Morel Ovation 6 User manual

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MOREL IS NO STRANGER TO THE
PAGES OF CA&E.Moreover, the company
is no stranger to praise. Since the brand
reinvented itself stateside just a few years
back, we’ve had the opportunity to run sev-
eral of the company’s products through our
daunting tests only to report back to with
enthusiasm. Heck, we liked one set so
much that it landed Morel a spot in our cov-
eted “Best Of” for 2005. In retrospect,
though, all that praise by our evaluators was
for products in the upper echelon of Morel’s
lineup, such as the $500 Supremo tweeters
and component sets retailing for a wallet-
cleansing $900 and $1,150. So I guess the
question needs to be asked: “Can Morel
build an affordable system that performs?”
I was recently sent the Morel Dotech
Ovation 6 component set; a set I hope will
answer my question. With a price tag con-
siderably lower than those aforementioned
Morel components at a mere (by compari-
son) $499.95, there’s no doubt I’m interest-
ed to hear them. So let’s get to it.
MSRP: $499.95
TEXT & PHOTOS
CASEY THORSON
IMPRESSIONS
Morel really knows how to make an
appearance. The box for the Dotech
Ovation 6 is simple, artsy, and sophisticat-
ed with its natural, light brown exposed
corrugate packing. A 1” x 1” Morel logo
adorns its topside while the front, rear, left
and right panels get a 1/2” x 4” (approxi-
mately) imprinted paper badge with the
system’s model number. There is nothing
cheap about the looks and, at this point, I
would hope that’s an indication of the
product inside.
After running my hand over the corru-
gated box a couple of times, I lifted the lid
and started pulling out the components.
The Dotech Ovation 6 is your typical 2-way
system using a pair of 6 1/2” woofers, a
couple of 28mm (1.1”) tweeters, and a
crossover duo. Also found was a pair of
modern, highly unique woofer grilles
stamped out of a nice thick-gauge steel
with half-oval cutouts adorning one large
circle in the center and a goody bag of
mounting hardware and accessories that
even includes gaskets for the woofers.
Morel took a giant leap in the crossover
design for their products, at least in terms
of cosmetics. I’ve been told that they look
like little spacecraft, but personally I think
they have a more alien-being appearance,
resembling giant eyes with the two clear
acrylic oval windows snapped into the top-
side of each crossover. The case itself is
nearly a half oval made of black injection-
molded ABS plastic and furthers the
impression of an alien. But that’s where the
sci-fi ends. Protruding from the straight
edge of the case is a red masked pcb
holding the crossover components and
barrier terminal strip. The woofer gets a
good size air core inductor making up the
-6dB filter, and the tweeter side uses a
smaller iron core inductor and Mylar
capacitor for -12dB filtering along with two
resistors for tweeter attenuation. The
tweeter level can be selected between +3,
0, and –3dB by removing the left window
to access to the jumper.
In their own right, the 6 1/2” woofers in
this set are just as unique as the
crossovers, but not as foreign in look.
Somehow the engineers at Morel figured
out how to stamp a basket out of steel to
some serious depth. Honestly, I can’t recall
ever seeing metal stretched in a manner
such as this — the frame fully encompass-
es the motor! Sure, you can cast a basket
like this, but this was once a flat piece of
metal, and a thick gauge at that! Morel
calls it a unified one-piece chassis and
claims it was “aerodynamically designed to
reduce sound reflection distortion and
mounting depth.” Behind the cone are
nine semi-circular holes punched through
the metal and perforations on the bottom
to vent the motor.
Under the hood, so to speak, horse-
power comes from a double-magnet drive
motor. This creates the force to move the
large, yet lightweight 2 1/8” diameter
Hexatech aluminum voice coil that’s
REVIEW COMPO-
MOREL
DOTECH
OVATION 6
WHEN PERFORMANCE
SURPASSES PRICE
ELECTRONICALLY REPRINTED FROM MARCH 2007

wrapped around an aluminum former.
Using such a large coil format means that
the ferrite magnets actually reside on the
interior to save space. Morel also uses their
unique C.A.R filter (Controlled Acoustic
Resistance), which is an acoustic material
located to the inside of the magnetic rings
(and behind the dust cap) and is said to
improve acoustical accuracy and provide
greater cone control in infinite baffle envi-
ronments (i.e., the doors of your car).
The woofer cone is made of a compos-
ite cellulose fiber that is paper based. It
has a nice metallic look to it and a match-
ing dome dust cap of a different material.
Morel uses an NBR rubber for the sur-
round with additional compliance handled
by a poly/cotton spider.
High frequencies for this set are han-
dled by Morel’s MT-12 Acuflex-coated soft
dome tweeter. This compact driver uses a
neodymium magnet and a large 28mm
(1.1”) voice coil that is said to allow for a
wide frequency response and lower reso-
nance point. The driver is situated in a
plastic housing that incorporates a perma-
nent phase alignment plug sitting above
the dome, the latter also acts handily as a
grille. The tweeter’s plastic housing press-
fits into different mounting options, two of
which are surface mount and one, flush
mount. If additional protection is desired, a
mesh grille is also provided that simply
press-fits into a small gap around the driv-
er in any of the three mounting options.
