Looking at Mirage, what is comparable?

[Brian Parker]

In the very near future, I will be in the market for:

1) An Amp / Receiver
2) Speakers for the living room and kitchen

To level-set - I'm no audiophile but I'm not tin earred. I enjoy a
large variation of music at all volume levels and whatever solution I go
with needs to be able to do a good job of reproducing music at all
frequencies from the very lows to the piercing highs.

The solution also needs to be a quality home theater system for 5.1
surround. We will soon have some sort of LCD or Plasma TV in the
entertainment center.

The setup I'm currently looking at is:

1) Denon deck ( can't remember the model at the moment ) 7.1 2-room
dual-source, etc.
2) Mirage Omnisat Center channel
3) 2 x Mirage Omnisat Floor Speakers
4) 2 x Mirage Omnisat Sattelite Speakers
5) Mirage 10" or 12" Sub

that's for the living room.

For the other 2 channels, I'm looking at some ceiling mounted speakers
for the kitchen. I don't have the make / models handy, and these really
aren't that important to me right now - just keep in mind I need those
channels reserved.

I think I need a deck that does 7.1 with dual source so I can send a
different signal to the kitchen than I'm sending to the living room.

Not counting the 2 kitchen speakers, I'm looking at $2k - $2.5k not
counting wiring for the items above, but I'd like to find another
solution that gives me close to the same quality for a little less.
I've listened to the Mirage's and am happy with the quality of sound the
deliver.

We currently have a DVR, a DVD/VCR combo unit, and a computer just
serving MP3s in our entertainment center which will be used as audio inputs.

What suggestions do you have for spending a little less but not ending
up with junk?

Thanks,
-BEP

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Brian Parker wrote:
> In the very near future, I will be in the market for:
>
> 1) An Amp / Receiver
> 2) Speakers for the living room and kitchen
>
> To level-set - I'm no audiophile but I'm not tin earred. I enjoy a
> large variation of music at all volume levels and whatever solution I go
> with needs to be able to do a good job of reproducing music at all
> frequencies from the very lows to the piercing highs.
>
> The solution also needs to be a quality home theater system for 5.1
> surround. We will soon have some sort of LCD or Plasma TV in the
> entertainment center.
>
> The setup I'm currently looking at is:
>
> 1) Denon deck ( can't remember the model at the moment ) 7.1 2-room
> dual-source, etc.

I think you meant to say Denon "receiver," not "deck."

> 2) Mirage Omnisat Center channel
> 3) 2 x Mirage Omnisat Floor Speakers
> 4) 2 x Mirage Omnisat Sattelite Speakers
> 5) Mirage 10" or 12" Sub
>
> that's for the living room.
>
> For the other 2 channels, I'm looking at some ceiling mounted speakers
> for the kitchen. I don't have the make / models handy, and these really
> aren't that important to me right now - just keep in mind I need those
> channels reserved.
>
> I think I need a deck that does 7.1 with dual source so I can send a
> different signal to the kitchen than I'm sending to the living room.

Sorry, I'm not up to date on receivers with that feature. Suggest you
shop around locally.

BTW, you may find it simpler to have a separate receiver for the
kitchen. You can buy a new stereo receiver these days for $100.

> Not counting the 2 kitchen speakers, I'm looking at $2k - $2.5k not
> counting wiring for the items above, but I'd like to find another
> solution that gives me close to the same quality for a little less.
> I've listened to the Mirage's and am happy with the quality of sound the
> deliver.

I think if you're happy with the Mirage speakers, you should get those.
If you get something cheaper and you like the sound less, you'll wish
you'd spent the $$$ for the Mirage speakers.

> We currently have a DVR, a DVD/VCR combo unit, and a computer just
> serving MP3s in our entertainment center which will be used as audio inputs.

I think any 7.1 receiver will have plenty of inputs. Check before you
buy.

> What suggestions do you have for spending a little less but not ending
> up with junk?

Athena (sold via Best Buys stores) and Energy speakers are from the
same folks that design and make Mirage. Athena and Energy are also good
brands. But of these brands, only Mirage makes speakers with the "omni"
design.

A possible alternative would be to look for used speakers on eBay. But
if you've got a local dealer who offers Mirage and you like the sound,
I suggest you go ahead and buy the Mirages at the local dealer.

> Thanks,
> -BEP