While not the main focus of this track, the bass and drums play a big part in the overall sound quality presentation. To my delight, each maintained good presence regardless of what was happening around them, or the position of the volume knob. The bass was full and warm with a good sense of integrity, exhibiting both good body and stunning timbre. Eerily good resolution is put on display by the Morels as the percussionist strokes his brush across the toms-they never sounded washed out or overshadowed when the piano dominates the soundstage.
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 with certain notes of piano. Thus far, I'm impressed.
Score: 8.5/10
Country
Willie Nelson "Always on My Mind"I love the purity and realism acoustic cuts can provide, hence the reason why I chose this recording of "Always on My Mind." Upon the intro to the track, I immediately sensed the boundaries of this recording studio as audience members lead with applause. There was also a sense of depth attached to this, as Nelson sounded as if he were in the near distance just beyond the audience.
Throughout the song, Nelson's gruff voice was well resolved by the Morels, but they seemed just a little thin in softly sung areas. Even so, Nelson remained incredibly stable with a strong narrow focus. His guitar was also properly positioned, and was full sounding and lifelike. It really helps that these speakers have a sensational tonal balance and extended low frequency response, allowing them to add that extra bit of body to the guitars in this track, which provides a fullness most systems lack without a subwoofer.
The XO 6's also did a fine job layering the instruments on the soundstage, including the harmonica and additional electric guitar to Nelson's left. For a non-component speaker system, the XO 6's are serious-sounding speakers.
Score: 8.5/10
Folk
Tracy Chapman "Fast Car"
A solo acoustic guitar opening Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" has a splendid sound. Its reverb conveys the ambiance of the stage as it's captured by the bounding wall to the left. The Morels pick this up effortlessly along with the finest details of the strings. Chapman's vocals enter prominently with a deep lush tone, yet without the steadfast imaging found with the previous artists. The sibilance in her voice tended to be stable and centered while her fundamental tone would bloom outward. I was a bit puzzled by this since tonally her voice sounded correct.