Overall, it’s an impressive design with
thoughtful engineering behind it.
MANUAL
The manual is a 4-page affair that uses a
single sheet of paper folded in half. Words
are few, but the pictures are detailed and
plentiful. Just about every application sce-
nario is covered for mounting the woofers
and tweeters, connecting the system with or
without an amplifier, and tweeter attenuation
instructions for the crossover, complete with
graph. The back page includes an entire list
of parameters for each individual Dotech
Ovation speaker model and even crossover
specifications. Unfortunately no warranty
information included, but a call to Morel’s
U.S. headquarters informed me that it is
three years, dealer installed, and one year,
consumer installed.
SETUP
As I mentioned earlier, the Dotech
Ovation 6 is a typical 2-way set. In order to
properly fit the components, I made new
baffles for my well-damped, 2.25ft3test
enclosures. The manual thoughtfully pro-
vides cutout dimensions for both the
woofer and the tweeter (flush mount), so
the new baffles were a snap. I mounted
each pair of drivers within an inch of each
other, with the tweeter above the woofer.
Supplying the amplified signal to this
component system, I wired up an Alpine
CDA-9857 head unit directly to a TRU
Technology C-7 amplifier (conservatively
rated at 125 watts x 4). Channel A was
used for the left components and channel
C for the right, providing ample headroom
while limiting crosstalk. The channels were
level-matched within 0.05 volts. No addi-
tion crossovers or processing were used.
I finished up my setup with some basic
listening to determine the best position for
the test cabinets, verify phase and to
adjust the passive crossovers accordingly.
Yielding the best results, I ended up with
the enclosures nearly on-axis in a close
proximity of my seating position and the
tweeter attenuation circuit of the
crossovers set to –3dB. You read that cor-
rectly, –3dB. One would naturally think that
the 0dB setting would be the proper
match, but the midranges were a little
tame by comparison to the tweeters at
that level. The lower setting proved to be
an excellent compromise to get that
desired linear response.
REVIEW COMPONENTS

FOLK
REBECCA PIDGEON
“SPANISH HARLEM”
Simply put, this Chesky Records record-
ing of Rebecca Pidgeon singing
“Spanish Harlem” is a model audiophile
soundtrack. Pidgeon’s vocals are lust-
worthy, real and extremely revealing.
When listening to this track there should
be a fine sense of transparency, good
depth and instruments should be simple
to localize. Rather than ending this para-
graph with a conclusion, I’ll give it to you
here: the Dotech Ovation 6 fared rather
well. Pidgeon’s vocals were well focused
side-to-side, but had a tendency to ele-
vate ever so slightly with higher pitches.
Her airy tone was consistent and smooth
in all but her lowest octaves where a
small amount of resonance could be
heard. The offensive tones were also
perceived during certain notes of the
piano. The symphonic violins, one left,
one right, were in perfect tone and easy
to differentiate, even when they over-
lapped. The shaker to the starboard side
of the stage was just as admirable, easy
to locate, and each shake was distin-
guished from the next. However, a cou-
ple items were less than ideal. Character
and resonant details of the stand-up
bass did not engage me, and there was
a certain amount of depth and trans-
parency missing from the soundstage.
Even though those aspects were weak,
this track played back easily on the ears.
Score: 7.5/10
JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL
MONTE ALEXANDER
“SWEET GEORGIA BROWN”
With Monte Alexander on the piano, a full
horn section, and two sets of drummers
and two basses, this rendition of “Sweet
Georgia Brown” is filled with energy and
excitement. In this audition, the image
boundaries of each instrument were
clearly defined, yet I still perceived the
layers of the instruments as a bit shallow.
playing within range of the tweeter were
perceived with greater height in the
soundstage. I can’t help but think that
this could be a phase error complicated
by the –12dB highpass tweeter crossover
and –6dB lowpass for the woofer.
Whatever the case, it was more of a
minor annoyance than a large concern.
Other instruments were clearly
defined and sharply focused, such as the
cowbell and shaker. The transparency in
this recording was better than in the pre-
vious tracks, and thus the metal drums
toward the rear of the soundstage were
well noted but a little dry in the response.
Score: 7/10
ALTERNATIVE
NEW RADICALS
“CRYING LIKE A CHURCH ON MONDAY”
The dynamics of “Crying Like a Church
on Monday” make it a very demanding
track and one I like to use to reveal the
changes in a system’s response at differ-
ent levels. As well, artist Ronan Keating’s
broad vocal range and somewhat off-
pitch style can be trying when not played
back with authenticity. This is one of
those songs you don’t have to listen to
several times to know that the system is
reproducing it properly, or improperly.
I started the audition at a subdued
listening level to get a feel of the system.
Tonal balance was very nice and the dis-
tinct image of each instrument and
Keating were well defined. There was an
ever-so-slight harshness to the upper
range of Ronan’s vocals, but the piano,
percussions and guitar were rock solid.
