Need audiophile feedback: Mirage speakers??

[Vipergrün]

I have been shopping for speakers to build a decent surround system. Milt's thread on Bose got me wondering if Mirage speakers are decent or hype. They actually sound pretty good, but a decent sub is a must. I am looking at the Omnisat V2's for the fronts and Nanosat's for the rear.

Thoughts?

-Brad

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Krell

B&W

When I listened to Mirage, I considered them hype against those two.

[t951]

Pure B&W household here.

What I tell everyone, is let your ears be the judge. B&W sounds great to me, they may not to you. First your ears, then look at the price. You may be surprised what you end up with. Lot's of quality speaker shops also allow you to trade up. Check that out as well.

[lendaddy]

Speaker design is art, you can't really stick with a brand and think you'll be ok. One brand can have an ass kicking line and another that's a joke.

Listen listen listen and don't buy into the hype, trust your ears.

[nostatic]

the internet has changed things a lot. I just went through this exercise and settled on some Dana speakers:

http://www.theaudioinsider.com/products_new.php?cPath=21_25

I have a pair of 630 up front along with a 660 center. I just ordered a pair of 930s (not shown...$1500/pair but I'm getting a demo for a big chunk off) and will move the 630s to the rear.

lots of cool stuff here:

http://www.theaudioinsider.com

http://www.av123.com

and the obligatory BBS

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=89

fwiw in a recent get-to-gether where a bunch of guys listened to a bunch of speakers blind, the $349/pair Dana 630s beat out a pair of 800 series B&W ($2500+/pair).

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=881717&highlight=bookshelf+gtg

[Oracle]

I have mirage and they're really good, would I buy again the same brand? Nope too expensive...
There are lower end brands that sound really nice and truthfully impossible to tell one from other.
I just bought bose for the media room in the new house, we got tired of those tall towers.. the new bose are the small cubes that will be installed on the walls.

I'll decommisson the mirage to the garage.. way overkill?? You bet

[TerryH]

I have a subwoofer from each of these makers for my home theater. Way above average perfomance for average cost. Both companies stand behind their product 100%. Not all subs are the same.

http://www.svsound.com/index.cfm

http://www.hsuresearch.com/

[89911]

Originally Posted by lendaddy

Speaker design is art, you can't really stick with a brand and think you'll be ok. One brand can have an ass kicking line and another that's a joke.

Listen listen listen and don't buy into the hype, trust your ears.

So true. Yor really need to go to a room and listen behind a curtain and make your decision. Sound is one of the most subjective test there is and there is no right of wrong answer. I invested about $5000k in my upstairs system with Definitive Technology speakers. (Don't laugh about the silly name, their actually pretty good). I invested about $800 for a Polk system for my kids setup. The kids system sounds almost as good because its in a nice compact room with low ceilings. Lots of variables.

[Chocaholic]

Careful....a bit of nonsense being posted here. Saying Mirage is hype compared to Krell is like comparing a fine swiss watch to Big Ben. Different tools for different jobs.

Your speaker selection is important, but not nearly as important as the room set-up (as per 89911 above). I've heard micro-power Single Ended Triodes (3-5 watts) driving efficient small horn speakers that would blow you away in the RIGHT ROOM. I've also heard monster Krell and Levinson amps driving mega-buck Wilson's that sound bright and lifeless because of setup and room acoustics.

Mirage are great speakers and will do everything you need. For pure 2 channel audio, spend time doing research and setup to optimize imaging, dynamics, etc. It'll be worth it. For home-theater, it's just as important, although not as sensitive due to surrounds, subs, etc. Making a modest system sound great is actually a lot of fun, and quite rewarding.

You didn't mention electronics. Be sure that you use decent cableing (doesn't have to be mega-buck stuff, but no zip cord either) and have adequate clean power to drive your speakers to your preferred listening volume without distortion of any kind. You can go with a smaller sub if you place it near a wall or corner. But, be meticulous in setting up the crossover point from your main speakers to the sub. You may have to play with it for a few weeks until you get it just right (no flat spots and no bloated mid-bass).

If you can install a dedicated 20amp line for your primary amplifier, and a separate dedicated line for your smaller electronics that will help with hum, etc. A decent conditioner is always a good idea too.

Remember, what may sound great in the store, could sound like crap in your own room. No two rooms are the same, so there's really no basis for comparison. Focus your research in that area (no giant uncovered windows, uncovered hard-wood floors, etc.), and you'll save a bundle on gear while outperforming the mega-buck testosto-gear every time.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Krell







Mirage

[cairns]

Even the best speakers sound different and you have to choose the ones you like. Other than seeking a basic level of quality for your $- your ears are absolutely going to talk to you and should be the judge- not the $ amount and not recommendations. TRUST YOUR EARS.

