maz43

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $250.00 from ebay

Summary:
Decided to give these another go and I am pleased I did, it seems they are sensitive to the equipment they are connect to. Managed to get a great price on ebay, My system is Alphason Sonata, Zeta, Monster Alpha Genesis 2000 table, VAC standard pre and Audio Innovations first audio valve power amp , Conrad Johnson DF1 cd player. I have several other pre and power amps but this is my preferred system. Exchanging the First Audio with the Conrad Johnson MF80 the OM10's didn't sound to great but with the First Audio I prefer them to my OM12's so the OM12's will have to go. These speakers can throw up an amazing open sound, crisp but sweet treble good voicing and solid deep base. The secret to getting a great sound with these speakers is to match them up with suitable electronics. If you can get a pair for a good price buy them you will not regret it.

Strengths:
open and deep sound stage, good with low output valve/tube amps great sound for the money.

Weaknesses:
need matching properly to avoid sounding slow and congested

Similar Products Used:
Mirage OM12, Castle Harlech, Alphason Amphion, Snell J 11, Kef Ref 104/11.

circuithead

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $400.00 from ebay

Summary:
Ok these are my mains. They can handle up to 200 watts. They can be bi-wired. they fire in the rear and front (bi-polar) They have great potential for the price. Are they as good as top of the line Paradigms? No. but those Paradigms will run you 14-1600 bucks. For at least a grand less you can make a compromise. These are good in hi-fi which most people say bi-polar is made for. these can also rock. Very good low end response great mid and high it's hard to tell if its this or my amp or a combo but the highs are bright (a little piercing but most people don't really notice) They're big and they're heavy. If you can get some cheap go for it. They more than do the job. Let me just say that these alone will add detail if you are currently using shelf speakers from your college dorm days. RadioHead/Pink Floyd - there are sounds I never heard before on Dark Side and OK Comp. That's when audio becomes really exciting for me. The sound will fill a room no doubt. I absolutely loved these babies when I first got them. they're a "man's" speaker - big and looks like something from 2001 Space Odyssey. I love Canadian speakers - best value and best price - most comaprable American brand is Definitive Technology

Strengths:
Low is very tight and strong mids surprisingly good high's still bright no hollowness to these pups nice bi-wirable binding posts bi-polar is cool and sounds really good watching movies in DD 5.1 and listening in stero mode (wider soundstage/sweet spot)

Weaknesses:
For under 4 bills none They won't compete with the big dogs, but like anything else it's all about the cash

Similar Products Used:
Kenwood small lame speakers froma home theater in a box set... warfdales

Price Paid:  $636.00 from Tweeter of Newington

Summary:
If you can still find a pair of the OM 10 speaker at any store I highly recommend that you buy them. Even a used pair might be good. I've owned these speakers for close to three years now and they still sound as fresh as they did when I took them out of the box in Nov. 2000. For nearly ten years I had been auditioning speakers to replace my old Klipsch Heresy's but the only speaker that came close to what I wanted in my price range was the Definitive Technology BP 10's. But in the end those speakers did not accurately replay Rock and Roll very well. But then I accidentally found these and that ended the search. The OM 10 has an atypical sound when compared to most other speakers. Most front driven speakers are either artificially bright and/or have a very narrow sound stage and sound like they come right out of a wooden box. In contrast these speakers offer a spacious sound stage that closely resembles an actual concert. They are smooth and lifelike though some people that are accustomed to traditional speakers might call them neutral and say they are lacking in high end and midrange. But when you come right down to it the very concept behind producing a good speaker is to accurately reproduce the instrumentation and vocals to have it sound life like almost as if you were at a concert. Having sufficient room in order to obtain the maximum benefit of this speaker is essential. Consider these speakers to be equally as persnickity as those Martin Logan or Magneplanar Ribbon Technology speakers. You need a good sized room to use them and you need to keep them at least a couple of feet off the walls in any direction. If you are able to do this then you will be able to obtain the best sound that these speakers have to offer. Current System: Mirage OM 10c Speakers Cambridge A 300 Integrated Amp Onkyo T4310 R Tuner Cheapo Teac CD Player AudioQuest Type 4 Speaker Cable

