because it’s constructed from the exquisite element rare earth neodymium. This material has a magnetic fl ux density and strength far beyond that of normal strontium despite being a fraction of the physical size. You might have noticed I also said ‘within’ the motor as opposed to surrounding it – this points to how Morel has cleverly designed the cooling system for this driver.

There are three main trains of thought when it comes to cooling a speaker motor. The standard one commonly employed by 99% of speaker designers sees the speaker having perimeter vents in the basket and a large pole vent in the back. As the motor reciprocates it draws air up through the pole vent, fl ows it across the voice coil gap and expels it through the surrounding perimeter vents, taking heat with it. Secondly and rarest of all is the power-fl ower design where multiple magnet stacks are used and air just fl ows into and out of the voice coil gap direct through the stack gaps. This is one of the superior methods but it means multiple magnet stacks which equates to big dollars.

Therefore Morel has opted to include a design which allows for plenty of airfl ow but still retains the single magnet – the former actually surrounds the magnet which is in the centre. This allows the air to fl ow through the nine large cooling vent holes, through the spider and over the voice coil which literally has its back to the wind. The air then fl ows out the 25mm pole vent located in the middle of the magnet. It’s a smart design that offers highly effi cient cooling without

the need to shell out extra coin for excessive amounts of neodymium. The only downside of this design, if one could call it such; is that the voice coil needs to be a lot larger to accommodate the magnet within. Therefore the aluminium former which is wrapped with 4-ohms Hexatech aluminium coil measures an impressive 54mm! Despite its size, the voice coil is not overly heavy and therefore only requires up to 140 watts to hit its straps. If you’re keen to really push it it’ll handle up to 300 watts before physical failure becomes a realistic issue. Externally the motor is protected by the frame which envelops it completely and the terminals are mounted to this too.

The MT120 tweeter is similar to the previous model with just a few small refi nements aimed at eliminating some minor issues the previous one possessed. The 25mm Acufl ex soft dome has been hand coated with a strengthening treatment and which is blended together with the carefully-profi led surround design. The unit has a resonant frequency of 1150Hz and can move with ultra-smooth transients. So far as dispersion characteristics go this is one area when the MT120 has been improved upon; with a slightly different dome geometry offering superior sound saturation and spread. Turning the diminutive driver over reveals a small back chamber, within which resides a ferro-fl uid cooled 4-ohms copper voice coil wrapped on a 28mm aluminium former. This is surrounded with a neodymium magnet. The combination of effective suspension and robust motor offers superior damping and allows for very low frequency response down to the tune of 1800Hz! The rear chamber has had a slight rework as well despite looking similar, and is acoustically damped to eliminate high frequency distortion and back wave issues pertaining to the underside of the dome.

CROSSING OVERThe MXR200 crossovers have undergone signifi cant changes to their design and although they look similar, Morel has undertaken a fair amount of research in order to get the business of frequency swapping just right, with the MXR200 providing a far smoother transition between cone and dome. Crossed at 2200Hz, the slopes are set at 12dB using a combination of high quality capacitor and coil and tweeter attenuation is also built into the circuit. They’re housed in neat open frame design cases that allow for plenty of air to fl ow but still protect the internals from damage.

Over the years I’ve actually owned many Morel components and to date have never been unimpressed with any of them. So it was with some anticipation I listened to these because, while the Ovations were not perfect, there was not a great deal I’d readily change for fear of causing detriment to their natural sound. Getting the drivers into the car is no issue at all with the combination of steel

basket and 61mm mounting depth making life easy. The tweeter is also quite shallow at 20mm and so you’ll fi t it beneath most factory tweeter grilles without issue. Morel does provide you with plenty of hardware including multiple mounting cups so you can show them off rather than hide them.

I started my auditioning experience with the usual run-in procedure followed by some more gentle genres such as classical and jazz. I then headed into the more demanding genres of dance, rock and ultimately heavy metal. Overall their output is most linear and smooth with the two drivers blending together beautifully thanks to the improved crossover. However during listening, its small idiosyncrasies, pertaining to each individual driver, reveal just how successful Morel has been in implementing its improvements. The midrange driver kicks just that little bit harder than the older unit and with accuracy not heard before in any drivers at this price range. The tweeter is similar, offering detail that is far beyond anything in this range and, while doing so, it still maintains a strong presence and ambience, fi lling the car’s interior with controlled and clear highs rather than forcing its sound into your ear with the ferocity of an MMA fi ghter.

CONCLUSIONBeing right in the middle of the Morel stable may mean the Virtus 602 are pigeonholed by many as ‘just’ another component set from this master speaker designer. However, do not neglect them, get yourself along to a Morel dealer to have a serious audition of this component set. I can just about guarantee that if you listen to your favourite tunes intently you’ll hear details from this set you’d not noticed ever before.

