Legatia X
LEGATIA X
The term “Legatia” is well-known amongst car audiophiles, specialty dealers, and distributors around the world. The Hybrid Audio Technologies Legatia namesake is consistently the winningest brand of speakers for over a decade in organized competition in the USA and abroad. Legatia X celebrates the efficacy of the brand with a series of products that emphasize sound quality reproduction, offered in a variety of bespoke midbass and midrange options. To begin, you can choose between carbon fiber and paper cones, as well as the inclusion of a dust cap or extended phase plug pole piece. Likewise, the fine fabric diaphragm Legatia X tweeter comes in both brushed aluminum finish or black anodizing.
Legatia X products are sold in a la carte speaker pairs, with bespoke options, allowing the end-user to design a custom system of Legatia X products, or a combination of Legatia X products and other Hybrid Audio Technologies product offerings. Legatia X series midranges and midbass utilize the same exact mounting topology as the Legatia products for immediate ‘drop-in’ upgrade potential. Legatia X systems are the benchmark speakers systems from Hybrid Audio Technologies. Grilles are available for Legatia X midrange / midbass drivers from the Legatia series.
High Frequency
The Legatia X1 is a 58mm (2.3-inch) O.D. “low resonance” wide-bandwidth tweeter driver to compliment both two-way and three-way system designs, where a super high-end tweeter driver is required.
At the onset of the Legatia Pro-Series program, we wanted to be sure that the Pro-Series tweeter could be listened to for long listening sessions with no noticeable listener fatigue, and the X1 answered the call. The X1 is an advancement of the original Legatia L1 Pro R2 design.
Available in both brushed aluminum finish or black anodized.
X1 Quick Specs
- 4 Ohm Impedence
- 120 Watts Power Handling
- 87 dB Sensitivity
- 450 - 20k Hz Frequency Response
- 23mm Mounting Depth
Midrange / Full-range
The Legatia X3 is a 93mm (3.7-inch) “small format” wide-bandwidth midrange/full-range driver to compliment both two-way and three-way system designs, where a point-source midrange and/or full-range driver is required.
At home in virtually any arrangement, the X3 is Hybrid Audio Technologies Legatia X high-end small-format midrange offering, boasting exceptional performance and a design philosophy that goes hand in hand with true high-fidelity playback.
Available with carbon fiber or paper cones, as well as the inclusion of a dust cap or extended phase plug pole piece.
X3 Quick Specs
- 4 Ohm Impedence
- 150 Watts Power Handling
- 87 dB Sensitivity
- 155 - 20k Hz Frequency Response
- 43.5mm Mounting Depth
Midrange / Midbass
The Legatia X6 is a 181mm (7.1-inch) wide-bandwidth midbass/midrange driver to compliment both two-way and three-way system designs, where a point-source midrange and/or dedicated midbass driver is required.
The Legatia X6 is the ideal multi-purpose super high-end speaker driver. Mechanical and electrical parameters are amenable to a variety of different installations and speaker locations. This driver is intended to be used in an infinite baffle configuration.
Available with carbon fiber or paper cones, as well as the inclusion of a dust cap or extended phase plug pole piece.
