MasterSource Audio

[Joe Schmoe]

Anyone know anything about them? They have speakers called Jazz that are 3" diameter X 38" tall cylinders with an omnidirectional radiation pattern, a single driver (crossoverless), and a -6dB point of 40Hz. At the current $300/pr sale price, I am seriously considering buying a pair "sight unseen".

 

[TLS Guy]

Nothing new under the sun

That design is as old as the hills. Gilbert Briggs had a column speaker like that in the Wharfedale range, back in the 50s. He used a Wharfedale super 8. Full details can be found in his textbooks.

The problem is this is a pipe, with the speaker at the closed end. It is a straight and not a tapered pipe. It will generate odd harmonics because of the speaker placement. The area of bass reinforcement will be narrow, because the pipe is straight, like a stopped (closed) organ pipe.

I note they have a speaker in their range the 20M. I'm pretty certain that the driver used is the SEAS coaxial. I know this driver well. I know you can not make a satisfactory first order crossover for it. Bottom line, this makes me suspect this outfit's designs are less than optimal.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

I don't care if the design is old, but I obviously care how it sounds. I was hoping they might sound as good as they look (I love how they look), but maybe not. The design seemed like it might offer the potential for impressive imaging, and I love the "cognitive dissonance" produced by hearing big bass from a skinny enclosure.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hard to predict

It is very hard to predict how a speaker will sound. That is why it is wise to audition. Can you get your money back if you return them, because you don't like them?

It's that first order filter on the tweeter of that SEAS coax that makes me wonder about that outfit. Apart from the fact that I suspect it sounds bad, it is likely to burn the tweeter out.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

It is very hard to predict how a speaker will sound. That is why it is wise to audition. Can you get your money back if you return them, because you don't like them?

Yes, they have a 30-day money-back guarantee. I may just try them (I can afford them fairly easily after the first week in December.)
Not that I need any new speakers, you understand, but those just exude "coolness factor".

 

[TLS Guy]

Await verdict

I await your verdict with interest.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

For a mere $140, I was able to get a pair of Mirage Omni 150 bookshelves. These will allow me to hear the same kind of omnidirectional/point source imaging as the Jazz speakers for a lot less. Amazingly, their -3dB point is 55Hz, which is (slightly) lower than that of my Polk Monitor 50 floorstanders.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

A surprising result...

While waiting for the Mirages to arrive, I decided to spend a few days listening to my KRK monitors (the idea being to make the transition from comparably-sized speakers rather than floorstanders.)
To my surprise, I prefer them to the Polk Monitor 50s in every respect. Not just areas where it is reasonable to expect that they could be better (eg detail), but also in terms of bass and dynamics, where the towers ought to have a natural advantage.
If the Mirages turn out to be this good overall, as well as having omnipolar imaging, I will love them!

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Mirage Omni 150 first impressions

Got the Mirage Omni 150s last night. They do produce impressive bass for their (tiny!) size, but I haven't decided if it is enough bass to satisfy me in absolute terms. If not, I could always get the 350s.
They are very inefficient, so a beefy amp is required (fortunately, I have a Carver.) This goes a long way toward explaining the bass.
The imaging is nothing less than jaw-dropping. I really started appreciating it after it got fully dark outside. In the absence of visual cues, the listening room simply ceased to exist. All that I heard was the venue in which the recording was made, even when this was an immense concert hall or soundstage that utterly dwarfs my room!
As far as other aspects of performance, they are quite satisfactory. Tonal quality seems quite accurate, and distortion is very low. The only serious limitation is that they don't have a lot of dynamic impact.
Hearing that much sound from such miniscule, elegantly styled cabinets is worth the tradeoffs, and these could become my primary speakers (or the 350s, which are quite compact by floorstander standards.)