Mirage omnipolar speaker owners.....anyone?

[PhilV91]

I'm very intrigued by the Mirage speakers and don't have any way to listen to them. Anybody own Mirage or have heard the systems. I am close to dropping $1400 on an OMD5 system. I like the idea of the "seamless soundstage and hearing sounds from my video games and movies and being able to hear them in a 3d space. Plus they tout not having flexible placement options and still having sound be in the "sweet spot". If this is all a bunch of hype and not true let me know before i make this huge investment!!!! The specs for the speakers are impressive to me
They are their biggest omnipolar bookshelfs w 175 watt rating, 90 db, 6ohm nom. , freq. res. 60-20khz. Thanks for anyone who provides feedback!

 

[PhilV91]

WOW! Nobody knows anything about these speakers? Come on fellas, help a brother out!

 

[WmAx]

I will tell you that omnipolar speakers are very demanding of room acoustics and set up. There is not a more difficult speaker to set up. You need to have 4'-5' placement from back wall, and 2-3' from side walls, and the left and right side of room should have symmetrical acoustics for the most part.

Assuming you have the above, the room needs a healthy bit of random diffusion and absorption to prevent excess reflection oscillation. For the best results, specific acoustical treatments are needed.

One last thing: most speakers are highly resonant. An omnipolar speaker is best served with primary reflections in tact at specific delays, reflected in the distances I specified above. But being most likely highly resonant, these added reflections will only serve to make the resonances in the speaker more audible. A conflict.

A truly well engineered omnipolar speaker can sound the most realistic of any for stereo music reproduction in the ideal acoustic setting. But such a combination is exceedingly rare.

-Chris

 

[lsiberian]

I think because of their placement sensitivity you might be better going a different direction. If you are looking for a small low profile speaker system, then definitely take a look at a KEF3005 series. If you have a KEF dealer in your area at least see if you can get an audition. They are IMO the best small speaker, because they produce good sound and have a very high aesthetic value. Even the sub for the system is very much designed with aesthetics in mind. It also won the CNET so I'm not alone in my belief. If you are looking for a low profile small speaker set then get a KEF 3000. Don't get the 5000 it's doesn't really sound as good IMO as the 3000 series. I almost always steer people looking at Bose for it's size and aesthetics to the KEF speakers.

www.kef.com. Look for a dealer in your area.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/KEFKHT3005BLKSE/KEF/KEF-KHT3005SE-5.1-Home-Theater-Speaker-Package-in-Black/1.html

Is a good deal on it online.

Make sure you audition speakers if you can.

 

[flippo]

omnisat v2's

I use the Mirage Omnisat v2 satellites and love them. Great soundstage and build quality (made from aluminum). They go down to about 70hz so match up well with my sub. I will say that they are not everybodies cup of tea so give them a listen. crutchfield has a good return policy. They also can play a lot louder than you think they would be able to considering that they are satellites.

 

[Tiguron]

Mirage make some great speakers that have limitations. I have found that the sweet spot is huge. Even if the speakers are close the the room boundaries the sound is very similar through the entire room. You do lose a little of the exact imaging though. I have listened to Martin Logans that had amazing imaging in the sweet spot, but if you moved, then the sound quickly degrades. With the Mirage's it is the opposite. You have much more trouble getting the perfect sound, but it is a very consistent sound.

That being said, the more breathing space you can give them, the better they sound. I have played with toe in and spacing and been very impressed with them. If you have a large enough space to give them a few feet of clearance, Omnipolars can sound amazing.

I chose Mirage because I liked the sound and wanted a speaker that could fill the entire space well. Once I moved them away from the walls a bit I was blown away by the sound.

I suggest you go listen to a set up. Walk around the room and see how you like the sound, and how the sound changes. If they let you, move the speakers tighter the corner and listen again. This will give you a better idea of the pros and cons of omnipolar speakers.

 

[flippo]

Mounted

My v2 are mounted on the wall with a wood arm so that they are away from the back wall about a foot and this works well for me.

 

[lsiberian]

I know Mirage speakers go on ebay pretty cheap so take a look if your trying to save some funds.