Hi Tim,

That’s a really good question. Mirage speakers are definitely more forgiving of somewhat non-traditional placement than many other speakers, though that’s not to say they won’t benefit from traditional placement guidelines. As you know, you ideally want your front left and right speaker to be about the same distance away from your TV, maybe a couple of feet off to either side, depending on how wide your listening area is. We’ve recently published a video on speaker placement that you mind find helpful – here’s the url:

http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/video/speakerplacement.html

All of that said, it might well be that placing your front left and right speakers a little unevenly works perfectly fine, especially since one of the reasons you chose these speakers is their greater placement flexibility. So here are two things I’d suggest:

1) If your receiver has automatic speaker calibration, use it. It’ll tweak the settings on your speakers so that they sound more like they’re in that ideal spot. If you don’t have auto calibration, you can still make these adjustments manually: try turning the speaker level up on the speaker that’s further away, and make sure you have the speaker distance set properly for each speaker. You can find directions on how to do this in your receiver’s owner’s manual. (Or, if you got your receiver at Crutchfield, you can call our Product Support folks for help.)

2) As a test, try positioning your speakers so that they’re both equidistant from your TV. I know this isn’t the easiest option since your speakers are wall/ceiling mounted. But it’d give you and your wife a chance to see if there is an improvement in sound, and if so, if it’s worth the less balanced look.

Hope this helps!

Amanda

Hi Carlos,

I do still love my Mirage Nanosat Prestiges! There are lots of upgrades I'd consider making to my current system, but speakers would be at the bottom of my list – I really do love the way they sound. In fact, I set my parents up with the exact same speakers when they put together a system.

I can't speak to music-only listening though. Mine are primarily home theater speakers – that is, I do some pretty dedicated/critical listening when we’re watching Blu-ray movies, or playing video games. But when we listen to music on these speakers at home, it tends to be background music when friends are over. So I can't say from personal experience how well these would work in a dedicated stereo setup.

That said – I'm not sure what your listening area is like, but I do think these speakers could be a good choice for music listening, especially if you won't be the only one enjoying it. Stereo music setups are often known for having one main "sweet spot," so only one person can really get the full benefit of the system at a time. But the Nanosats are designed to spread that spot out, making them a good solution for group listening. As you can see from some previous comments, they're also a great choice if you don't have a lot of flexibility when it comes to placement.

One last note that you're probably already aware of: you'll want to pair these speakers with a subwoofer that has a fairly high crossover to make sure you get all your mids and lows.

I'm sorry I can't offer more insights here, Carlos. You might also want to try posting this question in our home  theater & audio forum.

http://community.crutchfield.com/forums/11/ShowForum.aspx

In the meantime, have any of you blog readers tried the Nanosat Prestiges in a stereo music system?

Amanda

Hi Gilbert,

The nano CC speaker definitely won’t mess up your system. I’ve got the nano CC at home, and I love it. I haven’t done any comparative listening tests, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the nano CC could deliver on-screen dialogue that’s a bit more detailed and accurate. Plus, with its slightly larger cabinet, it’s got a lower frequency response. That means it’ll give those on-screen voices more mid-bass, and overlap with the sub well for a really natural sound.

As far as 5.1 vs. 7.1 – I think it’ll depend on your room and your preferences. If you’ve got a larger room, having two additional surround speakers could really help fill out that back soundstage for even more convincing surround effects. If you’ve got a smaller room, on the other hand, you might not hear a noticeable difference. All of that said, if what you’re after is the most complete, detailed surround sound you can get, a good 7.1 system will deliver.

I hope I've been able to answer some of your questions. Also, feel free to call our Advisors at 1-888-955-6000 -- they answer questions like yours day in and day out, so they'll be able to give you some good advice too.

Amanda

Hi Harry,

I think the OS3-CC could make a noticeable difference, giving your on-screen dialogue more detail and depth. It's got more mid-range drivers and a larger cabinet, so you'd get some nice bass and mid-bass from it. If you do go this route, I’d love to hear what you think of it.

You're right that you don't need line-of-site with your subwoofer – since those low frequencies are omni-directional, you've got a lot of flexibility. Do keep in mind though that you'll likely get somewhat "boomier," less defined bass if you place your sub in a corner, especially if it'll also be boxed in by your TV stand. I'd suggest trying it out in the corner though and seeing how it sounds to you… watch a few scenes from some movies you're familiar with, and invite friends and family to listen too. (You might also want to listen for any rattling from your TV stand, since it'll be so close.) Then let your ears do the deciding: if you like how it sounds, by all means keep it there.

