Cheap upgrade for mains; worth it?

[HexOmega]

Hello all,

Long-time reader here that only recently joined up to participate. Here's the long and short of it:

My fiancee and I moved in together back in October and finally bought a TV - a Panasonic TC-P50G20 Plasma. Having the new TV inspired me to start building a HT for our apartment. So far, this is what I have:

-Yamaha RX-V667 AVR
-Polk RM-75 5.0 satellites
-Energy ESW-M6 sub
-PS3 for Blu-ray and music streamed from library on PC
-JVC XL-FZ258BK 5-disc CD Player

Initially I held back on the AVR purchase, but the speakers (and some stands) were included for free so I figured they would be good enough to get us by for a while. While many like to bash the Energy micro-sub, it's working well for us because of its size...performance is surprisingly good in our living room, too.

My listening priorities favor music over movies, and the Polks fall short here (especially at low listening levels, which are key in our apartment). This has led me to considering an upgrade of the front mains. After some research, the candidates that fall into my price range (<$600) are (in order of interest):

-Mordaunt-Short Carnival 80
-Energy RC-50 (discontinued but available on Amazon)
-EMP E5ti

I had mentioned this to a friend who is also interested in HT. Long story short, his boss at work has a pair of Mirage FRX-5 towers for sale and I know I can snag them for less than $150. These are a direct-radiating design with one 6.5" woofer and 0.75" tweeter per tower. Formal reviews are hard to find but generally positive.

Now, the Mirage towers are not quite what I was looking for, but being reasonable performers for very little money would allow me to put the money saved towards something else, like a second sub to even out the bass response in our living room. I understand that a good pair of towers would have a similar effect if run full-range, but I would likely bass manage them (at least for multichannel) to maintain amp headroom.

So, given the same set of circumstances, what would you guys do?

TIA.

 

[jp_over]

My preference is to do the research and make the final purchase of exactly what I want. Of course, there are also many joys of having "intermediate" gear (research, testing, listening, etc). The first option is more cost effective of course!

Any way you can audition them to judge how much of an improvement you'll get?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Have you listened to anyone of those speakers?

Try the local one first - Mirage.

If you have to buy without audition first, make sure the place of purchase has a great Return Policy, like Amazon.

I have not listened to those 3 speakers, but if I had to choose one, I would pick the Energy from Amazon.

 

[HexOmega]

My preference is to do the research and make the final purchase of exactly what I want. Of course, there are also many joys of having "intermediate" gear (research, testing, listening, etc). The first option is more cost effective of course!

Any way you can audition them to judge how much of an improvement you'll get?

Hey Joe, thanks for your reply.

I'll hopefully be auditioning the Mirage floorstanders this coming Saturday morning; no decisions will be made before then.

Speaking of which, I forgot to mention that a major advantage of the Mirage speakers is that I can actually listen to them first, as there are no even remotely local dealers of Mordaunt-Short or EMP.

I definitely like the thought of having extra funds to purchase a second sub, but of course a nice set of brand-new floorstanders has its merits as well

Home Theater Sound has a review of the FRx system, including the FRx5 towers. I can't link to it due to post count, but if you Google "Mirage FRX 5" it's the first search result.

 

[AVRat]

You don't seem to be taking a center speaker into account here. Some of these speakers are discontinued and it may be difficult in finding the matching center.

Since you're in an apartment and have stands, I'd recommend an Ascend Acoustics CBM-170/CMT-340C combo.

 

[jp_over]

Hex,

Here's your link:

http://www.hometheatersound.com/equipment/mirage_frx.htm

AVRat makes an excellent point for saving up - matching center! Also, from what I've read here the Ascend Acoustics products are a good value. I was about to buy their Sierra 1's but the wife shut it down and requested towers (How could I refuse?!).

 

[jostenmeat]

HexOmega, what is your timeline for purchase? If willing to wait a couple of months or so, and that you actually like them, I will have some PSB Images to sell. I am currently working on obtaining tools, so that I may build my first DIY speakers. I have 2 pairs of T55s and 1 C60 center. I will beat any and all prices. You can PM me if you have other questions, or thoughts. One of the T55 pairs will sell for much less than the other, because it was a reclamation project on my behalf (destroyed on way to dealer, and he let me have it at his pricing). It's working well, and in fact I chose the repaired speaker as my center speaker in my dedicated theater.

Otherwise, I very much like the Ascend speakers too. I haven't heard any MS, EMP, or Energy. People here seem to say very nice things about the EMP.

