rooftop59

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I just bought this sub a few days ago to replace a cadence xsub-12, a very good 12 inch sub for the money. The cadence was good for HT, but always a little boomy and hard to blend for music. As music is my main focus, this was not acceptable for me. In looking for a new sub, my requirements were:

1. Musicality - fast, stops and starts quickly, blends well with bookshelf speakers
2. Could reach down to at least 25hz, preferable a little lower
3. Could serve double duty as a HT sub as well
4. Was very economical (preferably under $250)
This sub certainly meets my requirements! Because it is sealed, has two (2) eight inch woofers, and is bipolar it is very fast and musical and blending in with my polk rt7s was a snap. The stated specs rate in down to 22 +/-3db, and although I cannot confirm these measurements, it does seem to go a little lower than my cadence (25hz) and other reviewers have confirmed these specs. 2nd requirement meet. As for home theater, this sub can put out plenty of bass for a small to medium sized room and can cover the vast majority of special effects. I do notice that the very lowest notes (10-20 hz) were left out on the rare scene that includes info that low. However, if you want this and a musical subwoofer its going to cost you a lot more than 220 shipped even on the used market. Overall, all my requirements are met and I feel that this is an extremely musical subwoofer that can pull double duty in a smaller ht. If you are looking to save some cash and do not mind going used, then I highly recommend giving it a look.

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Price Paid:  $650.00 from soundsaround

Summary:
Well, I have had my second one for some time now, and boy am I tickled. I also bought the bps-400 a few months back. With this set-up my system not only sounds stunning in every way, it looks incredible. The 150 can rock the house just fine, especially in pairs, but the 400 is perfect to roll the bass over your body, whether it be for dvd-a or dvd. Every time I have friends over to watch a movie, they always ask how much my stuff cost. After the movie they realize it was a bargain. The cleanliness of the bass from the two 150's is awesome. I audition stuff all the time for pure enjoyment, and to keep up with the good stuff. I have yet to find another sub under 1000cdn to match the musicality of this sub. The two 150's cost me the same as the 400, and the 3 of them cost less than some subs I have heard. Would make an excellent lfe sub in a smaller room. Check this one out.

Strengths:
Beauty, finesse, easy to place,solid

Weaknesses:
Driver will bottom in extreme cases,don't listen that loud!

Similar Products Used:
pw-2200 bps-400 david 300 & 301 athena p3 & p2 infinity hps-500

Price Paid:  $500.00 from Tweeter

Summary:
First of all, to franko below, the model LF150 you are talking about is NOT the same as the BPS150i so your comments and marginal rating are totally invalid! My dual purpose stereo/HT system: Mains: Paradigm Reference Studio 40V2 Center: Studio CC Rears: Paradigm AMS250 in walls Subs: (Two) Mirage BPS150i Pre/Pro: Nakamichi AV-10 powers the center and rear speakers Mains Amp: conrad johnson Sonographe SA-150 powers the Studio 40s Monarchy Audio DIP Monarchy Audio 18B Delux outboard DAC Sources: Sony CD player, JVC DVD player Cables: Wireworld Supernova 3+ Toslink, JPS Ultraconductor ICs and speaker cables This is a great sub for a two channel system. Very tight and well defined bass. I have two units matched to a pair of Paradigm Reference Studio 40v2. I cannot detect any mis-match or crossover point between the subs and mains. Taking the low bass duties away from the 40s really opens up the midrange. Using Video Essentials calibration DVD and an SPL meter, it measures 3db down at 23Hz. My family room is open to the kitchen measuring 14 x 45 feet! The addition of the second sub really helped for the extra output that movies demand. For those who seek outragious bass for movies, you may be disapointed with only one sub. With two, you will be happy. For two channel this sub is a steal.

Strengths:
Very quick, well defined bass that blends well with small monitors and planer speakers with "fast" drivers. Excellent for audio only systems. Very good for home theater.

Weaknesses:
Fairly large by today's standards, not the very deepest bass for home theater

Similar Products Used:
Mirage M7Si

Price Paid:  $400.00 from tweeter

Summary:
Boy am I glad I tried this locally instead of buying over the net. Of course at tweeter it is called the LF150 I was looking for a small sub (hopefully cheap) to fill the bottom end of my bookshelf speakers in my audio room. I have a NAD c-740 receiver Pioneer elite 300 disc changer B&W 601 s2 bookshelf speakers So I only needed bass from 70Hz below Yes I went and bought 7 subs spent $2000 (but I knew most of them would go back) All of the subs were broken in with Stereophile test cd 3, track 17 for 8 hours. The mirage vibrated like it was on drugs. The woofer was uncontrolled at low frequencies. The port cuffed terribly at even moderate volumes. Of all the subs I tested it distored at the lowest volume when playing Pachbel or Pink floyd. The most musical sub was the B&W as1. The rest ranged from ok to absolutely horrible. It seems it is near impossible to find a musical sub below $400 I will keep waiting for B&W to improve their 8inch sub... If you want a speaker that just rumbles at lower frequencies...their are many more subs that will do that for half the price. I can't believe this is the same compay that makes the mirage ribbon speakers!!!

Strengths:
size, impressive specifications

Weaknesses:
cabinet vibrates more than the woofer, distortion up the yin yang terrible performanc for the price

Similar Products Used:
Sony SAW-m40 $200 Yamaha SW305 $220 Radio shack RCA SW120P $130 Polk swp250 $180 Mirage LF100 $275 B&W as1 $225 B&W as300 $350

Price Paid:  $400.00 from sounsarround(650cdn)

Summary:
First of all, I do not claim to be an audiophile. I love my music, and I love to watch dvd's.

This sub is a bargain in every respect. It plays loud enough for small rooms alone without sounding boomy or exhibiting overhang, and two of these could satisfy most needs in larger applications.(stereo subs are a must anyways!)
This is my system:
Athena s3 speakers f&r
Acoustic Research centre channels(2)
lfe sub-paradigm pw-2200
left ch. subs-athena p3&mirage 150i
right ch. subs-athena p3&david 301
rear subs-athena p2s(l&r)

The mirage is a better sub than the david, so I am going to buy another 150i for the right channel and use the david for the centre channel. I use only the l&r for music,and it sounds incredible with the p3's and the mirage! Stereo subs will add depth to your system, and ease the burden. I actually believe that at least 3 subs are necessary for ideal sound in almost any system,a stereo pair, and an lfe.
I have the four l&r subs hooked up via the pre-outs on my reciever, not the .1 channel.
This sub does a great job for music, and a good job for home theatre, at this price point it is awesome. If you love accurate bass with good depth and impact,buy at least one of these mirage's, if you love the fuzzy feeling that 20hz gives, buy 2 of them and a mirage bps-400 or paradigm pw-2200. A great buy for anybody, I recommend the mirage150i for the jaded audio fan and newcomer alike!

I base my rating versus other subs in the price range, for which there is no match.

Strengths:
TONAL ACCURACY,ATTACK,AGILITY,LOOKS,CONSUMER FRIENDLY

Weaknesses:
not crusher

Similar Products Used:
paradigm pw-2200,athena p3&p2,d-box david 301,energy microstar 12.1