Being previously the owner of M1s these babies very close performance to M1s, may be due to SI version, that have several improvements and M5s have much better bass control . Highly recommend !

Mirage M5i I am still amazed by the sound of these fine speakers. I went to audition the new OM series and was surpriesd as to how good the old M5i's still sound! I am now using them with tube amplification. Very smooth indeed! String tone is a pleasure to listen to. as is piano. The thing that you have to watch for with tubes is their lack of control of the bass.

I've owned my Mirage M-5si's for a couple years now, replacing a pair of Polk CRS bookshelf speakers on stands. At first, I only had 100 wpc Adcom amp, which really couldn't do the inefficient Mirage's justice. So I moved up to Adcom's 5800 which puts out around 250-300 wpc and the result was stunning. Realistic soundstage and a sweetness and musicality of classical music that I had been searching for. I also use them for home theater and wouldn't even need the MK powered sub that I've had in my system all along. I'm very impressed with Mirage products, altho if I hadn't gotten a good deal on the 5's, probably would have settled for Definitive's BP10 at full retail price from my local dealer.

Wide soundstage

Bass output

This review is for the M7si

I've lived with the M7si's for about two weeks in my system.
My first couple of days were spent running the M7si's with 200 watt monoblock amplifiers and a 5.1 channel pre/pro. Upon first listen it semmed something was amiss. Judging from it's size I was expecting much more bass than what I heard.
Also, it seemed that there was a dip between the woofer frequency cutoff and the tweeter frequency cutoff. Not a bad sound by no means, but just different from my Energy Audissey 3+2 speakers that I had been using. The Mirages and the Energys are both bipolar speakers and the sound did have many of the same sonic signitures.
The soundstage was so big with the Mirages that at times it was uncanny. I kept checking to see if my rear speakers were running because the soundstage wrapped clear around the room until it met smack dab in the center of my head. I've never quite that effect in my system. Keep in mind that I was only listening to the M7si's in stereo, not multichannel.
Next I inserted a Mirage BPSS210 Subwoofer into the system. I used a Mirage LFX-3 active crossover to send signals over 50hz to the M7's and the rest to the sub. These were a very fine match. If you run the M7's you really should consider a Mirage BPSS subwoofer. I swapped the BPSS210 out for a BPS150i and the results were still quite impressive. Adding either of the subs filled out the bottom end perfectly. Strangely enough the slight dip in the midband didn't continue to be noticable either.
Playing the Lease Breakers cd was quite a sonic assualt. This cd has various orchestral pieces that not only rattles your foundation but also has quieter passages to flesh out the rest of your systems qualities. The M7si/BPSS210 combo sounded better on this cd than any other speaker combo I've had in my system.
Next I switched to Multichannel listening. Running the Mirage OMC-3 center channel and the Energy Audissey 3+2's for the rear. I left the BPSS210 crossed over with the right channel and added the BPS150i for the left channel. Finally I used an M&K v125 for the LFE channel.
The first movie I put in left no doubt that this system was going to be quite a thrill ride. On Super Speedway the sound seemed to swirl to every point in the room. Yet the engines weren't as harsh sounding as I've heard before on my Energy Audissey's or Mirage FRX5's I recently had in my system. Integration with the OMC-3 center channel speaker was spot on. Using the Video Essentials dvd I noticed something unusual. The polarity check sequence showed that I was running them out of phase. Checking my bi-wired connection, I didn't see a problem but I switched them and run the test again. Again it showed that they were out of phase. Maybe it's a bipolar thing, but I've never experienced this with my Energys. I switched it back to where I started and didn't investigate any deeper.
Next I ran the same speaker settup with a 90 watt Pioneer Elite reciever. I ran the M7's full range with the BPSS210 running from the front Pre-outs. This proved to be nearly as good as the 200 watt seperates. You could tell that there wasn't the power reserves as with the seperates combo but it wasn't drastic.
I then ran the M7's bi-amped with 90 watts feeding the tweeters and 200 watts going to the woofers. This worked best of all. Obviously, the more juice the better. These aren't the easiest speakers to drive.
Switching back to the Energy Audisseys for comparison, I noticed that the soundstage receded back to the front of the room. The Energys had better pinpoint imaging and great high frequency extension ( and low for that matter).
The Mirage is and excellent, musical speaker that also worked great for multichannel. It's smooth overall sound made it easy on the ears.
Which is the better speaker? That's a tough call. I never missed my Energys when the M7's were in my system, but I really like my Energys too. Fit and finish are about the same, with the Mirages slightly better. I'd say for my tastes, the Energys would just barely win out over the Mirage. My wife like the Mirages better. Listen for yourself and decide.

Similar Products Used:

Energy Audissey 3+2

My first experience with high-end audio occurred in high school when I walked into a high-end store. I thought it was cool. I saw a pair of what then seemed to be unbelievably expensive speakers. I asked if I could hear them and I couldn't believe it. They were KEF 104/2's. I knew that someday I would have a pair of speakers like that.
Move forward 10 years. I decide its time and I begin to audition speakers. I listened to many speakers including Paradigm, KEF, PSB, B&W, etc. Then I heard the Mirage M5si. I know that speakers are subjective but, I'd found what I was looking for. As a musician in a band that owned a studio, I was taken in by the Mirages. As were my bandmates. I was a little worried that the bipolor sound might be an effect that would wear on me after a while. I happy to report that after 6 years I still love them. Sure, there is a decrease in "focus" but the soundstaging benefits are more than worth for me.

