AlpineF#1Status Generation 3 - High-resolution 384kHz/32-bit audio playback

Thomas Wachsmuth 20 January 2023 Tips, products, information & Co.

Reading time 6 Min.

Alps Alpine - First provider with high-resolution 384 kHz/32-bit audio playback for cars, motorhomes and recreational vehicles - AlpineF#1Status, the reference in the field of car hifi offers sound atmosphere with "Perfect Sync"! Alps Alpine Co.Ltd. (Ota-ku, Tokyo; President Toshihiro Kuriyama), a leading manufacturer of electronic components and automotive infotainment systems, and its Japanese marketing division Alpine Electronics Marketing, Inc. (Ota-ku, Tokyo; President Muneki Ishida) present the AlpineF#1Status, the Reference for car hifi. Global sales of the new system will start in autumn 2021.

AlpineF#1Status Generation 3

The AlpineF#1Status is a complete premium audio system for vehicles of all kinds, re-enacting Alpine's vision of "Emotion in Mobility" with an incomparable music experience. It was developed by pooling knowledge, technical know-how and experience as a provider of premium sound systems. It offers listeners the emotional experience of a live performance and transforms a space used for transportation into a superior acoustic sound arena.

AlpineF#1Status is the first sound system in the industry capable of realizing 384kHz/32-bit high-resolution audio playback – the highest possible playback quality that a car hifi system can achieve. This is the only way to achieve the highest possible playback quality in a car hi-fi system. This standard now enables playback of 17 times the digital audio data of a standard audio CD (44,1 kHz/16-bit). All content is reproduced in a quality that is not possible with CDs. This allows users to be presented with even the finest musical details, such as the artists' breath and subtle interactions with instruments previously only heard in a live performance.

The AlpineF#1Status system allows in-vehicle listeners to truly enjoy studio-quality sound. In order to achieve a perfect and accurate sound reproduction, the development was concentrated on three critical parameters: the temporal synchronization of the audio signal transmission, the delay of the sound and the frequency transmission with a 4-way speaker system.

1. Pushing Limits - 384kHz/32-bit high-resolution audio and playback quality

A first in the car audio industry, the AlpineF#1Status achieves 384kHz/32-bit playback. That is 17,4 times the amount of information of the previous CD standard (44,1 kHz/16-bit) and thus ensures a music experience that is true to the original and almost free of distortion. This enables music to be reproduced at a level of expressiveness that CDs have never been able to achieve. Listeners can now experience details like the artist's breath and subtle interactions with instruments that were previously only heard in a live performance. It allows listeners to realistically experience the sound of a recording studio in a vehicle.

2. The very special appeal of High-Resolution Audio quality

The human ear can hear frequencies up to 20 kHz. The new 384 kHz high-resolution recordings allow playback of ultra-high frequency ranges up to 192 kHz. So far, this has led to a problem, as limiting the audio source to a range that is audible to humans led to compromises in the original sound quality. This resulted in a reproduction of the recordings that differed from the original. High-resolution music playback is achieved by including frequency ranges that are inaudible to the human ear. This ensures full expression in high frequency ranges and creates a sense of detail and depth in the music. In addition, High-Resolution Audio playback offers brilliant sound with minimal distortion, even when music is played at high volume.

3. Perfect synchronization for the real live feeling

I. Time scale synchronization for audio signal transmission
Until now, playback devices for audio sources and the audio processor for the sound settings have often been divided into two separate components due to the limited space in the vehicle. Because of this, it was necessary for each digital signal processing device to have its own independent crystal (clock generator) so that the signals and the timing of the individual components could be processed. This causes deviations in the digital signal, known as "jitter" (clock errors), which affect the quality of the audio playback. The master clock management system in the AlpineF#1Status system was developed to solve this problem. The heart of the master clock management system is the OCXO DuCULoN® oscillator and has the highest precision worldwide. It synchronizes the transmission between the player and the audio processor with a single clock. This drastically reduces the "jitter" in the audio transmission.

For the first time in a car audio system, an OCXO (Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator) crystal oscillator with a temperature control system is used. It improves accurate audio reproduction with a dual crystal design housed in a special case with improved thermal insulation. This improves the frequency/temperature characteristics from ±50 ppm (parts per million) to ±0,1 ppb (parts per billion) through an automatic temperature control system.
In order to fully exploit the performance of the high-precision device and to achieve 384 kHz/32-bit playback, it is configured to be directly coupled to the ES9038PRO DAC as a clock generator for digital-to-analog (DA) conversion. This minimizes unwanted distortion caused by "jitter" (clock errors), improves audio quality and provides a configuration that achieves the full potential of High-Resolution Audio.

II. Synchronization of signal times

With conventional car hi-fi systems, the distance to the listener is asymmetrical on the left and right, depending on the loudspeaker arrangement and seating position. This requires a very complex tuning and computing power of the processors to optimize the sound quality. AlpineF#1Status is equipped with four first-class digital sound processors operating at up to 1 GHz/64-bit. This corresponds to the computing power of a high-performance PC, which is used here for precise sound tuning. This enables the AlpineF#1Status system to carry out runtime adjustments with an accuracy of approx. 0,9 mm. This means a clear improvement over the previous standard for existing products that work with a 7,2 mm grid.

III. quadruple synchronization of all speaker components

Conventional loudspeakers are made of materials and construction suitable for the entire frequency band. Multi-way loudspeaker systems, in turn, consist of materials and technologies that were developed for an individual frequency band. So are e.g. For example, thin membranes are light and suitable for playing fast, high-pitched sounds, but they are less rigid. This rigidity is particularly needed for low tones, which makes a membrane heavy and therefore not suitable for reproducing high tones.

AlpineF#1Status Generation 3 - High-resolution 384kHz/32-bit audio playback

With AlpineF#1 status, these different material properties are made possible by a high-performance carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) that unifies the sonic characteristics of all speaker components in the system. CFRP is as light as plastic and as strong as aluminum. This aerospace material is so versatile that it can be used for reproduction from the low to the ultra-high frequency range. The optimized membrane design also impresses with a variety of new specifications so that high-resolution audio can be achieved.

The loudspeaker surrounds for attaching the loudspeaker membrane to the metal basket are provided with a patented "double toothed membrane suspension" which ensures audio quality in high-resolution quality. The combination of Alpine's patented speaker technologies, including DDDrive, DDLinear and the DualEmission magnet array, reduces speaker distortion by precisely converting the incoming electrical signal into clean diaphragm movement. As a result, AlpineF#1Status loudspeakers achieve an unprecedented reproduction frequency in a significantly larger frequency range. This enables a significantly wider working range for each system component. Photo credit: Alps Alpine Europe GmbH

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