While cruising the convention floor at CEDIA 2007 in Denver, I ran across something I didn’t expect to see: a mobile audio exhibitor. CEDIA is an industry trade-show dedicated to custom home electronics, so 12-volt product from Morel was unexpected. I reviewed a Morel home theater speaker system a few years ago and was very impressed with their satellite/subwoofer system, so I was naturally interested in their car audio product, the Ultimo 12 subwoofer, a beefy 12-inch sub designed for serious bass response in a car.
Features: The Ultimo 12 is the first in a series of subwoofers for the high-end mobile electronics market. The most important feature of the new sub is the 5.1-inch External Voice Coil, probably the largest for this type of product. The voice coil is made of Hexatech™ hexagonal-shaped Aluminum wire, 2-3 times thicker than most, which contributes to very high power handling capacity of 1000 watts RMS, and up to 3000 watts peak power. The cone is a composite of paper and carbon fiber that is driven by a double magnet Ferrite motor structure.
The Ultimo 12 was not available for demonstration, but based on its design and structure it likely sets new levels of bass performance for a mobile audio system. The Ultimo 12 is available now and has a suggested retail price of $800.