Mirage OMNI 550--good in their class?

[Breex243]

So I was looking at spending $2K at AV123 on a set of B-stock Rocket 5.0s, but I then saw some mirage OMNIs for only $180 shipped, each. Vanns has a combo deal going on, but I'm planning talking to a sales rep that should get me the following deal:
4xOMNI 550s @ $180 each, plus either an Energy or Velodyne sub for free/$60 (some 10in 150W one), as they've got some package deals with small satelites and a center. Thus, I could pick out a good center channel and have a nice setup for under a grand, shipped.

Now, here's my question:
How does this package compare in it's class--I know it's no Rocket 5.0, but how about against the ELT 5.1:
http://www.av123.com//index.php?pag...n=com_virtuemart&Itemid=37&vmcchk=1&Itemid=37
Now I know the subwoofers with the OMNI package CANNOT even compare to the MWF-15, but has anyone ever auditioned the Omnis before?

What's the quality like on the OMNIs? What do they compare with? Their MSRP seems quite inflated--are they a good performer for their price category ($3-400 for a pair)?

I'm about 80/20 between music and movies, and often host get-togethers ("parties") in my dorm room, so I'd like to imagine that the Omnis would allow for people who are standing to get a nice earful without any of the 20Hz house-shaking bass that would annoy the neighbors. I know that if I get the Omnis, I'll be upgrading whenever I get a real job, but if I get the Omnis, I'll also be able to have enough money in my budget to get a 2560x1600 monitor, which would be a nice step up from a 24. If I get the Rockets, I'll probably always feel bad that I spent $2k on speakers while in college, and I'll still be using a 24incher for a while. If I get the ELT525 5.1s, I'll be spending about $1200 shipped, and I'll be constantly wishing that I should have just went with the Rockets for $750 more/spent $250 less and get a set of Mirages that I know I'd be happy to upgrade from.

 

[Alai]

From what I read, the Mirage speakers aren't so good for music... too bright. The only Mirage products I would buy (as of the current products created) are SOME of their subwoofers... and even those, only at certain prices.

 

[obobski]

you've yet to actually hear them, yet based on "I've read about Mirage" your opinion is to be taken as fact, even considering that Mirage probably makes some of the more polarized (this means "love it or hate it") speakers out there...

interesting.

from personal experience, the OMNI line is great for movies, games, anything that runs surround sound basically, as far as music, placement is KING, due to the omni tweeters, think finnicky, like Logans or some of the smaller Fabers, get them setup wrong, and there is no real sweetspot, put them in correctly, and its flawless

if you're concerned about the brand (you know the whole consumer reports bit), they're part of Klipsch, so QC is fairly high (at least every mirage speaker, sub, etc I've seen has been pristine), customer service is great

as far as "MSRP seems quite inflated" -> they're quite OLD and afaik Mirage discontinued them some time ago, in lieu of the newer OS3 (which is basically a line array, and somewhat "different" for music (you have to hear it to really get it)), so if you're seeing MSRP #'s, they're probably ca. 2004

as far as "I know I will upgrade", come off the cross and put the wallet away, listen to a set of quality speakers (Mirage does count), then re-asses, especially if you're still in college (and seriously, it isn't a dick competition, the goal isn't to be "the flyest" with your equipment)

4x$180 for a set of 550's isn't bad at all, if you've got the space for it, and a solid receiver, if you're getting a center, get a Mirage center (you know, because, not like they're a unique driver design or anything), mirage, velodyne, and energy make decent subs, I'd go with whatever fits your budget (sounds like velodyne it is)

oh, and just to throw this out there, because it ticked me off to read ("what do they compare with"):
there is no objective "this is declared better than that" futuremark style measuring stick for speakers or amplifiers, again, this isn't a dick measuring competition, if thats your bag, get a set of Z-5500's and spend the money on more RAM, more monitors, or a more powerful CPU/GPU

 

[450]

Personally, I'd move into the space and live there a while (and figuring out what is acceptable) before blowing any money on a proper sound system.

 

[obobski]

Personally, I'd move into the space and live there a while (and figuring out what is acceptable) before blowing any money on a proper sound system.

holy god, just re-read his post, and realized he's putting this in a dorm room, I thought this was for an apartment, just on a college budget


if you buy $2000+ speakers for a dorm room ($1 says its with student loans no doubt), well, thats just not smart

....freshman are funny sometimes....

