Morel MW144 again, last call before it's too late

[mr_push_pull]

Hello everyone

I really need some advice from someone who has used this driver in a bass reflex box. I'm having second thoughts about my box, it's 13.6 liters without bracing, 12 liters with, but I think it's too big, and I don't want to make this mistake again. My measured T/S params for the driver are close to the Morel specs.
Unibox sims give an impulse response that doesn't look too encouraging, but I'd like to get some feedback from someone who has used them.

Thanks.

 

[maynardg]

MW-144

Works great in 10L

 

[jcake5]

At DIY Iowa, Maynard Goff brought a MW144 based loudspeaker that was 11 ltrs. I did not learn of his port size and I do not know if the box was 11 ltrs before filling with components or after. 2nd best speaker of the day. He used a North D25-06S tweeter with a serial xover.

Regards.
Eric

 

[mr_push_pull]

Interesting.

Theoretically, this driver should give a horrifying transient respose in a BR box, but all the reports I've read indicate otherwise. I guess I'll have to build and listen

 

[maynardg]

It was 11L before XO and driver were put in. Port is 1 3/4 X 4" but probably S/B 5".

 

[wintermute]

Interesting.

Theoretically, this driver should give a horrifying transient respose in a BR box, but all the reports I've read indicate otherwise. I guess I'll have to build and listen

If you are comparing to sealed then yeah (I haven't modeled my MW144's as BR, but just about everything I have looks horrible compared to Sealed on the transient response, I think that's just the tradeoff for deeper bass, and lower distortion.... I guess what looks horrible on paper doesn't necessarily sound horrible If you are really worried about it you could do a TL, I've seen a kit using the MW144 in a TL.

Tony.

 

[johngalt47]

Tony,
Where did you see the kit for the MW144 in a TL? Was it online?

 

[wintermute]

It was this one ---> http://www.iplacoustics.co.uk/ipl_m3tl_mk3_transmission_line.htm

It gets a 2 star (68-85% positive responses) on the LDSG recommended kits page.

I hadn't looked at that kit for quite a while and I'm wondering about it's stated 4Khz crossover, certainly with my cabinets that seems excessively high, I'm currently considering a 2.8Khz crossover freq, though that may change after I have chamfered my baffles.....

No details at all on the construction of the kit unfortunately.

Tony.

 

[rob0802]

Hi, I experimented extensively with the MW144. Its parameters lend themselves best to sealed boxes but used in this way and without careful crossover design regarding baffle step rise and voicing, it can sound lean.
You can design a successful ported box but in my opinion it needs the port tuning manipulating, that is mis-tuning otherwise its transient response is poor. If you intend tuning the port 'correctly' I would limit yourself to 9-10L box and no more and even at this, the bass will be rounded and the driver excursion high at higher levels.
A close relative, the MW142 used a progressive suspension and kept itself together better when used in a ported box but its midrange isn't quite the same. The MW144 is a curious drive unit but if you work around it, it is IMHO one of the best sounding 5" midbass units.

 

[TurboFC3S]

If you have an existing box that's a touch to big, the easiest way to take up that extra volume and hit your target tuning is with styrafoam. Or you could use some dowel rods and wedge them inside, use liquid nails to secure them ... then you take up volume with the added benefit of bracing.

Agreed that it's a very nice sounding driver, Morel is general has become very underrated because of posted distortion measurements from vairous sites. Their prices has remained fairly steady too, while other drivers have went up significantly in price.