Mirage/Magnepan comparison...

organ

I spent this past few days comparing my Mirage and Magnepan speakers.
Models are Mirage M-3si and Magnepan MG12/QR.

The Mirage is bi-polar and the Magnepan is di-polar. One is dynamic while the other is planar.

Both are very musical and really benefit with the use of high powered amps.

The sweet spot is huge with the Mirage. Also, being bipoles, as I walk around the room, the tonal balance and volume had minimal change. With the Magnepan, there was a huge drop around with sides. But this doesn't really matter because we like to park it on the sweet spot when listening:).

The resolution on the Maggies is excellent and is higher than the Mirage. The Mirage doesn't sound like it's lacking detail but gives a much smoother presentation with plenty of warmth. They are also a lot more laid back.

The bass is quite different between these two. The planars are very fast and not just on bass. Attack is faster. The Mirage has all the bass and extension I could ask for but can't sound as delicate as the Maggies.

Dynamics was also fun to compare. Just like above, the Maggies hit faster and go louder at a higher speed than the Mirage. But the Mirage hits with more authority and body. When the music builds up to the climax, it sounds like the room is about to collapse with the Mirage playing.

The soundscape is a very fun place to be in with both speakers. Both are very lifelike and 3D with excellent depth that makes the front wall dissapear. The sound extends far to the left and right when called for. Another thing that I found very interesting with both speakers is their image size. It's BIG. The Mirage sounds larger. I'm not sure if it's due to its more laid back nature or being bipolar. Depending on the recording, sometimes the vocals sound like it is the size of the front wall, horizontally and vertically.
Both do an exceptional job at layering.

This is where they make a big difference. With the Maggies, you feel like "you are there" and the Mirage gives you a "they are here" feeling. At high (but still comfortable ) volumes on good recordings, they can really fool me into thinking there is a live session in the room. I get this with the maggies if the recording was close mic'd.

I really like both speakers and at this moment, the Mirage more. It sounds more musical and relaxing to my ears.

Just thought it would be interesting to post my findings.

Also wanted to mention if anyone is interested in trying out Magnepan, you should try to audition a pair of Mirage M-xsi series. The si is an improvement over the non si. These speakers are so good. Too bad Mirage doesn't make them anymore.
You can only find them used now. Prices vary depending on condition. They come up once in a while locally here and sometimes 2ch audio shops get them in as consignment.
If you audition, make sure all drivers are working (both front and back drivers) and give the speakers at least 3' of space from the nearst wall.

*edit* Sorry for the blurry pic. Due to the lighting in the room, I have a hard time focussing the camera.

billbillw

I really loved my Mirage M3 (non si). They are superb large room speakers, especially when given the right amount of power and proper room placement. Sadly, I had to sell mine to save space. One day, I'd like to get another pair.

concealer404

I am so jealous of those Mirages... wish i had the space.

Ern Dog

Nice review. Hey I didn't know AZ put out a CD player. I see you have a "prototype". How about a pic of that too. How does that sound?

mantis

Mirage is that company that just doesn't make high end speaker anymore. It's a damn shame as they where very good at it. I have Installed the M3si's many times and very single time I left with my jaw dropped. Mirage later had a OM 7 and OM 5 that where amazing. Even the cheaper OM 9's where damn good. This was there last run at really good sounding high end speakers. Then came Omni and that was it.

The Omni series is nice don't get me wrong they have really nice price to performance ratio , they look like boobies but sound good. Many of my female customers said " I can see what they where thinking about when they designed them". Always made for some good jokes and laughs.

Magnepan for me are difficult to like. We carry them and there is a following for them but a very small one at that. It's not the sound quality that I don't like it's the 1970's look with the home made feet that kills me. They are by far the ugliest speakers we carry.
I also don't like the focused sweet spot. Moving an inch messes them up. I hate setting them up. Frustrating.

danz1906

Great review, I always wanted to check out a pair of Maggies.

NotaSuv

Nice review, I have a pair of M-1's that have been rewired internally and sound fantastic...and they always end up back in the rotation as my main speakers, I personally liked the sound better than the 2.3tl's I had, but thats me.....

erniejade

great review!!

organ

Thanks guys. Wow, I didn't realize Mirage has a following on this board as well.

Bill,
When you're ready, look for the M-1si. That's what I keep looking for but they never pop up. I think it has another 10" driver on the back or something. I can't really remember. I always see the 3si and 7's locally.

Concealer,
The M-5 and 7 were made for smaller rooms. Both are also bipoles with the same tweeter as their larger friends. So you'll still get the same but smaller effect (bipole).

