ca&e reviews hybrid audio CLARUS speakers

[Benny Z]

May 2008: Car Audio & Electronics Publishes a Glowing Review of the Clarus C51-2 Set; Evaluative Scoring Places Clarus™ Better than Sets Costing Five and Six Times as Much!

In the July 2008 issue of Car Audio & Electronics Magazine, there is a review of the Clarus C51-2 set (5 1/4" component speaker set). The results of the evaluation were glowing.

The highest sound quality score ever achieved, using the new Car Audio & Electronics scoring criteria, went to the Clarus component system. For example, near perfect listening test scores were achieved (9.5 out of 10 on the song "Spanish Harlem" as performed by Rebecca Pidgeon). According to the reviewer, even despite being 5 ¼” midbass, they compared well to competitor’s 6 ½” and 7” component sets! Using a formularized Excel spreadsheet, which subjectively compared the old Car Audio & Electronics scoring criteria to the one adopted relatively recently, it was quickly determined by Hybrid Audio Technologies staff that this was one of the best component sets, if not THE BEST component set reviewed by the magazine in the past several years (as far back as we were able to take our research).

Reader Note: Clarus C51-2 is a $469.99 set of 5 ¼” speakers which was compared to, and found to exceed the performance of 6 ½” and 7” component sets costing literally up to six times as much ($2,000+).

Notable quotes from the reviewer:

"What I found was one of, if not, the best owner's manuals I've ever encountered in my many years in this industry! It is a comprehensive description of the speaker system and a lengthy and very informative tutorial on sound quality system setup in general..."

"To adjust tweeter output, you select between different push terminals (a nice way to do this)...which eliminates the common selector switch that can degrade over time and affect the quality of the connection."

"It was a large sound...other components sets I've auditioned employ a 6.5-inch low frequency driver, so the fact that these diminutive speakers can hold their own against a larger driver is a feat in itself."

"When (Rebecca) Pidgeon's solo vocal starts it's as though she's in the room with me! The image is strong, at eye level, and perfectly centered with a life-like tone. I can even detect the size of the room and there's a feeling of air around the vocalist."

"There's a realistic, sweet sound to the strings...that I've rarely heard from even the most expensive component sets that I've auditioned."

"When (B.B.) King starts singing, his voice is stable and perfectly centered. It has all the rich, soulful character he's famous for and when Lucille (King's guitar) plays, she sounds totally life-like and robust."

"If you and/or your installer completely read the owner's manual that's downloadable for these components, and institute the damping and driver placement recommendations therein, you'll be able to realize the same excellent imaging and staging details these components are capable of producing."

"I wish more speaker manufacturers would take it upon themselves to educate their customers as to proper installation and placement of their products as Hybrid Audio has done."

"After listening to these speakers for literally hours on end, I didn't experience any appreciable listening fatigue."

"From the extremely complete user's manual to the construction and sound of these diminutive drivers, they're a class act by any standard, and they're probably one of the best bargains out there for a retail price of $469.99. It's obvious that the folks at Hybrid Audio did their homework and a lot of research, testing, and listening to perfect this product."

"If you're in the market for a component set for your car audio system, you'll be doing yourself a great disservice if you don't audition these speakers for your application."

We invite you to support our last remaining dedicated car audio publication in the USA, and further, invite you to check out the review of our Clarus C51-2 set!

Blatant plug: After winning "State of the Art" from England's Talk Audio Magazine, to winning seventeen (17) national- and world-championships last year alone in organized competition, and now getting a review which says that this $469.99 component set is better than systems costing five and six times as much---if there was any remaining doubt---even those that relish in doubting---you have hereby been given notice: THERE IS NO DOUBTING ANYMORE.

[rogan]

Id > Hat

[Benny Z]

lolz...

bastard! :p

curious - how many id vehicles won trophies at the '07 iasca world finals? how many hat vehicles?

i rest my case.

