good slam, tight, musical. good bang for the buck-plenty for even large home theater rooms

ocean noise, quit right after one year-warranty only good for a year-That's fishy

After hearing this sub just once, I knew it would be the next one that I would buy. 6 months later I went in to buy it but they were out of stock. So I grabbed the floor model and because I was aware of ocean noise from previous critics, I paid close attention and didn't hear anything. And because it seems to bother some people who own this sub but not others, I figured this sub was in the clear. However, when it was plugged into my system, I heard the noise. I tried different power strips and line conditioners but no luck. Because of it's performance, I ignored the sound and decided to keep it. After just one year, I turned it on one day and...Nothing! So I brought it in to tweeter to see what they could do for me and the bottom line is this. They sent it out to Mirage to be fixed. It is supposedly $150 to fix although I haven't heard back yet-it's been over a month. Hmm. I'm actually hoping it gets lost somewhere along the way and I can get store credit for another sub. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the sub. Awesome for movies and music. But because it has ocean noise and it's already in the shop, there's a bad taste in my mouth. Performance wise(if it actually works)and price considered, 4 stars is a fair rating.But ocean noise and the fact that it is broken after 1 year, takes the rating down to 2 stars. $900/year isn't a very good investment.

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NHT

I have used the Mirage SS 1000 sub for over two months. The sonic character of this sub has greatly improved with use. I have Magnapan MG 3As. The sound is best using the RCA low pass connectors that are crossed at 80 Hz. This sub is fast and powerful. It is able to keep up with my Maggie's, a tough job! I have spent most of the past two-months tweaking the system out. The bass is tight and the extension is excellent. The small sized box is also nice, ask my wife! I really like the sound of this sub. This sub has numerous features and with 1000 watts, it has the ability to knock the plaster off the wall. Ths sub will also play soft with a great deal of detail.

The main weakness is that you must use the pre-selected RCA 80Hz crossover. It would be nice to cross the Maggie's over at about 60 Hz. I beleive that there is directional information in the 80 Hz frequency range. I may try an external crossover at some point. This trade off is worth the cleaner, more detailed, sound that I get from my amp now that it does not have to produce the low frequency ranges. This is a very noticable improvement on the top end. My amplifier is a Dennon POA 1500 and I am using a new tube preamp.

I can highly recommend this product. My out of the box impression was not what I had hoped. A long break in period is required! If you are going to match this sub with difficult speakers, a lot of tweaking is required. I have no problem giving this sub five stars.

Powerful bass, good musical sound, fast and accurate, good lows, 1000Watts!!!

None (okay, not as small as the Substrata 1500)

This is a wonderful sub! Absolutely. It packs a mighty punch on HT and also has a wonderful, musical sound when playing music. When I first saw this thing, I was amazed by both its small size, the 1000 Watts (what??), and its
good looks. But hearing is believing. This baby makes some great sound, and it;s never just a muddy low end. You can hear the subwoofer getting different notes. It is fast, accurate, and powerful.

Not for one moment after I bought this sub have I been anything but pleased with it.

I would say buy this sub if you are interested in getting really good LF sounds in HT and music. You'll never need another.

One more thing. I listened to the Substrata 1500, too. It is smaller but has 1500 watts. Frankly, I didn't like it nearly as much as the 1000.

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kenwood, Mirage FRX-S8, B&K

Incredible, tight, accurate bass that goes unmatched.

This woofer is in a league of its own. Its resonance could fill an auditorium as its size and shape indicate its engineer’s precise feel for modern aesthetics. I couldn't imagine a subwoofer having more power although the Substrata 1000 does have a big brother who delivers 1500 watts!

However I do have a concern. I continue to here the subwoofer "running" when I turn the power on. The sound is similar to that of a stereo turned to maximum volume with no music playing. At volumes that activate the sub, the sound is drowned out, but it is present when little or no low bass frequency is occurring. I.E. It’s annoying to watch TV or listen to music at low volumes b/c I can here the noise. I have positioned the sub everywhere and even isolated it to another room but the noise is still present once the power is turned on, even with no connections to my receiver. Is this normal???

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None

Powerful,Tight,in-your-pants bass response,great with music and HT

1000 WATTS? None,i would say.......

Well,forked the cash over,along with trading in my Mirage Bps150...which i always felt was a bit weak......Worth every penny! This is the best sounding sub i have ever heard. Great with music AND HT. Tight and quick response,will blend in with any system. Go give it a listen for yourself!

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Mirage BPS150

Deep bass reproduction. Particularly good with DTS signal. The 1000 can fill a substantial room with very deep bass. Superb HT performence

My unit took about 40 hours to break in. Hard to adjust at moderate bass levels. Goes from no output to high volume with small adjustment of volume. When the sub is powered but inactive, there is a distracting "ocean" sound as described by others

The SS1000 replaced a Boston PV800. The difference in volume and sound quality was astounding. The SS1000 is very tight and musical, although at lower volumes, it can be a bit boomy. It is exceptional with HT signals, and DTS produces and absolutely thrilling bass.

Adjusting the crossover to match my mains took some time (and more than a few laps around the couch), but the transition is now seamless. Had to nail down a few objects in my listening room, but I haven't found an under 2K sub I would replace the SS1000 with.