Also, don't forget that since you bought your system from Crutchfield, you can call our tech support folks toll-free. (The number's on the back up of the speaker setup booklet you got from us, just make sure you have your order number handy.) They can give you more specific tips based on your room layout, etc.

Hope this helps!

Amanda

Hi Dan,

Great questions! I'll do my best to try and answer them here.

The bottom line is that the Prestige speakers really seem made to play at louder volumes, and/or in a larger room. (That's part of why we chose them -- we've got a large, open floor plan.) Of course, if you're buying a system for a smaller room, and don't have your heart set on one of the different Prestige finishes, then the regular Nanosats can do a terrific job. If you are considering these speakers for a larger room though, it's good to keep a couple of things in mind:

(1)          That higher efficiency can really be key. You'll have to crank up the volume on your receiver more for a larger space than a small one, and even more if you've got less efficient speakers. The Prestiges will tax the amplifier less, which can actually result in cleaner sound, and a longer lifespan for your amp.

(2)          Working on the assumption that these speakers might be played louder, the higher crossover is there to protect the tweeter. Essentially, it's only sending the tweeter the frequencies it really excels at playing. Now, you'll get great high frequencies from either model. But again, the Prestiges should be able to play louder without running into distortion from the tweeter. Think of it this way: Have you ever had a car where you really cranked the factory system? You might have noticed that the high frequencies were likely the first to go, with some clipping and distortion creeping in after a little while. Basically, you're pushing that system beyond what it's made to do. Obviously, that's an extreme example, but the principle's the same: If you plan on turning your speakers up a good bit, you'll want some that are designed to play louder.

I hope this helps! If you have any more questions, I'd recommend contacting one of our Advisors at 1-888-955-6000. They can help you decide which system's best for your room and your listening habits.

Amanda

Hi Joshua,

Glad you liked the review! I’ll try to answer your questions.

1) These speakers will be able to play pretty much anything – whatever signal your home theater receiver sends them. That said, if you want to be able to enjoy the super high-resolution soundtracks on Blu-ray Discs, like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio (I'm guessing that’s what you meant by "HD sound"?), you'll need a receiver or Blu-ray player capable of decoding those formats. See our articles on surround sound formats and setting up a Blu-ray player for more info.

http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/home/hometheater_surround.html

http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/blu-ray/setup_connect.html

And don't worry – even if your setup isn't equipped to handle those new high-res formats, you'll still enjoy terrific surround sound from standard Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks with your Blu-ray Discs, as well as DVDs, HDTV broadcasts, video games, etc.

2) Absolutely.

3) Definitely, and I bet it'll sound great.

Hope that helps! If you need more help, one of our advisors can answer your questions in greater detail. You can call them at 1-888-955-6000.

Amanda

Hi David,

It's true that the Nanosat 5.1 system doesn't have anything that looks like a conventional center channel speaker. But I wouldn't let that stop you. A center channel speaker's job is to anchor dialogue and other on-screen audio to your TV, and to make that dialogue clear and easy to understand – and the Nanosat speakers are definitely capable of that.

Also, keep in mind that if you do want the greater sensitivity or slightly lower frequency response that you'd get from a traditional Mirage center channel speaker, you can always upgrade down the road. That's one thing I like about my system at home – it's a really solid base to build from.

Hope this helps!

Amanda

Hi Mike,

That depends on a couple of factors. First, how far you're running the speaker wire. Since it's for a home theater room, I'm guessing it won't be that far. For anything under 80 feet, you're generally fine with 16 gauge. However, if you're looking for the best sound quality, you might want to consider larger 14 gauge wire (that's what I've got in my system).

There are also a couple of other factors to keep in mind. First, pay attention to the quality of the materials and the construction of the cable. Yes, this will likely mean pricier wire. But if you really want great sound, it might be worth it. Second, you might want to consider using speaker wire connectors – you can use just the bare wire, but pin connectors or banana plugs can give you a more secure connection. You can learn more about choosing speaker wire in this article:

www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/home/speakers_wire.html

And you can always call our Advisors at 1-888-955-6000 if you've got any more questions.