Strengths:
Smooth, natural sound stage i.e. almost like hearing an actual concert in your living room. Not artificially bright or too bassy. Recordings that already have substantial base in the recording itself will sound just fine while some older recordings with less bass may give the illusion these speakers do not have the ability to put out a decent low end. But you can overcome the weakness of the recording by using an equalizer or good quality speaker cables like the AudioQuest Type 4 speaker cable. Speaker cables such as these will greatly enhance the detail of the instrumentation and vocals and clean up any sloppiness found in the recordings.

Weaknesses:
These speakers must have room to breathe (away from the walls, furniture and other objects) otherwise they will not sound right.

Similar Products Used:
Klipsch Heresy

Price Paid:  $600.00 from Tweeter

Summary:
I had to grab the store's last 2 discontinued pairs at this price. I initially intended to use them as the F/R in a HT setup but may end up changing that. I'm moving to a new house with a 13x20 room but who can resist new toys? I've got one pair opened up and hooked up to a Sony NS-900V DVD player and Pioneer Elite VSX-43TX receiver. +. Deep and high soundstage: The speakers throw the deepest image of any speakers I've had or heard... except for some Wilsons my friend had. But c'mon, they were Wilsons! Anyway, the speakers disapear and you cannot sense that they play at all. They also have great height. Playing both Diana Krall and Eddie Vedder, we felt like we were front row looking up at singers onstage. +. Great clarity Listened to some Mozart piano pieces (most of my CD's are packed so I've only got a select few left) and my brother commented that they actually sounded like pianos, not recordings of pianos. Enough said. +. Just plain sexy That's what my brother called them when he saw them. WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) is very high, as the speakers are mostly a cool pyramid wrapped in pretty black grill cloth, topped with pretty black piano gloss. Can't wait to set up all 4 of them. -. Very narrow soundstage: EVERYthing sounds like it is coming from 4 feet behind and in the middle of these speakers. I seriously don't even need a center channel! I've tried toed-in, straight ahead, 10 feet apart, 4 feet apart, and cannot get them to throw a wide stage. It's like all of the performes are sitting next to or in front of each other. However, I'm still experimenting with placement and will have to move them anyway to my new house. -. No bass: Well, what do you expect from a 6"? Unfortunately I have already packed my subs and of course intend to have them for HT so I can't fairly say this is a weakness for me. However, they sound great for most music as they are, just don't play your N'Sync through them. C'mon, you know you've got one boy band CD in your collection! Don't you? Okay I borrowed my sister's. -. Cats love them My wife's cats cannot resist the grill cloth, and I can't figure out why Mirage made them non-removable. I can't see how they would be replaced if they were scratched. The speakers, not the cats. So, if I can't get them to sound right, they may end up being really beautiful surround speakers in a 7.1 setup and I may have to go back to direct-radiating for the front/center. We'll see.

Strengths:
+ Amazingly deep and high soundstage + Great clarity + Wife likes them

Weaknesses:
- Narrow soundstage - No bass (needs a sub) - Can't remove the grill cloth

Similar Products Used:
Polk RT, JBL HTIB speakers, Magnepan, B&W DM series

Price Paid:  $575.00 from eBay

Summary:
Tina Turner said it best. They are simply the best! I am sure you can spend several thousand dollars to get something better, but for the opportunity under $1000 you cannot get a better speaker. No sub is needed, but adding one will blow your mind. Not only the sound quality, but the look. A good friend spent almost 2 grand on some Polks and they cannot touch these OM10's.

Strengths:
Sound clarity and seperation. Great sound reflection from the OmniPolar format.

Weaknesses:
Spacing can be tricky, but once you get it right you'll love them.

Similar Products Used:
Polk, Infinity, B&W