Mirage (and my other stuff)

Does anyone here own (or has owned) Mirage speakers? In 1984, I purchased a pair of Mirage 550 speakers and they are still my pride and joy. I really do love these things and have yet to listen to anything that has made me think of replacing them.

I know speakers, even after all the proper specifications are tested and proven, are still a very subjective thing so what I think is sound nirvana might make the next guy wince with pain. Still, I have auditioned plenty of other speakers in sound lounges at hi-fi shops and am still sold on my purchase... not to mention getting 25 years of use out of them!

Sealed in air-tight bags in the store room are a pair of Series VI Bose 901's with the Series VI EQ but they are not a patch on the 550's. I can't bring myself to sell the Bose but they were probably the biggest let down I have ever had with sound gear. Damn it, they LOOK so cool though, especially nude!

In the same store room, I have a pair of JBL 4311 studio monitors that have also served me well in both my little studio and as hi-fi speakers on the odd occasion. I ran these with a Luxman L200 integrated amp and it was a pretty flat sound, or at least the recordings sounded right when played on other peoples' stereos. The issue with the JBL's is purely the size of them. My studio is tiny and these things aren't... I just didn't have the room for them but, yet again, I can't bear to part with them. They were replaced with a pair of Behringer Truth 3031 powered monitors. Yes, I know... Chinese reverse engineered things but pretty impressive. These are a fairly honest near field monitor (in my humble opinion), especially for the price. In fact, they were about the best thing I could find for under a couple of grand (AU). Individually bi-amped with about 150W for the driver and 80W for the tweeter, they can really blow you away at close range and they are flat as a tack. They also have plenty of room dynamics settings on the back of them and a neat little feature of an "auto-on" function when they detect a signal, powering off after ten minutes of inactivity. They were about $500AU new last year from a mate's music (as in "musician") store.

Finally, I also have a pair of Bose 101's. Now this is one thing I think Bose got very right. Great little unit with a single 4" driver (I think it's the same as the ones in the 901's) in a ported hard plastic box and they seem to deliver some awesome power. I used these as my personal monitors when gigging as well as having them in the back of my car for many years. Now they live on a pair of stands and get taken out to our patio for outdoor music. They are also one of those things that I bought in the early 80's that still hold their own against just about all comers in the range of little, robust speakers you can treat badly and still depend on them to work.

So, anyone else have any of the above. How do you feel about them?

PS: then there's the musical instrument amps... but they are another story

This post has been edited by marcz on January 15, 2009 07:13 am

I've never heard or seen Mirage speakers but since yours have survived 25 years against the competition, that is a glowing recommendation. What are you using to drive them and pictures please!

You touched briefly on test results vs. subjective preference. Owner's preference is always going to trump test results but when applied to others, the owner's credibility comes into play. While you have a trained ear, the vast majority of on-line reviewers do not. They have not heard enough speakers and are simply waxing poetic about what they own. Interestingly, if you read enough professional reviews, the praise is similar for most speakers. Personally, I ignore almost all the "best ever" reviews and focus on the few times any of them mention flaws.

Test results are not completely subjective but at least holds the promise of objectivity. Results are subject to tester's bias, test equipment, room condition, quality of amplification and on and on. However, certain graphs hold value in that the results can be a predictor of actual listening. Frequency response curves can show peaks and dips, which can point to balance problems. This curve will show where the the bass falls off. So without the cash or space to try as many speakers as I want to, test results help me to narrow my choice. Ultimately, my ears determines my preference.

I've owned 4311's or 4312's, can't remember which one but it is the version with the woofer on the bottom. I've also owned the similar L-100 Century. I found them to be bright because of the paper tweeter. At low volumes, the balance was OK but under power, the bass takes over and gets out of control. It could be the port, which is a secondary source of sound. IMO, ports are a source of distortion if the strict input vs. output definition is applied. I'm not saying all ports are bad but I prefer sealed.

Ive heard the Bose 901 once and never want to hear them again. A speaker quality control tech told me the 901 had a distortion rating of close to 20%! Getting all those cheap midrange drivers to stay in phase is simply not possible. IMO, any speaker that needs an EQ is on shaky ground. Any speaker manufacturer that feels the need to supply an EQ is even worse. I can't say I've heard the 101 but I've owned the 301 and was similarly underwhelmed.

