Mirage Speakers - Page 15

This might be a stupid question, but I was wondering about the foam plugs that come with the Omni series (350 and C150). Does anyone use them and under what circumstances? My setup is such that the 350 and C150 speakers are pretty much up against the wall and I was wondering if using the plugs would help.

With no plugs and without using a crossover on the receiver, the bass sounds a little weird (I wish I had a better word to describe it, maybe muddy?). So I set the crossover in the receiver to 60 Hz and actually set the front/center to "small" and it sounded much “cleaner”. I am just wondering if I am defeating the purpose of having larger speakers vs satellites in the front/center by not sending them anything below 60Hz signal. Also, if it is relevant, my surrounds are Omnisat Micros and the sub is an S10.

The foam plugs are exactly for that purpose, to tailor the bass response when placed against a wall or in the corner. Using them usually gentlely roll of the bass of the speaker

If your receiver allows it, you could set a lower crossover for the fronts and the higher one for the rears. But you should always use "small" because you don't want the main speakers to overlap the bass from the sub. For your speakers, either 60 or 80Hz for the crossover. 80Hz is probably a safer bet but 60Hz should work too (the blending in the rears won't be as smooth, but it's something you may never notice)

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm pretty sure I can't set different crossovers for different speakers. (It's a Yamaha RX-V661, if anyone happens to have one and knows differently).

Yeah, I guess I just wanted to make sure that by using the plugs and setting the fronts to small I wasn't "missing out" on anything. But I guess if it sounds better/cleaner, that's what's important. I'll just play with the settings to see if 60Hz or 80Hz sounds better. Thanks again.

That's all what you'd expect. You should be using a crossover.

But - try taking the plugs back out, once you have the crossover set, and give it another listen both ways.
No, you get a much fuller sound out of the bigger speakers, even above 60hz. The micros really onlyg go down to about 120 or so. And you can get a lot more output (sound level) out of the bigger speakers. Also, not sending them the low bass takes a lot of strain off your amp (since the sub amp handles the power-hungry low frequencies) and to some degree the speakers.

I am probably the remotest thing to an audiophile but I recently purchased the Omnisat v2 FS and S8 subwoofer from Crutchfield since they threw in the v2 CC for free. While not as good a deal as the 350s at 50% off, I went with the v2 since they seem to be made of better materials (I don't want to buy another speaker system for at least 10 years) and the v2 came in Silver (to match my Silver finish Panny plasma and the fact that dust is less noticeable on a Silver finish than a Black). I already have 4 Nanosats as rear and surround speakers in my 7.1 system. I am hoping I don't have to spend another 1K on Omnisat v2 surrounds.

Also I've read that Omnidirectional technology may not be that great with center channel speakers. What are your thoughts on that? I bought the Nanosats 6 months ago to replace the PSB surrounds I had since I read that Omnidirectional technology was better in surround speakers and I was never that happy with my surrounds. That seems to be the case, at least for me, as I think I get better surround sound with the Nanosats. However I would be bummed if that advantage was nullified by a weaker response from my center channel.

It's very dependent on the size of your room and the way things are setup, and your own preferences. The only way to know will be to set it up and try it.

Your receiver probably has a way to adjust the volume of the various speakers, you ought to be able to adjust the center relative to the others and get it to where you want it.

http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/...ghlight=mirage

I liked the cc, see my second post down in the link above.

I got the Omni 150s, and I am very impressed. I have never heard imaging like that, and the bass is hard to believe for the size. I find myself preferring them over substantially more expensive speakers.

Aren't the 150s all sold out now?
i don't see them at vanns or crutchfield anymore.

Apparently so. The floorstanders are still available (at half-price), though.

just wanted to add my experience. i recently purchased a pair of new v2 satellites (made in china). the fit and finish were pretty poor. one of the speakers was missing one of its rubber feet. the other one had a scratch that probably happened when one of the workers was trying to screw in one of the screws on the face of the speaker. there was also minor scuffing along the edges. very disappointing.

i've owned previous mirage components that were built in canada and have had no problems with the fit and finish. coincidence? i guess it's possible.

Omnisat v2 floorstanders, 4 sats and cc here in a second system. Fit and finish on all are perfect.
I also just installed Energy RC-70's, RC-LCR and 4 Mirage Omnican 6's in my main system. Fit and finish are perfect with those also.

Jack,

How does the Omnisat CC center compare with the Energy center? Particularly with dialogue.

I was very pleased with the Omnisat center. The reason I replaced it was because, as good as it is, there was a noticable difference in timbre with the 18 year old Mirage M760's I was using. Knowing I would be replacing the 760's with Energy RC-70's, I went with the RC-LCR.
The Omnisat center, of course, matches up beautifully with the Omnisat floorstanders.

