

Cast ABS plastic. When using the midbass in component set mode (Imagine I51-2, Imagine I61-2, and Imagine I69-2), 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. When using the 5 X 7-inch midbass in component set mode, the tweeter bridge is removed from the midbass and the Imagine I1 tweeter kit, sold separately, can be mounted remotely.

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 eectively 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 exibility 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 imsy cardboard.

Voice Coil and Motor System

The voice coil used in the Imagine midbass is a 2-layer aluminized copper wire coils on a round former. An “overhung” voice coil was selected to improve sensitivity while still keeping distortion to a minimum.

Continued on following page...

Imagine Component Systems

Your Clarus system contains speaker drivers and passive crossover networks that were developed and assembled with a signicant eort in research and development, materials science engineering, an exhaustive level of sampling and prototyping, real-world testing, and obsessive attention to detail. The specications and parameters of your

Tweeter Attributes

Imagine I1

Dome

Small diameter impregnated silk textile dome with high-loss rubber suspension. The I1 has an impregnated ne 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 dicult to install. Additionally, we nd 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 eective and convincing reproduction of treble frequencies.

depth. A perforated grille protects the dome. The voice coil is ferrouid cooled and damped, and the tweeter housing consists of extruded plastic with three dierent mounting options in component set mode, giving the end-user exibility 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 lter is a very high-quality, low-tolerance Mylar capacitor that has been axed to the midbass frame. An outboard crossover “box” is not included for empirical reasons, explained here:

http://hybrid-audio.com/downloads/whitepapers-technical-bulletins/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

Thiele/Small Parameter Discussion for Imagine Midbass Speakers

The mechanical and electrical parameters of the Imagine midbass speakers are amenable to a variety of dierent 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 “innite bae” conguration. 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.”

Clarus component system is detailed on these pages.

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

output posts. Refer to pages 26 and 27 for more details on how to convert from coaxial to component set, as well as view an informational video here: http://hybrid-audio.com/imagine/

Imagine Component Systems

Specications & Parameters

† 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 later in this manual). In more practical terms, install the Imagine midbass into your vehicle and you will see a dramatic improvement in midbass and upper subbass 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 speakers in “free air” without some form of enclosure or innite bae for the midbass).

Overall Diameter Φ150 mm 140 x 198 mm Φ164.7 mm 167 x 239 mm

Mounting Depth 69.5 mm 76 mm 69 mm 85 mm

Bolt Circle Diameter Φ139.5 mm 125 x 117 mm Φ156 mm 131 x 163.5 mm

Mounting Hole Φ 123 mm 125 x 183 mm Φ 140.7 mm 150 x 224 mm

Recommended Minimum Highpass Crossover Frequency (fourth order)

Continuous Power Handling (Pnom Rated Power Input • No crossover)

Peak Power Handling (Pmax Rated Power Input • No Crossover)

Recommended Power Range 20-150 watts 20-150 watts 20-150 watts 20-150 watts

Frequency Response (+/- 3dB) 60 Hz - 22 kHz 50 Hz - 22 kHz 50 Hz - 22 kHz 35 Hz - 22 kHz 70 Hz - 13 kHz 60 Hz - 8 kHz 60 Hz - 6 kHz 45 Hz - 5.5 kHz

Eciency 2.83V/1 meter 91.4 dB 92.8 dB 93.2 dB 94.5 dB

Mms 8.75 g 14.14 g 9.43 g 33.7 g

Cms 318.2 μM/N 278.7 μM/N 364 μM/N 381 μM/N

I51-2V2

System

100 watts 100 watts 100 watts 100 watts (50 watts) (50 watts) (60 watts) (75 watts)

230 watts 230 watts 230 watts 230 watts (100 watts) (100 watts) (120 watts) (150 watts)

I57-2

System

I61-2V2

System

I69-2V2

System

I5 / V2

Midbass

70 Hz 70 Hz 60 Hz 50 Hz

I57

Midbass

I6 / V2

Midbass

I69 / V2 Midbass

BL (T*m) 5.05 4.86 4.84 8.3

Voice Coil Diameter 25.5 mm 25.5 mm 25.5 mm 35.5 mm

Nominal Impedance 4 Ω 4 Ω 4 Ω 4 Ω

DC Resistance 3.4 Ω 3.4 Ω 3.4 Ω 3.9 Ω

Fs (Free Air) 95 Hz 80 Hz 86 Hz 44 Hz

Qms 5.252 3.613 5.23 3.01

Qes 0.822 1.027 0.74 0.532

Qts 0.711 0.8 0.65 0.452

Xmax (Two Way) 6 mm 8 mm 10 mm 14 mm

Vas 3.653 L 8.24 L 7.1 L 22.56 L

Sd 8.882 mm

14.428 mm

11.690 mm

20.420 mm

Imagine I51-2 / V2

Imagine I57-2

Mechanical Drawing

+ 14 hidden pages

Hybrid Audio Technologies Imagine Series Components User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual