Excellent vocals, huge soundstage

Bass

These speakers are great for people who love to listen to music recorded live or with lots of vocals. Bocelli and Diana Krall seem to be singing right in my entertainment room.

It is fairly laid back and has an enveloping presence. The mid and highs are very smooth. Good bang for the buck.

I would not recommend this speaker for people who like techno or rap due to its lack of deep end punch and pin point accuracy.

Equipment:
Grade A amp
Monster Cables
Mirage OM-10 with slight toe-in.

Similar Products Used:

Bose's bipolar speakers

smooth highs, great soundstage

good bass for a small apartment ;-)

We had listened to the PSB speakers, in particular the Image 5T and Stratus Bronze series with a focus on music, and had pretty much decided upon the Bronze, which is a great speaker. However, before we made a purchase, we had the opportunity to listen to the Mirage OM-14s, the younger sibling to the OM-10, and really enjoyed it... Maybe it was the surrounds, the great guy at the store (*plug for Vancouver's Sound Plus here*), or the cables, or the fact that they didn't taint the sound with a switchbox, but the sound was exactly what we were looking for.

I enjoyed the PSB Image series' visceral mid-bass, but the highs were a bit harsh (maybe they hadn't been broken in enough). The Bronze were great and had open highs, but seemed a little bit more geared to classical and Jazz, and seemed to lack some kind of energy (they played the music, but didn't really make it sing). The Mirage OM series, however, seemed to put the music out there for us to listen to effortlessly (the Image 4T/5Ts were a bit tiring after a while). Keith Jarrett's melodies were intricate and lyrical; and Tori Amos' most harsh moments were strong but still listenable.

We finally settled on the Mirage OM-10s as our fronts, and had no trouble positioning them in our small and oddly-shaped living room. They probably haven't warmed up fully yet, but are already sounding great. The imaging is excellent, and the depth of the music (currently Annie Lennox) is remarkable, even in another room. As can be expected for a speaker that retails at more than $700 above the OM-14s, there is a greater depth and presence here. The bass is smooth and not forced, but not overwhelming; in fact, it is just right for our apartment, and should work well when we get a subwoofer to complement the other five speakers (OM-C3 centre and OM-R2 rears).

The speakers are driven (both here, and at the store) by a Pioneer Elite VSX-24TX receiver, and DV-09 DVD player. Music that we threw at the various bins included Keith Jarrett's "Koln Concert" (remarkable solo piano improv. and great production for the 70s), Tori Amos' "Under the Pink" (when she 'wails', for want of a better term, it shows how good the highs are), Pink Floyd's "Pulse" (for a large, live test), and Chick Corea's "Paint the World" (jazz fusion). Of course, The Matrix was the essential DVD trial -- these boys can rumble with the best of them.

Tip for newcomers: *test* the components that you listen to; by that, I mean to form hypotheses about whether a speaker, given the evidence gathered so far, can handle a particular piece of music and then try that music out. Don't be fooled by a salesperson playing a sparse Jazz trio to highlight a speaker when you listen to The Tea Party, too.

In short, these speakers are the best we heard of the lot and part of the apparantly great Canadian speaker tradition (we're not Canadian; just moved here). If you're serious about music, as well as home theatre, be sure to check the Mirage OM series out!

Similar Products Used:

PSB Image 4T/5T, PSB Stratus Bronze, Mirage OM-14, also some Polks, Infinity, Energy, and JSBs

Huge sound satage cristal clear even at high volums.

A little weak on base.

I purchased my OM10s about seven months ago along with the rest of my Mirage speakers. And the OM10 is the best sounding speakers I have ever heard. They fill the entire room with sound that is unbelevably clear and full bodied. They seem to work great in large rooms my HT is 25'x18'. And when I watch movies it literly sounds better than the movie theiters. I recomend the OM10 for anyone who likes to hear ablolutly beutiful sound whether its from music or movis.

Similar Products Used:

OMC2,OMR2,SUBSTRATA 1500