Hope this helps,

Amanda

Hi Jesse,

Optimally, you'd want to position your speakers to either side of your screen at about ear level, when you're seated. Mirage speakers are designed for more flexible placement though. So you could, for example, mount them upside-down on your ceiling, right next to your screen; you could probably get away with placing them slightly lower than the optimum height too. Whatever you decide, I'd recommend placing them at least 8-9 feet apart – you'll likely get better stereo imaging, and the sound will more accurately match the on-screen action. For more speaker placement guidelines, you can check out our video

www.crutchfield.com/learn/video/speakerplacement.html

or get more in-depth tips in our article

www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/home/speaker_placement.html

One quick note if you do plan to wall-mount them: the Nanosats come with some nice keyhole mounting brackets in the box, so you'll be all set. For ceiling-mounting, you can find a number of brackets that would work here:

http://www.crutchfield.com/g_15830/Speaker-Wall-Mounts.html

Finally, keep in mind that if you bought your system from Crutchfield, you can also call our tech support folks for one-on-one, toll-free speaker placement and setup help.

Hope this helps,

Amanda

Hi Trevor,

You're right that flat, tinny sound can be a problem for some smaller satellite speakers. But I definitely do crank my Nanosat system, and I can say that's not a problem. One reason for that is the build quality – the speakers feel really solid in your hand, and materials like extruded aluminum make them heavier than you'd expect them to be. You're not going to get the distortion and resonance you may get from speakers with cheaper construction. Might you get fuller-bodied sound from larger bookshelf or floor-standing models? Probably. But if you want this kind of small form-factor without giving up sound quality, I think the Nanosats are a great way to go.

Hope this helps,

Amanda

Hi Jonah,

Great questions! Obviously, I haven’t had a chance to listen to the Energy Micro system as much as I have the Nanosats, but we were all impressed with them when we heard them at training. It’s difficult for me to recommend one over the other. If you can listen to them both and see which one you like better, that’d be great. Otherwise, I’d suggest looking around at user reviews to get a sense for what each speaker system excels at, and see how it overlaps with your listening preferences. To get you started: I’ve used my Nanosat system mostly for movies, TV shows and video games. They do a great job with the music I do listen to though – mostly electronic music and modern rock.

As far as the Mirage towers vs. the Mirage satellites – if I were going to make any upgrade to my audio system, I’d replace my two front satellites with Mirage towers. Don’t get me wrong, the satellites sound great. But the towers just have more presence… bigger, more powerful sound. If you’re getting these speakers mainly for music listening, I’d really consider those towers, especially if you’ll be listening in a medium- to large-sized room. I think you’ll really appreciate their full, spacious sound.

Don’t forget, you can also call our advisors at 1-888-955-6000 – they can give you more personalized recommendations based on your listening preferences, room size, etc.

Hope this helps!

Amanda

Hi Ivan,

I’m not super familiar with that Pioneer since we don’t carry it, but it looks like it could be a good match for either the Nanosats or the Bose system. (FWIW, I’ve got mine paired with a Denon AVR-2309 and it sounds phenomenal.) Personally, obviously, I love the Nanosats. Because I’ve been so happy with them, I’d be hard-pressed to recommend anything else, and I do think you’d be happy with them, too. But obviously it’s all down to personal tastes – if you’ve heard them both and like the Bose speakers better, by all means go that route.

Also, keep in mind that you can call our advisors at 1-888-955-6000 – they can answer any audio questions you’ve got, and give you more personalized recommendations.

Hope this helps!

Amanda

Hi Justin,

Absolutely! In fact, the receiver I had before the one I have now only had 90 watts a channel; I also had it paired with my Nanosats, and it also sounded great. The 1910 also has a high-current, low-impedance amp design, so it’ll be able to provide plenty of good, clean power to your Nanosats. Plus, when you combine the Nanosats with the 1910’s MultEQ speaker calibration system, you’re going to hear some really convincing surround effects.

If you've got more questions, one of our advisors can answer them in greater detail. You can call them at 1-888-955-6000.

Hope this helps,

Amanda

Hi DJ,

We crank our system pretty loudly, and I’ve never heard any noticeable distortion -- the highs and mids are very clear. From what you’re describing, it sounds like your center channel could be blown -- that over time, the drivers might have been damaged in some way, creating distortion. So I think you’ll hear a big improvement with the Nanosats.

If you have any more questions, feel free to give our advisors a call at 1-888-955-6000 – they can give you more speaker recommendations specific to your room and listening habits, if you like.