To give you an example (at stratospheric prices) I listened to a $40K pair of Dynaudios last week. Best speakers I've ever heard. The $80K Wilsons didn't sound near as good to me- so it wasn't a matter of $- just what my ears thought sounded better. But my home set (B&W 801s) sound just fine as do my 35 year old JBL 4311s.

[rammstein]

Find a local shop that will let you home test some things. The speakers need to be in your home, with your equipment, to sound like they will sound.

Also- you are going to be able to find people who love or hate every single speaker you ask about. Your ears are what matter.

That being said, the mirage speakers you mention are, I believe, the ones with the upward firing drivers that dissipate sound over a cone. They are more optimized towards a small room that presents difficulties with proper soundstaging. The will have a less defined soundstage, meaning you won't be able to close your eyes and pick out where the sax player is. But supposedly they are better equipped to mimick a soundstage in a small room due to their design.

Give them a shot along with some comparably priced stuff. Have fun! I plan to get a good system someday.

[gr8fl4porsche]

I have a Mirage setup running my TV sound in the living room.

The system is setup mostly for TV/Movie viewing and the occasional ipod/cd experience.

The key to my system is stealth. After 20 years of looking at a stack of audio equipment and 4' tall Polk LS-90 towers, it was time for a change. I set up a Mitsubishi 46" LCD inset in the wall over the fireplace with a Mirage Uni-Theater C/L/R speaker partially inset above it. The Mirage system works in this application due to the unique woofer/tweeter configuration and the ability to install the speaker 'upside down' so it fires towards the seating area. I have a pair of Nanosat Prestige's on the rear wall also mounted upside down. The sub is an 80 watt NHT hidden under an end table in a corner. I am using a Pioneer Elite receiver to control everything. All the A/V equipment is in a coat closet with hidden cabling. I used the ELFA shelf system to create a custom hanging A/V rack. Everything turned out quite nice.

When you sit down to watch TV you don't even notice the sound system until it turns on.

The sound is nice, not the best I have heard, but the stealth look was achieved which keeps the wife happy. I don't have anything bad to say about the Mirage satellite system other than it sounds like a typical 'satellite' speaker setup. The speakers were less than a grand thru Crutchfield.

[kach22i]

You could do a lot worse than Mirage.

I'm using some used (small) M&K's (Miller & Kreisel ) in my H.T. setup (very good), and they make great subwoofers too.

[nostatic]

Most of the internet dealer brands (ID) offer 30 day trial periods. Some even will cover shipping. There is no substitute for hearing with your own ears in your own space. Also realize that speakers need to break in when they are new.

imho you get more speaker for the money buying direct. In blind shootouts some of the lower priced ID speakers have beaten very expensive brands you can only buy brick&mortar.

Also, sound systems are like suspension - it is in fact a system and all the parts interact. You can't get away with great speakers and a crappy amp. It is only as strong as the weakest link. I don't believe in the $500 speaker cables, but 24guage wire doesn't cut it. Get a good high current amp (I've got a Cambridge Audio 540R v3 receiver en route www.cambridgeaudio.com, and I've always like NAD) to drive the speakers. If your budget allows, go separates. If you're controlling video it gets very complicated these days. HDMI is the new standard but adoption and application is somewhat over the map. There are varying specs as well (1.3a being the current one). It is not like the good old days of 2-channel audio...

[Paul T]

Agree with everything being said here...I was once a B&W fan (still am), but went with a pair of rockets from www.av123.com and could not be happier, especially for the price. They have a trial period and you can ship them back if you are not happy. Listening in your own environment and setup is key. I have a Rotel amp/pre-pro driving them and to my ears they sound great.

[rammstein]

Paul- you like the Rockets? I have heard a lot of good stuff about them. Could you describe them in detail? They look like good stuff on paper, and the speaks themselves are pretty. Tell us more about the sound!

[nostatic]

grab a big cup of coffee

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=881717

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=931069

[Vipergrün]

Some of you boys have deep pockets Thanks for the replies. There is sure some cool stuff out there. Maybe I should sell my kids.....

[Mule]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

Krell

B&W

When I listened to Mirage, I considered them hype against those two.

Krell, good point Shaun. If your budget is $25K + Krell or Marl Levinson should do nicely. Did you think that maybe, if he was in the Krell / Mark Levinson arena, he wouldn't have been looking at Mirage.

Laak 'ey say up in 'em mauntins, smart is superficial, but stupid runs deep.