For the low-frequency stuff, a pair of 165mm (6.5") Supremo SW6 woofers is provided. The driver's silver basket is cast aluminum and is said to be aerodynamically designed to minimize sound reflection. Like several other Morel woofers, this driver uses the company's Hybrid linear motor design, which combines both a neodymium and ferrite magnet centered within the voice coil. This allows for a large, 3" diameter under-hung voice coil using the Hexatech design submersed in a tall magnetic field.
Out front, the driver uses a speckled gray, one-piece Acuflex Duralay-coated paper cone. By using a single piece (cone and dust cap are one), weight is kept to a minimum and the coating helps eliminate cone breakup and distortion. Centered in the rear of the motor behind the cone is a C.A.R. Filter, much like the one in the Piccolo tweeter. This is told to allow the woofer better control in infinite baffle configurations by improving the acoustical loading.
All together, the Supremo 6 appears to have all the right stuff to put it in a league of its own.
Setup
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). The driving channels were level-matched within 0.05 volts of each other. At no time was any processing used during the listening test.
Alterations had to be made to my baffles to fit both the slightly oversized woofers and tweeters of the Supremo 6. This tells me they will most likely need custom mounts in a car. But, hey, if you can afford the price of admission, you can probably afford to have a custom installation done.
After retrofitting my baffles, I bolted them to my well-damped 2.25ft3 test enclosures and finalized my setup with some brief listening. I left the tweeter levels on the crossovers at the factory setting of 0dB for the best blend between the mids and tweets. I determined the best position for the speaker cabinets to be just slightly turned in from on-axis, although the Morels had such great off-axis response, it didn't really matter - a great benefit when installing them into a car.
Listening
Soul/Blues
Toni Braxton "Shadowless"
Off of Toni Braxton's Libra album, "Shadowless" is a simple, serenade-style song that shows a lot of emotion without becoming a huge composition. It's very intimate as Braxton commands the center of the soundstage, placing her mere feet in front of my listening position. Instrumentation consists only of acoustic guitars; a single guitarist accompanies her vocals closely while additional guitarists fill the more dynamic sections with resonating strings that encompass more of the soundstage.
I cued up the track on my Alpine deck and pressed the repeat function. Within the first minute of listening, it became apparent that I had been missing some details in this song when auditioning other component speakers - including the last big dollar set. What I thought was a single guitar through most of the song actually includes additional guitarists that strum in occasionally, adding to the ambiance of the composition. The Piccolo tweeters picked up the details in each and every string pluck, providing distinction to the ambient guitars. This is exactly what I was expecting at this price level - separation and accuracy second to none. So far, I was impressed!
Shifting from her deep, boxy lows to the open, breathiness of her upper range, the reproduction of Braxton's vocals was almost amazing. I say "almost" because a small lull in the midrange elicited a slightly unnatural transition as she scaled across her dynamic vocal range - a minor inconvenience that otherwise would have resulted in a perfect score. But honestly, it doesn't get much better than this.
Score: 9.5/10
Alternative
New Radicals "Crying Like a Church on Monday"
"Crying Like a Church on Monday" by the New Radicals is a make it or break it track with a tendency to reveal any negative tonal characteristics of a system. Its dynamic level changes make it somewhat demanding, allowing me to track change in a system's response at different levels.