 

[HexOmega]

Update:

I have found a source for the FRXc center channel, so that is on the table.

The stands I have at this point are made by Polk specifically for the RM7 speakers, so I won't be able to reuse them with anything else without major modifications.

 

[HexOmega]

JP,

Thanks for posting the link, much appreciated. I'm working on posting a few more times to avoid that hassle again.

If anything, I'd like to avoid top-heavy bookshelf speakers on stands, mostly because of our two cats who love to explore. The current Polk satellites on their custom stands have a low center of gravity due to the light weight of the speakers and steel stand bases. They look like a really slim tower with a triangular base.

 

[HexOmega]

Josten,

Working on a PM for you, thanks.

 

[digicidal]

JP,
If anything, I'd like to avoid top-heavy bookshelf speakers on stands, mostly because of our two cats who love to explore. The current Polk satellites on their custom stands have a low center of gravity due to the light weight of the speakers and steel stand bases. They look like a really slim tower with a triangular base.

As someone with two cats of my own - well, one of them is more of a pillow since she's old and fat - so I really only have one "real" cat that likes to climb - but I wouldn't worry about standmounts. I'm not trying to discourage the possibility of towers - those Mirage sound like they might be one hell of a deal - you shouldn't be too worried about standmounts with cats.

If it's a decently made speaker - it will be heavy and stable... couple that with some museum wax for the bottom of the speaker (between it and the top of the stand) and you'd basically have a tower. If you're still worried, just pick up some cheap stands that are fillable and get a few bags of steel or lead shot to fill them with...

Unless your 2 cats are protected by the endangered species act... they will be able to jump on them all day without knocking them over. Now the finish on them might not be so lucky, as apparently 'high gloss' means 'hard to stand on'... I discovered the hard way that a slipping cat's nails can go right through 5 layers of paint and 2 layers of clearcoat - without any problem at all.

I guess the main point I'm trying to make is that while considering cat-friendliness is definitely a factor - it shouldn't be significant enough to warrant getting speakers you prefer the sound of less just because you feel they'll be better suited to your home wildlife.

Also the Ascend 340SE's mentioned can be ordered with matching stands (for $100/pr if ordered at the same time) which attach to the speakers with a bracket - thus making them towers for all intents.

 

[HexOmega]

As someone with two cats of my own - well, one of them is more of a pillow since she's old and fat - so I really only have one "real" cat that likes to climb - but I wouldn't worry about standmounts. I'm not trying to discourage the possibility of towers - those Mirage sound like they might be one hell of a deal - you shouldn't be too worried about standmounts with cats.

Digicidal,

The two cats' names:

Havoc & Terror

I'll let you use your imagination

(Taking your suggestion into consideration, seriously, thank you!)

 

[digicidal]

Digicidal,
Havoc & Terror

Nice!

Yeah, I really wanted to get a pair of Magnepan 1.7s (well I still do, but not until I build a casita/man-cave to house them).

My cats have been really well trained not to scratch on furniture, etc... but I figured two 5ft tall "scratching posts" sitting in the living room would be waaaay too much temptation for them. And I'd hate to see my wife crying over two small graves in the back yard.

 

[HexOmega]

Update:

I picked up the Mirage speakers yesterday morning after a lengthy audition - they were too good to pass up for the price I paid. Because our living room is relatively small and filled with couch, the Mirages don't sound quite as "airy" as the test drive, but nonetheless they offered a huge improvement.

Perhaps I'm lucky, but I was able to snag a mint condition matching FRX-Center (channel) on eBay today. Once that comes in and I can evaluate the speakers as a system, I'll decice on whether or not I want to keep them.

In other news, I'm sending my Energy ESW-M6 back to Newegg for a refund, since the Mirage towers play down to about the same frequency and I feel the Energy sub is now redundant. The towers sound better when played full-range compared to bass managed with the sub. If I can't find one of the better Mirage subs locally, then something from Elemental Designs might be in order (A3S-250 perhaps...).

Digicidal,

I am intrigued by the Magnepans but (like you) would fear for their (and the cats') demise...

One of these days I'll get the timing just right and surprise the little buggers when one of them sticks her head in a subwoofer port opening...

Anyway, more updates to come, thanks to everyone for your input so far.

 

[jp_over]

Glad you found a solution. Some folks scorn e-bay, but I figure with less expensive purchases it's as good a place as any to pick up used equipment if you're careful about the seller's reputation.