 

[450]

If he does get any decent speakers, his RA will totally hate him, and he'll probably get his speakers destroyed or stolen by someone jealous.

 

[obobski]

If he does get any decent speakers, his RA will totally hate him, and he'll probably get his speakers destroyed or stolen by someone jealous.

well my freshman year we had a guy with an 18" guitar amp on our floor, nobody bothered him much (he could actually play, I'm guessing if he'd had less ability, there would've been issues)

then again, thats an entirely different kind of loud

 

[Alai]

you've yet to actually hear them, yet based on "I've read about Mirage" your opinion is to be taken as fact, even considering that Mirage probably makes some of the more polarized (this means "love it or hate it") speakers out there...

interesting.

I've heard their subwoofers... just not their other speakers...

And I didn't say that my opinion is to be taken as fact. I was saying what I would do if I was him. Do you always get offensive?

 

[Breex243]

Personally, I'd move into the space and live there a while (and figuring out what is acceptable) before blowing any money on a proper sound system.

I've half-lived in my room this fall before. I know the dimension of every wall, where every piece of furniture will go, and exactly how much room I have. I know what a shitty Z-5500.

holy god, just re-read his post, and realized he's putting this in a dorm room, I thought this was for an apartment, just on a college budget


if you buy $2000+ speakers for a dorm room ($1 says its with student loans no doubt), well, thats just not smart

....freshman are funny sometimes....

More like a junior who's got a quite massive 210sq ft all to himself (approx 1500 cu. ft)--and next year's room will be even bigger. And no, I'm not on a single penny of loans--why? Because unlike all the other parents, my dad squirreled away his money instead of spending it on expensive cars, clothes, and drink (you all know of that family who makes less than your parents, yet bought a bigger house and a couple of BMWs for their 16-year old, only to be able to afford to send them to a state school).
Every year, I have a semi-side job that pays about $2300--last year, I spent the money on a D90 and some lenses, plus some clothes that I know will last for a few years (hand-finished blazers, and lots of sweaters). These purchases have been investments--things that I know will last a long time, like good furniture. Because of the recession, people have been selling all their unncessary crap at rock-bottom prices (like how I got a mint Sigma 70-200mm 2.8 for only $360), which is why I'm looking into a set of speakers.

And before you're starting to think that I'm a wild spender, I'm not--I'm just a smart spender. The #1 driving force behind getting these speakers would be the fact that I've made a decision that's saving my dad over $16K over the course of the next two years, and although I don't want to get into the details of my decision, it involves dealing with shitty dorm food and a weakened social life, and speakers + a budget for eating out will help make life a bit more tolerable.

If he does get any decent speakers, his RA will totally hate him, and he'll probably get his speakers destroyed or stolen by someone jealous.

I AM the RCA...ish. I'm living in an RCA-designated room (on the 3rd floor so no break-ins, although I'm not living on the sketchy side of campus where all the townies are), except I'm not an RCA. I, however am "on call" pretty much all the time for my job, which requires me to have a nice, comfortable place for clients to relax, hence the large room.

 

[Breex243]

From what I read, the Mirage speakers aren't so good for music... too bright. The only Mirage products I would buy (as of the current products created) are SOME of their subwoofers... and even those, only at certain prices.

That's what I've read too--some people say that the bass is there, but I'm quiet worried on distorted mids and highs, as I would be using a sub to try and fill in any lows. The thing that's a bit off-setting is how there's quite a lot of customer returns on the OMNIs, and they look to be a really big "love it or hat it" item, and I'd hate to deal with returns.

 

[450]

Ah, okay I guess spending that much is fine then. (I was just concerned on space and safety)

Even though you have 210 sqft, I think 5 floor speakers might be overkill. I think you should consider ordering two of the 550's, trying them out, and then buy the rest of the gear. Plus this way you don't need to send back 4 towers if you don't like 'em.

