ALPINE Z-1 MID-HORNS

 The Alpine Z-1 mid-horn is an intriguing design. It was enhanced by adding a mid-horn and a tweeter horn to the existing drivers, making the 8” main driver both back and front loaded. 

The Alpine Z-1 is designed to reach a lower frequency of 125Hz when placed against a back wall, allowing the mouth to be one-fourth the size of a full horn, which is more practical for home use. 

It is intended for use with either the BB-10 or the F-15 horn-loaded subwoofer. Constructed from 24mm Baltic birch plywood, it ensures a rigid, solid structure that prevents ringing and resonances during playback. Positioning the mouth at floor level eliminates floor reflections. 

The 8" Tang Band driver is a full-range driver, covering the entire audio frequency range without crossover components, keeping the signal free from crossover effects. The amplifier directly controls the driver's motion. 

Although originally designed to be horn-loaded from 125Hz upwards, it benefits from being driven over the entire frequency range, eliminating unnecessary high-pass crossover components. 

Unlike other mid-range horns, these do not require bandwidth limitation, avoiding processors or passive crossovers that can degrade sound.

Typically, horn design limits a driver to 3 to 4 octaves to prevent throat distortion. Operating below its cut-off frequency can cause unloading from the horn load, leading to driver over excursion. The VZA Alpine Z-1 mid-horns are an exception, operating below the 125Hz cutoff while maintaining performance without throat distortion at high frequencies. The back of the driver powers the lower horn, while the front powers the higher (350Hz) mid horn, adding detail and immediacy in higher frequencies.

A high-frequency horn has been added to the air motion tweeter to enhance high frequencies, driven by a single first-order capacitor network. The air motion tweeter is perfectly time-aligned with the main horn driver. 

A major advantage of the Alpine Z-1 horn-loaded loudspeaker is its ability to be placed directly against the back wall. The horn's directivity focuses sound toward the listener, reducing back and side wall reflections. Most direct radiating loudspeakers need to be pulled away from walls to reduce first reflections.

(Custom accent colors available for the mid and tweeter horns)