Mirage Omnisat V2 query

[photodyer]

Originally--and inappropriately--posted this in the tangential discussion that built on Clint's recent Orb review . . .

Does anyone have any experience with the Mirage Omnisat V2 series?

I ask because I'm giving very serious consideration to the Mirage "system" for the HT area we're putting in in our soon-to-be-finished basement. Besides having been pleased at least with in-store auditions, we're dealing with some complex placement issues that would be solved by using the Omnisat Cans for side surrounds (with regular Omnisats for the rear surrounds, the proprietary towers and center for the front and center channels, plus subs-yet-to-be-chosen).

I haven't given more "beefy" setups much consideration just because our room will likely make placement of "traditional" side surround options something of a nightmare both in terms of practicality and, I must admit, aesthetics (long story short, sides would have to be mounted to a firred-down ceiling section that's only 82" high, thus inviting some nasty head-on collision ops for anyone over 6' tall.

I know that there are definitely better speakers out there, but am I selling things "that" short? I'd appreciate comparative input, particularly from anyone who's heard the series outside of a demo room. I've not found any reviews of the full v2 family to date and thus listener impressions would be much appreciated!

A few specific questions:

1.) Assuming it has decent power behind it (planning on one of the new Denons receivers--haven't decided which--as they should come out this fall about them time we finish the basement), can the Mirage set hold it's own in an ~25'x35' room? Room orientation will be wide rather than deep, with the HT setup on the left side of the room (hence using the cans as there will be no wall on the right side anywhere near).

2.) Thoughts on the center channel? Again, in the optimized dealer setting all sounds sweet, but the center is relatively small . . . can it hold its own in a large room?

3.) Anyone compared their subs--the Omni S10 and Omni S12--with any of the favorites here at AH? I'm planning on 2 powered subs for the room, and I expect I'll get better pricing from the dealer overall if I purchase subs from him. However, with all the homage paid to Hsu, Outlaw and Rocket and others here, I'd very much like to know if the OM's are anywhere close performance-wise to the "biggies".

Again, MTIA for any insights here!

 

[photodyer]

Anyone? Sub options?

 

[Takeereasy]

That mirage setup was looked at in sound and vision this month, so it might be worth a gander for you. They compared 3 slim tower, small surround setups. The Mirage seemed to be the favourite and was the middle of the pack pricewise. I like the sound that I heard from older mirage towers that were much bigger, but to be honest the omnisats really didn't do it for me and I've never heard those towers. That room you are using is gi-normous. I think you may want to send an email to mirage and see what they think about how well those speakers will fill that room. I think that if you go 7.1 the odds are you'll be ok, but I'm not sure. You will also need a pretty big sub to get that room pressurized sufficiently. The subs I'd suggest would run the gammit from $700 (HSU VTF3-MKII) to the $3k plus Velodyne DD-18. I think that in general a sub from one of the direct to you companies like SVS/HSU represent a better value, but if your dealer is willing to give you a great deal then it may be that it is better to go with him. What sub/s is the dealer suggesting? What pricing? What is you'r total budget all in? I'm not trying to be nosy, but generally you'll get more replies if you give that info out.

 

[photodyer]

Tks for the input, Takeereasy. You've affirmed my main concern, which was that the Mirage system would not have the balls to hold to is this room. Basically, I've also figured out that the dealer pretty much wasn't listening to what I was saying with regards to room size and was pretty much set on a one-size-fits-all answer, so I'm back to square one.

As far as budget, I didn't start off with posting it as I first wanted to get any feedback on the Mirage in general and specifically its use in my application. I'm not setting a "hard" number, but I'm aiming for staying ~$1000US/pr for fronts, up to another $1000 for subs, and up to $500 for a timbre-matched center, then pretty moderate for 4 surrounds to finish out a 7.1(or 2) system.

The big issue in my case is getting a workable solution for side surrounds. Because of ventilation ductwork and pipes, the almost 8' ceiling in the basement bumps down to 82" high from the back wall of the HT area out 6'. Wer'e doing 2 rows of seating, so the back row will be completely under this bump-down, while the front (primary LP) row will start then at 7' from the back wall. This creates a big problem for side surrounds . . . if ceiling mounted in front of the bump-down, the side surrounds are completely occluded from the back row--not acceptable. This leaves us with ceiling mounting in the bump-down; since it's only 82" high, anything that hangs down more than 6" or so is going to become a head-strike hazard in two main walking paths. That's how I ended up looking at Mirage--the OmniCans offered a workable option for the side surrounds and allowed use of identical drivers (regular OmniSats) wall-mounted for the rear surrounds. For the rears we're locked into a back wall surface mount, so going with traditional in-ceiling speaks for both sides and rears won't fly, either.

ANY ideas for dealing with this surround issue other than Mirage would be greatly appreciated!

Actually, I talked at length with an HT enthusiast/salesman out at Nebraska Furniture Mart today while we were ordering seating. I told him my issue, and he also had serious doubts about running the Mirage kit in my room. He actually referred me out to much more "serious" sound shop and suggested I take a listen to NHT's Super Audio and Evolution lines. He contended that the NHT's were sonically compatible with the Mirage OmniSats and suggested that I might stay with the Omnisats for my surrounds but go with the much more full-throated NHT's for fronts and center. But he also suggested that I might want to consider beefier surround options . . .

Thoughts on this?

As to subs . . . the Hsu VTF-3 MkII is on my "short list" . . . will one be sufficient to pressurize my room? If not, I was considering pairs of either Outlaw LFM-1's, Hsu VTF-2's/STF-3's, or Rocket UFW-10's. I know that these pairs don't extend down as low, but they offer more air movement than any single sub I can afford (the Velo DD's are regrettably out of my range!).

Would the VTF-3 MkII hold its own in my room if I go with more full-range towers for my fronts?

 

[Takeereasy]

Is it totally impossible to get wall mounted speakers for the area around the bump down? Using some narrow profile speakers might be an alternative to look into if you can swing it. Here are a couple of ideas if this will work for you: Axiom 60 system $3200 US incl shipping
mordant short 500 setup $1700 + extra 506 speakers + 2 HSU STF3 @ $1200 + shipping

You should also drop RLA a line (PM him). He's an admin for the site and owns his own shop. He can suggest some good flush mount in-ceilings if you must go that way. He might also have some good ideas as to alternative speaker manuf. and some ideas fo you. Good luck with it all. It seems like you've really got your stuff together and that you're narrowing everything down very well.

 

[photodyer]

Talked with Dave at Kief's in Lawrence, KS today--very helpful! He suggested changing from the Mirage OmniCans to SpeakerCraft AIM series for side surrounds--they've had great results with them in custom installs like mine. He reports that the SpeakerCraft are very neutral and thus we'll be able to mate them with some exterior wall-mount rears that will blend well.

As to fronts and subs, I'll be going out there within the next few weeks (60+ mile trip . . . requires a little planning!) to do some serious listening. Dave seconded support for my giving a listen to NHT fronts and centers and the interesting matched sub system they have. Anyone have comparative experience with the NHT subs?