Cognitive radio (CR) is an emerging and optimistic solution for both current and future of communications due to the inefficient use of the allocated spectrum. The ability to use the available bandwidth of further wireless communication systems to boost its utilization is the main motivation behind the CR technology. Spectrum sensing is the primary component of the CR system that allows to identify the empty spectrum. This paper aims to enhance the performance of the hybrid sensor by using a proposed adaptive threshold optimization model (OATh). The hybrid sensor consists of two dual detector parallel paths. The initial path is composed of dual successive sensor phases; an energy detector (ED) is used in the initial phase to identify the existence of the PU signals in the absence of its identification. The presence of the PU signal is discovered using a second stage called Maximum-Minimum Eigenvalue (MME). The additional path employs two distinct parallel detectors, ED and MME, to identify the PU signal independently. Simulation results shows that the proposed approach using OATh outperforms the conventional hybrid sensor, at SNR = − 15 dB, the hybrid system’s probability of detection Pd = 0.465, while when using OATh, Hybrid system Pd = 0.633, which indicates a great enhancement in the energy detector performance leading to a great enhancement in the hybrid system.