I have had a pair of Mirage M5si floorstanders since October 1996. I also have a Mirage subwoofer, center channel speaker, surrounds, and rear surrounds to go with them. I also have Mirage MM8 subwoofers mated to Magneplanar 1.7s for my analog-based 2-channel system.
The timeline goes something like this:
2006:
Klipsch buys out Audio Products International (API), parent company of Mirage. Brands include Mirage, Energy, Athena, and a vestige of Sound Dynamics. Immediately Klipsch cancels some Mirage flagship products in development including a high end subwoofer and (I think) a statement loudspeaker. I noticed that Audio Advisor started selling out Athena speakers at fire sale prices.
I had a bad feeling about that acquisition, as Klipsch and Mirage had near-opposite design philosophies: Mirage speakers were mostly bi-polar or omnidirectional, based on the way live music energizes and is reflected in a room. Klipsch speakers are all about the horn to tightly control the dispersion pattern of the midrange up through the treble.
2011: Audiovox acquires API from Klipsch. This was the coup de grace, as Audiovox cannibalized the remaining product line and used API’s patents to create some lifestyle products.
Before the acquisitions Mirage had created the "Omniguide," which created a very realistic soundstage that recreated the dispersion pattern of live instruments and voices. They had a flagship floorstander, the OMD-28, which retailed at $7500.
Chris Martens of Stereophile reviewed a pair, bought the review pair, and made them his reference speakers. That’s how good these were. Audiovox scotched the OMD product line and used the Omniguide patent to make little crap plastic "lifestyle" satellites for a "home theater in a box" product.
