Hi ValueCanuck1,
Mirage will never admit it, but using omnipolar or bipolar speakers for the front left, center, and right front in home theater or stereo results in a vagueness of imaging and a lack of image specificity. I know. I own large Mirage Bipolar monolith slabs (2001 Space Odyssey) that I use in my stereo-only system--I can switch between those and the M80ti's, and the results are quite revealing.
If we're speaking of accuracy, and fidelity to the movie director and sound engineer's intentions, movies for commercial transfer to DVD or theatrical exhibition are NOT mixed with bipole or multipole speakers in the front channels. Bipole/dipole surrounds are used at the sides of the recording studio control room to recreate the sense of envelopment that rows of side-wall-mounted surrounds produce in a large movie theater.
Of course you can try using multipolar speakers at the front and it will produce a spectacular spaciousness--but at the expense of precise imaging. And it's an effect that wasn't intended by the director or sound engineer. That said, you still may like the overwhelming spaciousness even if it isn't accurate.
I've tried my Mirage Bipolars in my home theater system and while the spaciousness is very seductive for largely music programs, there is a loss of precise imaging, particularly when on-screen sounds pan off-screen to the left or right. Moreover, depending on the postioning of the bipolars, when there is off-screen dialog to the left or right, the bipolar radiation of the speakers can introduce a kind of hollow coloration that is quite different from the same actor's voice from the center channel.
In stereo, depending on the music I'm playing, the Mirages bipolar radiation can be very flattering and seductive, especially with classical orchestral and choral works and jazz, and I still enjoy them with that kind of program. Even with chamber music--say, violin and piano--I'm more apt to switch to the M80ti's, because I like the exactness of the image: you can close your eyes and point to the piano or the violin's location.
On pop music, the center vocals are not as precisely located as on the M80ti's, nor are backup instruments. And that hollow coloration on vocals is noticeable on immediate comparisons with the M80ti's. It's not that offensive--I'd call it a minor foible, but Mirage will never acknowledge these liabilities of bipolar main speakers. After all, the bipolar approach is Mirage's thing, and it's been very successful for them.
Regards,
