Maverick

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1645.00 from Frank Prowse HiFi, P

Summary:
Traded up from the Mirage FRx5 due to an offer I couldn't refuse & I am very happy with them. I have a munga Aaron sub240 subwoofer (2 x 10 inch woofers, 200 watts) which is not overly musical but can shake the house down with movies so the powered subwoofers with the FRx9 are perfect. When just listening to music the powered subwoofers perform very well & there is no need for an external subwoofer. I am able to turn these babies up very loud & there is no distortion & the bass is excellent which is fantastic. Also, with only the tweeter & midrange drivers to be powered my AVR isn't overly stressed with having to deal with the woofer section due to the internal amp, thus the system as a whole performs much more efficiently. The ability to bi-wire is also available with I chose to take up. They're big, they're lean, they're black & I love'em!

Strengths:
*Self powered subwoofer with 100 watt internal amplifier. * Excellent clarity. * Gives authoritive & powerful sound with both movies & music. * Removable front grill exposing great looking tweeter & midrange driver. * Bi-wirable. * Well constructed, solid. * Aesthetically appealing.

Weaknesses:
* A second midrange driver would have been nice but that's open to debate.

Similar Products Used:
JBL Jamo Boston

Price Paid:  $1200.00 from Audio Den, Van Nuys,

Summary:
These are excellent speakers! The powered subwoofers are the best feature in my opinion. You can really shake the house if you crank the volume enough. I have never turned up the volume over 1/4 way - my neighbors would kill me. The speakers sound great - no distortion that I can hear, even at the higher volume levels. I decided to get these speakers because they sounded better than any of the other ones I listed to at the dealer. I think the salesguy was trying to steer me toward some B&Ws, which were way more expensive. After hearing both pairs of speakers, I thought the Mirages blew away the B&Ws. I listen to all sorts of music - jazz, classical, funk, rock, fusion, country - it all sounds great coming out of these speakers!

Strengths:
Powered subs, great sound

Weaknesses:
None yet

Similar Products Used:
Acoustic Research, Bose, Klipsch

Price Paid:  $600.00

Summary:
I'm a student with a measly spending capability but who loves music. Saving cash over the years, I finally got rid of my Tannoy MX3 ($285) for the Mirage FRX-9 (about $600, after a good discount... Price dropped a lot since when it came out, from more than $1000). It had been my target since I first reviewed it quite some time ago. FRX-9 handled complex songs with the ease that deserves a higher price tag for these pair of speakers. The speakers projected a soundstage so realistic that I couldn't notice the speakers were there, there wasn't that unevenness that I could notice from some other speakers... Sting's All this time (unplugged) sounded satisfying for the first time, like you were in the performance itself. When I played Leftfield's Song of Life (the newer song version), FRX9 filled the whole room with ease with clear vocals, tight percussion, and smooth bass-line (which turned tight and percussive.) Era - Divano: Vocals that once sounded garbled (as if the singer’s had phlegm) on cheaper speakers are now clearly reproduced on FRX-9, as midrange and bass is handled separately. Hymn to the Fallen - John Williams (Telarc - Erich Kunzel): This version is played differently from the OST. It's a good test of the quality of the mid bass, as a long bass note, and mid range brass instruments are being played along, causing evident rumbling of the midrange brass music on cheaper speakers. FRX9 had that edge over similarly priced speakers, IMHO because of the bass and midrange is being handled separately. Omaha Beach - John Williams (OST Saving Private Ryan). The resonant qualities of the Boston Symphony Hall are produced vividly by the FRX-9 with its excellent sound stage reproducing abilities, and clarity. Although I had listened to a couple of more expensive models (a couple of hundreds above FRX-9's price) during my speaker hunt, but I'd settled for FRX-9 because it does the job as well or better for less. Having used the FRX-9 for sometime, I felt settled. I'd be quite reluctant to change to something else for a very long time, possibly the OM series? Haha... (Until I get a bigger house, that is.) I'd recommend it wholeheartedly!

Strengths:
It's great! Excellent Soundstage, clarity, bass strength. It should have costed more it really is now. (But I'm glad it's at this price now or I'd be still saving $$.)

Weaknesses:
None, I think these speakers are awesome for the price!

Similar Products Used:
Tannoy

Summary:
I really love these things. I am using a Rotel 975.
Tweeters died in both speakers, Audio Advice checked them and although the coils were open, they weren't fried.
This is strange since tweeters don't go often. My
Rotel is getting checked, there's some question about the receiver being the problem (different speakers, same side and channel) also killed the tweeter (same side and channel
as well) in my smaller Mirage. But these speakers are really
great, I suggest them to everyone who asks!!

Strengths:
Beautiful sound

Weaknesses:
none (see below)

Similar Products Used:
smaller Mirage

Price Paid:  $850.00 from Fidler Hi-Fi in Mobile AL

Summary:
I spent a year listening to a myriad of loudspeakers ($700 - $1000) to be sure of my choice. I settled on the FRx-7 when the owner @ Fidlers showed me these FRx-9 demos for sale. WOW! The imaging is fantastic, the mids & highs are crystal clear and soooo natural sounding. Then, there are the powered woofers...I still can't believe the amps are only 100 watts. These speakers will completely fill my 20 x 20 room (which has a ceiling height of 19'). I power these with a H&K AVR85 and have never second-guessed my decision.

Strengths:
Depth of Soundstage & Imaging

Weaknesses:
I haven't found it yet

Similar Products Used:
Auditioned Paradigm, Infinity, Bose, Def Techs & Boston Acoustics