[12v Electronics]

Originally Posted by Benny Z

lolz...

bastard! :p

curious - how many id vehicles won trophies at the '07 iasca world finals? how many hat vehicles?

i rest my case.

Hey Benny..

Are you sure you are not on Hybrid's payroll?

[Benny Z]

i wish!!!

more like i have funded part of their payroll. :/

just happy to help promote products i believe in and use.

[rogan]

Originally Posted by Benny Z

lolz...

bastard! :p

curious - how many id vehicles won trophies at the '07 iasca world finals? how many hat vehicles?

How many ID vehicles entered?

I always wonder how much of that success is sponsor driven. Not trying to slate HAT but it always seems there's one brand (previously DLS afaik) that takes everything out and I begs the question of what investment did that company make into the competitors.

Now back to the Clarus, is the article on line anywhere, or a quick summation somewhere. We don't get CA&E over here so no way will I every get the printed article. The question is would they suit a drop in for the e39 with a deadened factory pod. If they worked great in that then we could stop messing round with building door pods. It'd be nice to be able to drop in a 5.25, add tweets in the A-pillars and have a high end front.

Still 5.25 is never gonna be able to hit big authority at low hz purely due to cone size, but it'd be very interesting to hear what they play down to in car.

[turbotuli]

Why the eff did they review the 5.25" set? There's no replacement for displacement!
Not to take anything away from the Clarus set, but I'm noticing a trend in CA&E's reviews. The sets they review always perform as well as sets costing 3 to 10 times more than them, including my RSDs! I wonder if they'll ever review said high end sets and say "These perform as well as sets we've reviewed costing one sixth the amount of these!"
Just food for thought :P

[Benny Z]

Originally Posted by rogan

The question is would they suit a drop in for the e39 with a deadened factory pod. If they worked great in that then we could stop messing round with building door pods. It'd be nice to be able to drop in a 5.25, add tweets in the A-pillars and have a high end front.

interesting you should ask! i had the exact same thought!

as a matter of fact, i sent my e39 oem front woofer enclosers off to hybrid audio last month. scott is experimenting with them to see if he can come up with an easy modification to make the 5.25" clarus woofer sound fantastic in them. due to the enclosure size, there will be a tradeoff one way or another... he asked which i thought people would be more interested in - incredible midrange response, or great midbass response. i told him i figured that *most* folks installing these would also be adding a subwoofer, so that i thought they should be optimized for great midrange - which is the high point of the 5.25" set anyway.

will be interesting to see what he comes up with... we might just end up with a great drop-in e39 replacement set!

[Scott Buwalda]

Thanks Benny!

To rogan: There were five or six Image Dynamics competitors AFAIK. We had seven in attendence. None of them are factory "sponsored." I am far too small of a company to even consider giving any one of these guys a $20.00 bill to go grab a pizza and a few cokes at a show, no less sponsor them as professional competitors. No, the folks that use the products, and are on Team Hybrids, use it because they believe in it. Of the seven competitors we had in attendence, we won five of the nine possible first place trophies. In two other classes, we had a third-place car in each. One class we didn't have anyone competing at all. Statistically speaking, we only had one class we didn't have a top-3 competitor in, and in five classes, we won.

And as Benny pointed out, I am toying with the enclosures. I am about to leave for Trinidad to give a two-day SQ seminar, but will hopefully be on this later next week. I like to dabble at my own pace, that's why it's taking so long. It will be great when it's done. I am doing a step-by-step tutorial.

turbotuli: It's because I am the one that purposely submitted a 5 1/4" set. They had never reviewed a 5 1/4" set before. Just 6 1/2's. So they had 'no choice' but to compare the smaller woofer with the bigger ones submitted for previous tests, and, well, you see the results. As for testing only "cheaper" equipment...it is completely not true. I have a spreadsheet here from their reviews of component speakers in the past three years. This is how the reviews shake-out as far as price:

Sub $500 = 7 tested (including the Clarus)
$500-$999.00 = 5 tested
$999.00 - $2,000 = 6 tested

As you can see, it has been very non-partisan with respect to them testing all different price ranges of components.