X6 Quick Specs
- 4 Ohm Impedence
- 225 Watts Power Handling
- 90 dB Sensitivity
- 67 - 8.5k Hz Frequency Response
- 73.6mm Mounting Depth
Legatia X Design Considerations
The Legatia X-series component speakers are electrodynamic drivers that are comprised of a diaphragm (cone, or in the case of the Legatia X1, a fine fabric diaphragm and ring) that is set in motion by a motor system that has both electrical and mechanical components. The X-series midrange and midbass designs boast several key elements which enhance the driver’s performance between the Legatia SE-series speakers and the Legatia X-series speakers:
- Hand-matched close tolerance sets with certificate of authenticity and a print-out of individual speaker parameters;
- More authoritative upper-range frequency response ability (wider bandwidth operation), especially off-axis: six full octaves of information;
- Lower inductance;
- Slightly higher resonance frequencies across all models for more transparent and tonally accurate low to middle midrange playback ability;
- Higher thermal power handling by AES standard;
- Higher thermal power handling with suggested crossover;
- Lower moving mass for better transient response;
- Typically higher compliance of motor system;
- Shallower mounting depth than a comparable Legatia SE model;
- Use of proprietary frames with embossed Hybrid Audio Technologies “cross” logos on the inverse side of the mounting flange, to ensure that the Legatia X speakers are the genuine article, and not a forgery or copy;
- A decidedly bespoke approach to cone topology and dust cap/extended phase plug pole piece topology, where the end-user can decide between hybrid pressed paper diaphragms and carbon fiber diaphragms, as well as the use of dust caps or extended phase plug pole pieces in both the X3 midrange and the X6 midrange/midbass;
- Use of a proprietary “double S” fine fabric surround to radically improve linear excursion, restorative force, and damping of edge mode distortion;
- Significantly more open spider venting for improved thermal power handling and improved motor cooling;
- Inclusion of voice coil former venting holes, again instrumental in venting for improved thermal power handling and improved motor cooling;
- Inclusion of an enhanced single-dip phenolic spider for enhanced linear excursion, more than double of that of the Legatia SE midrange and midbass;
- Inclusion of nickel-plated, spring-loaded binding post terminals for enhanced connectivity, separated by a greater degree than the Legatia SE to ensure less accidental short-circuits, and loosening of the binding posts due to mechanical vehicle vibration;
- Inclusion of high-energy opposing double-stacked neodymium cup and motor for increased motor performance and smaller diameter motor;
- Inclusion of aluminum radiator for heat dissipation and increased thermal power handling;
- Inclusion of gold-tinted copper-plated aluminum extended phase plug pole piece;
- Inclusion of laser-etched back plate cap with Hybrid Audio Technologies logo and Legatia X nomenclature; and
- Inclusion of a golden oak collectable gift box.
Introduction
Acoustics pioneers Neville Thiele and Richard Small developed a way to predict speaker performance and frequency response. These parameters are known collectively as “Thiele/Small Parameters”, and are divided into physical characteristics and response parameters:
The Physical Characteristics of a speaker are:
Re: The D.C. resistance of the voice coil measured in Ohms.
Sd: The surface area of the speaker’s cone.
BL: The magnetic strength of the motor structure.
Mms: The total moving mass of the speaker including the small amount of air in front of and behind the cone.
Cms: The stiffness of the driver’s suspension.
Rms: The losses due to the suspension.
The Thiele/Small Response parameters are:
Re: The D.C. resistance of the voice coil measured in Ohms.
Sd: The surface area of the speaker.
Fs: The resonant frequency of the speaker.
Qes: The electrical “Q” of the speaker.
Qms: The mechanical “Q” of the speaker.
Qts: The total "Q" of the speaker.
Vas: The volume of air having the same acoustic compliance as the speaker’s suspension.
The Physical Characteristics of a speaker are:
Re: The D.C. resistance of the voice coil measured in Ohms.
Sd: The surface area of the speaker’s cone.
BL: The magnetic strength of the motor structure.
Mms: The total moving mass of the speaker including the small amount of air in front of and behind the cone.
Cms: The stiffness of the driver’s suspension.
Rms: The losses due to the suspension.
The Thiele/Small Response parameters are:
Re: The D.C. resistance of the voice coil measured in Ohms.
Sd: The surface area of the speaker.
Fs: The resonant frequency of the speaker.
Qes: The electrical “Q” of the speaker.
Qms: The mechanical “Q” of the speaker.
Qts: The total "Q" of the speaker.
Vas: The volume of air having the same acoustic compliance as the speaker’s suspension.
Enclosure Recommendations
The mechanical and electrical parameters of the Legatia X midrange and midbass drivers are amenable to a variety of different installations and speaker locations. In a typical vehicular installation, Hybrid Audio Technologies recommends that the Legatia X drivers be placed in an “infinitely large” enclosure, which is more notably known as “infinite baffle.” Small sealed enclosures are not needed to be constructed, nor are typically recommended in most circumstances for any of the Legatia X range of products (there are some minor exceptions, based upon application, intended use, power handling, and etc., please contact us for details). Hybrid Audio has also had great success incorporating the Legatia X midrange and midbass drivers in dipole configuration (detailed below), transmission lines, and in larger vented enclosures.
