[laserboi]

Hello Folks,

I currently own a pair of pristine Mirage M3-si's, which just love to suck up power being as inefficient as they are.  I was wondering if anyone has tried Klaus's Stratos with these speakers.  My current amp is an Outlaw Audio RR2150 receiver.  It has been recommended to me that I get more power to these speakers.  I was looking at possibly a Stratos Extreme since it is in my price range and with that I would be using the Outlaw as my preamp. 

If anyone has any opinions on how this combo might fair I would be most appreciative.

Thanks in advance,

-Pete

[zapper7]

About 3 years ago I was running the M3si with the Stratos monos. The sound was really sweet and full, but once I changed to the Acoustic Reality ICE monos, it was like a veil had lifted off. I also had a Classe 300 at the same time and noticed the same difference. Those speakers are made for the new D/ICE, etc. type amps out there now. Run a tubed pre infront, and........... vahlah!!!

[lonewolfny42]

You might send Garmax1 a PM....he runs Odyssey amps with his Mirage M-3 speakers.

Having heard Odyssey amps a number of times....I believe they would work well together. I also own Mirage M-3's....still played daily.

[laserboi]

Thanks for the input folks.  I've looked and looked and maybe I'm just missing it but I can't seem to find what the Stratos extreme will output continuously at 4ohms.  Does anyone have any idea?  Thanks in advance once again.

[jdodmead]

Pete,
You will see a definite improvement with an external amp. It still won't be as good as replacing your receiver with a dedicated pre and amp(s). It's a good way to start, but don't plan on stopping there. Add a tube pre and you will be in heaven.
regards
jeff

[honesthoff]

Thanks for the input folks.  I've looked and looked and maybe I'm just missing it but I can't seem to find what the Stratos extreme will output continuously at 4ohms.  Does anyone have any idea?  Thanks in advance once again.

Just a guess, but I'd say 340-350 w/pc if it doubles into 4 ohm loads.  I have an Extreme that I use to drive some very power hungry 6 ohm Revels and it has plenty of power for me.

[mcullinan]

I never heard a pair of Mirage that I liked. How do these sound?
Mike

[Wolfman]

I'd say Honesthoff's estimate is a good,conservative one. As always,if you really want the real numbers,Klaus is 'da man to call. Any Extreme model,whether the Stereo or,especially the Monos,will output all day long at 4 ohms and not even notice it or even go warmer than tepid. Comparable to perhaps a Corvette running at 3000 RPM. My experiance with owning ICE amps is limited to the early Acoustic Realities,but my Stereo Extreme was much more "musical"(which varies from person to person) with 4 ohm speakers. If the Mirage's are truely voiced for switching amps,they may have a synergy that would be hard to beat. If you prefer the most detailed sound above all else,than switching will give you that. I still find something in the upper mids,lower treble for me that's just not quite "right"(although I haven't heard any of the latest ones). YMMV.
Good luck

[laserboi]

I never heard a pair of Mirage that I liked. How do these sound?
Mike

Well Mike,

I'm 24 and new to this hobby/obsession since I've only been a part of it for 1.5 years.  I've heard a handful of nice stereo speakers including: Legacy Audio Focus 20/20's, B&W 802D's, Dynaudio Focus 140's, Vienna's and these here Mirages so I am a bit lacking when it comes to experience.  I bought the Mirages for an insane price from the owner of the Focus 20/20's and I love them.  They go extremely low and have amazingly tight bass.  The highs can be slightly bright on certain recordings but that has been tamed a bit by my Primare CD21.  I find them to be very revealing although my room and speaker placement are god awful and I wouldn't dare post pics on here for fear of ridicule  .  Seriously though my listening room is temporary and I hope to have a better set up within the next six months.  I'll sum the performance of these speakers with the following audiophile terms.  They are very revealing and a bad recording sounds like a bad recording.  Imaging and sound stage is decent but I know there's room for improvement if I could just position the speakers properly.  Synergy between highs, mids and lows is seamless and the bass goes nice and low for me but stays tight unlike every subwoofer I've heard. 

Recently I had the privilege of hearing a pair of Dynaudio Focus 140's and to be honest I fell in love with the highs of that esotec tweeter.  I'm seriously thinking about picking up a pair of those or possibly trying a single driver speaker like The Horn.

[jdodmead]

You're new to the hobby, but you are obsessed, just like the rest of us. The best advice I can give you is to slow down and take your time when making decisions.(do as I say, not as I do, it took Klaus about two minutes to convince me to buy a pair of Lorelei's)
You will save a lot of money by not "impulse" buying, because you buy today and tomorrow you will hear something better.
Regards and have fun
Jeff

[mcullinan]

yes, definitely take your time! I will have to give the mirages you mentioned a listen. Did you hear them at the magnolia place in best buy? That's where I heard the viennas which I also like.
gl
mike

[lonewolfny42]

I will have to give the mirages you mentioned a listen. Did you hear them at the magnolia place in best buy?

The Mirage M-3si's appeared in 1992...they are no longer produced.
Here's a little info on them.....Link to M-3si......

You can read the spec's there....

[laserboi]

yes, definitely take your time! I will have to give the mirages you mentioned a listen. Did you hear them at the magnolia place in best buy? That's where I heard the viennas which I also like.
gl
mike

Just as Lonewolfny42 said they are no longer being produced.  These speakers are from back when Mirage speakers were still being made in Canada.  Unfortunately the Mirage speakers Best Buy sells today have nowhere near the ability to reproduce sound as the M-3si's.

I will definitely take everyone's advice and slow down.  I've been having a ball just driving around to different stores and listening to what they have.  Today I spent a good a mount of time listening to some Vienna Acoustics Mozarts.  Amazing mids and highs with no sign of brightness from the Mozarts but it was if the music being played through them was missing the bottom half of every song.  I've been royally spoiled by my Mirages.  If I could just find a speaker with the authoritative bass of the m-3si's and the sweet highs of the Dynaudio Focus 140's in my price range I would be very happy.  The search is still on but I think the solution will be finally upgrading to separates with a tube preamp. 

[DMi]

A bit late in the thread and it has been quiet in here lately. I can hear the lawns hissing.

Forget about the wattage spec except as a gross frame of reference, 150 W is about the same as 300 W in db. As Klaus will tell you and I have been in the hobby a while (bought my first pair of Maggie's in 1974) "current" is a much more important specification all things considered.

Stratos do not double wattage into four ohms but they do have a "ton" of current reserve and that will get inefficient speakers moving. I have owned a stereo plus (with 120K upgrade) and I now own five channels of Stratos power with newer Maggie's running in the front channels powered by Odyssey Stratos Extreme Mono SE amps.

If you're looking at specifications take a look at the Stratos line current specs as well as the damping factor. These amps grab a speaker and they will not let go. The reserve is there in all the Stratos amplifer line and I'm sure Khartego owners will agree those do not slouch either. Save your cash go for value and talk with Klaus. The only big downside is that they are all custom and you have to wait. 

Compare the current specification and the power supply capacitance with anything on the market and you're going to get a comparison of how difficult speaker loads can be ruled.

Doug

[laserboi]

Doug, thanks a bunch for your insight.  I am aware of the importance of current and I'm glad to hear that the Klaus's amps are indeed high current.  Thanks again!