Chillin' in Socal
I got the OM-7s a few days before Mirage's marketing man, Jeff Percy, and designer Andrew Welker (whose name graces the back of the OM-7, along with Ian Paisley's) were due to visit. The speakers had been undergoing break-in at Mirage HQ, so I expected them to sound as Welker and Paisley had intended.
Which had me worried—this was not natural sound, but the sound of something gone wrong. The midrange was…
It was also interesting to…
Description: Floorstanding, reflex-loaded, "Omnipolar" loudspeaker. Drive-units: two 1" PTH-cone (Pure Titanium Hybrid) tweeters, two 4.5" polypropylene-cone midranges with butyl surrounds, one 8" polypropylene-cone woofer with butyl surround. Tweeters and midranges arranged in Omnipolar array (one of each pair fires forward, one rearward). Crossover frequencies: 200Hz, 2kHz. Frequency response: 30Hz-20kHz, +/-3dB. Room efficiency: 90dB. Impedance: 6 ohms nominal, 4 ohms minimum. Recommended amplifier power: 50-200W.
Dimensions: 43.75" H by 11.5" W by 14.4" D…
Analog source: Linn Axis turntable, Linn Basik tonearm, Lyra Lydian Beta cartridge.
Digital source: Arcam Audio FMJ CD23 player.
Preamplification: Anthem PRE 1L line preamp and PRE 1P phono preamp.
Power amplifier: Simaudio Celeste 4070se.
Loudspeakers: Thiel CS.5, Joseph Audio RM-7si.
Cables: Phono: Harmonic Technology Crystal Silver. Interconnect: Harmonic Technology Pro Silway Mk.II, Goertz Micro Purl Silver. Speaker: Harmonic Technology Pro 11 Plus, Goertz Python M12. AC: API Power Enhancer and Power Link.
Accessories: API Power Wedge…
The Mirage OM-7's quasi-anechoic sensitivity was fractionally below average, at an estimated 86dB(B)/2.83V/m. However, it will appear to be more sensitive in-room due to the presence of its rear-firing drive-units, which is presumably why Mirage quotes a "room efficiency" specification of 90dB. Its impedance (fig.1) drops below 4 ohms slightly in the upper bass and midrange, the former coinciding with quite a severe phase angle. Optimistically specified receivers would best be avoided with the OM-7. The "saddle" at 35Hz in this graph's magnitude trace indicates…
On January 11, the gifted 23-year-old violinist accompanied me to nine different rooms, each time with Neville Marriner and the entire Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in tow. Playing Brahms's Violin Concerto, sometimes Ms. Hahn was modestly draped in "Red Book" Standard, other times in Superbly Accessorized Couture Divine. But even when she wore the same outfit from room to room, she and her backup forces created nine distinctly different sonic impressions when they began to strut…
Lee's pursuit of quiet has reaped rich rewards—the SRII gave me profound silence between instrumental spaces, worked equally…
Silver Reference II interconnect: 7N Zero Crystal Silver, 1.0m: $948 (RCA), $998 (XLR); $500/m for longer cables, 15% off for 0.5m.
Satori Shotgun loudspeaker cable: 7 AWG total, 6N Zero Crystal Copper, $1188/8' pair; $100/ft extra for longer length, less $50/ft for shorter lengths.
Gargantua II AC cord: AWG, 6N Zero Crystal Copper + Silver, 6.0', $1488; $160/ft for longer cord, less $80/ft for shorter cord.
Approximate number of dealers: 51.
Manufacturer: Acoustic Zen Technologies, 800 Los Vallecitos Blvd., Suite P, San Marcos, CA 92069. Tel: (760)…
Analog sources: SOTA Cosmos turntable, Graham 2.2 tonearm, Dynavector XV-1 cartridge; Clearaudio Champion II turntable, Unify tonearm, Benz L2 cartridge.
Digital sources: Classé Omega SACD/CD player, Ayre D-1x CD/DVD-V player.
Preamplification: Manley Labs Steelhead and Boulder 2008 phono stages; Jeff Rowland Design Group Synergy IIi line stage; Ayre K-1x, Atma-Sphere MP-3 full-function preamplifiers.
Power amplifiers: Halcro dm58, Lamm M2.1, Manley Labs 250 Neo-Classic monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: EgglestonWorks Andra II, Calix Phoenix Grand…