# Morel Elate SW6 vs. Tannoy 5'' Bass speaker



## gregr1189 (Apr 29, 2013)

I blew one of my morel elate SW6 and needed a replacement. I had these Tannoy 5'' bass speakers (total diameter 6'') that really impressed me with sound. I picked them up in an assorted lot of speakers from Madison Wisconsin, and they had really no resale value, so I decided to install one.

*Physical build *

Morel Elates dominate here, they are well built, sturdy and attractive design.Their diameter is about 6.75'' and they are heavier and have a bigger voice coil.

Tannoy basket is actually made of plastic and seems quite breakable. I verified this when I was tightening the screws on the first speaker and it broke. I went ahead and installed the second one more carefully. It is 6'' diameter, and is deeper.

*Sound* 
Amplifier used is a NVX JAD 900.5 supplying 60rms at 4 ohms and unspecified at 8 ohms. 

The Morel Elates have very good sound. I honestly don't think it is good enough to justify their very high price, but it is warm and clear. It seems to lose some output in general below about 200hz, and starts to lose sound quality above 2000hz. They are able to handle very high power (but who plays their midrange at 200 watt RMS). They are about equal sound quality to the Dayton reference series, and below that of Dynaudio.

The Tannoys are 8 ohms. They clearly can play lower than the elates. The bass reproduction sounds more accurate. I tried various crossover points and the Tannoy's actually sound good across the entire frequency range! They are not as warm as the Elates, but honestly when I integrated them into my system (HPF 600 HZ, LPF 160HZ, but I tested at various crossover points), their sound quality was equal to the Elates, the voice was clear I can't find the specs anywhere so I have no idea what their max power handling is. 

*Conclusion*

I feel like an idiot for spending so much money on the SW6. The Tannoys were a diamond in the rough.


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## FartinInTheTub (May 25, 2010)

I am subscribing to this thread, I'd be curious to how people will respond to your findings. I to have auditioned the elate mids and have had a hard time justifying the price. The tweeters are fantastic but the sw6 didn't impress me when it comes to midbass or even midrange for that matter. They are nice speakers but not 650 dollars nice. My AP Arians beat them in every way  Congrats on finding those great speaks!


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## gregr1189 (Apr 29, 2013)

It's hard to find a good informed review on the SW6's


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## 1998993C2S (Feb 2, 2011)

OP -
You might try the Reveal model Tannoy for spec's on the 6" woofer/mid. The Reveal model line was brought into the Tannoy product lineup in the mid '90's. The woofer/mid unit pictured appears to be a magnetically shielded version.
For the longest time Tannoy products were centered around their "dual concentric" driver arrangement. Tannoy was sold from Goodman Inc. in the mid '90s and is now owned by a group which also owns t.c. Electronic and others. Our Brands | TC Group


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## james2266 (Sep 24, 2009)

At one time I was looking at the Elate 6 driver and did a straight swap between my then Hertz ML165 and this one. I was shocked at how there seemed to be almost zero midbass. My Hertz stomped all over them in this regard. The Morel did seem very well built and an attractive design but noone will ever see them in my setup. I now have the mw265 8 inch Morel drivers and they are a whole different animal. Awesome midbass and surprising smooth midrange up to even over 2 kHz. I cut mine down around 500 Hz however as I'm using them in a strict midbass roll. Damned good for less than $200/pair in my hand brand spankin' new. You can't even get half an Elate for that.


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## sidneyspencer (Aug 18, 2008)

The new Morel Elate MW6's (beige coloured) is definitely a step up in terms of midbass kick and quality from the old Elate woofers (black).


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## MatCa (Jan 17, 2014)

The Elates come alive with big power (and sound deadening), try a more powerful amp.


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## garysummers (Oct 25, 2010)

MatCa said:


> The Elates come alive with big power (and sound deadening), try a more powerful amp.


Agreed, I had mine in 9.8 liter sealed fiberglass door enclosures with 300 watts each. Very nice sq and definition. Switched to the Supremo woofers. Yet another step up in mid bass definition and dynamics.


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## FG79 (Jun 30, 2008)

MatCa said:


> The Elates come alive with big power (and sound deadening), try a more powerful amp.


+1 

They aren't the most powerful midbass on the planet, but strong amp, good baffle, and plenty of airspace and they will provide enough midbass, IME.

The Hybrid L6 has a bit more midbass, but I had more midbass with PG MS1000 and Elates vs. L6 with Xtant X604 or Milbert BaM230.


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## eddieg (Dec 20, 2009)

gregr1189 said:


> *Sound*
> Amplifier used is a NVX JAD 900.5 supplying 60rms at 4 ohms and unspecified at 8 ohms.
> 
> 
> ...



The Elates are recognized as subwoofers and not woofers, they are speced to absorb up to 200watts - that is a declaration even higher than a Seas Lotus SW300i (and that is a 12 inch) 

And you amp them with a 60watt RMS channel??? 

Try again! 

This time give them 150watts, 200watts heck give them 400watts 

I think your opinion about them will change. 

As well try to put them in a seald box between 7-12 liters 

I think your opinion about them will change. 


60 watts on SW6 should sound like hell.


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## mikelycka (Apr 4, 2008)

I not saying what you heard was wrong but I do find it hard to believe a high end speaker will sound like a low end speaker. The low end might sound better 
to me something sound wrong


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## Ultimateherts (Nov 13, 2006)

gregerst22 said:


> ^^ ++1
> 
> I'd guess the woofer the op had crapped the bed because it was being severely under powered and overdriven.


This belong in the Myth and Dogma Section


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## ryan roberts (Apr 24, 2010)

That tannoy driver looks like the one in there more recent mini monitors,I forget the model,I know the passive monitor is red the active is blue..morel has some impressive speaker manufacturing capabilities..but in my opinion tannoy makes some of the best drivers i have ever heard,only problem is that they don't sell them  a couple years ago I got my hands on some tannoy 15" dual concentric drivers with alnico motors that are used in there prestige series and after a year of learning to build tapered horn cabinets I finally got a chance to enjoy listening to them,AMAZING DRIVERS )))


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## ryan roberts (Apr 24, 2010)

MatCa said:


> The Elates come alive with big power (and sound deadening), try a more powerful amp.


it's more important to structurally reinforce the door than to deaden it with dynamat,unless your trying to lower the doors resonance to within the response range of the elate woofer..lol


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