Omd-15's or RC70's

You can pick up a pair of clearance models from Vanns of the OMD-15s (that were returned for one reason or another) for as low as $700. And they will still have the full warranty.

I have never heard the RC-70s, but I have 4 OMD-15s and I think they're great.
Also, even though the OMD-C1 matches the OMD-15 (supposedly), I use a C2 as my center.

I know you say they will be close to a wall, and why the OMD-15s (and 28s) are supposed to be off the wall some, they may still sound great to you with your placement.

I went straight to the C2 as I bought a C2, 2x 15s, and 2 Rs together used from a local guy who went from house to apt.

I am unclear on what you own already if anything. If you own Mirage and want to expand on that then I would recommend that, but if you are looking to start new I would recommend Energy. Especially the RC series, but you have to consider that they are a discontinued series and may only be available for a short time at Vanns so you may want to purchase as a bundle now. Mirage and Energy are sister companies, but a little more info is needed before anyone can help you. You may also want to ask in the Energy thread about what you are looking for http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...0450&page=1194

Only downfall I could speak of is that new speakers take time to "break in" supposedly, so you'll have to have them playing something for like 100hrs before they get their true sound.

Either choice will be good, they are just different. The Energy's will be direct and the Mirage have the Omnipolar design (non directional room filling). I own the 15's for my fronts, C1 for my center and (4) OMD-5 for surrounds. The placement is a bit fussy but when done sounds great. The C-1 is a great center, very clear. Remember when using the C-1 if mounting above the screen mount upside down. If you are planning to use the 5's for surrounds if those will be wall mounted 6 feet or higher also must be mounted upside down. Hope this helps, I love my 15, C-1, and 5 setup, great speakers. Good luck.

You should definitely read in the Energy owners thread. There are constant testimonials about the high quality of the RC-70s for the price.

Spending $1000 on either of those speakers WOULD be catastrophic...lol.

I can give you a long list of better-sounding speakers in that price range; I hardly know where to start!

I guess my #1 choice would be the Monitor Audio Bronze BX-6 for $1000/pair.

Comparing the Bronze BX-6 to those speakers would be something like the comparison between a Porsche and a Ford Fiesta. They are SO much better there IS hardly any comparison!

The second choice for $1000 would be the PSB Image T5 speakers; again, a much better-sounding speaker in every way.

The third choice would be the PSB Alpha T1 for $700/pair; still a better-sounding speaker (not as much LF extension on this one, but that is a non-issue if using a subwoofer).

ANY tower speaker you can find On the Audio Advisor speaker website for over $500/pair will sound a lot better than that crummy Mirage, and the Energy isn't much better!

Those speakers you named at the start are speakers that would give any serious listener a serious laugh, at their ridiculous prices. The Mirage has a terrible harsh tweeter and the Energy is just a 2nd-rate speaker in every way.

BTW; if you have hardwood floors and don't want the sound to be completely ruined by floor reflections, get a couple of 4' square or larger rugs and put them a foot or two in front of the speakers.

The reason they were returned was that the owner couldn't stand their crappy tweeter for more than a few days.

I'm sure they have LOTS of returned ones to dump, if they can find enough suckers.

Hmmm...there are some pretty knowledgeable people that regularly post in that Energy owners thread. Of course, you'd have to have followed it awhile to know that. Personally, I'm getting very tired of the assumptions and generalizations that characterize your posts that are based on very limited--or no--information.

"some pretty knowledgeable people"...is that an assumption or a generalization or both??? Sounds like BOTH!

"very limited or no information"...is that an assumption or a generalization or both??? Sounds like BOTH!

Anyone who thinks that ANY Energy speaker is worth $1000 is definitely operating in a zone where there is very limited or no information ( ...the Energy owners thread would certainly qualify...lol).

Ask the people at Audio Advisor who DUMPED Energy as a product line because they had so many returns from unhappy customers that they had to conclude, correctly, that they were crap!

Go LISTEN to pair of Monitor Audio Bronze BX6 speakers, and THEN tell me how good some Energy speaker is. The problem is that I KNOW because I HAVE heard them both and you obviously haven't! Until YOU get more information, don't attack those who are more knowledgeable than you are.

If you have listened to the Monitor Audio towers in comparison to the RC-70s and like the MAs better, good for you. If Audio Advisor had trouble selling the RC-70s, I'm not surprised since they tend to charge full retail. Most Energy owners would agree that the RC series is not a good value at full price.

Nevertheless, if you reread this thread, I didn't make any claims about the RC-70s being better than the OMD-15s, or better than the Monitor Audios. Nor is this thread about the Monitor Audios (see the OP's original post). The OP is interested in information on the RC-70s and OMD-15s; the Energy owners thread is a good place to learn about that, despite your generalization that all owners threads are useless.