Raising the volume to a moderate
level, there were some changes to note.
Keating’s vocals became less concen-
trated and elevated above the sound-
stage as his range peaked. The slight
harshness heard in his vocals at the
lower level revealed itself even more. To
this I also noted several strikes to a cym-
bal or hi-hat by the percussionist that
jumped out, causing slight disarray in the
perception of the drum set. To me it
sounded as if there might be a minor
quibble in the response of the tweeter an
octave or so above the crossover point.
Aside from my nitpicking the tonal
balance of the system, the rest of the
composition was very likable with good
articulation amongst the remaining instru-
ments. It’s also worth noting that the
Dotechs performed admirably with a
good dose of power, better than some
systems costing twice as much.
Score: 7.5/10
REGGAE
ZIGGY MARLEY AND THE MELODY MAKERS
“KEEP MY FAITH”
I absolutely love this track! Its composi-
tion is simple and yet it is very ubiqui-
tous. The track starts with a harmonica,
left, and an electric guitar followed by a
shaker to the opposite side. Seventeen
seconds in, the trio is joined by the first
of a complex set of drums whose
arrangement is left and right of the
soundstage. This is one of the few tracks
I’ve found with a low bass array that is
truly stereo — and a difficult proposition
for speakers to play with absolute defini-
tion. As the track moves forward, the
bass gets complicated with the introduc-
tion of a closely mic’d kick drum and
rather large wood drum with a prominent
composure; all the while Ziggy and the
Melody Makers keep verse.
Capturing the exact location of the
various drums was a bit of a struggle
with the Dotechs. Most of the lowest fre-
quency information was centralized,
although some of the skin tones were
present and accurate in their setting.
Much of this could be attributed to the
dry and meager low-end response of the
woofers. To be fair, the 6 1/2-inchers are
not subwoofers and they do an excellent
job in their primary function. As a matter
of fact, the resolution of the harmonica
and shaker, and detail in Ziggy’s vocals
were pretty spectacular. With the right
sub, this system would be fabulous.
Score: 7/10
However, the tonal balance and overall
purity in this performance impressed me.
The horn section portrayed itself through
the Dotechs with spectacular rasp, and
the near perfect placement of the individ-
ual horns that started hard left to just
right of center stage. Each drum set
clearly defined itself right down to the
location of every snare, tom and cymbal,
but the garbled hum of Alexander during
certain low spots was played without any
real presence. The Dotechs also had a
difficult time distinguishing the low notes
of both basses when competing with the
drum set, getting lost at times. However,
the 4-second acoustic bass solo toward
the end was commendable.
Score: 8.5/10
CONTEMPORARY
STING “FRAGIL”
Even though I’m not fluent in the lan-
guage, I find myself constantly drawn to
this track. The Portuguese version of
“Fragile” by Sting has a gentle, harmo-
nious nature about it. It’s been said that
when you listen to music recorded in a
language foreign to you, you tend to pay
closer attention to the finer elements that
make up the composition of the song,
not the words. In that respect, “Fragil”
certainly works.
This recording has a fabulous
ambiance about it and renders the feeling
of a large, vacant room that should be
evident in the reverb of the acoustic gui-
tar and the airiness in Sting’s vocals.
Resolution of space by the Ovation 6 was
superb, especially with the acoustic gui-
tar, providing good detail of the room’s
width and depth. Sting’s vocals were not
as impressive — yes, they imparted a
perception of space to the immediate
environment, but there was excessive
sibilance in Sting’s upper vocal range.
This exaggeration was also accompanied
by an image that was less than stable,
moving up and down with the elevated
tone of his voice. I noticed a similar
occurrence with instruments — those
LISTENING
The Morel Dotech Ovation 6 is an
absolute must for anyone looking to
explore the finer element of sound
reproduction. This system does just
about everything right with only
minor issues to speak of. And
though the retail of $499.95 is not
pocket change, it’s worth every
penny and more. Kudos to Morel for
bringing a mix of art with design to a
product that is priced right!
CONCLUSION
POINTS MOREL DOTECH
POSSIBLE OVATION 6
Overall sound quality 20 16
Tonal balance (above 80Hz) 10 07
Low frequency extension 10 06
Clarity at low volume 10 09
Clarity at high volume 10 07
Image stability 10 07
Listening fatigue (moderate volume) 10 09
Flexibility/Ease of installation 20 16
Total subjective score 100 77
Ratings: Average performance is equal to 1/2 total points possible.
SUBJECTIVE SCORE CHART
REVIEW COMPONENTS
Posted with permission from the March 2007 issue of Car Audio and Electronics ® www.caraudiomag.com. Copyright 2007, PRIMEDIA Inc. All rights reserved.
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Manufacturer contact information:
Morel
17 Hamazmera St.
P.O.Box 2007
Ness-Ziona 70400
Israel
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
US contact information:
Morel America
1301 Hempstead Turnpike Suite 1
Elmont, NY 11003
Office Tel: [phone]
1 877 morel 11
www.morelhifi.com