Ideal Center Channel for use with Mirage Omni 350 and the rest of my HT setup

post #1 of 12

2/23/12 at 6:28pm

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I went and built my first home theater setup about a year ago. I went with.

Yamaha RX-V667 7.2 surround
Energy take classic 5.1

I was very happy with setup and felt it was a good bang for the buck, but last month one of my friends was selling two mirage onmi 350 speakers for $150 and I jumped on it. I have since set them up as my left and right channels. I was thinking of matching up the center channel with a Mirage OMD-C1 but the cheapest I could find one was $350 which is almost as much as I paid for the entire energy set. My question is if it is worth it or should I go another way? I am more than willing to put up the money if the difference in sound quality is there.

I also would like to set up as 7.1 but in my 9X9 home theater room with a path going through the middle there is no place to put it. Should I bother with a 6.1 or is not even worth the speaker wire since their is very little 6.1 material.

I use the system primarially as HT watching action and bad sci-fi movies. I have blu-ray player but realize almost all the tracks are still 5.1 (exceptions star wars and x-men). I listen to alternative, punk, ska, and classic rock every once in a while.

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post #2 of 12

2/23/12 at 10:38pm

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Have a look at some of the other Mirage center speakers. This one might do the trick.

Forget 6.1. And unless your seating is at least 2' away from the rear wall, don't mess with 7.1 either. Start with a good 5.1 setup. If you decide to expand later, no problem.

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post #3 of 12

2/24/12 at 4:52pm

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Thanks for your input. I didn't think of using a sat for a center channel. Ok now on to set up if I went with the OS3-sat I would then set the crossover to 80 hz. I plan to leave the omni 350's set to big as they go down to 40 hz with my sub only going down to 33hz. I don't feel this is of much debate as the classic energy sub is only 200 watts and needs as much help as it can get. If I got a bigger sub then would I set the omni 350's big or small?

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post #4 of 12

2/24/12 at 6:49pm

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Conventional wisdom says to set them ti small and let the bigger sub do the dirty work for lfe.

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post #5 of 12

2/25/12 at 3:43am

buzzy_
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The matching center for that was the Mirage C150, if you can find one on eBay or Audiogon that might be the way to go.

Most people thought that was a rebadged version of the Athena LS-C100, made by a sister company.

Those can both be hard to find, though.

Or try another Mirage (maybe an OM C3), Athena, Energy or maybe Boston Acoustics center. Not an Omni one, just a conventional direct firing center. Don't pay much more than $100.

I wouldn't put the OMD C1 with the Omni series, not worth the $ and not that close a match.

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post #6 of 12

2/25/12 at 3:47am

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Quote:

Originally Posted by boykillsworld

Thanks for your input. I didn't think of using a sat for a center channel. Ok now on to set up if I went with the OS3-sat I would then set the crossover to 80 hz. I plan to leave the omni 350's set to big as they go down to 40 hz with my sub only going down to 33hz. I don't feel this is of much debate as the classic energy sub is only 200 watts and needs as much help as it can get. If I got a bigger sub then would I set the omni 350's big or small?

Don't use that sat, either.

As for crossover, probably 80hz. Maybe 60hz is worth trying, if your AVR is powerful (the sub has a dedicated AMP, even if it's not the most powerful that's a small room). Definitely not 40hz.

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post #7 of 12

2/25/12 at 8:43am

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Quote:

Originally Posted by buzzy_

Don't use that sat, either.

Unless you can come up with some rational reason why that sat is not a valid alternative, I'd say it looks better than the C150 based on the midrange-tweeter's being much more like the ones in his main L/R, and that's a strong vote in favor of the sat.

Also, the sat will not exhibit any off-axis combing as is the case with MTM center speakers, like the C150 or the OMC3.

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post #8 of 12

2/25/12 at 9:48am

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger Dressler

Unless you can come up with some rational reason what that sat is not a valid alternative, I'd say it looks better than the C150 based on the midrange-tweeter's being much more like the ones in his main L/R, and that's a strong vote in favor of the sat.

Also, the sat will not exhibit any off-axis combing as is the case with MTM center speakers, like the C150 or the OMC3.

The Omnisat / OS3 actually has very different drivers, the OMNI series isn't like that much of what Mirage built. So forget the drivers argument.

OMNI C150 Drivers: Tweeter: 1" Aluminum dome, Woofers: 5.5" Fiberglass composite
OMNI 350 Drivers: Tweeter: Single 1" Aluminum Dome, Woofers: Two 5.5" Fiberglass Composite

The Omnisat / OS3 series doesn't really have enough size and therefore bass to give a decent tone for a center speaker. It won't cross effectively down to where the sub can reach. It can be used but isn't that good. An OMD5 works much better in that regard, but has different drivers and a different tone than the non-OMD line. May be OK. Neither is a compelling tonal match for those L/Rs.

The OS3 might also be hard to level match to 350s, just too different. The Omni 350s are big speakers, that little sat would be woeful mismatch.

An omnipolar sat also would need to be mounted very carefully, and still might not work well in that room. Directional centers are much easier to deal with.

And as for combing, the other considerations far outweigh that somewhat theoretical issue, especially in a 9 x 9 room.

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post #9 of 12

2/25/12 at 11:49am

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I think you all have some valid points but at the end of the day I was able to pick up a mirage C150 used on ebay for $47. I wish I could compare all the speakers mentrioned but that is not possible. Thanks for PM of the link buzzy but magically I already bid on it before I saw your PM I will let you all know how it works out although I do realize this is my opinion and my ears may not be as good as yours. I will try setting them all to small and lowering the crossover to see how that goes.

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post #10 of 12

2/25/12 at 7:10pm

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Quote:

Originally Posted by buzzy_

The Omnisat / OS3 actually has very different drivers, the OMNI series isn't like that much of what Mirage built. So forget the drivers argument.

Well, let's have a look, shall we?

Here's the OP's Omni 350 and C150. Note the obvious difference in the drivers and their orientation.

Here's the 350 and the OS3 Sat. Note the striking resemblance in the drivers and orientation. Your driver argument is not driving home.

Quote:

The Omnisat / OS3 series doesn't really have enough size and therefore bass to give a decent tone for a center speaker. It won't cross effectively down to where the sub can reach.

The OS3 is spec'd to 70 Hz. That is more than adequate to cross over at 80 Hz or 90 Hz as most AVRs support.

Quote:

The OS3 might also be hard to level match to 350s, just too different. The Omni 350s are big speakers, that little sat would be woeful mismatch.

Let's have a look at the sensitivity specs. The 350s are 89 dB. The OS3 is 89 dB. Perfect match; woeful attempt to claim otherwise.

Quote:

An omnipolar sat also would need to be mounted very carefully, and still might not work well in that room. Directional centers are much easier to deal with.

LoL! These folks had no problem using the OS3 Sat's in a 5.1 system with a sub. Before you dismiss the article, take note of where they say: >>A little over 8-inches tall, the pod-shaped OS3 SAT can serve as a front, center, or surround speaker.<<