a pattern around the speaker until all screws are hand-tight. DO NOT INSTALL THE SPEAKERS
WITH A DRILL OR DRILL-DRIVER, as the drill-driver will put considerably more torque on the
speaker basket than what is required, and can easily damage the frame of the speaker.
In the event a component set mounting topology is chosen, the same procedure can be
followed for the tweeter installation observing the precautions mentioned in the midbass
installation, above. Once a suitable location is found for the tweeters, mounting options
can be evaluated. The I51-2 / V2, I61-2 / V2, and I69-2 / V2 kits come standard with three
tweeter mounting options, including a swivel flush-mount cup, a surface-mount cup, and
an angle-mount cup (the component set tweeter is optional for the Imagine I57-2). The
tweeter fits first into the surface-mount cup, and then can be installed as one unit into the
flush-mount cup. Conversely, the surface-mount cup can be attached to the angle cup as well.
In all cases, the tweeter is fitted into the surface-mount cup first, and then either installed as-is,
or is further encased in the flush-mount cup, or is attached to the angle-mount cup
. Decide
which mounting strategy works the best for your installation, and permanently mount the
tweeters. Route the wiring from the underside of the tweeter to an accessible location and
connect to the tweeter connections (small diameter slide terminals) on the midbass frame.
Once all four speakers are installed, you will need to do a brief listening test with CD-quality
music that you are intimately familiar with to determine if the tweeter seems to be linear in
amplitude with the midbass, or seems to be too muted. If the tweeter seems too muted, or
if you prefer a louder tweeter sound, simply reverse the black and red wires on the tweeter
terminals located on the frame of the midbass. You will be changing the polarity of the
tweeter, and will be increasing the loudness of frequencies between approximately 6,000 –
10,000 Hz by doing this.
Once all four speakers have been installed and the level set as per the above, the sound
damping cropped so as to allow for the re-installation of door panels and/or interior panels,
and all wiring neatly wire-tied away from heat and noise sources, or from abrasion and areas
where the wires may be accidentally sliced or cut, the vehicle can be re-assembled. Sit back
and enjoy the music.
This is the end of Section I: Basic Installation.
If you’re happy with the end product, stop reading here. If you
want to learn more about advanced techniques for achieving great
mobile audio sound quality, flip the page...
Section I • Getting Started
Installation
Once you have determined the mounting locations for the Imagine separates, and have
evaluated the circumstances by which the Imagine speakers will need to be installed, it is time
to dismantle the vehicle to access the old speakers. Most dashboard-mounted speakers are
easily accessed by removing their grilles, which are usually attached to the dashboard with
screws or retaining clips. A-pillars are usually accessed by pulling firmly at a right angle to the
panel. Door speakers are usually easy to access as well, either from the front by prying off the
OEM grille, or by physically removing the entire door panel. In all cases, it may be prudent to
reference your vehicle’s factory service manual. If you don’t have a factory service manual, you
can go to the Installation Excellence website for downloadable resources with respect to not
only wiring but disassembly of your vehicle, and the procedures to access your OEM speakers.
With the OEM speakers removed, we HIGHLY recommend the use of a self-adhesive damping
product, such as brand names Dynamat®, B-Quiet®, RAAMmat®, and others. The reason for the
use of damping material is to quiet buzzes and rattles that will be exposed by the high-perfor-
mance Imagine midbass speakers, but more importantly to seal up door accesses and cavities,
thereby creating a pseudo “enclosure” for the Imagine midbass. If the midbass are installed
immediately adjacent to a large access hole or opening in the door panel, there will be an
acoustic “short circuit” (as described later in “Frequency Response”) where the front and back
waves of the speaker meet, and cancellation will occur, seriously affecting midbass output.
The use of a good damping product is the single-biggest installation-related improvement
you can do to enhance the performance of your Imagine audio system. And since the Imagine
midbass require an “infinite baffle”, it is intuitive to seal up the mounting area as best as
possible, such as in the door, allowing the speaker to “see” a large enclosure in the door cavity,
kick panel, dashboard, or wherever you decide to mount the Imagine midbass.
If you plan to use the OEM speaker wiring, you will likely need to cut off the OEM speaker
plug, and strip back approximately 3/8” (10mm) of insulation to expose the bare wire. It is
recommended that you then install slide-style terminals on the wire, for easy connection to
the Imagine midbass.
In a basic installation, the Imagine midbass were designed to install directly into the factory-
supplied speaker baffles or speaker openings. The speaker should fit snug to the baffle
without air gaps; do not force the speaker into a baffle that is too small, as this will damage
the speakers. If the factory-supplied mounting baffle is too small, refer to Section II for advice
on how to build custom baffles. When tightening your speakers to the baffle, alternate the
tightening of the screws, just as if you were changing a tire on your vehicle, by alternating in
© Hybrid Audio Technologies • Cumming, GA • 770.888.8200
© Hybrid Audio Technologies • Cumming, GA • 770.888.8200
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