Morel Integra Ovation XO 6 - Review Sneak Peek

MSRP: $599.95
The Integra Ovation XO 6 is what is referred to as a point source system. Although it could be viewed as a coaxial since each speaker consists of a tweeter and a woofer, and the similar attachment point of the tweeter placing it within the woofer's cone, point source speakers carry a fundamental difference. Whereas the tweeter in a coaxial speaker sits above the cone up on a standoff typically originating from the center of the woofer's voice coil, the tweeter in a point source speaker is recessed so that its diaphragm is aligned with the woofer cone, thereby creating a single point of origin for sound to be reproduced. This speaker alignment, along with a phase correct crossover, virtually eliminates time domain errors that are a byproduct of two or more speakers being off-set from each other. In other words, the speakers perform as one transparent unit.

The Integra Ovation XO 6 is built on Morel's aluminum die-cast Uniflow basket used by many of the company's high-end components. Mechanical energy for the woofer is supplied by an internal hybrid motor structure employing a pair of neodymium magnets, used to motivate the oversized 2.1-inch aluminum Hexatech voice coil (honeycomb-shaped wire that reduces air gaps in the windings, thus increasing efficiency). The voice coil, via its aluminum former, attaches to a composite cellular fiber cone that is terminated at the edge by a high-loss rubber surround.

LISTENING
From the start I felt the closeness of the band in Leny Andrade's "Maiden Voyage" and the expansiveness to the soundstage through the XO 6's. Still, there was a good bit of layering going on, and each instrument was stable and defined. At roughly 1:50 into the song, the pianist breaks out. The imaging through this section was rather impeccable, enabling me to distinguish the sounds of the keys a foot or two from the body of the instrument. Highly impressive. Almost enough for me to overlook the minor tonal issues brought by certain notes of piano.
Score: 8.5/10

Total Sound Score 85 out of 100 points

For more of Casey's listening notes, details on the build quality and the full score breakdown, check out the August issue when it hits newsstands on the 16th!