In a typical installation, Legatia X midrange and midbass products should be mounted with unrestricted access to airspace to ensure the speaker’s ability to effectively reproduce its wide frequency bandwidth. The reason why the speaker was designed in this way is highly empirical. When a speaker is mounted in a small closed box, it radiates as much energy forward of the cone as it does rearward of the cone. All speaker cones and dust caps (diaphragms) are a weak sound barrier at best, and the result of the high amount of energy being “pushed” into a small enclosure is the energy transmitting through to the outside of the cone (an additive phenomenon to the incidental wave). It is conjectured that this effect is most notable in the low hundreds of Hz region, where acoustical stuffing materials are ineffective and the internal dimensions are not small enough for the internal air volume to act as a pure compliance. Consequently, Hybrid Audio has designed this speaker to work well without an enclosure, and as such, should not be significantly prone to enclosure back-pressure and sound coloration when placed infinitely baffled. The “infinitely large” enclosure, per se, improves spectral response and power response variation between high and low frequencies. And in the case where an infinite baffle operation is difficult or impossible to achieve in your car’s environment, we highly suggest the use of acoustic resistors (aperiodic membranes or trade name Variovents®) in sealed enclosures to help dissipate the backwave energy. If you absolutely must use a sealed enclosure, we recommend that you contact us for details and assistance in targeting a sealed enclosure volume applicable for your intended purpose. In all cases, the use of loosely-packed fibrous damping materials, such as fiberglass, Dacron, or long-fiber wool will also significantly improve the final installation, no matter what type of baffle and enclosure configuration is chosen.
In a typical installation, Legatia X midrange and midbass products should be mounted with unrestricted access to airspace to ensure the speaker’s ability to effectively reproduce its wide frequency bandwidth. The reason why the speaker was designed in this way is highly empirical. When a speaker is mounted in a small closed box, it radiates as much energy forward of the cone as it does rearward of the cone. All speaker cones and dust caps (diaphragms) are a weak sound barrier at best, and the result of the high amount of energy being “pushed” into a small enclosure is the energy transmitting through to the outside of the cone (an additive phenomenon to the incidental wave). It is conjectured that this effect is most notable in the low hundreds of Hz region, where acoustical stuffing materials are ineffective and the internal dimensions are not small enough for the internal air volume to act as a pure compliance. Consequently, Hybrid Audio has designed this speaker to work well without an enclosure, and as such, should not be significantly prone to enclosure back-pressure and sound coloration when placed infinitely baffled. The “infinitely large” enclosure, per se, improves spectral response and power response variation between high and low frequencies. And in the case where an infinite baffle operation is difficult or impossible to achieve in your car’s environment, we highly suggest the use of acoustic resistors (aperiodic membranes or trade name Variovents®) in sealed enclosures to help dissipate the backwave energy. If you absolutely must use a sealed enclosure, we recommend that you contact us for details and assistance in targeting a sealed enclosure volume applicable for your intended purpose. In all cases, the use of loosely-packed fibrous damping materials, such as fiberglass, Dacron, or long-fiber wool will also significantly improve the final installation, no matter what type of baffle and enclosure configuration is chosen.
Dipole Applications
While infinite baffle or resistive sealed enclosures are highly recommended for this driver, you might find that in the rare instance that the Legatia X drivers can be placed in a completely open baffle, i.e. dipole. A word of caution: Legatia X drivers mounted in an open baffle have to move more air than a similar Legatia X driver mounted in a resistive sealed enclosure, or infinitely baffled, just simply for the fact that there’s a progressive acoustic short circuit between front and back waves below the speaker’s resonance frequency (Fs) in the open baffle configuration. Great care must be taken in this instance, because there is no acoustic compliance afforded in a dipole configuration, and the speaker will reach its mechanical limits much quicker (and will net increased distortion). However, in certain instances, a dipole-style midrange may work well in a vehicular installation, in that radiation from the rear of the baffle, having undergone enough phase shift as it comes around to the front, adds to the total sound at off-axis angles. Of great importance in the dipole midrange configuration is the setting up of crossovers and weighing the negative effects of distortion of elevated amplitude levels.
