Depending on who you are, Morel can be a dirty word. If you’re one of the people that own Morel products then you’re no doubt more than happy to hear about Morel every ten minutes. However, if you’re one of the people who opted to buy another big name brand because you were told it was better, only to find out how superior Morel components can be, you’re probably pretty dirty about it. Truth is Morel has been winning competitions and accolades for years now and 2007 is shaping up to be no different. Just look at the track record. The Morel Supremo component set (comprising of Supremo midranges and Piccolo tweeters) have not only won awards (such as speaker of the year) but also won sound offs (including in Australia) by record margins. For a long time now Morel enthusiasts have enjoyed this fantastic sound but have had to look elsewhere to accommodate their sub-bass requirements as Morel didn’t offer a subwoofer. Well this is all about to change with the release of the Morel Ultimo 12 subwoofer. The result of years of research and development, the Ultimo is a subwoofer designed for brilliantly dynamic low octave sounds - the ultimate in bass. Morel is one company that does not rush things. It took long to perfect the subwoofer and now it has, just wait and see how the awards and competition places roll in. Although the Ultimo 12 is only new (and the only size in the range currently) Morel has already announced a 10 and possibly (if the market demands it) an 8 and 15. Not known for a massive interest in sound pressure level competition, Morel designed the Ultimo subwoofers to reproduce sound with tonal accuracy and control not heard before. In other words, it has sound quality stamped all over it and ‘accuracy not heard before’ is a big claim. There are not too many manufacturers that I would believe such a feat capable but as I’ve said previously; Morel are not just any company and you really need to hear its components if you’re in doubt. Opening the box you’ll find the Ultimo 12 subwoofer has a similar frame to the Supremo component midranges but a totally different looking cone. The cone material itself is actually a composite of paper (for natural sound) and carbon fibre (for strength). In the centre of the cone is the large carbon fibre dust cap which is totally devoid of labels. Morel speakers usually have only one small label where the terminals are and the subwoofers follow this trend too. The centre cap is designed to resist against the cone, strengthening it against physical distortion during operation. Around the edge of the cone is a butyl rubber surround which in conjunction with the spider underneath serves to hold everything rigidly in place, forming part of the system Morel call progressive field symmetry (PFS). This is basically a technique Morel developers have worked out to hold everything concentric during operation at any volume. Turning the unit over reveals a massive motor structure that not only puts anything Morel have made to shame but just about any other subwoofer on the market today – including sound pressure level orientated subwoofers. Bare in mind I didn’t say the frame itself was enormous – just the motor within is. The subwoofer itself is not too deep at 140mm (just over 5.5 inches) and basket with its six double-fingered webs is quite robust and solid too. However housed within that frame is a whopping 130mm (5.1 inches) voice coil! Go back and read that again; five inch diameter voice coil. The voice coil and former are the heart of the subwoofer (at that size how could it not be?) and is actually a Hexatech aluminium coil wound on a black aluminium former. The former is utilised to strengthen the cone as it joins right under where the dust cap reattaches to the cone above (and is another part of the PFS). The Hex shape coil wire is designed withstand the loss of magnetic flux with low induction making for vastly improved efficiency. The former is quite thick and able to withstand incredible heat without disfiguration and physical distortion. Speaking of heat, the Ultimo basket and motor have been designed to allow maximum air flow through the motor. In the top section of the basket there are specially designed air spaces allowing massive amounts of air to flow into the voice coil, down through the gap and out the pole vent. The Ultimo 12 motor is produced with a single four ohm voice coil arrangement and is modelled for use in both sealed and ported enclosures although sealed was the preferred enclosure of choice for me. Despite sharing some similarities (such as basket shape) the Ultimo 12 is a totally ground up design, vastly different from other Morel speakers. The black powder-coated, die-cast alloy basket is coupled to a stamped steel magnetic cup that surrounds the voice coil. Unlike many subwoofers and speakers on the market today, the Morel Supremo and Ultimo speakers have the magnet in the center of the voice coil rather than around the outside so from the outside you cannot actually see the magnet. The magnet itself is a double stacked item that Morel claim (in conjunction with the voice coil and former) offers 90% efficiency. |