You need to give us a little more info..
What kind of amps are you planning to run the M1s with...
They are super power hungry. Definately a Monoblock situation would be best....
I have had M3s , and presently own M5si and most of the other Mirage line..
The M1s a friend of mine has and is running them with
monoblocks tweeked from B & k. I still dont believe he has enough power...
I am not familar with the Vandys sound ...
For a Theater application, you should get an OMC 2 center channel... it is Mirages best at this point. I have one and love it.. I Bi amp it with an Aragon 8002.
Rears depend on what kind of space you have.. Ideally, a pair of the newer OM series would be great.. the Om9 or
even an older pair of Om 10...
Hard to say without knowing your room, gear and musical tastes..
Good luck, the M1s are a great speaker!!
Joe
Custom Audio LLC |
The mirage m1 are at their best in a large room and away from the rear wall as they can get a little heavy in the bottom end if to closed in. You will need lots of power as they are very power hungry. The m1 and m3 mirage are the best they have built and are some of the best full range speakers I have heard. If you like the vandy you will like the mirage if you have the room to set them up. Think of Darth Vader. It would take the larger model vandersteens to compete with the m1 or the m3. |
The Vandersteens are levels above Mirage in build quality,sound and value. Stick with them and don't look back. |
Second the Vandies...they haven't sold over 100,000 of these for nothing...great soundstaging,decent imaging,and for their price point...deep bass... |
Mirage makes some good speakers, never heard the M1's but the new top of the line stuff sounded great at the pricepoints. Vandy's are quite nice to but an aquired taste. I would demo any speaker before buying, it is too expensive of a purchase and too heavy to return or resell without taking a big loss with a big hassel. Mirage and Vandy dealers are everywhere, I'm sure you can find one nearby.... |
The M1's were a Mirage statement speaker to get them on the map, They got very good press. The M3 was very close to the M1 sound wise. In any case they both were very good speakers. |
The M1 is a speaker that is bipolar, meaning it rediates sound from the front and the back. They have identicle drivers on both front and back, this may be good enough as surround until you have time to get other speakers. I would recommend the 590i, 790i, or 1090i depending on the size of your room for rears. You will need a large amp on the side of bright and dynamic to help the M1 out. The Vandersteens are alot more dark sounding and don't envelop you in the music as much. Think of it as if sound were water, the Vandersteens would be like a shower while the M1 would be more like being in a pool, totally submurged. |
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With the M1s out in the room, the Vandys can't touch them for imaging and soundstage. I auditioned the M1 back in '94 at the old Hi Fi Buys in Atlanta (Buckhead location). Krell digital front end and amplification. Superb sound. Personaly, i could afford neither the M1s or the Krell system. I still have my Vandys (since '87)and likely will for sometime.
Dwayne |
Thanks all for your responses. I picked the M1s up and cant wait to try them out. (might be a while still finishing the room)They look almost brand new. I bought an Adcom 5802 for power and a sonic frontiers sfl-1 pre amp. |
Hate to be a jerk but the Adcom will not really be up to the task, Get something that will take them for a real ride if you can swing it (I know,I know $$$) I run my monster thumpers with Krell Ksa-250 (Can be had for around $2500). |
Really, I thought the Adcom got good reviews? I understand I need a lot of power to run these?
Mark |
When you posted on this a while back I was trying to be nice to the Vandy people because they can get a little upset if you nock (One of the best buys in HiFI) them against another speaker. The Mirage M1's are more in line with the vandy 5's or maybe the three's with subs if you really compared them (Not the same sound,but just as big and full sounding). The Mirage was a statement speaker that they came out with so that people would take notice of a new and upcomming company, lots of companys have done this. The M1 and the M3 were upgraded to the si models which was a tweeter upgrade If I can remember back. The Adcom will be fine but I just wanted you to know that: (Even though they sound GREAT),they can still sound better. Two of the best speakers ever made IMHO were the Snell A's and the Mirage M1's for shear melt away get out of the big box sound. That's were I'm comming from when I say that the Adcom won't do it, The M1's really need to be out at least 4-5 feet into the room and sound best if you can feed them from at least 4-500 watts to get an idea of what they can really do (like a good planer). They will still sound good with the Adcom amp,you'll just know that they could sound better$$$$. Enjoy, You have a great speaker system. |
The M1si is as stated above.. a very power hungry speaker. It took 2 23.5's vertically bi-amped to put me right. Set them way out from the rear wall, about 38" for me and at least 6 feet from side walls, 9 to 10' feet apart and on a concrete floor. Toe them in slightly about 1.5" along their width. Put on Alison Krauss and she is there. My 2c's are in closet waiting for their new owner. chuck |
I've owned my m1s from new I will be buried in them
Take a look at this red from an expert audio file dude
Too many people with opinions that have never heard them
https://www.stereophile.com/
Just research mirage m1s
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