Legatia X1
Legatia X1 Black Anodized
Legatia X1-B
Legatia X1 Brushed Aluminum
Legatia X1-S
X1 Tweeter Attributes
History
The Legatia X1’s topology is an enhanced “ring radiator” version of the successful low-resonance Legatia L1 Pro R2. The purpose of the L1 R2 topology was to build upon the success and efficacy of the Legatia L1 Pro, but to offer the driver in a radiator ring topology to further enhance on-axis and off-axis frequency response, increased bandwidth, and lower modal distortion. The Legatia X1 is the culmination of an inordinate amount of time and resources spent testing and refining this product to the exacting specifications of Hybrid Audio Technologies and our long heritage of quality speakers. We are certain that this product will provide class-leading performance — that simply cannot be beat by competing brands — if installed properly.
Diaphragm, Power Handling, and Wave Guide
With respect to the diaphragm, the X1 has a slightly heavier moving mass than the L1 Pro (without negatively affecting transient response), which in turn has afforded more damping character. Nominal and thermal power handling has also been improved over the original L1 Pro R2 transducer; the X1 tweeter has a very high-power handling with proper filtering, and the X1 diaphragm is much less susceptible to mechanical deformation than other designs, and yet yields a smooth response over the extent of its range. The diaphragm is protected by a large open-space perforated metal grille that can be removed, if desired.
The X1 has several unique features that ensure performance is superior to all other designs in this category. The ring radiator geometry is notorious for delivering a flat, extended response, but many radiator designs have suffered historically from poor off-axis response. The main X1 criteria was to have a ring radiator that could work exceptionally well in a car environment, with an end-user’s choice of either on- or off-axis operation with good polar response. The geometry of the wave guide was paramount to achieving this result and was the subject of a concerted effort by Hybrid Audio Technologies engineers. The wave guide is proprietary to Hybrid Audio Technologies and prevents phase cancellation for uniform frequency response and uniform polar radiation. The addition of the wave guide is also an improvement over a conventional dome tweeter design simply for the fact that the diaphragm is terminated not only at its edges, but also at the center of the diaphragm as well. This feature improves the damping of modal distortion and resonance. In concert with the wave guide is a treated fine cloth diaphragm to ensure smooth frequency response.
The X1 has several unique features that ensure performance is superior to all other designs in this category. The ring radiator geometry is notorious for delivering a flat, extended response, but many radiator designs have suffered historically from poor off-axis response. The main X1 criteria was to have a ring radiator that could work exceptionally well in a car environment, with an end-user’s choice of either on- or off-axis operation with good polar response. The geometry of the wave guide was paramount to achieving this result and was the subject of a concerted effort by Hybrid Audio Technologies engineers. The wave guide is proprietary to Hybrid Audio Technologies and prevents phase cancellation for uniform frequency response and uniform polar radiation. The addition of the wave guide is also an improvement over a conventional dome tweeter design simply for the fact that the diaphragm is terminated not only at its edges, but also at the center of the diaphragm as well. This feature improves the damping of modal distortion and resonance. In concert with the wave guide is a treated fine cloth diaphragm to ensure smooth frequency response.
Tuned Chamber and Motor
The tuned chamber of the X1 the key to the ability of the driver to faithfully reproduce low-octave tones with low distortion, should the end-user desire this type of topology. The X1 has a polypropylene tuned and damped chamber at the rear of the motor assembly; the chamber helps to reduce backwave distortion and significantly lower the tweeter’s resonance frequency to allow it to be used to play tones in the vocal spectrum. The tuned chamber is a proprietary design to Hybrid Audio; reduced distortion, low-octave authority, and greater dynamics are the immediate sonic benefits. The tuned chamber includes integrated push terminals, discussed later.
