Mirage Loudspeakers OMNI 5.1 - Manual (Page 7)

to check to make sure the processor is not in some sort of DSP mode.
As with the earlier OM series, the OMNI
series is somewhat sensitive to
placement. Some people believe these
speakers have a huge soundstage, but do
not image as well as a conventional
design. Living with the OM series for
several years, I have grown to disagree
with that statement. Instead, I tell people
it all depends on placement. With the
OMNI series, a very similar statement can
be made. First off, these speakers like
some room to breathe, so place them a
foot or two away from the walls. Next,
you will want to make a decision about
toe in, as there are some tradeoffs to be
made. If you want pinpoint imaging, use
lots of toe in and point the speakers such
that they are facing the listener. This will
collapse the width of the sound stage slightly and make the sweet spot smaller, but the
pinpoint imaging is amazing, easily as good as any other speaker I have used.
If you want a huge enveloping soundstage, then place the speaker without any toe in. I
use just a small amount of toe in which gives me the best of both worlds. The OMNI
speakers are capable of producing a truly three-dimensional soundstage. I have never
experienced a speaker in a two-channel audio setup that was capable of creating images
behind the listener. The original OM series were always capable of producing images to
the sides of the listener on certain tracks but never behind. To be truthful the OMNI 260s
were a holographic experience. I had to check 3 times (seriously 3 times) to make sure
the processor was not in some sort of surround mode. I even got up out of my chair and
put my ear against the surround speaker just to verify one last time. I was of course
sitting in that perfect sweet spot and it does not happen with all recordings, but when it
does, it is a real pleasure. The OMNI 260s are very natural speakers and do not appear
warm or bright in presentation. I would recommend using a sub for home theater
applications, because, like most floor-standers, they just don't have the lower frequency
extension required to get the most out of a good movie soundtrack.
The benefits of a timbre matched speaker setup in home theater or multi-channel music
had been discussed here before, so I will save you the details. In panning around the
room with pink noise, the setup is well matched. There is some minor tonal difference
between each speaker, but I have yet to hear a 5.1 setup that did not exhibit this. In
most rooms even different speaker positions will cause tonal changes.
The biggest problem I have setting up a 5.1 system is with center channel placement. I
can never have it at the same level as my main speakers, as the display device is in the
way. My home theater with a 60”x80” screen is the worst case. I set up the OMNI CC on
Page 7 of 10 Product Review
5/5/2003 http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_2/mirage-omni-speakers-5-2003.html