For what it's worth, the $469.99 retail set of Hybrid Audio Technologies Clarus scored higher than _every_ set in the $999.00 and greater sample and was in a staistical tie with only one speaker in the $500-$999 group (I say a statistical tie because CA&E changed their scoring format, so we have to compare apples to oranges (old scoring system verses the new one using a spreadsheet and formula)). No system in the sub $500.00 price range even came close.

And remember, this is a 5 1/4" component set being compared to 17 sets of 6 1/2" component sets. The Clarus was the only set that was 5 1/4". The reviewer commented that the 6 1/2" set would have be even that much better, as his only complain was a lack of subbass from the 5 1/4's. Anyone with a sense of building a great-sounding car audio system knows that a 5 1/4", or even a 6 1/2" won't produce subbass, so this applies across the board to all eighteen sets tested in the past three years.

Scott

[rogan]

Originally Posted by Scott Buwalda

To rogan: There were five or six Image Dynamics competitors AFAIK. We had seven in attendence. None of them are factory "sponsored." I am far too small of a company to even consider giving any one of these guys a $20.00 bill to go grab a pizza and a few cokes at a show, no less sponsor them as professional competitors. No, the folks that use the products, and are on Team Hybrids, use it because they believe in it.

Thanks Scott, 1/2 of that post was tongue in cheek trying to wind up BennyZ. Very good to hear about the lack of sponsorship - it always made we wonder when the comp seems (from a geographically remote location) to be very one brand dominated.

[Benny Z]

another testament to the strength of these speakers from an e36 perspective:

...[we] used this kit over the weekend in Trinidad at the Sound Quality Summit in a BMW 325i and WOW!!! The 5 went in the stock kicks, tweeters in the pillars and when it was first fired up, we all stopped and looked - "huh? is that just the 5s???" After the 12 was added and a little tweaking with just bass, trebel and tweeter levels (no EQ) we were all ASTOUNDED at how the kit sounded right out of the box!!!!!! With a bit of tuning with maybe a small EQ, it would rule !!!!

This a great bargain for this level of performance!

[BlackSapphire]

Scott....glad to see you over here. Do you have anything in the "under 2 7/8" depth" range? If so, I might have to audition some.

[Benny Z]

for your e39? ...or?

i know for a fact that the 5.25" set fits in the e39 front doors...

otherwise, legatia might be up your alley.

[Scott Buwalda]

Originally Posted by BlackSapphire

Scott....glad to see you over here. Do you have anything in the "under 2 7/8" depth" range? If so, I might have to audition some.

Howdy sir! The Clarus C6 6 1/2" midbass has a depth of exactly 2 7/8" with the removal of the rubber magnet boot. The C51-2 midbass is considerably more shallow than 2 7/8".

In the Legatia Line, the L6 (7.1" midbass) has a depth of 2 7/8".

If there's any "wiggle room" as far as depth (1/16 - 1/8"), anyone of the above would fit.

Drop me a line at sbuwalda [at] hybrid-audio [dot] com.

Thanks,

Scott

[brandon5069]

Originally Posted by Benny Z

interesting you should ask! i had the exact same thought!

as a matter of fact, i sent my e39 oem front woofer enclosers off to hybrid audio last month. scott is experimenting with them to see if he can come up with an easy modification to make the 5.25" clarus woofer sound fantastic in them. due to the enclosure size, there will be a tradeoff one way or another... he asked which i thought people would be more interested in - incredible midrange response, or great midbass response. i told him i figured that *most* folks installing these would also be adding a subwoofer, so that i thought they should be optimized for great midrange - which is the high point of the 5.25" set anyway.

will be interesting to see what he comes up with... we might just end up with a great drop-in e39 replacement set!

PLEASE keep me informed with how things progress!!!!
thank you!

[12v Electronics]

Hello all,

I am proud to announce that we are now an authorized dealer for Hybrid Audio Technologies.

