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Our Alexa speaker has died and i'm looking for something much better to replace. Only use it for music so none of this checking the weather nonsense. We dont really use the fixed stereo much these days as it lives in the front room but tend to favour the kitchen, dining room and garden for listening so something smallish, portable, yet reasonable quality fits the bill. I was looking to press the button on an Audio Pro C5 but then remembered Minirig.
They now do the version 3 which is battery and bluetooth so ticks the portable category but there are a couple things that hold me back:
Cost - Not cheap , the single speaker is ok but looking at reviews it seems that most will want to pair two speakers for stereo and possibly add a subwoofer to the system so will get very costly
Faffage - Just one speaker will be pretty simple but knowing what I'm like I'll not be happy unless I have either stereo or possibly one speaker and one sub to bring a bit of fullness to the set up. And here's the problem, it will mean setting up a couple or three items not just grabbing a single box and away I go....plus there are cables? not a huge issue (at least for me) but this is as much for my good lady as it is me and she is pretty luddite with tech and will defiantly want to just grab a single box press a button and job done. There's also a bit of chat regarding positioning the units and using little stands to get the speakers facing you for a much improved sound which is something that I'll deal with but again the wife will bemoan this if she just wants to go in the garden with a little music. All functions also have to run through the phone so no volume control at the unit (probably not an issue).
I'd quite like to get the single speaker and sub package and add a second speaker later if required but not sure if the quality will out way the purchase of a much cheaper Audio pro C5 single unit (slight down side to this is its mains only so not as portable?).
Any Minirig users on here that can offer real world advise?
I've had 2 minirigs over the years, first one lasted about 6-7 years before popping, just bought a 'mini' for a colleague. I have also owned a Boom3 as well as trying friends Bose speakers etc. The Minirig is the best. It lives on my kitchen counter, gets dragged down to the garage, often taken to work, has a ridiculous battery life, great sound, good low end, I cannot see the need for a sub. I'm more than happy with mine and will replace again when the time comes.
I don't have one myself but I've always been really quite impressed by the sound quality, for such a tiny little thing, even when it's just plonked any old where. I don't know if I'd want to go for the faff of having 2 for better stereo, but for garden/camping/garage/teenage kids/etc use, I think they're ideal.
I bought mine when I was living in Thailand. I moved around a lot and usually lived in beach huts so I needed something portable, tough, long battery life ...
That was years ago, and I'm still using the original (battery life is down to about 5 hours now) plus another and a sub.
The good:
Sound is good. Not hifi standard, but good, especially if you don't have it at max volume.
It's loud.
Great battery life.
Really tough.
Easy to use a single unit.
Good looking.
Wired stereo and sub is easy to set up.
Stable. I mean it can be used anywhere - in the car, at the beach, in your garage, on your bike, up on the roof when you're working there...
The not-so-good:
Expensive.
A bit of a faff to set up wireless stereo.
Three separate units (and batteries) so you always seem to be charging one or the other.
I've had a lot of portable speakers, and this is the one I've been happiest with. They're good enough for your house, and simple and tough enough to use anywhere.
I seriously doubt you'll regret buying.
I have one. It's great.
Battery lasts ages, loud enough to be used outdoors, very well built/rugged enough to take a few drops or a bit of water (mine has had to deal with both).
Never used in stereo or with sub so can't comment on that.
I did a side by side in Curry's (yeah, ok, not the ideal listening location). If you can stretch to it, the C10 blows the C5 away - and was also better than whatever else they had on display at the time. Never listened to a Minirig.
Portable, weatherproof, tough etc, you can't go far wrong with a JBL offering - I have the Clip 3 for site work and the Extreme 2 for hotels/gardens etc. For their respective sizes, both sound great
I have a tribit max sound plus, haven't tried a minirig which seems expensive. The tribit is a good price around £50, a good sound/bass response, really good battery life. And cheaper than alternatives from JBL, Sony xb32, boom2 which I have tried. The tribit sounds better than previous ones I have tried
Long time minirig owner, have the v2 and the v2 sub.
bought my daughter a v3
Love them, imo nothing comes close to the sound quality, battery life and pleasure of ownership. I do a fair amount of festival work, where they are pretty much ubiquitous, another benefit is you can link together unlimited numbers of them, wired and wireless, we’ve had some incredible systems going at crew gatherings linking dozens of them
However, the best thing about them is they are built in Bristol. You’ve paying a premium for that, I’d say more than worth it for supporting a uk company that stands behind their products (I’ve got mates who’ve taken battered minirigs back to them for repairs)
I’ve got 2 of these.