 

[Breex243]

you've yet to actually hear them, yet based on "I've read about Mirage" your opinion is to be taken as fact, even considering that Mirage probably makes some of the more polarized (this means "love it or hate it") speakers out there...

interesting.

from personal experience, the OMNI line is great for movies, games, anything that runs surround sound basically, as far as music, placement is KING

if you're concerned about the brand (you know the whole consumer reports bit), they're part of Klipsch, so QC is fairly high (at least every mirage speaker, sub, etc I've seen has been pristine), customer service is great

as far as "MSRP seems quite inflated" -> they're quite OLD and afaik Mirage discontinued them

as far as "I know I will upgrade", come off the cross and put the wallet away, listen to a set of quality speakers (Mirage does count), then re-asses

4x$180 for a set of 550's isn't bad at all, if you've got the space for it, and a solid receiver, if you're getting a center, get a Mirage center (you know, because, not like they're a unique driver design or anything)

there is no objective "this is declared better than that" futuremark style measuring stick for speakers or amplifiers

Thanks for the info regarding how important placement is--I'm starting to feel that a pair of 550s in the rear won't be such a smart choice, as they'll be way above ear level when sitting down (for movies), but having to deal with the 150s would mean getting speaker stands and increasing the risk of people bumping into them/knocking them over.

Well, it's good to know that the build quality on these is good, although I'm not a big fan of Klipsch--a family friend had a pair of RF-25s, and they didn't sound that good for the price. A lot better bass response than the immensely inflated Polk M70s I've also auditioned, but both seemed to have slightly muddy mids, and only half-decent highs. Granted, this is compared to being used to Shure E4Cs/E2Cs, so I might be skewed in my analysis of them.

And man, it'd be nice to afford a Line Source system--although I'd end up dropping to a 2.0

And I would have to disagree on comparing speakers--sure there's no objective scale of speakers, but I think that subjective comparisons are quite useful, like "Oh, set X has weaker bass than Y" or "both X and Y create a nice, wide soundstage" or "set X has an issue with reverberation", or "set X is overpriced because it's Bose--you're much better off getting something else". This info should play into making a decision on a purchase.

One thing I just realized is that I should be worried about is the fact that the Mirage OMNIs seem awfully dust-prone. I have no idea why my room is always so dusty, and I've even tried sealing the central air vents with tape to reduce dust, but it looks like it's just dust and fibers from my clothes from just living there. I have an air filter in my room for the sole purpose of not having to dust everything once a week, and the upward slant of the speaker design seems to encourage muck to build up on the drivers, as opposed to a conventional speaker design, which would only require wiping the top.

 

[Breex243]

Ah, okay I guess spending that much is fine then. (I was just concerned on space and safety)

Even though you have 210 sqft, I think 5 floor speakers might be overkill. I think you should consider ordering two of the 550's, trying them out, and then buy the rest of the gear. Plus this way you don't need to send back 4 towers if you don't like 'em.

Well the great thing about my room layout is that I have about a foot of wasted space on either side of my loveseat, so I've got just enough room for a pair of towers in the rear, and in the front of the room, I've got plenty of room for towers. I'm really interested in getting a 5.1 because I've been watching movies on a 5.1 for ages, and I feel weird every time I watch them in stereo. In college, I had a Z-5500 as my movie setup for two years, as I got it for DIRT cheap--$150 new, and quite worth it for the sole purpose of the surround experience--simply hearing bullets zip by you from front to back, or helicopters flying overhead was worth it.

 

[obobski]

you do know theres an edit function right?

that aside, in a 210 sqft room (which is small), four towers will be ridiculous

as far as the whine'n'cry about bass response, all depends on placement, hence why I won't bring subjective arguements into it (because they hold no water), I can take a VERY bassy pair of B&Ws or Logans or Yamahas and put them out in the middle of a performing stage in a 1000 seat auditorium, and get almost zero LF response at a comfortable distance, not because the speaker isn't designed for it, but because its placed wrong in the room

at the same time, I can take a small 2way bookshelf and put it in a tiny little office with the wall right behind it, and get just fine LF response for casually listening to music

does this mean the big tower is inferior to the bookshelf's lowend response or quality? no
it just means one was placed more ideally.

the Mirage speakers benefit from good placement, but this doesn't mean you can make four towers work in a 210sqft room (which is terribly small for tower speakers in the first place, even small towers like the omni's)

as far as dust:
they come with grilles for a reason.