So I have been "building" my system for a little while now. It has been slow due to budget issues, but I am pretty impressed with the sound thus far.
Currently I have an onkyo SR502 reciever, lite-on dvd/cd RW, mirage omni 60 mains, wharfedale powercube 10 subwoofer, and bose (yes, I know, but they sound good for surrounds and are not the current priority) 161 surrounds.
I am starting to think of what to add next, but here is where the quandry begins.
My first inclination is to add a center channel and for obvious reasons, I am leaning toward the mirage omni CC. Next would then be the surrounds (lord are mirage surrounds expensive!), probably the mirage fx line.
The quandry is, should I really stay with mirage or look at other brands? I ask because, while I REALLY like the quality from my omni 60s, when I upgrade in a few years (If only I had seen the marantz 5400s on sale BEFORE I bought the onkyo. I mean I like what I have, but for like 50 bucks more...) I may want to look at different brands (I am intigued by totem, as well as ohm...).
As I am definately on a budget, replacing the entire system at once would be very pricey and may lead to divorce...
I would be willing to slowly upgrade, starting with the speakers (say, getting a different set of fronts and using the omni 60s for surrounds), but will mixing the speakers as I do this seriously damage the sound?
Basically looking for adivce, comments on my current gear (yes there are bose in there, try to be respectful) and strategies would be helpful. There are a lot of people with A LOT more experience/knowledge here than me. I will provide more info if that is wanted also.
You are by no means limited to Mirage only when looking for a CC, but at the same time you would want to buy from a place with a liberal return policy just in case it doesn't mate well with your system. That said, it will likely be easier to mate them with a Mirage center speaker.
Now, I have to ask that if you are so happy with your Mirages, why the itch to change? Is there something you want to gain that they don't offer?
The reason I ask is that I am where you will be in the future. I have a different CC from my mains and am now questioning whether I want to build a new system around it, as it will be costly and I don't relish the thought of being limited to my choice of future system when the time comes.
I am very happy with the mirages, but this is the first real system that I have put together. I have limited experience with speakers and, at least partially from thsi board, have decided that I may want to "expand my horizons" in terms of speaker knowledge.
I ahve heard really good things about totems in general and ohm micro walsh speakers (amoung many others) amd may decide to experiment in the future. For now, and the next few years, I am very happy with my current gear.
Currently I am like you, I don't want to make a choice now that may limit my future choices.
My thought would be to finish the Mirage system. It will certainly continue to please you for years to come. If at a later date you have an upgrade bug, keep the Mirage system for your HT, as they should still perform more than adequately in that role, and build yourself a first class stereo.