I love it when you get a new piece of tech, fresh out of the box and it feels so intuitive that you just plug and play! That’s how it is with this new speaker from Minirigs.
It is beautiful to look at, all curves and matte colour. Mine for review was a deep red, with black accents and my favourite part – nothing superfluous in terms of buttons and flashing lights.
This isn’t a piece of kit for the kids – but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have one, or two…
It is a boutique British brand, built in Bristol – ok, am out of B words now. It’s not as small as some speakers out there but it’s packed with features, and, as mentioned above, it has some serious sleek looks and an eye-catching array of colours (7 in total) which means it’s suitable for everyone’s decor. It’s anodised aluminium shell has a cool feel, and contrasting textured polycarbonate adds an accent that doesn’t jar.
It’s not just the looks that win you round though – this is a speaker that delivers. No tinny sound here – you get full-bodied bass, and a volume to wake the neighbours, home or away…
It also comes with a proven 50 hours of battery life – that’s 50, a 5 and a 0. Just charge up the speaker, and you’re off and running to whatever festival you’re heading to this summer – and not only does it play from your smartphone but it has a charging capability too. It can charge your phone via its unique USB in and out cable. You may need to check the connectivity heads but, hey, that’s why we have Maplins, right?
The guys and gals at Minirigs have mastered a way of delivering Bluetooth connectivity, without draining the battery faster than me with a wine bottle. This means it holds its charge if not used, and provides an average of 30 hours playing time per charge.
Also, it has True Wireless Stereo (TWS) which means you can connect 2 units for stereo sound or double the volume. I used the connecting cable when test driving this little thing, and it worked a treat – perfect for getting that deep down sound you need when watching Game of Thrones on your iPad.
At the moment, there is an app, but it’s Android only, with an iOS due shortly, so I wasn’t able to test this functionality but am assured that the inbuilt media controls allow you to stream Soundcloud, YouTube, etc and also manage your battery life – all whilst tweeting and posting and snap chatting!
Right, now down to the good, bad and ugly:
Good:
Love the colours
That body with no flaws
Ease of use
That sound
The battery life
Bad:
No iOS app yet? Come on guys!
Ugly:
Nothing!
Not a blinking thing…
Price: Single speakers: £139, 2 speakers and a subwoofer: £390 (special offer only from Minirigs site) and are available here:
http://www.minirigs.co.uk
I’m not one for loud music anymore – too long in the tooth, but I do like my music without distortion and a lot of the speakers on the market these days are cheap for that very reason. This doesn’t distort, and is so well built it could be the only one you need for some time to come – with the option to add when you feel the need to release your inner Flashdance or Footloose (told you I was old!).
I give it 5 huge stars as I see this having longevity – it isn’t a trend or a flash in the pan idea but a well thought out piece of kit.
Our Rating: ★★★★★
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
MINIRIG BLUETOOTH
Dimensions : 101.62mm x 73mm
Net Weight : 435g
Frequency Response : 75 – 20kHz
Battery Life : 50 Hours (Low Volume)
: 30 Hours (Average Use)
: 10 Hours (Maximum Volume)
Input Power : USB (5V DC @ 500mA)
Output Power : USB (5V DC @ 500mA)
Bluetooth : 4.0 With APTX and Wireless Stereo
Bluetooth Range : 10-50 Metres Line-Of-Sight
Charging Time : 6-8 Hours
Audio Input / Output : 2 x 3.5mm Mini Jack Socket
Construction : Anodised Aluminium And Polycarbonate
IP Rating : IPX4 – Air Tight Enclosure With Waterproof Cone
Maximum Peak Output : >100DB
Colours Available : Silver / Black / Red / Blue / Purple / Gold / Green
