Size versus mobility: the tops speaker systems for the Big Dance
A well rounded speaker system is like a well rounded team
With the Big Dance just weeks away from starting, and your home theater room fast approaching the point of just being your home for the better of a month, it’s the perfect time to start considering not just how you’re seeing every second of action, but how you’re hearing it too.
As anyone can tell you, about two or three games in, there’s a strong possibility you’ll be spending a bit more time listening to the games (while you rest your eyes) than you will watching them. That’s when great sound goes from convenient to critical.
Like a good basketball team, great performance needs a great, well-rounded lineup to perform. Let’s take a look at two top rated speaker teams vying for the coveted spot in your home theater hall of fame. One that’s focused on power to deliver incredible performance, and one that’s focused on size to better fit in with your home decor.
Point Guard – Center Channel
The center channel speaker, like a good point guard, keeps your sound in line by directing where your ears need to be listening at any given time. By keeping your attention controlled, the center channel speaker makes sure the whole team performs well.
Energy V5.2C and Mirage Nanosat Nano-CC
Power: Energy V5.2C- “This speaker from the Veritas series uses proprietary CSM technology and a bass-reflex cabinet to create engaging, room-filling center channel sound.”
Size: Mirage Nanosat Nano-CC – “The Nano Center creates 360-degree sound directed in a spherical pattern that conveys precise dialog while still conveying spaciousness and presence impossible to achieve in center channel speakers.”
Small Forward – Front speakers
Don’t be fooled by the small — front speakers provide the vast majority of your ambient sound, and are often among the largest of your speakers.
Energy V6.3 and Mirage OMD5
Power: Energy V6.3 – “Two woofers pair with a midrange cone and special tweeter to provide you with unrivaled sound quality across the entire audio spectrum.”
Size: Mirage OMD5 – “Creating incredibly lifelike sound — perfectly natural, realistic and dynamic — the OM Design models guarantee a great experience.”
Shooting guard – Rear surround speakers
Just like a great shooting guard, rear surround speakers are mainly a long-ranged player. While not usually responsible for as much of the sound as the front speakers, they put in their fair share of time by helping make sure you get all your perimeter sound.
Energy VS Surround and Mirage OS3Sat
Power: Energy VS surround speaker – “Brilliant audio and switchable bipole/dipole support make the Energy 3-way Veritas VS Surround speaker your go-to for an incredible audio experience”
Size: Mirage OS3Sat – “Thanks to Mirage’s patented Ribbed Elliptical Surround technology, the OS3-Sat is capable of reproducing midrange and low-frequency audio characterized by increased excursion, reduced distortion, and improved efficiency.”
Power forward – Side surrounds/front height speakers
Often boasting the skills necessary to play other positions, these speakers fill in sound where it’s needed most, and often allow other speakers to shine more brightly (although, they’ve been known to take the spotlight themselves sometimes).
Energy V Mini and Mirage Nanosat Prestige
Power: Energy V Mini – “A speaker compact enough to go anywhere, with sound big enough to fill anything: meet the Energy Veritas V-Mini bookshelf speaker.”
Size: Mirage Nanosat Prestige – “Featuring Mirage’s proprietary OMNIPOLAR technology, the NANOSAT Prestige reproduces sound in a perfect 360° dispersion pattern creating a soundstage so impressive, walls virtually disappear”
Center – Subwoofer
While your typical center focuses on height, the subwoofer focuses on lows, but does so to protect the weak spot in most sound systems — bass and low-frequency effects. For Hall-of-Fame style sound, one subwoofer beats them all, and is welcome on any team.
Rel T1 Subwoofer
Power and Size: Rel T1 – “Rel sub-bass systems are engineered to provide powerful, deep, high-fidelity low bass to any audio or surround system.”
Which team do you favor? Let us know in the comments.