After auditioning many different manufacturer's offerings we have decided to become a dealer for what was the best product we listened to.

If anyone is interested please contact me or visit our website. We are in the process of sorting through a bunch of great information on the HAT product, so our website may be a bit rough right now. We should have every thing sorted out within a few days. 12v Electronics will stock the entire line including the Clarus, Legatia and Legatia Pro series, so please feel free to take a look.

Here is a link to the Hybrid Audio Technologies product:
http://www.12velectronics.com/servle...ies/Categories

[BlackSapphire]

Originally Posted by Benny Z

for your e39? ...or?

i know for a fact that the 5.25" set fits in the e39 front doors...

otherwise, legatia might be up your alley.

I meant HAT in general Benny. Legatia would be my first stop for sure. L6's in my custom baffles.

[Benny Z]

awesome!

if you want to do a 2-way, try the l6 and l1 pro combo. one of the sales guys at the shop here in town that now retails hat put this combo in his scion and it sounds fabulous. the l1 pro is great for a 2-way set because it plays lower than the standard l1.

...or if you want to try a 3-way set, l3 + l1 is a great combo for the dash (lots of custom work required), or l4 in the kicks + l1 in the pillars/dash would be my next choice.

the l6 pro release is in the not so distant future from what i hear. no date announced, but if you are in no particular hurry i would love to get someone's feedback from this forum on them.

installation is really key to the legatia line. all of the drivers - l3 included - need lots of air space behind them. the e39 doors are awesome for ib install. do your existing baffles take advantage of the door cavity?

i personally bought the l831-3 set.

[BlackSapphire]

Originally Posted by Benny Z

the l6 pro release is in the not so distant future from what i hear. no date announced, but if you are in no particular hurry i would love to get someone's feedback from this forum on them.

installation is really key to the legatia line. all of the drivers - l3 included - need lots of air space behind them. the e39 doors are awesome for ib install. do your existing baffles take advantage of the door cavity?

Yes sir, they sure do.

[Benny Z]

sweet! you *should* be able to fit the l6 behind the oem door panel.

[fcarpio]

Originally Posted by BlackSapphire

Scott....glad to see you over here. Do you have anything in the "under 2 7/8" depth" range? If so, I might have to audition some.

Scott, Roman, good to see you guys here.

Scott, I am desperately waiting for Mr. Sherven to install the L8/L3/L1 set in my car. He is finally done with the monster accord install so my car is gong in next weekend. I can't wait...

Roman, do you have an alarm in you Bimmer? What did you get? My wife and I are shopping around to get one for her Bimmer and we wanted to see if there is something than can integrate with the remote/key and existing wiring. Please email me or PM me at DIYMA, I do not want to hack this thread.

[Scott Buwalda]

Originally Posted by fcarpio

Scott, Roman, good to see you guys here.

Scott, I am desperately waiting for Mr. Sherven to install the L8/L3/L1 set in my car. He is finally done with the monster accord install so my car is gong in next weekend. I can't wait...

Awesome, can't wait to see and hear the results!

Scott

[BlackSapphire]

Yeah, I bet that'll be a killer setup Francisco. I'm jealous!

[12v Electronics]

Originally Posted by fcarpio

My wife and I are shopping around to get one for her Bimmer and we wanted to see if there is something than can integrate with the remote/key and existing wiring. Please email me or PM me at DIYMA, I do not want to hack this thread.

If you are asking about the 2008, you should see the dealer for a basic alarm. Integrating an alarm into these is not easy and will not work well with the factory keyless system.

Please PM me for more info as this is not the thread for this. I will be happy to help.

[12v Electronics]

Originally Posted by fcarpio

Scott, Roman, good to see you guys here.

Scott, I am desperately waiting for Mr. Sherven to install the L8/L3/L1 set in my car. He is finally done with the monster accord install so my car is gong in next weekend. I can't wait...

Any news on this yet?