Greetings,

I've decided to invest in an Omnisat system - FS front speakers, the CC center speaker, and Omnisat surrounds. I'm going to have a 7.1 system.

I've pretty much decided to use the Omnisat V2's for rear surrounds and was thinking of using the Nanosats as side channels to keep the cost down. Or would it be better to use the Nanosats as rear surrounds and the V2s for the side channels?

The rear surrounds have a good place on the rear wall of the room, behind the viewing position, but I'm unsure about where to place the side speakers. There are no convenient wall positions at left/right of the viewing position and I don't want to use stands because they will be exposed to kids running around. So I'm thinking of maybe mounting them upside down on the ceiling - I've seen mention of mounting Omnisats upside down with good results. And since they will be side channels, maybe this will work.

Any suggestions?

thanks

Politby....
I'd say you'll be ok. But I think I'd use the Nanosats as the rear surrounds as I don't think the rears are as critical as the sides.
Hanging from the ceiling should also work ok. I have 4 Omnisat sats I would have liked to use, but didn't really care for how they'd look hanging from the ceiling (I went with the Omnican in-ceilings). But if you're ok with the look, they should work fine.

I've read almost this whole thread now and it got me thinking. I can get a pair of Omni 550s and a C150 center plus two Omni 150 surrounds - all in cherry - for the same price as the Omnisat FS/CC combination. Or put another way, the 550s plus C15 for the equivalent of $468 less than the Omnisat front/center combination.

I don't really have any space constraints, so from what I've read in this thread maybe I should go for the 550s as I can get a 7.0 system for the same price as a 5.0 Omnisat system?

Yes!

+1

How do you think the Omnicans would sound 12-14ft' behind the listening position. Would the sound field be full enough? I'll have Omnisats on sides for a 7.1 setup.

I have the Omnican 6's. The rears are also about 12' behind my sofa.
Great here. Remember we can adjust levels, eq, etc. for each individual speaker.

How do they blend with the sides. I'm having a heck of time with placement becauese of my soofit configuration. Its 4' wide on one side and 2' on the other. I can't mount them to the soffit on each side because of the spacing and I think they'll be too close together if I put them on the ceiling. The room is 15' wide. How far apart are your Omnicans?

GS

Unless you want the fairly large 550s, my suggestion is to go with the 350s and a sub. Even though the 550s are only 3" wider they are pretty big speakers.

I think I got the last 2 sets of 150's from Vann's I was on there a couple of weeks ago and it said they only had 2 pair left and I gave in and ordered all my speakers. I was planning on waiting but I did not want to miss out. Glad I got them when I did, I also ordered a c150 center and a pair of 350's for the fronts. I am very happy with them. Now I just need to find a reasonable priced sub to round out the new home theater.

Sides are about 10 feet apart, rears are about 7 feet apart.

I have the same setup and the klipsch sub-10, which i was able to get from bestbuy for a couple hundred bucks. I'm very happy with my system.

Just put in my order for 4 x Omni 350 as fronts and surrounds plus the C150. Will add a pair of Omnisat V2s I got from a dealer demo to make up a 7.1 system.
Can't wait to get it all set up. Should have it all delivered in a week or so.

I'm currently upgrading to HD (Dolby TrueHD and DTSHD) and 7.1 and noticed the discontinued pricing on the Mirage 550 and 350.

My current system is a Sony STR-DA4300ES with 5 Spherex (xbox) speakers and a cheap Sony subwoofer. The room is small, but dedicated as a HT room; about 12' x 9'. Purpose is mainly movies via a PS3 or HTPC.

Would either the 550 or 350 mix well with the Spherex speakers? I'm thinking of using the 550 or 350 as the front Left and Right, then using the Spherex speakers for the center, Left and Right Surround, and Left and Right Rears (giving me a 7.1 system).

Was initially planning on purchasing 2 more Spherex speakers to get the 7.1, but the prices on the 550 and 350 are hard to pass up.

Thanks in advance.

Our wonderful dog who is squirrel crazy, was in our den and saw a squirrel through the window and went after it. There is about an 18" space between my Sony TV and the Mirage 350 then the window is behind that. He knocked the left speaker into the wrought iron standing lamp and the speaker fell on the floor.
Tore the top edge of the speaker off and put a small whole in the top of the fabric covering the tweeter assembly.
Good thing I only paid $300 for these things.

I have just ordered the Omni 350s (leaves me with about $40 until next payday, LOL.)
It will take a week to get them, and I am already champing at the bit. If my 150s are any indication, they will sound awesome!
I was right, they sound awesome. The Already amazing imaging of the 150s is enhanced even more, and the bass will have peaople searching for a hidden sub! Not merely a steal at $300, they sound like they should cost well over $3000.