If you’re a motoring enthusiast you’ve probably built an engine or two in your time and if you’d

sat back to inspect that freshly built donk sitting on your engine stand, you’d appreciate it’s a metaphoric patchwork quilt of brands. Grex heads, Genie exhaust, Barry Grant fuel pump, C.O.M.E. block, Davis Craig thermo fan, Turbonetics turbocharger, Heatseeker camshaft, Haltech injection system and the list trawls on. You utilise these brands because they’re the best at producing the equipment they do. So I’m baffl ed as to why many people don’t approach their sound systems with a similar mindset but rather try to keep it all the same brand – simply because they’ve heard or read somewhere that this is a better strategy.

While there’s nothing wrong with many of the larger companies that cover everything, just be mindful of the many dedicated specialist brands that just concentrate on one area – because they tend to be very good at it. Morel only design and manufactures speakers. That’s all it does now, that’s all it has ever done and its future is looking very much like cones, magnets and voice coils too! As a result Morel has amassed awards that would make most manufacturers green. There is little this Israeli company doesn’t know about speaker design

and very few materials it hasn’t experimented with, usually with exemplary success.

MAJOR RE-DESIGNSDuring the 2012 season most of the Morel range came in for redesign, from the entry level Maximo to the fl agship Supremo range. Right in the middle of these ranges lie the Virtus. Designed to replace the aging Hybrid Ovation range, the Virtus look similar but actually share little with the older series. There are three different sizes in the range; the 4-inch Virtus 402, the 5.25-inch Virtus 502 and the larger 6.5-inch Virtus 602. Seeing as the latter is the most commonly employed dimension I requested a set of these to see what the Israeli speaker maestro could do to an already exceptional design in the Dotech.

First up let’s look at the larger MW6 driver. As with most things Morel it’s meticulously designed and employs some of the fi nest quality materials available today. The cone is constructed from a composite cellular fi bre material which provides for a natural sound and its design profi le, including the centre soft fi bre dust cap; is shaped in such a way to disperse frequencies evenly throughout approximately 180 degrees. The cone is fi nished with a dark grey power coating which

seals the diaphragm and gives it exceptional strength against deformation and for an extra cosmetic touch the Morel logo is printed on the dust cap. Around the top of the cone is a butyl rubber surround that sports a similar profi le to the Dotech and this works in conjunction with the fl at rolled polycotton spider below keeping everything running in perfect alignment. It allows for unhindered movement giving the driver a resonant frequency of 65Hz and the ability to play from 55Hz right up to 4kHz with great accuracy.

Effi ciency is listed as 88dB. A khaki green stamped steel frame has been chosen over cast alloy one to allow these drivers to fi t into a far wider variety of cars. With most modern-day cars emerging from the factory with larger drivers these days, mounting depth is seldom an issue. However the actual diameter of this frame often becomes an issue because larger aftermarket speaker motors require a lot more alloy material to hold the internals dead rigid. Morel has got around this issue by employing a very strong but lightweight motor on the MW6 driver and because of this the steel basket is a lot thinner and smaller in diameter than its equivalent composite cousin. The magnet diameter within the motor is very small at 50mm not because it’s weak but

MAKING AN IMPRESSIVE PRODUCT EVEN BETTER.

MORELVIRTUS 602 2-WAY SPLIT SPEAKERS

• High tech design• Clear and highly detailed sound• Design will fi t almost anywhere

• We’re still looking

TYPE: 6.5-inch and 1-inch component set

POWER HANDLING: 80/140 watts

continuous, 250/300 watts maximum

(tweeter/woofer)

FREQUENCY RESPONSE:

55Hz – 22000Hz

IMPEDANCE: 4-ohms

COST: $648

CONTACT: R.M. Audio on 0412 339 514

WEB: www.rmaudio.com.au

The next price point down sees the Crescendo Opus 7B system offering

its wares at $559

Focal’s 165KR has garnered an InCar Award and is at a slightly higher

price point of $729

SIGNIFICANT OTHERS

AUDITION

78 79

TE

CH

SP

EC

S

REVIEWER: M

ARTY PRICE

MOREL VIRTUS602COMPONENT SPEAKERS

MOREL VIRTUS602COMPONENT SPEAKERS

MAKING AN IMPRESSIVE MAKING AN IMPRESSIVE

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE : CANON EOS 700D PANASONIC G6 NIKON COOLPIX A SE

PT/O

CT 2

013

$8.5

0 N

Z $1

0.99

PANASONIC’S RETRO-STYLED GX7

NIKON D7100 FIRST LOOK!READY TO RELEASE YOUR INNER PRO

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

MAKE EVERY SHOT A WINNER

D-SLR VIDEO MAKER – EVERYTHING YOU’LL EVER NEED TO KNOW100% AUSTRALIAN

Cam Sep13_001 CoverStage2.indd 1 8/21/2013 4:48:08 PM

CHOOSE YOUR NEW TV!FULL REVIEWS OF THE BIGSCREEN BRANDS

LGPanasonicSamsung

Sony PlasmaLED-LCD4K UHD65-inch55-inch

YAMAHA’S ULTIMATE AVENTAGEEXCLUSIVE TEST OF THE A5000 PRE-POWER CANE TOA

DS

IN 3D!

