Morel SoundSpot SI-2 Satellite Speakers, Black (Pair)
Morel SoundSpot SI-2 Satellite Speakers, Black (Pair)
Manufacturer: Morel Loudspeakers
Product Type: CE
Editorial Review:
Product Description
The SoundSpot SI-2's sphere shaped steel enclosure houses Morel's award-winning Integra drive unit that coaxially integrates a tweeter and 4" (100 mm) mid/bass unit, creating point source sound radiation. The unique coupling of the tweeter and mid/bass units in the Integra construction allows perfect integration and phase linearity, ensuring a particularly smooth, and linear frequency response. The SoundSpot SI-2 is built exclusively with neodymium magnets, which are up to 20 times more powerful than conventional magnet systems.Applying Morel's EVC design, a huge 2?" (54mm) aluminum Hexatech coil encloses the magnet motor inside. In a conventional drive unit with a coil of this diameter, the size of the magnetic system alone would be at least five times larger than that of the Integra! The EVC design is also used for the soft-dome tweeter, where the voice coil is liquid cooled for high power handling. The crossover is hardwired on a separate board and the components secured with strong polyurethane glue, for high integrity.
Amazon.com Review
For the past 30 years, Israel-based Morel has been one of the best-kept secrets in the audio industry. Instead of marketing their speakers directly to the consumers, they've been quietly and convincingly providing ultra-high quality drivers for other loudspeaker manufacturers. Morel's technology can be found in speakers manufactured all over the world, including many top brands in the United States. Thankfully, all that's changing. Morel is now setting its sights on the consumer market with its own branded speakers. We had the pleasure of reviewing a set of Morel's superb and smartly designed Morel SoundSpot SI-2 Satellite Speakers. If you're looking to enhance your current home-theater system with a pair of outstanding, smartly designed speakers, then keep reading.
 SI-2s can be easily wall mounted (white model shown). View larger. |
 A stylish exterior houses innovative, audiophile-class construction. View larger. |
 The SI-2 is designed to complement the Morel SoundSub 9. View larger. |
Quality Assurance: The Morel Difference
Morel's peerless quality control is a key selling point. Every speaker with the Morel name on it is built, tested, and inspected in Morel's factory in Israel. Except for the production of the steel speaker housing, which is outsourced, Morel is directly responsible for everything.
Morel drivers are based on what the company describes as "Hexatech technology," which employs a hexagonal aluminum wire voice-coil. Meanwhile, the speaker construction is based on its own "External Voice Coil," or EVC, technology, which uses a magnet with a shaped pole that fits inside the aluminum voice coil rather than around it. According to Morel, the EVC design offers higher efficiency and greater power handling accuracy. Plus, the design provides as much power response as conventional systems five times larger. In other words, what the speakers may lack in size, they more than make up for in power.
The SoundSpot SI-2s are built with neodymium magnets, which are up to 20 times more powerful than conventional magnet systems. They each include a four-inch woofer with a 1.125-inch liquid cooled Hexatech aluminum voice coil. Morel claims the speakers can handle 100 watts with a frequency response of 95-22,000 Hz (-5dB).
The speakers we tested were part of Morel's integrated Stream MKII 5.1 SoundSpot Speaker System, which was already optimized to the room acoustics. Our host emphasized that new Morel speakers require 40 hours of "break-in" time before you'll achieve optimal performance. The response of any speaker will depend on how free the woofer cones are to move, and since new SI-2s are bound to have stiff suspensions, it makes sense that a "loosening up" period should be allowed before passing final judgement.
The system we tested was definitely broken in by the time we dropped in our "Revenge of the Sith" DVD and cranked the THX-certified Kenwood VR-5900 receiver. To get the most out of your home-theater experience, you'll want THX-compatible speakers of this caliber. To really hear those X-wings buzzing in your ear, you'll want at least 100 watts per channel, and speakers that can handle that seamlessly.
In short, we were extremely impressed with the SI-2's performance at both the high-volume levels, as well as during the movie's quieter moments. These speakers truly enhanced the participation factor that home-theater strives to create. We drove the speakers hard and they didn't let us down; there was never a hint of any overloading.
Although these speakers are designed to be integrated into a full system -- or at least set up with a dedicated subwoofer, such as the Morel SoundSub 9 100-Watt Powered Subwoofer -- and aren't aimed at traditional two-channel listening, we popped in some audio CDs just to see how well they sounded. While the speakers don't deliver the sound of a dedicated, high-end stereo speaker setup, the sound was respectable and the trademark Morel clarity made our music sound crisp and lively. In other words, these SI-2's will make the transition from home theater to dinner party music quite well, as long as you have the subwoofer and receiver to match the speakers' ability.
Pros:
Adding to the speakers' value are the huge 2.25-inch aluminum Hexatech coils that enclose the magnet motors inside each speaker. In a conventional drive unit with a coil of this size, the magnetic system alone would be at least five times larger than that of the Integra. Additional features include liquid cooling for the voice coils, which allow power handling as high as 120 watts, and a crossover that's hardwired to a separate board and secured with strong polyurethane glue to guarantee high integrity.
If you're a serious home theater and music enthusiast who prizes a set of versatile, stylish speakers, the Morel SoundSpot SI-2s are a great fit. The wall-mountable satellites measure 5.25 inches round and weigh a mere 2.6 pounds each. The entire system also comes with a five-year warranty.
What's in the Box
Two SI-2 satellite speakers, user's manual.
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Compatible with: SCH-U420 Nimbus / SPH-A503 Drift / SPH-M610 / SGH-A707 Sync / SGH-i607 BlackJack / SGH-T519 / SGH-T629 / SGH-D800 / SGH-D807 / SGH-D820 / SGH-T809 / SGH-P300 / SGH-T509 / SGH-Z510 / SGH-Z540 / SCH-U740/SPH-M620/SGH-D900Electronics:
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