Ernie,
Good to see you again bro.
AZ is not making cdp's:(. When I bought it, I asked if it was gonna go into production and they said no. I think it's because they're already selling the DAC-1. I waited a year for them to finally sell this cdp. They were always using it in the shop on big Mark&Daniel speakers.
So in the cdp, they have an upgraded DAC-1.
It sounds superb. I don't miss selling my Music Hall turntable anymore. I also sold my Rega Apollo when I got this.
I think the thing that makes it special is the use of Non-oversampling and filterless DAC. They really do sound very different if you've never heard one. Here's a link to the DAC-1. They explain the sound of it better than I ever could.... http://6moons.com/audioreviews/audiozone3/dac.html Also, there are quite a few other companies that are now making NOS/filterless DAC's. Some with tube output. Pretty cool.
I've attached a pic of it on the bottom of this post.

Dan,
Cool Thanks for sharing that. Yeah, it's too bad they don't make them anymore. I almost got one of the new Omni stuff, but it's just not the same. But I really like the look of them.
It's interesting how they've kept the same pure titanium hybrid tweeters up until now even on their flagship. It sounds really good.
I don't mind the look of Magnepans. I wish the sweet spot was bigger.
LMAO:D:D Now I'll never look at the Mirage Omni line the same way again. Boobie speakers lol.

Danz,
Thanks. Check craigslist and stuff, I'm sure you can run into a pair for sale. You can go audition.

Nota,
M-1's. Thats BIG Yeah, mine are in rotation with the Maggies and Klipsch. But from all the speakers I've heard, these things can really get me lost in the music. And they sound very grand and big which a lot of speakers have a hard time doing.
Cool that you got the rewired. Are you going to upgrade the caps in the x-over? I got mine rewired with Sonicaps in the x-over.

Erniejade,
Thanks

xsmi

I went to Disney World in 1997 and there was an Audio Store in Orlando that sold Mirage equipment so one of the days, I loaded up my brother and nephew and we went on a trek into Orlando. I thought the trip would be about a half hour drive but it turned into more like an hr as the traffic was a lot heavier than expected. The two of them were very restless and could not understand WHY I would want to make a trip like this on vacation as neither of them share our hobby. We finally arrive and I realize that I left my stash of CD's in the condo (we all take cds on vacation don't we?). It happened that the store not only had the M1si's in stock but had 4 of the cds I wanted to bring anyway. I don't remember any of the associated equipment but what I do remember is that it was the only time I have ever heard my brother curse! The sound was AMAZING and they rate in my memory as one of the top 2 or 3 speaker auditions I have ever had.
So when I was looking for vintage speakers the M1si's were one of the speakers I always checked the 'gon for. I live in an are that would not have Mirage M series speakers as Jamison's started carrying Mirage after the M series.

Sorry for the long post.

erniejade

Mirage did make some fantastic sounding speakers and on the used market, you can pick them up cheap in my eyes. You can pay a lot more $ for a new set of speakers and not get even 1/2 the quality of sound that is for sure.

concealer404

erniejade wrote: »

Mirage did make some fantastic sounding speakers and on the used market, you can pick them up cheap in my eyes. You can pay a lot more $ for a new set of speakers and not get even 1/2 the quality of sound that is for sure.

Yeah.... there's a NICE set of M5si on Ebay right now for $700 i think. Might be a little more than i'm willing to pay, but it sure is tempting.

I would kill for a set of M1si, and then kill for a space large enough to let them rock.

billbillw

Personally, I'd rather have the M3 or M3si than the huge M1si. I like the bass from a single 10" woofer better than twin 8" woofers and the size is more manageable also.

NJPOLKER

What about the Mirage OMD-15's
I buddy of mine says they are awesome. I have yet to get some ears on them myself but will soon, I hope.

concealer404

NJPOLKER wrote: »

What about the Mirage OMD-15's
I buddy of mine says they are awesome. I have yet to get some ears on them myself but will soon, I hope.

I'd like to get my ears on those, too... I find it amazing that they can get the low end extension that they claim using nothing bigger than a 5.25" driver.

NJPOLKER

I guess these are pretty good then........

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1265828302&/Mirage-M3si-Bipolar-Speakers

Under a grand too!!

billbillw

NJPOLKER wrote: »

I guess these are pretty good then........

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1265828302&/Mirage-M3si-Bipolar-Speakers

Under a grand too!!

Yeah, but I doubt the seller will get that money unless there is a seller nearby that doesn't care about the price. I've mostly seen these sell for $600-$800. I picked up my original M3 for around $400, which was a pretty good deal, except they had some major xover damage. After completely rebuilding the xovers, (about $200 in parts), I was barely able to get $650 for mine and that was after a couple months of trying and throwing in some nice speaker cables.

organ

xsmi,
Cool story. I always wonder how good the 1si sounds. They probably need a huge room to sound their best. Maybe one day if I'm lucky lol.

NJ,
You should give them a demo next time you visit your friend. I've been looking around for a dealer around here to listen to the OMD stuff but the only one I found closed down.
Like Bill said, that price is on higher side for the 3si. They normally go for $600 to $1k here. I've seen a pair sell for $1200 but most usually go around the $800 range. For 1000, I'd be expecting it to be in near mint shape.
I paid $600 for mine and $275 to have the x-over redone with new internal wiring. So $875 total.