I had listened to Mirage speakers on-and-off for years, but always in a showroom. I got a set of the Spherex speakers from craigslist for cheap with the intention of re-selling them for a profit (which I did to the tune of $100) Before selling them, I did give them a listen & was intrigued by what I heard. I got the KEF’s because I had become disenchanted with the center channel speaker drawing so much attention to itself, and I wanted 2 speakers that imaged really well, which the KEF’s do. In fact, as far as a direct radiating speaker, I still like the KEF’s over everything else I’ve owned. But I always felt like something was missing. No matter where I placed them, the depth was not enough. I experimented with putting a pair of Polk monitor 50’s behind them facing the rear wall, ala a makeshift bi-polar arrangement. I liked what I heard, but as you might imagine, it still wasn’t right.
I like to poke around on some of the sites for gear once in a while, so I popped onto Vanns.com and saw the Omni 550 for only $300 a pair shipped! Then I saw the 150 for $150 shipped, and decided to give them a try. They do take some getting use to, but I really like the way they throw a soundstage. Tonality wise they are very similar to the KEF’s with some added bass extension. But it’s how immersive they are that got to me, and since most of what they are used for is movies & TV, I decided they are keepers.
