Mirage M-3 si

[harley .guy07]

I found a pair of mid 90,s Mirage M3 si speakers for sale and would like to know what other people in this forum thought of them, or if they have worked with them at all. They are sizable speakers so it would take some equipment moving to make them fit my room but I used to sell Mirage speakers back in the mid to late 90's and the M 3 si's were the one speaker I remember to be very good to my ears. Out of all the higher end speakers that we sold in my time working at the shop the M3's were the most popular and caught the most interest sonically. I do know what time can do to your memory of a what a speakers sound is like and these are too far away for me to take a trip to audition. That's exactly why I am posting this to get opinions. The price on them seems pretty descent and from what I can see they are in mint condition. Any input would be appreciated.

[LeRoy]

lf I can recall correctly, the M-3's were simply musical and dynamic without being overbearing like the M-1's were. I had the opportunity back in the day to purchase the M-7's but instead I bought the Definitive Technology BP10's. Of course, you already know what a mistake that was on my part.

A few years later I did wind up purchasing a pair of M-190i's and a pair of M-290i's.This year I bought a Mirage 5.0 Nanosat system and it's relegated to HT use only.

So, I don't have a neutral opinion about Mirage products as I do like them but certainly I think most people who like Mirage products would agree that the M-3's rank among the best products Mirage has ever produced. In this line the M-3's and M-7's were my favorites. So, what are you waiting for.....buy them.

[harley .guy07]

lf I can recall correctly, the M-3's were simply musical and dynamic without being overbearing like the M-1's were. I had the opportunity back in the day to purchase the M-7's but instead I bought the Definitive Technology BP10's. Of course, you already know what a mistake that was on my part.

A few years later I did wind up purchasing a pair of M-190i's and a pair of M-290i's.This year I bought a Mirage 5.0 Nanosat system and it's relegated to HT use only.

So, I don't have a neutral opinion about Mirage products as I do like them but certainly I think most people who like Mirage products would agree that the M-3's rank among the best products Mirage has ever produced. In this line the M-3's and M-7's were my favorites. So, what are you waiting for.....buy them.

I couldn't put it better myself. I worked with the whole line back then and the M 3 si's where by far my favorite. The other two speakers I likes from them were the 590 and 1090 i's They were very good for their price but not quite as dynamically capable as the m series(but a whole lot cheaper). I think we only had 1 or 2 sets of m1's in because to everyone the M 3's sounded better like you said. Plus the M 1 si's were monsters in size. The M 3's are to but to a lesser degree. I might have to take a second look at them and do some soul searching to make sure I want to spend that kind of money on something almost 15 years old. But like everyone else says good is good and it really does not matter when it was built.

[LeRoy]

I don't know how much you are considering spending on the M-3 but as I thought about it....the Usher speakers come the closest to the dynamic and musical presentation that the M series had. Ushers, however, are not bi-polar and the Mirage should go deeper than the Ushers if memory serves correct. If you do get the M-3's then you would also be buying into some speaker classics.

Go listen to some Usher's and see if they jog your Mirage memory a bit.

Take care.

[Pat D]

I auditioned the Mirage M3si quite a few years ago. In the right set up, I think they could sound very good. They sounded quite good when I heard them, though I though there was some small coloration The particular dealer who had a used pair on consignment had a quite large room. I've never got a bipole to sound quite right in a smaller room, but many people like them. The only suitable amp he had on hand at that particular time was an old 60 watt Mission and it worked fine.

I think your Adcom amplifier is rated about 100 watts, so it should be OK at normal levels.
I didn't find any sensitivity measurement in Thomas J. Norton's measurements for Stereophile, but Mirage's specification is 83 dB, which is fairly low. However, it is a bipole, so it radiates the same front and back, so this should add to the energy in the room. The minimum impedance seems to be just under 4 ohms, which should be no problem at all for an Adcom power amp.

http://stereophile.com/floorloudspea...ge/index4.html

[nad_obed]

Fabulous speakers!

[nad_obed]

just bought an old pair over the weekend. fantastic!

[Hyfi]

I had a pair of M790s for many years driven by my Hafler gear, 9180 amp. I found the bass a bit muffled until I placed the speakers on spikes and then on granite slabs. That brought the speakers to life as well as when I switched to a Stratos amp. Good lineup from Mirage.

[dwayne.aycock]

I bought a pair of M3 Si last Christmas. I took down the skirts and examined the butyl rubber around the drivers as well as the conditions of the cones. They were in great shape, but since I had the skirts down, I used a moisturizing and conditioning spray ( found in the Crutchfield catalog or Parts express) on the rubber and dust covers. Was able to get the skirts off and gave them a wash / rince in woolite. Let them air dry and with care put them back on. Whey were much dirtier than I imagined. Water was almost coffee color. As for sound, I bi amp / bi wire my M3s as they are power hungry. I run them with a pair B&K EX 4420s. These amps are bullet proof and built like tanks. They are clean and very powerful at 200 wpc. You need a lot of time and patience when positioning these bohemoths, but once set with the right distance from walls, toe in, and tilt, they are rock solid with excellent imaging both on and off axis sweet spots. They image both deep and wide. Just make sure your Wife or significant other doesn't get "girly" on you and start moving them around or hanging things on them. I came home one day to find my Wife in MY theater room watering plants that she decided to put in the room to "brighten it up". She had a flower pot on top of my mirages!!! Pot left a ring that took some fast and creative actions to get them off. I used Magwires clear coat cleaner to get rid of the ring. I used Magwires hi tech yellow carnuba wax to bring out the shine. I have been using it ever since. Makes any clear coat, piano gloss finish sparkle like crazy. Unorthadox but works great.

[LeRoy]

She had a flower pot on top of my mirages!!! Pot left a ring that took some fast and creative actions to get them off. I used Magwires clear coat cleaner to get rid of the ring. I used Magwires hi tech yellow carnuba wax to bring out the shine. I have been using it ever since. Makes any clear coat, piano gloss finish sparkle like crazy. Unorthadox but works great.

Hey, thanks for the tip. I just bought Rel 528 sub with piano black lacquer finish and the Rel booklet mentioned to use a specific spray car wax but I suppose the car was was British since I had never heard of them before. I will sure be looking out for the Maguires wax knowing that it worked for you.

I always wanted a pair of Mirage 7's or M3's .....

[dwayne.aycock]

Auto Zone or Pep Boys has it all the time.

[kns67]

I need a 10" base element for my Mirage M3.
Can anyone help me?

[harley .guy07]

I would check on ebay or something like that. With mirage taking such a huge departure from their stuff in the 90's in recent years you might have a problem finding one without having to buy a speaker or a pair. I do not know of any current woofers that match their drivers exactly enough to replace just one of them.