# Hybrid Audio L1 Pro Special Edition –First Impressions



## ISTundra (Jan 3, 2009)

I’ve had my pair of HAT L1 Pro SE’s (#54 in black) installed for a few days now, and I have seen very little feedback on these so far, so here’s my first crack at a short review of them.

Installation details: The L1’s are mounted low in the front doors and right next to L6’s. The tweeter mount is angled up at about 15 degrees and slightly back towards the dome light. The driver’s side tweet is probably 60-70 degrees off axis from the driver position; the passenger side is probably less than 30 degrees off. I have a set of the regular L1 Pro’s that was previously installed in this location, and since both sets have the same form factor, I was able to A/B them for comparison. Here is the install location.
















I run the L1’s off the 25w rear channels of a JL 500/5, with the L6’s running off the 100w front channels. I use the onboard crossovers of the amp, and the results of my experimentations with the crossover points are explained below. The sub channel and rear fill were faded out during testing.

Visuals: The L1 Pro SE is a stunner. The copper phase plug and trim ring look very upscale. The open mesh design of the grille really shows them off nicely. It looks nice with the grille removed, but I am leaving mine in place to keep grubby hands away. The original L1’s kinda look like vanilla when compared side by side with these. I’m very pleased with the way they look in my install, although I am wondering if I shouldn’t have bought silver instead.

Listening Impressions: Right away after installing the SE’s, I noticed improved/wider imaging and heightened presence of the sound stage over the original L1’s. The off-axis response is noticeably improved. The driver side tweeter normally fires directly into my leg and is somewhat attenuated because of it. If I move my leg out of the way, I can hear a noticeable difference in the original L1, but the SE is much less affected by this. Overall, vocals sound clearer and more detailed with the SE’s.

With the original L1’s, I preferred to cross them over at about 4500 hz/24db slope. The SE’s sounded fine at that setting, but they really shine playing lower. I A/B’ed them both at different points for effect. I liked the SE’s crossed at about 3500 khz; when I play the originals that low, there is some distortion and harshness present. I did not play either of them any lower than ~2500 hz, which seemed to be missing some detail for both sets. At the top end, I didn’t hear much difference; although overall I’d say the clarity of the SE’s is more apparent throughout its range.

If you can’t tell, I’m really pleased with the SE’s. In my system, they really make a noticeable improvement in the vocal range, off-axis response, and overall clarity. I can’t say that I’ve demo’ed a bunch of high-end drivers to compare them with, but I will say without a doubt that these are the best tweeters I have ever heard. If anyone in the Phoenix area wants to listen for themselves, let me know. I don’t have a baller system that’s going to blow anyone away, but I bet anyone will be able to hear the differences I mention here.


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## TEGBOY (May 4, 2008)

Nice review, so 3500k at 24db slope? I have spent ages messing around with my SE's trying to find the right xover point. My are pillar mounted.


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## ISTundra (Jan 3, 2009)

I've switched to the Pioneer P99 deck now, and am experimenting again with HP points/slope/levels on these. They sound really bright below 5khz on the new deck with TA. The auto-tune on the P99 wants to HP these at 8Khz/12 db slope, surprisingly, but it doesn't sound all that bad, but I'd like to get these sounding good when playing lower.


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## dkh (Apr 2, 2008)

Try 18dB slopes between 4.5 - 8k...

I heard with a-pillar installs and more than 40 deg off-axis this might work wonders...


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