Hope this helps,

Amanda

Hi Bob,

Generally, when you’re putting together a speaker system, you want all the speakers to be “voice-matched.” This usually means using speakers from the same brand or line, so that they have similar construction and driver materials. The idea is that similarly built speakers will produce sounds in the same way – so, for example, when a helicopter flies from the back of the soundstage to the front, it’s a seamless effect.

Of course, this is the ideal approach; not always doable when you’re trying to upgrade your system piecemeal. I can’t speak to how well the Sonance speakers would blend with the Nanosats, but I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Down the road, you can definitely patch the holes in the ceiling and mount new Nanosats up there.

Also, feel free to call our expert advisors at 1-888-955-6000 with any more speaker questions you’ve got!

Hope this helps,

Amanda

Hi Rick,

Good question. Our advisors will be able to do a much better job than I can recommending other speakers in this price range, since that kind of thing is pretty much what they do day in and day out. You can call them at 1-888-955-6000 – they’re friendly and helpful, and they really know their stuff.

Amanda

Hi Tony,

I haven’t had any issues with the Nanosat prestige center channel speaker in my system – dialogue sounds very crisp and clear. My parents (who have the same system) initially did have a hard time hearing dialogue though, for a couple of reasons, and there’s a really easy workaround.

Just go into your receiver’s speaker setup menu, and increase the levels for the center channel speaker specifically. (Of course, you won’t have to do this every time you turn on your system; once you’ve done it once, that speaker will just always play a little louder than the other speakers.) Once we’d done that, it sounded great, and they didn’t have to crank their system just to hear that speaker better.

Hope this helps! If you have any more questions, or you want more specific recommendations for your setup, you can always call our advisors at 1-888-955-6000.

Amanda

Hi Roshan,

It is true that you'll often hear better sound from larger speakers. Larger speaker cabinets can do things most smaller cabinets just can't. Comparing these two systems though, they seem pretty evenly matched -- the main differences that stand out to me are size (obviously) and frequency response. The MX sub doesn't go quite as low as the Nanosat sub. One cool thing though: the MX sub's crossover is higher, so it can handle more of the mid-bass frequencies that the tiny MX satellites might start to struggle with.

Bottom line though, I think you answered your own question: if you really prefer the smaller MX speakers, I'd say go that route. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I can tell you we were all impressed here when we heard them demo'd – much bigger, more dynamic sound than you’d expect from speakers that size.

Of course, if you'd like a more personal recommendation, based on your room size, other audio components in your system, etc. please feel free to call our advisors at 1-888-955-6000.

Hope this helps,

Amanda

Hi Sam,

A large room like that will definitely be challenging for smaller satellites like the Nanosats. 20 x 25, plus a vaulted ceiling, is a lot of sonic space for those speakers to fill. I really think you’d be happier with the OS3-FS’s as your front L and R, even if it means waiting a little while longer before you get them. They can play a lot lower than the nanosats (52 Hz vs. 110 Hz) so they should do very well with male vocals. And they have higher sensitivity, so they’ll play more efficiently (greater volume using the same amount of power). If I were going to upgrade my speaker system, I’d be taking a hard look at the OS3-FS’s.

If you want more personalized help (ex. making sure your amp is a good match for the OS3-FS’s) feel free to give our advisors a call at 1-888-955-6000.

Amanda

Hi Bryan,

Like the Nanosats, the OS3s are designed for flexible placement, including upside down, high on a wall. With most speakers, of course, placement that high up wouldn’t be ideal, especially for the front soundstage. But based on my experiences with the Nanosats, I think it’ll sound great. In fact, you might not even be able to hear the difference between normal placement and wall mounting.

Keep in mind that you can always give our advisors a call too – 1-888-955-6000.

Hope this helps,

Amanda

Hi Purnell,

If I’m reading this right, it sounds like you’ve got a receiver with Dolby ProLogic IIz processing, a new format that can add two “height” channels up front. If that’s the case, then your setup sounds fine – I’d just suggest mounting the speakers to the columns upside down, rather than simply placing them right side up on top. (For any of Mirage’s speakers, they suggest mounting them upside down once they’re above six feet.)

If you don’t have a receiver with ProLogic IIz processing, then I wouldn’t recommend adding two speakers up front, since other types of surround processing won’t be able to send the right audio info to them. Instead, they’d be better off in the back, as extra surround channels. And there’s plenty of more commonly found surround formats that can handle that kind of 7.1 setup (Dolby ProLogic IIx, for example, and Blu-ray formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD).

Hope this helps! Feel free to call our advisors too for one-on-one help – 1-888-955-6000.

