Morel drivers - how are they?

[fjhuerta]

Hi all,

I'm a bit curious about Morel drivers. They look nice, but they are extremely expensive most of the time, and haven't seen many good comments about them (for example, at Zaphaudio).

Is Morel a brand to be avoided? So far, from what I've seen, they are just not worth the price....

[mmoeller]

I heard a DMS 20, i believe, in a design at IowaDIY06. It was in a two way build by Sam ?? Did very well in the judging for detial and clarity.

The winner of the Unlimited class last year had a Morel MDM55 dome mid.

I think there might be something to be said for partiular models, but I would be careful in generalization.

[fjhuerta]

Thanks for the info!

I was just wondering why Morels aren't really covered that much...

[tpremo55]

Thanks for the info!

I was just wondering why Morels aren't really covered that much...

I think there are a few traditional performers (such as the MDT-33) but as far as price to performance they may not justify the cost. If there is a diamond in the rough with the lower priced drivers, then I hope someone speaks up and identifies it. Also note that they have recently released a few new lines of drivers.

[Teran]

I am using a MDM-55 dome midrange and two MW-164-8 6" midbass drivers in an active 4-way. I use the MW-164-8's from 200Hz to 950Hz. I use the MDM-55 from 950Hz to 3.4KHz.

The MDM-55 is well thought of by a lot of people and I have to agree that it is a really nice driver. The only other dome midrange I can compare it to is the Vifa D75MX. The Morel is much more detailed while the Vifa sounds like it is behind a veil. The Morel has greater top end extension. Night and day difference.

The MW-164-8 is over-priced. I say that because I don't like spending that much, not because I really have any problem with them. They are well behaved. can handle a lot of power, and are easy to work with. I'm sure there are better drivers out there, especially for less money, but I am quite happy with them.

Both of these drivers designs are several years old and Morel has released quite a few newer midbass drivers. I would question using them though for the simple reason of their high price.

[jkrutke]

I think there might be something to be said for partiular models, but I would be careful in generalization.

I've tested enough Morel woofers, inluding MW and the newer HU series, to generalize: they just aren't very good. The motor designs are completely nothing special and are relatively high distortion. Same for Dynaudio. Those looking for a better large voice coil driver should look at Hi-Vi. Their cups that carry the magnetic flux to the outside of the coil are internally undercut for a more linear BL. Morel, Dynaudio and most others I've tested are not.

I've tested some lower end morel tweeters, and none of those where that great either. In summary, of the limited model tests, I've never come across a good Morel driver.

I have not tested any of the higher end tweeters or the 2" midrange domes and they could be exceptions to the generalization. They are on my list to get tested however, as soon as I find someone who is willing to send them over.

[joecarrow]

One of the first speakers I designed and built used the Model MDT-20, and overall it was much better than an icepick in the ear. That was way before I saw anyone like Zaph doing distortion testing, so I was flying blind. I picked it up because it had a high power rating (which at the time I thought mattered!) and low resonant frequency, so I was sure it was going to be able to get loud.

Just from my audible impressions at the time, I would say that it's a better tweeter than a lot of sets of speakers retailing for $250 use, but for what they cost that's not saying much. Now that I've seen the distortion test results, I'd stay away from them unless they were on a huge sale.

[TacoD]

The Morel supreme tweeters are very nice sounding, also the measurements from HobbyHifi show that the distortion is low. MarkK has also done some test on these, if I am not mistaken.

The woofers are not delivering the goods, maybe the new line (neo motor) has improved.