Morel
All prices in euros (€) unless otherwise noted.
At time of report, 1 € is approximately 1.37 US dollars.

Punchy, fast, articulate -- these are all terms that apply to the sound produced by Morel’s Fat Lady loudspeaker ($32,000 USD per pair). There’s no question that the design of the Fat Lady is as unique as its name, but in the end it was the sound that won us over.

Morel has long been known for its high-quality drivers -- you’ll find Morel drive units in some of the best loudspeakers in the world -- but now the company also appears to be poised to carve out a share of the über-loudspeaker market. The Fat Lady has a carbon-fiber cabinet, Morel’s own carbon-fiber midrange and woofer drivers, and Morel's best soft-dome tweeter. It all comes together in a 97-pound speaker that is as shapely as, well, the name implies that it might be. In this setup, the Fat Lady was paired with Naim’s best electronics: a CD 555 CD player (21,596 €), a NAC 552 preamplifier (19,998 €), and a NAP 500 power amplifier (19,998 €). Nordost cabling tied the system together.

Some might think it immodest to take a photo of the Fat Lady's backside, but the unique shape of the speaker has to be seen from all angles to be fully appreciated.