Very open and natural sounding. Unbeatable for the price.

Just slightly bass light.

I originally went to listen to the Mirage OM10 speakers but the dealer only had the OM12's. I really like the sound and they sound open and detailed. I felt they lacked bass just slightly so I always wanted to trade up to the OM10's which the dealer told me had better bass. I recently had a chance to hear these in a private sale but after listening to them for about half an hour(probably not long enough)I decided to stay with my OM12's. The main reason was, yes they had deeper bass but better quality No. If fact they sounded just slightly boomy and not as detailed or open as my OM12's. It could be that the equipment I listened them to was just not in the same class as my own (no insult intended) so I still have the OM12's and very pleased I am. If anyone has tried both side by side please let me know, maybe I should give the Mirage OM10's another chance.

Similar Products Used:

Loads till I decided on the OM12's

Similar quality as the OM6 and OM8 - however definitely not an OM6 or OM8.

Inexpensive and decent value. ( but definitely not best in its class/price range )

Overall the speaker makes a very good home theatre speaker if you like the Omnipolar/bipolar technology. I like the OM6s and OM8s very much however the OM12s are definitely a step down. I do not think this is a good music speaker - there is definitely better on the market.

8.5 /10 Home Theatre Speaker
7 /10 Music Speaker

-my ratings based on price/performance.

I bought these speakers in Oct of 97. I've never had a problem with them and they are still the best sounding speakers I've heard in this price range. They produce very rich and lush sound with lots of clarity and definition. As a warning they are not the most efficient speakers. They require lots of power to make them shine.

I bought a pair of OM-12 speaker, they sounded very open, clear compared to others at this price range, the bass can extend to 32hz, but I use it along with my Mirage BPS-150 subwoofer, with two together, they are wonders in the heaven. I think they make a very good combo.

The Mirages are Omnipolar. Sound is the same in every corner of the room, between them, behind them, no matter where you stand. Sound great. They have an extraordinary clarity which I was expecting from Mirage. I couldn't be more happy with these speakers. They give you a full rich sound with any type of music. A few of my friends are planning on buying the Mirage since they listened to mine.
If you are shopping for speakers you have to listen to these !! Try them first, then try others then come back to Mirage again. They will be the ones you'll go home with... and REALLY HAPPY !!!

If you need more bass get a separate sub and you're all set. You're laughing after... in paradise surrounded by Mirages....


Corry

P.S.
If I had the money I would have got the OM6 wich are purely amazing.

If you're from the Toronto area or coming to Toronto and plan to buy Mirage I can give you some locations (and some hints)
I paid $800 Canadian. Pretty good ! - from $1100 retail price.
ahp97@hotmail.com

Spent some time auditioning speakers. Listened to Klipsch 8.5,10.5; Boston Acoustics 950 and the OM 12's. I bought the OM 12's because of the spacious sound that is dispersed. Unlike the other two, you can't pinpoint where the music comes from. I paid 600.00 for a used pair (about 10 mos old) that were traded in. The salesman took me in to listen to some higher end speakers namely Sonis Farber, the Mirage OM 6, and the Klipsch KLF 20. The Klipsch were very impressive but the other 2 at prices of 3500.00 and 3000.00 were not. Spent about 3 hours listening to my OM 12's, all types of music and feel these speakers are excellent in their price range.

I recently bought a pair of OM-12 coupled with an OM C-3 center channel and together they sound amazing. I had been listening to a pair of Definitive Technology (BP8) until now and the OM-12 blow them away in clarity and overall sound. If you are a bass head these speakers will leave you feeling a little emptym, just go ahead and get yourself a nice sub. I am running them off a Dennon AVR 3600 and it seems to provide plenty of kick. Before purchasing them I looked at Definitive, Mission, Boston, etc, for the price range (under $1000), you could not beat it!

I've been looking for a better pair of surround speakers for a while now. I had PSB Alphas for several years and they were fine for Dolby Surround but now that I have Dolby Digital the Alphas lack the oomph I wanted. I bought the Mirage OM C-2 centre channel speaker and was very impressed with it so I decided to stay in the family and I purchased the OM-12. The OM-12 has the same drivers as the C-2 so they match pretty well. I listened to the OM-10 and it had a more open sound with a better midrange but it was $400 CDN more. I would have purchased the OM-10s for mains but for rear surround the OM-12 does the job fine. Bass is sufficient to set the DD speaker switch to "full range". Overall sound is very neutral and for the value, I'm quite happy with them.

I've owned the OM12's for about 6 months now. I'm driving CD's from my Arcam Alpha 7 CD player through an Arcam 9 integrated amp. The Mirages are bipolar and for people looking for that full sound the bipolars produce. They do have amazing clarity which I guess surprised me. I thought that with sound coming off of the wall and straight at you that it would become muddy. It doesn't. It has a full sound with excellent dynamic range and not so good imaging. The Mirages are known for their tight low end sound. They are especially kind to older, "classical rock" and non-remastered CDs. I do a great deal of New Age stuff and some jazz. I wouldn't recommend them for classical music lovers. If you crank them up they really sing. The fullness of the sound is great and the listener's seat isn't as critical as with some speakers. Placement is very important and you must have room for them. They need to be placed at least 15 inches from the wall with no close side walls. Sounds complex? Not really- get them set up right and sit anywhere in the room and enjoy a rich full sound experience.

I have been living with the Mirage OM12's for almost 9 months and only have positive things to say about their sound. A CJ PV 10- tubed pre-amp and a C-J Sonographe SA 250 solid state amp are driving them. The source is an old Pioneer 18 bit Burr Brown CD player (time for a change). When it comes to discussion points on these speakers think placement. I have read much about the fact that Bipolar's are placement easy, don't buy it. These speakers need room to breathe.
It ultimately comes down to finding that magic spot where direct and reflected sound is maximized to sonic advantage. I have them 40" off the back wall and about the same from the left sidewall and 50" from the right. I will admit I have some reflective problems in the room with a large set of French doors on the right side, which I have been able to compensate for by the additional 10 inches. Without the 10 inches there was a definite imbalance in sound. Toe in is a matter of taste, I feel the high end is a bit edgy and sibilants more pronounced with the speakers aimed at the listener. I have mine placed straight ahead and 12' from the listening spot and separated by 7.5'. The room is 18x26x8 with upholstered furniture and wall to wall carpet and typical wall hangings. There are windows behind the speakers, but off to their center, so I am certain they are influencing my placement issue.

However, all that aside the sound is terrific. As with all bipolar's I have listened to, pinpoint imaging is not something to look for, but soundstaging is tremendous. I find front to rear soundstaging remarkable but outside the speaker boundaries a little less so (not unpleasant). The overall sound is somewhat laid back, but this could be my C-J equipment exacerbating it. However I was looking for this sound anyway. So with your equipment your mileage may vary.

If you are interested in speakers up to $2000 give these a listen. They are quite remarkable!

I added a Sunfire subwoofer that is also a remarkable product but is not terrific when it comes to detail however, it certainly reaches for the depths. (Listen to Stravinsky on these!) Give it a little room to breath (which is not suggested by Carver) and it fills in the bottom octave nicely as long as you are not heavy on the level control and get that damned crossover blending correctly. It opens up the sound very nicely and blends well with the OM12's. So for about $2300 you can get possibly one of the best sounding speaker systems available at that total price point and probably better than those costing thousands more.

On their own the OM 12’s are a wonderful speaker, have fun with them!