Not surprising, though. You seem to have an agenda of promoting Audio Advisor's products, and you have repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to make strong claims based on a lack of knowledge. Most recently, in another thread the last couple of days, you have told the OP to disregard the Denon 1712 for the 1612, even though your knowledge is based on one review, which, btw, I showed to you a couple of weeks ago when you had been talking about how bad Denons were (obviously a poor assumption since you are now championing one). If you did your research, you would know that the 1712 is not a worse choice (go see the evidence in that thread). But you chose to base a rather strong opinion on limited information, and this is not the first time this has happened.

The audio press is not perfect, but in general they pick stuff to review that they are fairly sure that they can say something good about; often because they have heard the stuff somewhere first. They are at least pretty knowledgeable and reasonably objective when they do a review in Stereophile and The Absolute Sound. Home Theater is another good source.

PSB and Monitor Audio have repeatedly had excellent reviews in Stereophile and The Absolute Sound on several models (they obviously can't review every model from every manufacturer). Compare that to the COMPLETE ABSENCE of ANY review of ANY Energy or Mirage speaker in recent years. Duhhhhhh....

I have heard a lot of stuff because I go to audio shows, talk to friends in the audio business and listen as much as I can at various places, and have no reason to promote any brand EXCEPT because it sounds good and performs well. My only agenda is to try and help people find out how to get the most for their money. If that is a crime (some people act like it is...), then arrest me.

There seem to be a lot of refugees from the Energy Owners Thread or the Polk Owners Thread or what ever that lurk here and slavishly defend what they own and attack anyone who suggests otherwise. I hate that crap.

Being able to sit and enjoy is not easy - you will always find pro's and con's.
Choose the speaker from any brand, that attracts you the most - then buy
and test it out in your home, for the 30 day trial period. While Mirage, or
Energy is not my first choice, I do not consider them bad speakers.

I NEVER said ONE WORD about the 1712. I DID NOT tell the OP to disregard it. That is completely untrue. I pointed out the positive attributes of the 1612 and told him where he could see the review that praised it for himself. Is that a crime? It seems that YOU are the one who can't get things correct! GO BACK AND READ MY POST AGAIN, and then knock off the untrue allegations!

I have NO agenda regarding Audio Advisor, except that IMO they are a convenient source for information on Monitor Audio and PSB and some other good products, AND that they have a 30-day free refund policy which I like very much. It's called trying to give people useful information.

As for Energy, and prices; the OP said he was contemplating spending $1000 for the Mirage or Energy, and I was merely trying to point out that IMO the general opinion of knowledgeable people is that there are MANY MANY better choices for that kind of money and PSB and Monitor Audio Bronze are only two of the many.

************************************************************ ***********

Not surprising, though. You seem to have an agenda of promoting Audio Advisor's products, and you have repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to make strong claims based on a lack of knowledge. Most recently, in another thread the last couple of days, you have told the OP to disregard the Denon 1712 for the 1612, even though your knowledge is based on one review, which, btw, I showed to you a couple of weeks ago when you had been talking about how bad Denons were (obviously a poor assumption since you are now championing one). If you did your research, you would know that the 1712 is not a worse choice (go see the evidence in that thread). But you chose to base a rather strong opinion on limited information, and this is not the first time this has happened.[/quote]

interesting that when you search for Monitor Audio Bronze BX-6, it direcly goes to audio advisor, with all the other links coming from the british monitor websites.

You can also look here
http://www.saturdayaudio.com/picture...o_specials.htm

You didn't directly mention the 1712, but you definitely told the OP that he should buy the 1612, even though afrogt and the OP were discussing the 1712, too, and then acted like a jerk to afrogt when he asked you a question about the 1612 features. Just like you acted like a jerk towards me and every other Energy owner when you made that comment about the Energy Owners Thread.


I like Audio Advisor, too, since they are about a 10 minute drive from my house (I've been there on several occasions). But I don't just almost exclusively promote them and their speakers.

Well said...

Thank you for admitting that you LIED about my post on the other thread. I welcome your correction, even though one really should apologize in that situation and you did not. I expressed my opinion about the Energy Owners thread, and it's still my opinion; sorry if it offends you in any way.

Apparently, according to you, expressing an honest opinion constitutes being a jerk, but posting lies about what other people have said is no problem and doesn't even merit an apology.

I have come to the conclusion that you are out of your mind. While you make people believe that you know what you are talking about by going in depth in your posts I have read numerous posts by you that make me believe you are more of a " if you can't convince them of the truth, dazzle them with ********" type of guy.

I'm still waiting to hear specifically who all of these people are, and why they are assumed to know so much about anything. I can assemble some respected people in the audio business who would all assume that any Energy owner is de facto not very knowledgeable about speakers.

In that case, I think that as a public service you should send a letter to the state department of Mental Health and carefully document the evidence for your conclusion. Maybe when they get the letter they will come and lock YOU up...lol.

Thanks for proving me right. That is the most ignorant blanket statement that I think I have read on AVS to date.