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Do speaker wires matter

I recently was given a pair of Mirage M1 speakers. All highs, mids and lows work but I don’t believe they sound like they should.

The tweeters are not giving the detailed highs. I am not sure if the mids and lows are where they should be.

i am currently using a vintage 2226b Marantz I just had restored. Impedance is 8 ohms and it only puts out 26 wpc. I know these speakers require A much more powerful amp. I’ve done a little research on this.

im wondering if the speakers could not sound as good because of the Marantz and/or also because of the speaker wires I’m currently using. I don’t know what gauge they are. They were given to me as well. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

i did also find a Mirage technician in Canada who still repairs them if I’ll have to take that route. No turning back now 😊
em2music
berner99
214 posts
 
I still have M3sis and they do have advantages ie type of sound which mostly can’t be gotten with sealed/ported box speakers.
Firstly the foam surrounding your drivers may have gone bad. You can inspect to see (I have directions somewhere how to take them apart).
You will need a more powerful amp. When I bought mine 30 years ago I was recommended a 75 W class A amp (worked well). Mine has several db more sensitivity so you’ll need more than that. Least 100-150W. High current solid state might be ideal. No clue about class D for this situation.

I’m sure you know these must be placed away from back wall, so hope you have a big room.  
berner99
214 posts
 
And if your speakers each have two sets of binding posts you have to have separate jumper wires between the two red and two black binding posts (on each speaker) or biwire them ie run 2 left and 2 right speaker wires from the amp to the two sets of binding posts.
em2music OP
13 posts
 
Berner- they’re in a carpeted finished basement. Ceilings are 6’10” with 2 ducts running across and covered with drywall at about 6’1” height l. The basement is about 40ft x 25 not sure of square footage. There is alot in the basement to interfere with the sound as well ie. Furniture, drum kit, DAW on desk with monitors etc... cluttered.  I do keep the speakers about 2 ft away from the wall. 

There is only 1 red and black on each speaker. 

I currently have my Marantz going into 2 JBL HLS810 bookshelf speakers and they sound much clearer than the Mirages in terms of hearing the highs.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,403 posts
 
OP, what did your system sound like with your previous speaker cables?

You do have an amp/speaker mismatch but I'm curious.
em2music OP
13 posts
 
Lowrider - this is the first time I’ve hooked them up (both sets of speakers). I used the same speaker wires for both.
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