Traditionally, each device that handles a digital signal is processed by an independent clock to control the signals and timing of each component. However, having several clocks can cause slight signal misalignments called “jitter” that occurs during the Digital to Analog conversion. This results in subtle distortions and inevitably the loss of musical detail over time. To recapture these details and achieve High-Resolution audio playback at the highest specification (384kHz/32Bits), the problem of jitter had to be addressed. Alpine developed the Master Clock Management System, which uses a centralized, highly accurate “master clock” that completely synchronizes the audio signal between the head unit and the audio processor, virtually eliminating all jitter during the transmission. AlpineF#1Status is proud to be the first complete car audio system that utilizes this architecture.

At the core of the Master Clock Management System are two crystal oscillators called OCXO DuCULoN® that regulate the master clock for High-Resolution and high accuracy audio playback. Traditional system clocks are made from crystal quartz, whose performance and accuracy are susceptible to the dramatic temperature changes common in the vehicle environment. To address this temperature change and maintain the integrity of the system, the OCXO DuCULoN® crystal oscillator is housed in an insulated and temperature-controlled case located in the audio processor. Once the sound system is turned on, the internal temperature of the crystal is adjusted until it is stabilized at the appropriate level needed for master clock accuracy, which is indicated by a light. Housing the OCXO DuCULoN® crystal oscillator in a secured case not only allots for temperature change but can also reduce external noise that can impact the integrity of the sound. This also allows the master clock to be stabilized at an accuracy that is 500 times that of a crystal quartz used in standard digital products. This makes the AlpineF#1Status master clock operate at the highest accuracy in the industry.

In traditional car audio systems, the distance of the driver’s seat from each speaker is asymmetrical due to limited speaker installation locations. The discrepancy between the distance of the listener’s seat and the speaker positions cause the sound to arrive at the listener’s ears at different times. As a result, the sound characteristics, especially the music image, can become distorted and diverge from the artist's original intention. Unlike a home audio system, it is difficult, if not impossible, to position car audio speakers for an optimal listening environment. Therefore, a car audio system must feature precision tuning capabilities to ensure High-Resolution playback. Additionally, High-accuracy sound tuning that’s tailored to a vehicle’s interior environment can achieve accurate phasing (synchronization), provide a three-dimension stereo experience and create a balanced frequency range that’s faithful to the original recording and emulates a live performance. That’s why AlpineF#1Status is equipped with four of the industry’s highest-spec digital sound processors (DSP) running at up to 1GHz/64Bit, with the processing power of a high-end computer’s central processing unit (CPU), to achieve accurate sound tuning for High-Resolution audio playback at 384kHz/32Bit. The results are “Perfect Synchronization” and music that says faithful to the artist's original intentions.

Conventional car audio speakers are made with optimized materials and a structure suited to the specific frequency range they are designed to reproduce. However, due to these differences, the characteristics and tone differ from speaker to speaker causing instruments and vocals that have wider frequency ranges to have subtle changes when they are played with multiple speakers. To unify the tones of the speakers, AlpineF#1Status combined the designs by using a single material called Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP). CFRP is a lightweight, yet highly rigid material that is five to six times stronger than steel and three to four times stronger than aluminum of the same mass. More often used in aerospace and professional video equipment, CFRP now serves as the cone material in AlpineF#1Status speakers. Because of its structure, CFRP is the optimal choice for High-Resolution audio playback.