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Review 2 of 3
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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