The motor assembly is conventional dynamic, with a high-grade Φ24.5 × 3.5 H NdFeB neodymium magnet structure to ensure a small footprint size and shallow depth. The result is the total profile of the motor as small as possible, enhancing acoustic performance, and aiding in mounting via small size and low weight. The X1 is one of the shallowest tuned chamber tweeters on the market, and is even shallower than the L1 Pro R2 and L1 Pro.
The motor assembly is conventional dynamic, with a high-grade Φ24.5 × 3.5 H NdFeB neodymium magnet structure to ensure a small footprint size and shallow depth. The result is the total profile of the motor as small as possible, enhancing acoustic performance, and aiding in mounting via small size and low weight. The X1 is one of the shallowest tuned chamber tweeters on the market, and is even shallower than the L1 Pro R2 and L1 Pro.
Body/Flange
The body and flange of the Legatia X1 is one-piece machined 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum (not poured or cast aluminum). The dense metal structure, lacking interstitial voids, helps reduce vibrations within the body of the tweeter to abate resonance, and ensure effective reproduction of extremely low music tones. The X1 is a shared dimensional design with the Legatia Pro and the Legatia Pro SE and Pro R2 for easy upgrade potential. If you already own the L1 Pro or L1 Pro SE/R2, the X1 will drop right into place.
A machined aluminum Φ47.5mm knurled attachment nut at the base of the tweeter provides optimized clamping strength to the mounting media.
The mounting flange, only 3mm larger than the Legatia L1V2 tweeter, provides a solid-aluminum mounting surface for the tweeter without the necessity of mounting cups or external hardware. The overall dimensions of the driver are very amenable for use in the car audio environment, and in locations typical of the standard OEM tweeter mounting locations, as well as in custom locations, boasting a depth of just 23mm, 4.5mm shallower than the sibling L1 Pro R2 tweeter offering.
The X1 tweeter is available in two colors to ensure cosmetic integration with the vehicle’s surroundings: silver brushed aluminum, and anodized black (there is no cost difference between the two colors) with gold-tinted copper phase plug and radiator ring.
A machined aluminum Φ47.5mm knurled attachment nut at the base of the tweeter provides optimized clamping strength to the mounting media.
The mounting flange, only 3mm larger than the Legatia L1V2 tweeter, provides a solid-aluminum mounting surface for the tweeter without the necessity of mounting cups or external hardware. The overall dimensions of the driver are very amenable for use in the car audio environment, and in locations typical of the standard OEM tweeter mounting locations, as well as in custom locations, boasting a depth of just 23mm, 4.5mm shallower than the sibling L1 Pro R2 tweeter offering.
The X1 tweeter is available in two colors to ensure cosmetic integration with the vehicle’s surroundings: silver brushed aluminum, and anodized black (there is no cost difference between the two colors) with gold-tinted copper phase plug and radiator ring.
Terminals Cap and Spring-Loaded Terminals
The X1 includes an extruded polypropylene tuned chamber with integrated high-end nickel-plated spring-loaded push terminals at the rear of the tweeter’s motor assembly. The spring-loaded terminals give the end-user flexibility in direct connection with large-gauge tinned wiring, without the need for crimp terminals.
Summary
The Legatia X1 is the ideal multi-purpose super high-end speaker driver. The size of the device and its incredible off-axis ability are amenable to a variety of different installations and speaker locations. The size of the X1 allows it to be mounted in typical OEM and custom locations within a vehicle. At home in virtually any arrangement, the X1 boasts exceptional performance and a design philosophy that goes hand in hand with true high-fidelity playback.
Legatia X3
Legatia X3 Paper w/ dust cap
Legatia X3-P
Legatia X3 Carbon w/ dust cap
Legatia X3-C
Legatia X3 Paper w/ extended phase plug pole piece
Legatia X3-PP
Legatia X3 Carbon w/ extended phase plug pole piece
Legatia X3-CP
X3 Wide-Bandwidth Midrange/Full-Range Attributes
Overview
The Legatia X3 is a 93mm (3.7-inch) “small format” wide-bandwidth midrange/full-range driver to compliment both two-way and three-way system designs, where a point-source midrange and/or full-range driver is required. The following are the X3’s design attributes.
