By James Chevrette
Ground Zero, the German car audio manufacturer distributed through HKI USA, announced new premium speakers developed in collaboration with ELAC – a German home audio speaker manufacturer.
Ground Zero’s new Reference Line incorporates ELAC’s “diamond cone” technology under a licensing agreement. It’s a specialized woofer and midrange driver design for maximizing rigidity while reducing unwanted resonance that’s officially termed Crystal Membrane or Aluminum-Sandwich (AS) Technology.
HKI’s Nick Wingate described the Reference Line as a multi-year development effort aimed at delivering home-audio-grade performance in a car audio platform. The Reference Line is positioned as the brand’s flagship speaker line. It was on view at the recent KnowledgeFest in Las Vegas.
Core Principles of Crystal Membrane Technology
- Aluminum-Paper Sandwich: The driver is constructed by bonding a 0.2mm thick aluminum foil cone to a cellulose (paper) cone. This combines the high-frequency rigidity of metal with the self-damping properties of paper.
- “Crystal” Stamping: The aluminum surface is stamped into a unique, faceted, crystal-like pattern. This structure significantly stiffens the aluminum dome, which reduces internal resonances (breakup) and minimizes colorations in the sound.
New Reference Tweeter
The Reference Line has a 26mm inverted titanium dome tweeter driven by what HKI’s Nick Wingate described as “the strongest neodymium magnet the company could source.” Wingate continued, “the tweeter can be crossed over as low as 2,500 Hz with a steep filter slope,” though he cautioned against high-volume use below 4,000 Hz without adequate protection.
A three-way design includes the 26mm tweeter, 3.5-inch mid-bass driver and 6.5-inch speaker. The 3.5-inch mid-bass driver is designed to operate between 300 Hz and up to approximately 4,500 Hz in a three-way configuration.
Dealers can create a typical two-way configuration by using the 6.5 and tweeter. A person can use the 3.5-inch “middler” paired with the 6.5-inch in a two-way configuration but Wingate cautions the end user to watch the output level and power handling.
Availability and Pricing
The new Reference Line speakers ship in late March or early April 2026. The three-way system will carry a suggested retail price of $5,000 to $5,500 and will also be available for purchase a la carte.