This post has been edited by socal sam on January 15, 2009 08:01 am

I owned a set of bose 301 series II, they were a decent little party speaker, I would buy another set if I got a great deal on them.

I have heard a set of bose 601 III's and they sounded pretty good with a reel to reel pushing the sound.

I also have heard 501 III"s and they were terrible, flat, muddy, crappy, just all out bad sound.

as for 901's heard a couple different sets, back in the mid 70's I thought the were awesome, I was 13 maybe 14 and bob marley left his ghanga laying about. so I was definetely infuenced by "dark side of the moon"

then in 1987 I listened to a set of 901 III's mono'ed by to carver 1.5's and the rest of the carver lineup at the time, and they seemed, well loud, forward, bright, fatiguing, you couldnt listen to them for long periods at a medium to loud volume level because it just wore you out.

and thats all I got to say about that.

elroy

btw, I have heard that you could make a set of early set of 901 series I, II's sound decent with the right equiment. I was a little young and innocent to actually listen

Sam... I should take some pics and post them up... I will sometime soon (maybe tomorrow - actually, it's already "tomorrow!), but my poor Mirage's currently have some very ugly metal grilles protecting the drivers from some 4 year old and 2.5 year old fingers. I always ran them "nude" and lost the grilles many years ago. I have been trying to get some but drawing blanks everywhere (a bit like trying to get Thorens TD124 or SME3009 parts in Australia!).

As for graphs, yes, that was the starting point for me when I was looking for some near field monitors for the studio and yes, it was a pretty good indicator that the speakers I chose would be close to what I wanted.

There is a Mirage 550 brochure online here: http://www.who-sells-it.com/cy/mirage-spea...2-fullsize.html

They really are great speakers but then they cost more than the 901's when I bought them in 1984. They have a single 10" poly driver and a 1" dome tweeter all mounted in a rather large and damned heavy sealed enclosure. They are Canadian made whereas the new ones are probably chucked together elsewhere with generic drivers. They used to make their own, in their own factory in Canada.

And yes, sealed is good

Now those NEW Mirage speakers are another matter all together. The dealer who I got these from dropped Mirage years ago. Mirage are now in to sub-woofers and surround sound and weird and whacky speaker configurations that "look cool" but leave you unmoved.

Yes, the 901's were the holy grail for me... until I got them home. What a waste! I think they might end up suspended from the ceiling of my garage Everything you say about the 901's is just so true.

Trust me, the 101's are a very good little "utility" speaker... plenty of grunt for a tiny enclosure and as I said, VERY robust little things. Mine have been treated rather poorly over the years and they still work fine. If ever you need something to leave outside, by the pool, whatever, these are a good choice... and you can find them cheap!

Elroy... yes, "party speakers" is the expression I needed. That's precisely what the 101's are good for!

Oh yes, I know PRECISELY what you mean about the 901 "experience"... I was a teenager in the mid-70's when I first SAW a set of 901's and I just had to have some. As I said above, they were the biggest let down I have ever had and what's worse, I blamed EVERYTHING but the speakers when I couldn't get a decent sound out of them. The Mirages, on the other hand, have lived in so many different homes, different sized rooms, different construction materials, etc, and they have always pleased me, albeit with a little juggling of position or mounting.

This post has been edited by marcz on January 15, 2009 08:55 am

oh, I forgot, back in 03, I bought a set of bose 601 IV's wow, dingus's old ads 810's blew them away, that was the beginning of my actually listening to music. before that I only heard it.

elroy

you're welcome.

never heard any Canadian speakers but i've never heard a complaint about any piece of audio gear made in that country.

Not familiar with Mirage, either.
Are you sure they are real?

(Please send complaints and groans to Scott, my unofficial press agent.)

As for Bose, they are roundly derided on all audio sites, but the
bright side is the vast majority of the uninitiated think they are
the end all be all, so you can probably get some dinero out of them.

where do i send mine?

probly unload on me

Boom boom

I've only seen them when I was drunk

whenever I go out into terrain likely to ambush me with mirages,
I wear my beer goggles.

whenever I go out into terrain likely to ambush me with mirages,
I wear my beer goggles.

so much for flood control. Must be the desert environment.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Never heard the Mirages though I have come across a pair or two. They do havea good rep.