Letters - November 2007
A happy Mirage-Axiom owner
November 27, 2007
Editor,
Ever since reading Doug
Schneider's review of the Mirage Omnisat v2 home-theater speaker system back in
November of 2005, I decided that it would be my next home-theater system (my fourth). I
gauge the quality of any home theater by the sense of realism it creates. Whatever you are
listening to, it needs to be as realistic as possible in order to provide maximum
enjoyment. For me, the Mirage Omnisat v2 speaker system hits that elusive mark in spades!
It is all there: an amazingly cohesive 360-degree
soundfield with well-defined localization throughout all segments of the soundfield; the
most natural-sounding dialogue I've ever heard; a 3D effect with some film soundtracks (a
pronounced layering effect in sound localization); plenty of dynamics, creating a very
effective "jump" factor; a sense of "smoothness" to the sound that is
very easy to listen to for long periods of time with no fatigue factor. In short, this
is the home theater I always wanted ever since I got my first back in 1995.
The differences between the Mirage system Doug reviewed and
the one I chose to go with are (1) I went with a 7.1 system, using four Omnisat v2s for
the surround speakers, and (2) my room is quite large at 3600 cubic feet, with open
passageways in all corners. I felt this large a space needed a high-output subwoofer such
as the Axiom EP500 v2. The Axiom sub integrated extremely well with the Omnisat v2-based
system. The combination provides one of the best home-theater experiences out there,
especially for such an affordable price.
Every time I hear a home-theater system in someone else's
home, I am reminded how good my Mirage-Axiom home-theater setup really is. And I want to
thank Doug Schneider for that. I have gotten lots of valuable information from Home
Theater & Sound over the years, but Doug's review of the Mirage system definitely
pointed me in the right direction when it came to achieving the best in home theater.
Brent Tuthill
PSBs and room size
November 20, 2007
To Vince Hanada,
Many thanks for the useful info on your website. As I am
new to home theater, I’d be grateful for supplementary advice on an appropriate sound
system for the following setup: Mitsubishi HD 1000U projector (ceiling mounted); home
theater in about half of a basement room (14’ x 36’ x 7’) with good control
of ambient light. Based on the information from your website, I am interested in a PSB Studio system
(2 x Alpha B1, 1 x Alpha C1, 2 x Alpha LR, 1 x SubSeries 5i subwoofer). Please kindly let
me know if the PSB Studio system is of a sufficient size for the above room.
Jaroslav
For a large room, the PSB Alpha B1 is adequate, but a
single SubSeries 5i might not play loud enough. I would suggest going with two 5i
subwoofers or a single larger sub, such as the SubSeries 8. Another issue would be the
Alpha LR for surround. The Alpha LR is too small to adequately fill the area behind you
with sound. You will get better performance with the Alpha B1, or if these are too large,
with two additional Alpha LRs for surround back duties in a 7.1 system….Vince Hanada
Remote advice
November 6, 2007
To Randall Smith,
Sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to know if you
happen to have seen or played with the Universal RF20 remote with the PowerBlaster
MRF100B? I am thinking of going with this for an RF-IR device (I have a Pioneer Kuro
PDP-5010-FD plasma -- this would just need an IR signal, all other devices would be RF-IR;
I have a Denon AVR-3600 receiver, a Comcast DVR, and an Oppo DV-981HD DVD player in the
closet behind folding doors). This is about 20' max from the viewing location with no
walls in between. I will probably purchase a Blu-ray player sometime in the future. I do
not need a lot of fancy bells and whistles. I do want something that will work, though. If
you have ever played with this, can you give me some info on how you like it? Is it easy
to program with macros? How do you even know the macros to program into these remotes? Can
the remote actually know all the functions you want initially? What remote would you say
to get (not breaking the bank in my case)? I will need a base station also for the RF-IR.
Steven
I do not have any experience with the remote you are
asking about, but I have spoken to people who sell the cheaper Universal Remotes and they
say that the cheaper ones are harder to program and do not have as much capability. As far
as programming the macros, that is a process that you will likely need help with. If you
are a first-time programmer, you will probably never be able to figure it out by yourself.
If I were you, I would save up and purchase the
Universal Remote 850. You can get one for under $200 online. Not sure if it has RF
capability, but if it does, you will have to match-up a RF base with that particular
remote. It was my first Universal Remote and is still my favorite. Since I purchased it, I
have recommended it to at least ten people. Once each of these people spent at least a few
weeks with one, they never second-guessed their decision. Also, if you do purchase an 850,
the good people at Universal Remote may be able to help you get it programmed. Good luck….Randall
Smith |
