Ground Zero GZNF 50SQ speaker review

GROUND ZERO is a reputable German brand, one of the leading manufacturers of high-quality car speakers. The company often takes names for rulers, inspired by the periodic table, preferring to use transuranic elements. The compact ultra-wideband speaker of three inches in diameter from the NUCLEAR GZNF 50SQ line is no exception. Despite its rather affordable price for acoustics with similar characteristics, it will give odds to many of its rivals. In this article, we will take a closer look at its features and key performance characteristics.

Original wide-range ultra-wideband speaker

The tempting idea is to get the speakers to reproduce sounds in the widest possible sound range using only one head-for a very long time it has occupied the best designers around the world. That is why every well-known and reputable manufacturer of acoustic systems at least once made attempts to create an "ultra-wideband" speaker, which is also called mid-tweeters.

But this is a rather difficult task. This is explained by the fact that in order to achieve a good result, it is necessary to coordinate and coordinate in one case the possibilities of transmitting sound in a wide range, minimize distortion, take into account the sensitivity and dispersion parameters.

In order to increase the indicator of the upper limit of the frequency range, in dynamics, the engineers had to make the mobile system (diffuser) as light as possible. But this entails a problem, since with such parameters of the diffuser the resonance increases, which provokes distortion of sound transmission. To reduce it, it is necessary to increase the flexibility of the diffuser hanging, which entails an increase in volume. The moving part of the speaker should be not only light, but also rigid, while it is strongly not recommended to increase the mass of the structure. The only way engineers use is to increase the depth of the conical part.

Because it’s not so easy to implement, decent samples are extremely rare. Ground Zero GZNF 50SQ belongs to them.

Design Features of Ground Zero GZNF 50SQ

This is a high-quality and reliable mid-tweeter with very good functional parameters.

The speaker received a rigid aluminum diffuser with a diameter of 45 mm with a large dust cap of the same material. The suspension has a width of 5 mm. The linear stroke of the diffuser is 1 mm, while the limit, with non-linear distortions, can reach up to 3 mm. It is worth noting that the speakers of such a small size GZNF 50SQ has a very low main resonance index-only 130 Hz. Due to this, he got the opportunity to work even at low frequencies-from 350 Hz.

The basket is quite light, but durable, as it is made of high-quality ABS plastic. At the heart of the magnetic system is a neodymium magnet. The diameter of the voice coil in this speaker for its size can be called simply huge-it is 22 mm.

It is also worth mentioning separately about the centering washer with special holes that are used to reduce stiffness. It is this design feature that minimizes the resonant frequency with a lightweight moving system. In addition, these holes are used to ventilate the voice coil, this allows the speaker, despite its modest dimensions, to operate at very high power-50 watts during continuous playback, and 80 watts-at the peak. Of course, such parameters are observed when using an operating frequency of more than 350 Hz.

Due to the fact that the diffuser turned out to be quite deep, and the frame has an elongated shape of the voice coil, the speaker has a large mounting depth of 28 mm. The flange has a square shape with cut corners, it is additionally closed with a special protective grill (it comes with a speaker), which slightly increases the dimensions of the acoustics. But even with a grill, this model will be more compact, if we compare the Sizes with mid-range and wideband speakers similar in their performance characteristics. This greatly expands the possibilities of installing speakers in the car.

Powerful and realistic sound

To maximize the acoustic capabilities of this ultra-wideband speaker, it is recommended to connect it through an external amplifier, and when setting the active crossover, use the upper limit value of 320 Hz.

This speaker is capable of transmitting the sound of musical instruments in the middle and upper register with a very natural and natural color. Thanks to the use of a light, but rather rigid diffuser, the sound is very detailed, with a good rendering of the shades. At the same time, despite the small linear stroke of the diffuser, there is no distortion, hissing and noises. This acoustics allows you to enjoy your favorite music in very good quality.

Given the design and size of the speaker, it does not require special acoustic design when mounted in a dashboard. However, when installing at the door of the car, you still have to take care to protect it from the influence of low-frequency frequencies, which are often installed there. In this case, you will need high-quality closed clearance of about 0.3 liters. When mounting in a rack, it will be difficult to obtain even such a small volume, therefore, it will be necessary to put up with the fact that the resonance frequency increases, which entails immediately increasing the lower limit of the frequency range available for pure reproduction.

Please note that no matter what installation and acoustic design option you choose, it is recommended that you use a high-pass filter of at least second order (the higher the better). This is important in order to protect the speaker from overloading with high-frequency low-frequency signals, which helps minimize the likelihood of possible non-linear distortions.

As a midrange, it can be used at frequencies up to 5-6 kHz. In this case, pay close attention to the orientation of the speaker during installation and tuning of the speaker system. This is due to the fact that the very concept of using ultra-wideband speakers implies the absence of high-frequency emitters (tweeters), therefore, orientation is very important when building an acoustic scene in a car interior. You need to pay maximum attention to this issue if you want to achieve high-quality and clear sound.

To summarize

In general, we can say that in this price range this speaker has almost no analogues. It has excellent parameters: a wide range of operating frequencies with very compact sizes. Yes, this imposes some limitations-acoustics has a narrow radiation pattern and a small sensitivity indicator. However, such trifles can hardly be called serious shortcomings, since they can be easily compensated for by the competent installation and connection of an external amplifier.

Installing such speakers is also advantageous in that you can get a clean and realistic sound of high and medium frequencies without adding a separate tweeter to the system. So you can save money, because you can take one speaker instead of a set of mid-range speakers and tweeters.

If you want to buy Ground Zero GZNF 50SQ acoustics in Kiev, Odessa and Kharkov, then the online store 130.com.ua offers it with delivery all over Ukraine at a very attractive and affordable price. Our catalog contains a large selection of speakers and other speaker systems and equipment for cars.

Buy Ground Zero GZNF 50SQ