sthomas048

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I bought the Mira 3 along with the Rega Apollo cd player at the same time from my local Hifi dealer. This is the setup i used along with AVI Neutron speakers. I have to say its a very well built and stylish amplifier. But that is where the praise ends sadly. I found it to be very cold and lazy, much too matter of fact in its sound. Its a high quality sound, rich in detail and very balanced but in my opinion it lacks any real emotion or feeling for playing music. Maybe with different partnering equipment this could be improved. I prefer a warmer more musical sound, something entertaining and involving to listen to. I have now found my ideal amp in an old Musical Fidelity B200 i found for less than half the price. Try this amp by all means, but i would not recommend it personally.

jlw2000

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
4.80 of 5, 5.00 votes

Price Paid:  $695.00 from Local Retailer

Summary:
It's a decent enough amp, with a good groove and pace. Quite nice with jazz and pop, this is a good amp for Herbie Hancock and Steely Dan. But avoid if you listen to any modern heavily compressed recordings (which already sound pale), and especially avoid with layered "wall of sound" mid-80's AOR... as this amp doesn't do details.

Bass has just enough drive without digging deep. It's all there, nothing's missing, but the bottom can sound a little forced and strident. I can imagine this amp pairing well with a smaller easy-to-drive bookshelf rather than a full-range floorstander.

Top-end is heavily emphasized, without being harsh. Very pleasing once you get used to it. Adds to the rhythmic nature of it's sound when you can hear all of the percussion and cymbals.

Not a good amp for 2.0 A/V use, mostly because of the lack of tone controls. I know this is a common "feature" in high-end gear, but it severely limits versatility. Sound out of my cable box sounds flat and lifeless; I had to insert an EQ into the signal chain between cable box and pre-amp. This helped tremendously.

The Phono stage is very low-gain, and robs vinyl of it' imaging and sound staging. Don't buy the Mira for its phono... gets a good external. Disappointing for a company like Rega.

Overall, I'm enjoying the Mira for what it is, but probably will not keep it very long. I actually prefer the "all-around" sound of my vintage NAD 7240PE.

Strengths:
Fun to listen to. All the reviews prising it's "PRAT" are dead on. Very nice amp for listeners of jazz, 70's pop, and other recordings featuring closely miced drums and bass. Acoustic music sounds lovely.

Weaknesses:
Not well-rounded. For very specific use. Unique sound that fans of "neutrality" may not like.

Doesn't sound like 60 watts. Very curious what the Maia sounds like.

Similar Products Used:
Arcam a65+, NAD 7240PE, NAD C320bee, Rotel Ra1060

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braunless

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Price Paid:  $1410.00 from Carlton Audio Visual

Summary:
Background: My previous system was a collection of poor quality hand-me-downs, and I was looking to buy a package with integrated amplifier, CD player, and speakers.
After hearing the Aaron ATS5 floorstanding speakers I decided they were the speakers I wanted, so I then listened to various amplifiers with this in mind. The Brio had a very warm smooth sound and really complemented the speakers which could sound quite harsh with Elvis Costello! And eventually I settled on the Mira 3 for reasons of the remote control and the extra power. I figure I'll have it for a few years to come so the stretch in price becomes insignificant over time.
I've been very pleased with the product. The sound is warm and brings out the best in the music, and there is adequate power for my medium sizedl living room.
Some people have commented on the volume control however I find it excellent, low volumes or not!

Strengths:
Simple controls
Great styling, very plain
Can dim the red display as preferred
Remote control a plus

Weaknesses:
Double the price of the Brio which already is an awesome product.
Changing source with the knob means that you pass through other sources which if powered will come through with sound (like tuning a radio station!)

Similar Products Used:
Cambridge Audio Azur 640A v2
NAD C352
NAD C372
Rega Brio
Arcam A65 Plus Amplifier
Creek Evo Integrated Amp