A few model combinations of piezoelectric (PE), perovskite and piezomagnetic (PM), spinel phase has been chosen on BaO-TiO-FeO-CoO quinary oxides system for in situ preparation of magnetoelectric composite materials by solid-state route. The various phases, which appeared during in situ preparation in different model systems, have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The magnetoelectric effect (ME) of such composites has been measured by dynamic method. The present paper deals, with,a qualitative comprehension of the ME property of such composites in relation to their proposed composition model. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.