Amanda

Hi Shawn,

That's a good question. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar enough with the OM-R2s to really weigh in here (it looks like they're an older model, is that right?). So I think your best bet would be to call one of our advisors at 1-888-955-6000. They'll be able to get a clearer idea of what you have once they talk to you, and give you a better recommendation based on your room, what your goals are, etc.

Amanda

Hi James,

Though the Mirage speakers do fire upwards, that sound is then dispersed horizontally, so I bet you’d be OK mounting the center channel under the TV. Of course, if you’re planning to wall-mount the front left and right speakers (rather than having them on stands and in reach of your son) you might opt to mount the center channel speaker the same way. I think you’d be fine either way – these speakers do well even when mounted higher up.

I’d be concerned about putting the sub on the shelf though. Creating low frequencies involves moving a lot of air, which means it’ll cause vibrations. It’ll likely rattle the shelf, and anything else on it. So yes, I’d advise placing it directly on the floor.

Hope this helps! If you want more specific placement tips, or have any other questions, give our advisors a call at 1-888-955-6000.

Amanda

Hi Rob,

The Omni CC will deliver lower frequencies than the Nano CC, and provide more room-filling sound, so normally I’d say go that route. But when it comes to sound quality, proper speaker placement can trump pretty much everything else.

Imagine if you were to place your center channel to the outside of your front right speaker, and a car zoomed across the screen from left to right. You’d hear it as left, far right, then back to the left – it just wouldn’t make auditory sense. Plus, all your on-screen dialogue would seem to come from somewhere off-screen, which would be disorienting. So you’ll want to place your center channel between your front left and right speakers, above or below your TV.

With that in mind, here’s what I’d recommend:

1) Consider wall-mounting your Omni CC above your TV – you can even put it up near the ceiling, as long as you mount it upside-down. You could use paintable speaker wire, or a small paintable cable cover, to help it blend in.

2) Go for the Nano CC right underneath your TV. It won’t play quite as low, but it’ll still sound great.

Hope this helps! Feel free to give our advisors a call with any more questions – 1-888-955-6000.

Amanda

Hi Paul,

I’m a little confused by your question, but I’ll do my best to answer it. If I don’t address what you’re asking about, I’d suggest giving our advisors a call at 1-888-955-6000.

You’ll definitely want to place each speaker the way it was designed to be placed. So, for a traditional center channel speaker like the one in this system

www.crutchfield.com/.../Mirage-Nanosat-Prestige-5-Home-Theater-Speaker-System.html

I wouldn’t recommend placing it on its end (I’m guessing it wouldn’t be centered on your TV in this case either?) or on its back ( the sound will get projected backwards, towards the wall, so it’ll sound kind of muffled and muddied). But I think you were asking about this system:

signature.crutchfield.com/.../Mirage-Nanosat-5-1-Compact-Home-Theater-Speaker-System.html

In this case, the center channel is the same size as the satellites – just about the smallest center channel you can find. So if space is an issue, this would be a great choice (though you’d still need to place it upright, facing forward).

Regardless of which center channel option you end up going with, I’d recommend mounting it on the wall above your TV if you just can’t fit it underneath. You can even mount it up near the ceiling, upside-down, if you don’t like the way it looks right above your TV.

Hope this helps,

Amanda

Hi Mike,

It’s a little hard for me to give you specific tips on your system’s settings – the fact is that what sounds best for my system in my room may not be what sounds best in yours. But here are some general guidelines:

• Connect your sub to your receiver via the LFE output and set the sub’s filter to “off” so you can use your receiver’s crossover. (One exception: If your receiver only has a crossover frequency of 80Hz, a THX specification, that’d be too low for the Nanosats. In that case, you’d want to keep the filter on and use the sub’s crossover.)

• Ideally, you’ll want to set the crossover high enough that the sub will meet or even overlap with the satellites a bit, so you don’t get any midbass drop out. Mine’s at 120Hz – but again, experiment with different settings to see what sounds best in your room.

• As far as phase goes, that’s 100% dependent on your room. Try listening with it in both positions and see which sounds better to you.

Here are a couple of articles that might also be helpful:

Connecting Your Subwoofer: www.crutchfield.com/.../connect.html

Tuning Up Your Home Theater Subwoofer: www.crutchfield.com/.../0327.html

Also, if you bought your Nanosat system at Crutchfield, feel free to give us a call to get step-by-step help from our tech support folks.

Hope this helps,

Amanda