Basket
The basket of the Legatia X3 is complimentary in dimension to the Legatia L3SE, L3V2 and the original Legatia L3 for easy upgrade potential; the L3, L3V2, L3SE, and X3 are interchangeable in mounting topology. The basket is a proprietarily-tooled high-quality cast aluminum design, and contains a 93mm flange providing for the mounting of the driver via four screw holes (the use of 3mm cap head screws is ideal). The overall dimensions of the driver are very amenable for use in the car audio environment, and in locations typical of the standard “3-inch” driver, or in custom locations at the discretion of the end-user, boasting a depth of just 43.5mm (1.71-inch), 0.5mm shallower than its Legatia X3 counterpart. The basket features larger openings behind the cone to eliminate chuffing and other aerodynamic-based noises, as well as provides adequate communication to the back of the cone for acoustic suspension and proper operation.
Motor
The motor of the X3 is paramount to the performance of the driver, providing for a flat and wide BL curve (as a learning note, BL is the equivalent of torque in a car; a car with a flat and constant torque curve provides much better acceleration and performance than a car with a peaky, non-constant torque curve). The BL curve is flat and extended, yielding 6mm of two-way linear excursion, resulting in the X3 being able to accurately track the input signal. Reduced distortion and greater dynamics are the immediate sonic benefits. The motor of the X3 includes an opposing double-stacked NdFeB magnet to improve restorative force, compliance, motor strength, displacement, and power handling. The magnet assemblies are fully surrounded by the voice coil.
Voice coil
The voice coil diameter of the X3 is a large 25mm (1-inch), which is the proper balance between size and moving mass in super high-end mobile audio midranges/full-range drivers. The voice coil diameter serves several key functions: elevated power handling, dissipation of heat (thereby lowering power compression), and maximizing the size of the magnet assembly for enhanced motor compliance. The voice coil is 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 good power handling and low inductance.
Suspension
The progressive “double-S” surround is fine fabric which is highly consistent, and 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 stiffness desired without being overly brittle or stiff, where vibrations in the spider are well damped and do not translate into the former or the cone.
Cone
The Legatia X3 is a cone-type driver consisting of a an optional proprietary hybrid paper or carbon fiber diaphragm with extremely low moving mass. Paper is widely acknowledged as the best-damping material, as it provides the near optimum balance of strength and weight. Carbon fiber is widely acknowledged as a more “forward” and “lively” sound. The end-user can select which cone topology best suites the desired end-result.
The cone designs offer a wide dispersion pattern to make for flexible installation and speaker location. The Legatia X3 has an outstanding extended frequency response; the usable frequency range of this driver exceeds seven complete octaves of usable bandwidth on-axis (~140 Hz – 20,000 Hz). Even off-axis, the X3 faithfully recreates more than six full octaves of information, for the ultimate “small-format” midrange/full-range driver.
Phase Plug or Dust Cap and Shorting Cup
The X3 comes equipped with an end-user choice of phase plug pole piece extension at the center of the cone or dust cap.
The phase plug design topology features an aluminum pole piece and, by design, ensures enhancement of the total inductance profile, providing much of the inductance reduction benefits noted. The phase plug is plated with matte gold, which by design does not negatively reduce eddy current, and adds thermal dissipation potential, not to mention sleek, class-leading cosmetics. The phase plug extends well down inside the pole vent, and acts as a very large and efficient heatsink for any heat that radiates into the pole. The highest frequencies of audio emanate from the area around the center of the cone and the lower frequencies are produced by the area of the cone that is farther from the center. The phase plug pole piece extension improves the X3’s performance and clarity by deflecting delicate midrange and treble tones forward of the driver, while minimizing distortion and improving bandwidth.
The dust cap design topology features an option for a carbon fiber cone / carbon fiber dust cap combination or a hybrid paper cone / hybrid paper dust cap combination. Generally speaking, the dust cap adds moving mass to the diaphragm (particularly in the carbon cone and dust cap topology), oftentimes lowering the resonance frequency of a similarly-equipped phase plug driver. The dust cap midrange drivers behave more like “traditional” drivers, where extended bandwidth may be partially sacrificed in favor of a more traditional driver topology in certain installations.
