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Mint bi-ampable Mirage M-1 - value?

M

mynameisphun

Active Member
What is a fair price for a pair of original Mirage M-1 (w/ the bi-wire/bi-amp option) in what appears to be mint condition? I know what these cost new - but have they stood the test of time, and would they be worth pursuing 25+ years later? At 185lbs apiece and 5ft tall, they'd need to be really something for me to get approval from the wife for our living room. I'll just tell her they're ONLY 4" wider and just 22" taller than my TF400's :D

http://york.craigslist.org/ele/4933911314.html
 
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They have stood the test of time. I have the M-3si and they are still very valid today. A friend who heard mine was looking to upgrade his Thiel 3.6, had a budget of about $5k and ended up buying a pair like mine for under $1k because he could not find anything he liked as much.

The speaker is great, the price is right, grab them but there is one major caveat: you need the right room for a pair of M-1. In most normal sized rooms the M-3 actually sounded better. When I was selling them we had a hard time talking guys with money who wanted the TOTL speaker that was getting all the rave reviews when the smaller one would have sounded better. In our demo rooms we had much better luck with the M-3. I would not upgrade my M-3si to M-1 or M1-1si for my room. We still ended up selling a few pairs of M-1 that sounded pretty bad once installed. In my experience they need SPACE. They are also not easy to unload if they don't work as you need someone with the money, space and WAF. But at that price the risk is small.
 
He's actually considering a trade scenario, as he's moving and cannot take the Mirages with him. He said he would give it a few days to see what other interest came up, but may be interested in trades for smaller equipment (I have a pair of B&W 805 Matrix, amongst other things for sale). I'm sure I don't have an optimal room for these, but I'm sure they'd sound glorious nonetheless.
 
Remember to tell your wife they are "only 4" wider". Don't mention the 22" taller part.
 
Raynald, how "tippy" are these around toddlers /kids? Obviously they've got some significant weight to them, but if they would potentially be able to be knocked over by a toddler not watching where they're going, that could be a bit of a problem ☺
 
That might be a concern. They do not seem to unstable to me but I don't have kids and toddlers can probably get into more trouble than I can imagine. I acquired a back up/for parts pair of M-3-si from a former co-worker and they show damage from first having probably been knocked over and then having been secured to the floor. I guess children were involved. Given the weight on the M-1, the consequences could potentially be tragic if one were to be rocked on a bouncy floor and fall forward.
 
Mirage speakers often go pretty cheap. They are are brand that is well respected by audiophiles but with a low resale value, which is great!
 
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