The only serious issue I have with the sub is the "ocean" noise it produces when running with no or low signal. It's a distraction when listening to TV or other content with limited bass. Mirage suggests using a good power line filtering device, but I havn't tried one yet.

If the "ocean" recedes, this is a 5 star product.

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Boston PV800, Mirage BPS150

Extremely accurate, powerful bass that will fill your room and then some!

None that I have discovered as of yet.

This sub is incredible! I listen to music almost nonstop whenever I am home and I place a very high importance on bass. When I was shopping for subwoofers, I was attempting to keep to a budget of under $1000 while still achieving room shaking bass. Of all the subs I tested, the Mirage Substrata 1000 was the only sub that had the force and accuracy that I was looking for. I listen to a lot of music with very low synthesized bass, so I was looking for a sub that could handle frequent extensions down to 20Hz. Honestly, with this sub, there are times that I can feel the bass rolling down below the audible 20Hz threshold to the point that all I can do is feel the rumble. This sub also has the ability to cleanly handle very fast bass movements better than the other subs I heard. I consider myself very lucky to have found this sub only 6 months old on eBay for $700. If I had to pay the $1100 store price, though, it would still be worth it, believe me! To answer the question pertaining to the ocean noise, it's there, but it's not a problem. The sub does make an ocean noise when it's turned on, but you have to place your head within a foot of the sub while your home is completely silent in order to hear it. From what I have read about the method by which the sub converts the power source, I assume that the ocean noise is the sound of the conversion process. If you have your stereo playing music at any volume, you will not hear the ocean noise at all. This subwoofer definitely deserves 5 stars.

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Tested various Velodyne, Paradigm, and Boston Acoustics subwoofers

One of the most musical subs at any price. True 20Hz capability. Very accurate, dynamic and capable of good nuance resolution (after break-in).

No real complaints after more than a year of solid use. I have not experienced the "Ocean" sounds mentioned by others.

I must admit when I first got this sub home and hooked up I was quite unhappy with it. It seemed boomy and unrefined. It was impossible to blend with my main speakers (Martin Logans). However, I kept working with it because it is a true accoustic suspension sub with a very stiff spider and surround, and I knew it would require a lengthy break-in when compared to a bass reflex type. It was well worth the wait! It really did not start to sound good for over a month of fairly heavy use - even leaving it on for hours while I was out. I was constantly fiddling with the volume and cross-over controls. The volume control is a bit touchy primarily because there is so much power available. The cross-over is exremely flexible, with both the cross-over point and the phase being continuously variable. The main reason I bought this sub was because of its construction. Accoustic suspension is the way to go for tight, dynamic bass, but it takes a lot of power. This sub manages to deliver and at a reasonable price to boot. After about five or six weeks, I started to notice the sub less and less. I found myself turning the volume down just a bit. After several months it just disappeared into my listening room. The music (mostly classical with some pop/rock) sounded great. After about six months I started to wonder if the thing was even working. I turned it off and -WOW- huge difference. I think it says a lot that this sub can blend so seemlessly with electrostatics. With 1000 watts of power, it can POUND when called upon, and I never touch the controls to adjust for the kind of music/movie I am playing. This sub has the abilty to come out of nowhere and just blow people away, especially on DVD movies. I like to use the first few scenes of "Top Gun" as a demo when people want to hear my system. Many people do not even realize there is a sub in the room until the first shot of the "MiG" and the accompanying rush of deep bass. The first flyby scene at the Top Gun control tower is another good scene. Most people do not know there is a sudden, loud sonic boom at the exact moment when the control tower officer spills his coffee. I wonder if the "ocean" sound experienced by others is related to the hook-up wire. I use a Monster "M" series cable with no problems. If I ever heard the ocean out of my sub the thing would be history. After looking at many subs, I selected this one over some better known alternatives and after about sixteen months of use, I could not be happier with it.

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Velodyne FRS series.

output, power, great for music and ht, build quality, size, easy to hook up

none

this is the best sub out there for under $1000. at first i had a bps400; it sounded terrible compared to this sub. truly an excellent product.

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klipsch ksw12, mirage bps400

Superb room shaking bass out of a small compact cabinet

none discovered as of yet

I own paradigm speakers all the way around and needed a compact subwoofer. I was leary of one of the large subs due to having to satisfy the wife, so I was looking at a more compact unit. I still listened to the Paradigm 2200 and was seriously considering it, even though it is an endtable in size. (The servo 1500 costs too much!) After making all the comparisons, the Mirage sounded more accurate with music and still shakes the house with home theater. It is a great sub for home theatre, as well as music. Since size was my problem, I listened to the PV1000 and there was no comparison. The Mirage blew it away! This sub has all the power and sound anyone could need. My room size is 14.5'X 22'. My entire system sounds much better when I send all of the bass to this sub. Give a listen, you won't be dissappointed. Also, some reviewers mentioned hearing an ocean sound when no bass is sent to the sub. I talked to the dealer about that and we listened to the one in the store and heard no sound. I have also checked the one I bought and have not heard any ocean sound, so do not worry about this problem....

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Compared to Boston acoustics PV1000, paradigm 2200