The X3 uses a copper shorting cup. The shorting cup consist of an optimally sized and placed copper (Cu) cup to create a total inductance profile that is not just low, but flat over stroke, frequency, and power. Inductance is the number one limiter of high frequency extension and modulation of inductance with stroke, frequency and power, and is the primary source of intermodulation distortion (IMD).
Tinsel Leads
The tinsel leads for the X3 are terminated on one side of the voice coil. The tinsel leads are stitched into the spider and bonded directly to the former and brought out to the terminals, which completely eliminates tinsel lead slap and does not compromise the structural integrity of the cone.
Terminals
The Legatia X3 comes equipped with heavy-duty nickel-plated spring-loaded push terminals for both positive and negative, which is an enhancement over the L3V2 model. The terminals optimize contact, and give the end user flexibility in tinned wire or binding post terminations.
Summary
Mechanical and electrical parameters are amenable to a variety of different installations and speaker locations. This driver is intended to be used in an infinite baffle configuration; a simple, solid baffle, solidly attached to the car’s chassis with available airspace at the rear of the baffle is all that is required for optimum operation. The size of the X3 allows it to be mounted in typical “3-inch” midrange locations within a vehicle, or in custom locations at the discretion of the end-user, as long as there is adequate airspace behind the driver to allow it to maintain proper damping and acoustic suspension.
At home in virtually any arrangement, the X3 is Hybrid Audio Technologies Legatia X high-end small-format midrange offering, boasting exceptional performance and a design philosophy that goes hand in hand with true high-fidelity playback.
Legatia X6
Legatia X6 Paper w/ dust cap
Legatia X6-P
Legatia X6 Carbon w/ dust cap
Legatia X6-C
Legatia X6 Paper w/ extended phase plug pole piece
Legatia X6-PP
Legatia X6 Carbon w/ extended phase plug pole piece
Legatia X6-CP
X6 Wide-Bandwidth Midrange/Midbass Attributes
Overview
The Legatia X6 is a 181mm (7.1-inch) wide-bandwidth midbass/midrange driver to compliment both two-way and three-way system designs, where a point-source midrange and/or dedicated midbass driver is required. The following are the X6’s design attributes:
Basket
The basket of the X6 is complimentary in dimension to the Legatia L6SE, Legatia L6V2, and Legatia L6, for easy upgrade potential; the X6, L6SE, L6V2, and L6 are interchangeable in mounting topology, with the exception of screw hole diameter and number of screw holes (the X6 having a slightly different screw hole diameter and six mounting screws instead of four). The basket is a proprietarily-tooled high-quality cast aluminum design, and contains a 181mm flange providing for the mounting of the driver via six screw holes (the use of 4mm cap head screws is ideal). The overall dimensions of the driver are very amenable for use in the car audio environment, and in locations typical of the standard “6-inch” driver, or in custom locations at the discretion of the end-user, boasting a depth of 73.6mm (2.89-inch), an improvement in depth of almost 0.18 inches over the similarly-equipped L6SE. The basket features large openings behind the cone to eliminate chuffing and other aerodynamic-based noises, as well as provides adequate communication to the back of the cone for acoustic suspension and proper operation.
Motor
The motor of the X6 is paramount to the performance of the driver, providing for a flat and wide BL curve (as a learning note, BL is the equivalent of torque in a car; a car with a flat and constant torque curve provides much better acceleration and performance than a car with a peaky, non-constant torque curve). The BL curve is flat and extended, yielding 18mm of two-way linear excursion, resulting in the X6 being able to accurately track the input signal. Reduced distortion and greater dynamics are the immediate sonic benefits. The motor of the X6 includes an opposing double-stacked NdFeB magnet to improve restorative force, compliance, motor strength, displacement, and power handling. The magnet assemblies are fully surrounded by the voice coil.
Voice Coil
Voice coil
The voice coil diameter of the X6 is a large 35.55mm (1.4-inch), which is the proper balance between size and moving mass in super high-end mobile audio midranges/midbass. The voice coil diameter serves several key functions: elevated power handling, dissipation of heat (thereby lowering power compression), and maximizing the size of the magnet assembly for enhanced motor compliance. The voice coil is 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 good power handling and low inductance.
