i dedicated a solid hour this morning auditioning the 6.5" imagine set on the display board at mobile audio here in town.
i threw a lot of tough material at them, hoping to be able to find some faults. my initial reaction was "ok, which sub is running with them?" so i went and touched all the subs in the listening room. none were moving! seriously flabbergasted at the low end coming from this simple-looking coaxial set! i opened the door to the room and even asked my friend toby if there was a sub running. he verified that there was not. we had a little discussion about the enclosures they were in (typical display board small sealed boxes), and how they might perform differently in a more IB setup found in most car situations. he's now installed a few sets and said they actually have more midbass output installed! i'm seriously thinking these might give clarus a run for their money in the midbass department.
beyond my initial knee-jerk reaction to the midbass, i couldn't find a single fault with the set. they have the typical hybrid speaker sound, imo - very natural midrange and smooth yet detailed highs. i played them at a variety of volume ranges from soft to very loud and they handled complex passages without a sweat. seemed very linear throughout the volume range.
not sure how they do all this for $200 a set. i would be happy with these speakers at $500 a set. i a/b tested them next to a $400 jl audio set and these simply blew them away imho.
i dedicated a solid hour this morning auditioning the 6.5" imagine set on the display board at mobile audio here in town.
i threw a lot of tough material at them, hoping to be able to find some faults. my initial reaction was "ok, which sub is running with them?" so i went and touched all the subs in the listening room. none were moving! seriously flabbergasted at the low end coming from this simple-looking coaxial set! i opened the door to the room and even asked my friend toby if there was a sub running. he verified that there was not. we had a little discussion about the enclosures they were in (typical display board small sealed boxes), and how they might perform differently in a more IB setup found in most car situations. he's now installed a few sets and said they actually have more midbass output installed! i'm seriously thinking these might give clarus a run for their money in the midbass department.
beyond my initial knee-jerk reaction to the midbass, i couldn't find a single fault with the set. they have the typical hybrid speaker sound, imo - very natural midrange and smooth yet detailed highs. i played them at a variety of volume ranges from soft to very loud and they handled complex passages without a sweat. seemed very linear throughout the volume range.
not sure how they do all this for $200 a set. i would be happy with these speakers at $500 a set. i a/b tested them next to a $400 jl audio set and these simply blew them away imho.
horesemanwill is correct - clarus is ~$500. imagine is the brand new line and runs ~$200. i believe they are only available in 6.5" at the moment, but more sizes will be coming from what i understand, including 6x9 & 5x7 iirc. my friend at mobile audio told me today that there is going to be a 6.5" subwoofer in the line as well, and was eager to get some into the store. can't wait to hear that!
6.5'' will fit in there fine. you will , however need to make a baffle for your speakers or cut-out the stock speakers and use the frame as baffles. you will also need to fabricate a rain shield above them, to deflect water from ruining your speakers.
fyi...maybe , if you live in the ''south'', you don't. water becomes ice[having frozen speakers suck] and then .... calcium chloride [de-icing salt], really helps lower re-sale value, when it eats through the speaker's finish, eventually ruining it. just speaking from experience
Great review! Glad to see the Imagine line is getting the press it deserves!
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I'm putting together my system and have been shopping (as in stumbling around the internet reading conflicting reviews...) a 6.5" component set.
I have a Sundown 100.4D sitting here (and a nice Knu cable kit w/ Karma SS wiring) so I'm anxious to get the speaker part of the equation resolved. I plan on running the components with 2 channels (and 3/4 for a single sub).
I've been thinking CDT CL, Hertz (ESK?), Rainbow, ID CSX and I think the most interesting brand so far from my reading has been DLS (R6A) - until now
Pretty much these wants:
Under $250 (from an authorized source)
Tight/punchy mid-bass
Soft (i.e., not harsh) upper/tweets
Adjustable crossovers are a plus, but not a deal breaker
Work well with ~100watts per side
I'd be mounting the tweeters in the factory position in the upper front corner of the door, with the mids down in the factory location (kind of by your knee).
I also sort of dig on smaller, boutique kind of brands.
horesemanwill is correct - clarus is ~$500. imagine is the brand new line and runs ~$200. i believe they are only available in 6.5" at the moment, but more sizes will be coming from what i understand, including 6x9 & 5x7 iirc. my friend at mobile audio told me today that there is going to be a 6.5" subwoofer in the line as well, and was eager to get some into the store. can't wait to hear that!
The imagine line has me wondering if I should wait to acquire other speakers. I was thinking about getting a 6x9 and/or a 6.5 sub, but couldn't get into HAT before (price$$$) but the new Imagine line has me intrigued.
Sure, money no object, I'd be down for (several sets of) Legatia Pro love, but I've got a budget to keep...
Is there anything out there that u would compare their SQ to?
They have a sound you'll either love or hate. I personally prefer a more squeaky clean sound. When I hear the word "natural" I think of the inherant distortion a paper cone has. This is what I've heard in every single HAT install I've heard to date. This trait can be a good thing if that's the sound you're going for. I'd imagine said trait would also be better for pinpoint imaging. Would also make the bass output more obvious because distortion makes it "sound" louder. Just my opinions and nothing more.
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Last edited by Hillbilly SQ; 02-07-2010 at 10:40 AM..
If I don't have dealers local, who best to get them through? Direct from HAT?
Yes he is authorized. And a good guy to work with to boot.
The local shop near me has no idea that the Imagine line exists plus with Tax it would be cheaper to get it from Tom @ 12V.
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Yes he is authorized. And a good guy to work with to boot.
The local shop near me has no idea that the Imagine line exists plus with Tax it would be cheaper to get it from Tom @ 12V.
HAT "Imagine" 6.5" Set
lol
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