Movie playback

With that in mind, I popped in a movie. The first DVD I pulled from my collection was Sahara, which is a movie based on one of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels. And what this movie may lack in dialogue, it does make up for in explosions and other special effects.

Within instants, I was pulled into the action of the opening scene — a civil war battle involving an ironclad battleship. The cannon fire and gun shots felt like they were crossing directly in front of my face, continuing over my left shoulder, and eventually crashing a few feet past where my living room wall ended. Right away, I could tell this little system was going to make the most of my tiny living room.

From here the movie transitioned into present-day times, and into quieter dialogue as the characters discover a disease attacking a small African town. At first, I found the dialogue to be too quiet in comparison to the effects. After a few moments, I adjusted and found that while the dialogue was quieter, I didn't miss any important details. Overall, the Nanosats and Sahara were a good match.

For my next DVD trial, I chose The Incredibles so I could crank up the volume without worrying about teaching the neighbors' children any new and inappropriate words. These animated characters get into some exciting situations, and with the Mirages, I heard the sound effects reproduced accurately and clearly — the high-pitched whine of flying vehicles during a dramatic chase scene, for example, or the thunderous crashes of a giant robot's feet as it battles our heroes.

My living room seemed larger than it had been before. I turned up the volume on my receiver and the speakers continued to produce detailed, rich sound. The Nano sub, too, was quite powerful and, even at lower volume settings, managed to rumble the walls of my apartment. I'm sure my neighbors were none too pleased, but it served as a great test. This system, while great for those in an apartment, like myself, would also be great for folks looking to outfit a second home theater room like a bedroom or den. It sounded great at low and high volumes.

Afterwards, I selected a few scenes from The Italian Job. Unlike previous times I'd watched this movie, I was immediately impressed by the clarity of the opening scene's soundtrack. The beginning few moments draw you into the movie with precise, ominous music which the Nanosats produced perfectly. I was surpised to find that this simple sound was reproduced so richly. This movie was another good match for the Nanosats.

Over my next few days with these speakers, I also settled in to watch Sideways. This movie is one of my favorites because of the quirky dialogue. The funny scenes would have been lost if the speaker system wasn't able to handle quiet moments along with action. The Mirage speakers did not disappoint and held their own during the movie's soft, conversational scenes.