Suspension
The progressive “double-S” surround is fine fabric which is highly consistent, and 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 stiffness desired without being overly brittle or stiff, where vibrations in the spider are well damped and do not translate into the former or the cone.
Cone
The Legatia X6 is a cone-type driver consisting of a an optional proprietary hybrid paper or carbon fiber diaphragm with extremely low moving mass. Paper is widely acknowledged as the best-damping material, as it provides the near optimum balance of strength and weight. Carbon fiber is widely acknowledged as a more “forward” and “lively” sound. The end-user can select which cone topology best suites the desired end-result.
The cone designs offer a wide dispersion pattern to make for flexible installation and speaker location. The Legatia X6 has an outstanding extended frequency response; the usable frequency range of this driver exceeds seven complete octaves of usable bandwidth on-axis (~70 Hz – ~10,000 Hz, depending on cone and phase plug/dust cap topology). Even off-axis, the X6 faithfully recreates more than six full octaves of information, for the ultimate “small-format” midrange/full-range driver.
Phase Plug or Dust Cap and Shorting Cup
The X6 comes equipped with an end-user choice of phase plug pole piece extension at the center of the cone or dust cap.
The phase plug design topology features an aluminum pole piece and, by design, ensures enhancement of the total inductance profile, providing much of the inductance reduction benefits noted. The phase plug is plated with matte gold, which by design does not negatively reduce eddy current, and adds thermal dissipation potential, not to mention sleek, class-leading cosmetics. The phase plug extends well down inside the pole vent, and acts as a very large and efficient heatsink for any heat that radiates into the pole. The highest frequencies of audio emanate from the area around the center of the cone and the lower frequencies are produced by the area of the cone that is farther from the center. The phase plug pole piece extension improves the X6’s performance and clarity by deflecting delicate midrange and treble tones forward of the driver, while minimizing distortion and improving bandwidth.
The dust cap design topology features an option for a carbon fiber cone / carbon fiber dust cap combination or a hybrid paper cone / hybrid paper dust cap combination. Generally speaking, the dust cap adds moving mass to the diaphragm (particularly in the carbon cone and dust cap topology), oftentimes lowering the resonance frequency of a similarly-equipped phase plug driver. The dust cap midrange drivers behave more like “traditional” drivers, where extended bandwidth may be partially sacrificed in favor of a more traditional driver topology in certain installations.
The X6 uses a copper shorting cup. The shorting cup consist of an optimally sized and placed copper (Cu) cup to create a total inductance profile that is not just low, but flat over stroke, frequency, and power. Inductance is the number one limiter of high frequency extension and modulation of inductance with stroke, frequency and power, and is the primary source of intermodulation distortion (IMD).
Tinsel Leads
The tinsel leads for the X6 are terminated on one side of the voice coil. The tinsel leads are stitched into the spider and bonded directly to the former and brought out to the terminals, which completely eliminates tinsel lead slap and does not compromise the structural integrity of the cone.
Terminals
The Legatia X6 comes equipped with heavy-duty nickel-plated spring-loaded push terminals for both positive and negative. The terminals optimize contact, and give the end user flexibility in tinned wire or binding post terminations.
Summary
The Legatia X6 is the ideal multi-purpose super high-end speaker driver. Mechanical and electrical parameters are amenable to a variety of different installations and speaker locations. This driver is intended to be used in an infinite baffle configuration; a simple, solid baffle, solidly attached to the car’s chassis with available airspace at the rear of the baffle is all that is required for optimum operation. The size of the X6 allows it to be mounted in typical “6-inch” midbass locations within a vehicle, or in custom locations at the discretion of the end-user, as long as there is adequate airspace behind the driver to allow it to maintain proper damping and acoustic suspension.
At home in virtually any arrangement, the X6 is Hybrid Audio Technologies Legatia X high-end large-format midrange/midbass offering, boasting exceptional performance and a design philosophy that goes hand in hand with true high-fidelity playback.