Deal: Upgraded, Anker Soundcore Boost Bluetooth Speaker with Well-Balanced Sound, BassUp, 12H Playtime, USB-C, IPX7 Waterproof, Wireless Speaker with Customizable EQ via App, Wireless Stereo Pairing https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N4V4X5M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_dl_E0Q6BY5Y8TV1D3EXWJKK
Bargain at current price
Very good sound and bass for the money, IMO better than BOSE
I’ve got 2 of these.
Deal: Upgraded, Anker Soundcore Boost Bluetooth Speaker with Well-Balanced Sound, BassUp, 12H Playtime, USB-C, IPX7 Waterproof, Wireless Speaker with Customizable EQ via App, Wireless Stereo Pairing https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N4V4X5M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_dl_E0Q6BY5Y8TV1D3EXWJKK
Bargain at current price
Very good sound and bass for the money, IMO better than BOSE
surprised at how long its taken for someone to recommend anker. we've got (an older version of) this and its been faultless over the years, real good bassy sound and excellent value.
Does it need to be small?
Does it need to have a battery?
Seems crazy to pay for a battery if you don’t need
If space isn’t an issue then I’d at a pair of active speakers. Edifier do a wide range options from around £100 with Bluetooth.
If you need portability then I do love the look of those Audio pro speakers
They're great. Really well made, sturdy enough to survive my toddler dropping it all over the place. The sound is decent enough for a single speaker and the battery is great. They will also repair them, which is handy. Fixed my brother in law's with no questions asked. Pricey but good value given the quality.
Had a minirig for a few years now. As above, sound quality is excellent for such a small unit, good bass without it being bass heavy (if that makes sense). Tough as boots and looks good too. Made in UK. Premium supports British jobs I guess. Which is a good thing
Looking at the Anker Soundcore Boost I checked the Q's and A's.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N4V4X5M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_dl_E0Q6BY5Y8TV1D3EXWJKK
/a>
You won't find anything as good if you want small & portable.
They are well worth the premium over similarly sized alternatives such as the Anker Soundcore Mini ime.
If you don't need it portable then you can go bigger and save money, but having something that's so easy to move about, with such a long battery life means you'll take it with you much more than you think.
Just one can comfortably provide music for a garden party with 15-20 people and not sound out of its depth. 2 & a sub would be immense.
I have always fancied a Marshall Acton / Kilburn, never heard one in real life though so can’t speak to their audio quality, but their earphones are nice.
Mate at work got a minirig and despite how much I wanted to like it I thought the sound pretty underwhelming for the sort of music I like. Anker linked above is excellent IMO. Packs a surprising amount of punch.
It's all rather subjective though.
Ahh the old minipig pork pie. I used to have one until it got nicked from the park. It was great. Miss it, must buy another.
Anker speakers are typical disposable short lived consumer landfill compared to Minirigs.
Looking at the Anker Soundcore Boost I checked the Q’s and A’s.
The one about charged/uncharged weight? Love it.
I've got a non-bluetooth one. It's the first thing that gets packed (along with the coffee pot) when we go away and it's brilliant when my guitar headphone amp is plugged into it.
The common reaction when people hear where the music is coming from is "Is all that sound coming from that speaker?". Never fails to impress.
Anker speakers are typical disposable short lived consumer landfill compared to Minirigs
In other news 26 ain't dead. If a minirig or three works for you crack on.
I have no opinion on minirig.
But i do have a jbl bluetooth speaker.
It wasn’t cheap, £90, but it plays all day and sounds genuinely good.
At the end of the day, these things are tools to help you enjoy the music, instead of worrying that it could be technically better, enjoy the sound as is, you’ll appreciate the proper stereo more when you use it.
Not with a minirig he won't. It's mono.
Not with a minirig he won’t. It’s mono.
Have another read of what martymac actually said 😉
Damn this thread - I'm now trying to think where I can accommodate a pair of Minirig 3's and a Sub 3
You'd hope so, but when all paired up, do the Minirigs work in true stereo?