AUSTRALIA’S No.1 AV GUIDE Aug/Sept 2013

ISSUE #26/5 $8.95 NZ$10.99

S&I Aug13_001 Cover.indd 1 16/08/13 2:48 PM

CHOOSE YOUR NEW TV!CHOOSE YOUR NEW TV!FULL REVIEWS OF THE BIGSCREEN BRANDSFULL REVIEWS OF THE BIGSCREEN BRANDS

LGLGPanasonicPanasonicPanasonicSamsungSamsungSamsung

Sony Samsung

Sony Samsung

PlasmaLED-LCDLED-LCDLED-LCDLED-LCDLED-LCDLED-LCD4K UHD65-inch65-inch55-inch

CANE TOADS

CANE TOADS

ISSUE #26/5 $8.95 NZ$10.99

D-SLR VIDEO MAKER – EVERYTHING YOU’LL EVER NEED TO KNOW

Head On FestivalA L L T H E B E S T F R O M T H I S Y E A R ’ S

Getting To Grips With Nikon’s AF 800mm Supertelephoto

$7.95 NZ$9.90 Volume 69 Number 6

Studio Flash Power Packs

WHAT’S AVAILABLE IN

PP Aug13_001 Cover.indd 1 8/9/2013 1:35:58 PM

ALSO REVIEWED

NAD C356BEEBest budget amplifi er?

Usher AudioDiamond tweeter

Sony SS-NA2ESAmazing

achievement!

MSB Sig. DAC IV PlusHand-made heaven

sings…

Studio 590 bi-radial

horn is JBL’s best yet…

Horn Power! Jul/Aug 2013

A$8.95 NZ$10.99 AVHUB.COM.AU

HF May13_001 Cover.indd 1 17/06/2013 2:04:48 PM

WONDROUS WAGON WHEELSWOOFER WORLD IN SSV WAGON

$8.50 /// NZ $10.99

T H E L AT E S T M O B I L E E L E C T RO N I C S T R E N D S & T E C H N I Q U E S 5#2013

LOCATION REPORT – MOTOREX 2013

ALPINE❱FUSION❱MASSIVE❱MTX AUDIO❱NAKAMICHI❱PIONEERREVIEWED

SHOOTINGSTAR

VW IN ORION CONSTELLATION

THE HIGH-END ALPINE’S DDLINEAR & PIONEER’S AVIC

AIE513_001 Cover.indd 1 19/08/13 2:19 PM

Head On FestivalA L L T H E B E S T F R O M T H I S Y E A R ’ S

$7.95 NZ$9.90 Volume 69 Number 6

Horn Power!

WONDROUS WONDROUS WONDROUS WAGON WAGON WAGON WHEELSWHEELSWHEELSWHEELSWHEELSWOOFER WORLD WOOFER WORLD IN SSV WAGON

REVIEWED

WONDROUS WONDROUS WONDROUS WONDROUS WAGON WAGON WAGON WAGON WAGON WAGON WHEELSWHEELSWHEELSWHEELSWHEELSWHEELSWOOFER WORLD WOOFER WORLD WOOFER WORLD WOOFER WORLD IN SSV WAGON

ALPINE❱FUSION❱MASSIVE❱MTX AUDIO❱NAKAMICHI❱PIONEER

SHOOTINGSHOOTINGSHOOTINGSHOOTINGSHOOTINGSHOOTINGSHOOTINGSHOOTINGSHOOTINGSHOOTINGSTARSTARSTARSTAR

VW IN ORION CONSTELLATIONCONSTELLATION

THE HIGH-END THE HIGH-END ALPINE’S DDLINEAR & PIONEER’S AVIC ALPINE’S DDLINEAR & PIONEER’S AVIC

DUAL VALVES!300B or KT88? Full review and test of AudioSpace’s innovative amplifi er...

September/October 2013

AVHUB.COM.AU

SHOW REPORT High End Munich

ALSO

RE

VIEW

EDRE

VIEW

ED KrixPhoenix V2 Loudspeakers

PSBHD8Subwoofer

Bricasti Design M1Digital-To-Analogue Converter

A$8.

95 NZ$10.99

HF Sep13_001 Cover.indd 1 8/26/2013 2:46:54 PM