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Product Description

Seamlessly combining elite performance with a stylish design, the Morel Stream MKII 5.1 speaker system adds depth and clarity to your favorite movies and audio CDs. The system includes five black SoundSpot SI-2 satellite speakers--two for the front, two for the rear, and one for the center channel--to handle the mids and highs and a 100-watt powered subwoofer to round out the low-end bass. Each SI-2 sports a sphere-shaped steel enclosure that houses Morel's award-winning Integra drive unit, which coaxially integrates a soft-dome tweeter with a 4-inch mid/bass driver, creating what Morel calls "point source sound radiation." The result is a perfectly smooth, linear frequency response of 95 Hz to 22 kHz, with no audio delay, echo, or overlap. Plus, the SI-2s are built exclusively with neodymium magnets, which are 20 times more powerful than conventional magnet systems to minimize distortion.

Adding to the system's 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.

Complementing the SI-2 speakers is Morel's SoundSub 9, an extremely shallow, compact, reflex-loaded subwoofer designed to deliver a full bass impact and explosive dynamics to enrich the home theater experience. Driven by a high-quality 100-watt amplifier, the SoundSub 9 boasts all the features desirable in a home theater sub, including an on/off switch, volume control, phase control, and crossover point control, allowing for seamless system integration. In addition, both high- and low-level inputs are provided to help with all of the common configuration options. The 9-inch subwoofer also comes with its own floor stand, a rigid on-wall/ceiling connection bracket, and the option of a floor/under-sofa "side/ceiling" firing position. And though the SoundSub 9 is suitable for any home theater system, it's ideally matched with the Morel SoundSpot speakers for acoustic integration. Specifically, the sub's 30 to 160 Hz frequency response fills in the satellites' low-end sound.

Rounding out the system is a pair of extremely rigid floor stands. Suitable for either the front or rear satellite speakers, the solid metal stands offer the perfect complement to the stylish SoundSpots, guaranteeing a consistent appearance in your living room. The self-assembly construction is also configured to conceal your speakers' internal wiring, giving the room a clean, uncluttered look.

If you're a serious home theater and music enthusiast who prizes a versatile, stylish system, the Morel Stream MKII is a great fit. The satellites measure 5.25 inches round, while the SoundSub 9 checks in at 20 inches in diameter and 5.1 inches deep. The entire system also comes with a five-year warranty.

What's in the Box
Five SI-2 satellite speakers, SoundSub 9 subwoofer, two speaker stands, subwoofer speaker stand, subwoofer wall/ceiling connection bracket, user's manual.

For 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. All that's changing now, with the company setting its sights on the consumer market with several of its own high-end speaker systems. We had the pleasure of reviewing Morel's superb and smartly designed Morel Stream MKII 5.1 SoundSpot Speaker System. If you're looking for a home-theater experience that rivals any you'll find in this price range, then keep reading.

Morel's five small and stylish satellites plus a powerful subwoofer add up to big, audiophile-class home theater sound. View larger.

The Stream MKII provides a number of setup options, including wall mounting (white version shown). View larger.

The SoundSub 9 boasts a full range of connections and controls for optimizing bass performance. View larger.

Peerless construction and quality control combine to make you a part of surround sound performances. View larger.

For the Eyes as Well as the Ears
Morel knows that if you're going to invest in serious audio for your home, you'll want your system to reflect your tastes in every respect. The days of stacking your living space with fifty-pound speaker boxes that look like they belong on an Aerosmith concert stage are history. The five speakers that make up the Stream MKII are Morel's award-winning 2.5 pound, 5.25 diameter sphere-shaped SoundSpot SI-2s. Housed in smart, white, steel enclosures, with oversized gold-plated binding posts, these speakers are small enough to blend discreetly into any modern decor. (If you want to create a 7.1 system, simply add two additional SoundSpot SI-2s.) The speakers are set on circular mounting plates, which can either be screwed onto a wall, placed on a suitable flat surface, or mounted on one of the two included 32-inch high, solid metal SoundStands. The stands neatly conceal the speaker wires and complement the system design nicely. While the Stream MKII is very capable right out of the box, it's worth noting that it does not ship with a dedicated center channel speaker. To get the best performance here, consider an upgrade to the Morel SoundCenter C-5, which is designed to replace the center channel SI-2 and optimize the dialogue in surround sound films.

The subwoofer that's included in the system -- the SoundSub 9 -- is housed in a matching white, 20-inch diameter MDF enclosure. You have the choice of placing it on its floor stand, directly on the wall or ceiling with the included mounting brackets, or -- if you have five inches of clearance -- you can slide it conveniently out of sight beneath your sofa. For even more performance, Morel also offers an upgrade for the SoundSub 9, the 120-Watt SoundSub IS-9A.

Quality Assurance: The Morel Difference
Morel's peerless quality control is a key selling point. Every component is built, tested, and inspected in Morel's factory in Israel. Except for the production of the 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 31-pound subwoofer features one nine-inch flat-profile woofer with a three-inch Hexatech aluminum coil and a rear-vented double magnet motor, offering 100 watts of continuous power and a 30-160 Hz frequency response. The subwoofer offers line-level RCA phono jacks plus high-level binding post terminals. Low-level RCA phono jacks are provided, as well -- also with high-level outputs and binding post terminals. In addition to its on/off setting, the subwoofer's power switch has an auto function which powers up the woofer if a signal is detected. After a reasonable time without a signal, the subwoofer powers down. Subwoofer phase control and crossover point control allow you to seamlessly integrate the sub with the other speakers.

On the Couch
The system we tested was already optimized to the room acoustics, so we can't comment on its set-up time or set-up issues. Our host did emphasize that new Morel systems require 40 hours of "break-in" time before you'll achieve optimal performance. The response of any system will depend on how free the woofer cones are to move, and since new systems 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 the Stream MKII, you'll want a home theater receiver of this caliber. To really hear those spaceships buzzing all around you, you'll need at least 100 watts per channel.

The audio tracked engine noise and explosions perfectly when spaceships flew in and out of the screen. Meanwhile, ambient noise and delicate voice tracks were faithfully reproduced. The crispness, clarity, and thundering -- but not obnoxious -- bass response of the Morel system took us to a new level of immersion. Yes, a system this good doesn't just make for pleasurable viewing, it makes for pleasurable participation in on-screen events. We were also impressed with the Stream MKII's performance at high volume levels. We drove the system hard and none of the channels ever let us down; there was never a hint of any overloading.

While the Stream MKII isn't aimed at traditional two-channel listening, we popped in an audio CD just to see how well the system handled it. While the speakers don't deliver the sound of a dedicated, high-end stereo speaker setup, sound was respectable and the trademark Morel clarity made our music sound crisp and lively. Don't despair; the Stream MKII makes the transition from home theater to dinner party music quite well.

Pros:

• Impeccable component construction and quality control
• Stylish design, flexible mounting options
• Advanced driver construction delivers high efficiency and greater power handling

Cons:

• Quality this good comes at a price
• Does not include dedicated center channel speaker

The Stream MKII home theater speaker system is based on Morel's SoundSpot SI-2. The system delivers top performance, and retains most of the exciting technologies introduced in the Soundspot SA-2 in a more compact version.