I'll describe the M5si's from top to bottom as I hear it:

Treble: Sweet and detailed. Has a nice "wetness" about it. Not dry or sterile. I really like the PTH (pure titanium hybrid) tweeter.

Midrange: Detailed and clear. Very open.

Upper Bass: Just a little light. Sometimes I wish this area had a bit more power. It may be the frequency range where the front and rear drivers are cancelling.

Bass: Very full and relatively tight. We are only talking about 2, 6-1/2 drivers so there isn't that much slam. It does match with the rest of the system well though.

Low Bass: Not much of it below about 35Hz or so but what comes through is honest. Not overtones blown out of proportion. I would desibe it as warm.

Associated Electronics
Preamp: Adcom GFT 555II
Amp: Hafler Transnova 9505
CD Player: Denon 1500II (yeah I know this thing is old. I will replace it soon)

It does take quite a bit of power to drive these speakers. I used to use a Adcom 545II(100W/channel) and the speaker simply sounded smaller with much less bass and fullness.

I have found that room placement isn't that critical if you keep them away from the walls. They sound good at low levels but won't get really loud as they get conjested at higher volumes. They get loud but not actual live volumes. Like how a snare drum is felt as much as heard. They can't do that. I think that as the Low/Midrange drivers start to really move at higher volumes, it effect the midrange. Like all two way systems.

Construction is very good. I have taken them apart. High quality crossover components, good gage internal wiring. Maybe 14 or 12gage. And, a very solid cabinet.

I have used them on and off for 5 years in our bands studio as a 2nd reference and they have absorbed various kick drums tests and mixes which are very hard on speakers. They have held up well.

I believe Mirage has done a great job with the M5si. Without taking cost into consideration I would give them 4 stars. With cost 5 stars.

I have owned my M5si`s for one year. The sound is best described as very good.The music is flowing real naturally from them. The imaging is a bit out of focus and the midbass is suffering from the two 6 1/2" cones` lack of size.
The build quality is high, it would actually cost you some money and a bit of work to build these speakers yourself. The quality of the cones and domes are VERY high (expensive to replace).

If you want to use M5si in your system, make sure you have got a powerfull amplifier that is able to deliver preferably 250 watt pr. channel.
A big amplifier is able to drive these speakers in the way they are meant to be.
A small amp. will not give you the great soundstage and the bass control that is needed for these speakers to work real well.
The midbass is the weakest point, if you need a lot of "punch" in the music, forget about the M5si.
I will replace my M5si with Jmlab antea or forsman VSS3 Mk2 because of the lack of midbass and the rather dull focus.
M5si are really good speakers, but due to the lack of midbass and inadequate focus, I give them 4 out of five stars.

I had been using a pair of Spendor Preludes, and went speaker shopping for a friend and happened to hear the M1s. They blew my socks off!! I could not afford them and in any case they were just too big for my room. I set up an appointment with the dealer and went with my cds and ended up buying the M5s.
This was 5years ago. I dont regret that impulse buy of mine for a second and I feel they are really great! I am saving up for the OM6!

The M5si has a great ability to produce a huge soundstage and depth of image.With proper placement and angling, even the imaging can be very good. These
speakers can make a simple system like my original NAD 1600/5000 Adcom 555II sound quite good. As you progress in component quality, the Mirages follow right along and sound excellent. I would like a bit more bass extension, and your room needs to be not so bright and reflective..but otherwise these are 5 star speakers for the money. I've never heard anything that can compare to them.
Currently I use a Sonic Frontiers SFT-1 transport, Muse Model 2 HDCD DAC, Audio Research LS-3BR pre-amp, and a completely modified Adcom amp (sounds like a Krell/Classe' cross). I use Mit Bi-wire and single ended interconnects, aural symphonics digital cable. If I ever upgrade the speakers it will be to M1-si's !

Previous reviews pretty much sum up what is great about this speaker. When I was seriously shopping for new speakers, I listened to every brand and model I could find locally. Towards the end of that process my wife and I heard the Mirage. About 5 seconds into the first song we just looked at each other speachless! Absolutely the most natural and realistic sound that we had heard. After going back the next week and being similarly impressed, we bought them and after 6+ years we still love them. Soundstage is HUGE. I now also use mine in a Home Theater with wonderful results.
I will repeat some comments previously made that are important:

1. This speaker needs some space. I have found that the absolute minimum distance from the rear wall is about 26". I have mine at 30" but would do 36" if my room allowed.

2. This speaker needs some power. I used a Denon 100wpc amp for several years. Sound was pretty good but lacked tight low bass and volume was restricted. I have since upgraded to a Parasound 220 wpc and the difference is wonderful. Bass is tight, low, and full.

Natural, relaxed and spacious sound. These speakers make you listen to music instead of to your hifi-system.
Besides that these speaker are a fine example of classic great craftmanship: they are constructed beautifully and look great.

They need space and a powerful amp. But that is not so much a weakness but much more a fact of life.

The Mirage M5-si are truly great speakers. I have had them in my system only for less than a week by now but I have already noticed that the sound is much more spacious and exciting than with my JBL-L60 speakers which I have enjoyed for the last couple of years.
Make no mistake: the JBL's were and are great speakers but the Mirage speakers simply outclass them.

If you can find them secondhand you should really audition them. Chances are that you will become as addicted as I am! :-)

Highly recommended!

Similar Products Used:

JBL-L60 speakers