Achieving Audio Perfection: Morel Virtus Nano TPD HiFi Kick Panel Tips

Getting the best performance for your new Kick Panels

The Morel Virtus Nano Carbon speaker system is a highly specialized hi-fi component designed for automobiles. To fully experience the sound quality intended by Morel's engineers, certain installation and setup techniques must be followed. Every TPD Hi-Fi kick panel speaker set comes equipped with the Morel Virtus Nano Carbon 62, 62i, or 63 system. The following guidelines apply to all three models.

Powering your new Morel speakers

The Morel Virtus Nano speakers require more power than most head units can supply. To produce the intended sound quality and output levels they are designed for, an external power amplifier must be installed. We recommend an amp with a power output rating of between 75 and 150 watts per channel at 4 ohms. What does 4 ohms mean? The Morel midrange speaker and woofer use a 4 ohm voice coil so the amp specification we want to pay attention to is the 4 ohm rating. Also, look for an amplifier with a very clean signal for producing the best mid/high frequencies possible. In Hi Fi audio, a Total Harmonic Distortion (or THD) rating of less than 0.1% is considered very good.

Wiring your new speakers

We include all the necessary crimp terminals to connect your new speakers to the passive crossovers and the wires coming from the amplifier to the crossovers. You will need to supply the correct size speaker wire to go from the amp to the crossover and from the crossover to the speakers. Below are the wire sizes we recommend. We also recommend a quality oxygen free copper (OFC) wire over aluminum or copper clad aluminum wire or CCA. The CCA wire may be less expensive, but you really do get what you pay for. The CCA wire is much lighter and does not have the same current carrying capacity of OFC.


 
From the amplifier to the crossover input – 16-gauge (AWG) minimum
 
From the crossover to the MT120 tweeter – 18-gauge (AWG) minimum
 
From the crossover to the MM2 midrange – 18-gauge (AWG) minimum
 
From the crossover to the 6.5 inch woofer – 18-gauge (AWG) min, however, we recommend 16 gauge
 
Note: AWG stands for American Wire Gauge. American Wire Gauge is an industry standard that is followed by reputable wire suppliers. The standard states that a minimum inner diameter of the copper conductor is followed in the manufacturing process. This ensures that the wire can handle the intended current loads and the appropriate crimp terminals will hold the wire securely. Many less than honest wire suppliers will claim that their wire meets the standard when it does not. Reputable brands will make sure the standard is met so do your homework and stick with brands with a history of quality.

Amplifier Settings

The last and probably most important element to get the most out of your speakers is tuning. There are two parts to this; first setting the electronic crossover to the correct settings for your speakers and then tuning to your taste with an equalizer.

The electronic crossover is different than the “passive” crossover that was included with your speakers. The electronic crossover is most likely built into your amplifier. In the rare case that your amp does not have a built-in crossover, chances are that your head unit does. Even the popular Retrosound head units have a built-in crossover.

The electronic crossover serves two functions; to protect the speakers and to improve sound quality. It protects the speakers by filtering out certain frequencies that can potentially damage the speaker at high output levels. These are low frequencies that would be difficult to hear but can cause distortion. Secondly, this improves sound quality by allowing the speaker cone to be more controlled so it can play the intended frequencies back accurately.

We recommend setting the crossover to the “HIGH PASS” setting with a frequency setting of 80 Hz. If your crossover has a setting for the “slope” it should be set to 18 dB.
 

The following guidelines and settings will have you well on your way to HiFi bliss listening to your new Morel speakers. The next step will be learning to EQ your system to your listening and music style. A good audio shop can help you with this. We will also dive into this with future blogs so you can tackle this yourself if you would like.

Of course we are always available via email or phone to walk you through any of this. sales@tpdhifi.com | 918.992.6292