Zaph Audio ZA14W08 5" Aluminum Cone Mid/Woofer

The Zaph Audio ZA14W08 are also amazing for Open Baffle. "I LOVE THESE DRVERS".
First off, a little background. I have been built many loudspeaker projects over the past 30 or so years but mostly using active crossovers with multiple amplifiers. My power amps that I have been using for more than 10 years are 2each ATI AT2505, 1 Emotiva LPA-1 also 2 each Yamaha DSP-A1 and Denon AVR X4000, Denon AVR 2805, AVR 2802. Active X-overs have been many TDM 24CX-2, TDM 24CX-2, Madisound version 24CX-4 made by TDM, RANE, Audio Control, LOFT Model 602, Behringer, Pyle and my favorite is the (Audio Control DXS) car audio digital crossover powered by a 120Vac to 12Vdc for home use. I have used several Car Audio crossovers in the past for home use and they work just fine using a 120Vac to 12 Vdc converter. I leave them on all the time as with all crossovers should be, to prevent damaging power on and off transients. NOTE: All my X-Overs are Linkwitz-Reiley 24db per octave

Now that I got that part out of the way, I would like to mention that for the past 3 years or so I have been experimenting with Open Baffle Loudspeakers with some very decent and impressive results. In fact now when I listen to Close box designs I am not very impressed anymore because of their lack of openness.

Before this Project my latest Open Baffle projects were using different variations of Vifa (Rear Chambered) tweeters, my favorite being the Vifa D25AG-35 1 Aluminum dome tweeter and the Audax HM130CO 5-1/4" Carbon Fiber Mid-woofer an excellent reproducer of midrange sound. For the Bass section I have been Using My own DIY using the HiVi Research W10 woofers in 3.4 Cu. foot ported enclosures 2 woofers per enclosure. The different variations I tried all sounded great. I would like to note again that the crossovers I use are all 24 db. I have also found the I get the best performance when crossed over from the Bass to Midrange at 200 to 250 Hz and the Midrange to tweeters at about 3000 Hz.
I removed the rear chamber from the tweeters by simply prying the plastic rear cup off using a very thin flat screw driver so that the rear wave from the tweeter can also fire out he back to make it an Open Baffle. "IT WORKS", Although this rear chamber needs a little modification because it causes a bit of a shrill honking sound or something like that. After experimenting with this for about 2 years I found a simple solution. Simply stuff that hole with a 1/2 " long piece of soft open cell foam. " IT WORKS". Another trick I learned was to add a very small wave guide to the back almost like horn loading but "NOT". I used Rv Trailer Rolls Window Hatch Vent Caulk Seam Sealer Butyl Seal Tape 3/16" Can find it on Ebay but got mine a Scott Mclendons Hardware.
This is sticky and can be formed like putty over and over and also makes great speaker gaskets and other uses.
I just cut ff about the amount I needed and rooled it in my hand and formed it around the edge or the rear hole to make what looks like a horn of sorts.
The Zaph Audio ZA14W08 system I modeled this from is the ZA5.5 Tower MTMMM configuration making the front Baffle only. The Vifa D25AG-35 Tweeter is place in the center of the Baffle between the top 2 ZA14W08 woofers. The Vifa tweeter is wired directly to it's own amplifier crossed over at 3000 Hz 24 db per octave. The top 2 ZA14W08 woofers are wired in series to create an 16 ohm load. The Bottom 2 ZA14W08 woofers are wired in series to creat an 16 ohm load. Then the top 2 ZA14W08 hooked in series and the Bottom 2 ZA14W08 hooked in series are hooked up together at the speaker terminal connected to their own amplifier crossed over at 225 Hz to the HiVi Research W10 Bass and 3000 Hz to the tweeters.
The output level of al these a already closely matched with all crossover levels set the same. The Rv Trailer 4 Rolls Window Hatch Vent Caulk Seam Sealer Butyl Seal Tape 3/16" Vifa tweeters were barely higher by about 1 or 2 db and the Hi Vi W10 Bass was about 3 to 4 db higher.
Because the rear wave from the ZA1408 was so wide and produce such an extended sound stage outside of the speaker setup and I wanted a little more focus toward the center stage between the speakers I added 5" deep side panels on the out side of each left and right speaker from the bottom to just between the Vifa Tweeter and the 3 ZA14W08 woofer from the bottom.

So basically this is just a Zaph Audio ZA5.5 Tower front Baffle with drivers mounted with an outside panel mounted to deflect the sound more toward the center. They are sitting on top of my HiVi W10 woofer cabinets to create some of the most life like sound I have ever heard for a home audio system.

These drivers are phenominal

I agree with all the previous reviews; it is a serious speaker, offering an exceptional sound quality! Clear AND clean sound. Recommended to all who want to enter the world of high quality speakers.

I used these in a three way speaker with a Madisound Leap crossover. I was immediately taken by the clarity of the midrange and the the lack of distortion. These even got a "wow" from my musician son, who usually doesn't comment on my speakers. At this price, the Scandinavians better take notice. Also, kudo's to Madisound on quite a crossover.

'In my opinion the ZA14W08 mid/woofer is an incredible bargain. I believe you would have to spend 2-3 times what these cost to equal or better them. These are very open, clean and natural sounding when implemented properly. The build quality is great, and they are nice to look at also. I would like to thank Zaph Audio and Madisound for offering this high quality driver at a very reasonable price!' Review by Troy Madden. Posted by Madisound.

'I concur with the two previous reviews. This is a very nice mid-bass driver. I've been comparing to some old Audax paper-cone (which are excellent) and some newer Audax Aerogel (or whatever they called that material) which are also very nice. I prefer the sound from the Zaphs though - it sounds more neutral to me, and (big one here) maintains its composure at higher volumes. I'm using them in a 3-way active xover system I originally built 17 years ago (Dynaudio 300mm woofers and ScanSpeak D29 tweeters) and they're staying. They've solved the mid-range deficiencies I've been unhappy with.' Review by Peter Warton. Posted by Madisound.

'Love this midwoofer. Several positives to list including high quality build midrange clarity/detail, flexibility, and cost. I have used several much more expensive mids but the ZA14W08 I always seems to outperform higher priced drivers. I also like the frequency range of this speaker, making it very flexible. Besides being flexible in use, the ZA14W08 needs very little enclosure space to shine and has VERY consistent performance from the various speakers I've ordered and tested. I use them in my car and I'm working on my home speaker design now. One of the best price-to-performance ratios of any speaker I've ever used.' Review by Eric Weber. Posted by Madisound.

I placed these in TL tower and was pleasantly suprized. Flat, competent and appropriately damped. Terrific value.