Cambridge Minx
Discussion
As part of a decluttering exercise, and because I don't generally sit down and listen 'seriously' to music any more, my floor-standing beasts are currently parked in a spare bedroom.
My challenge now is to try to get as close to their sound as possible but for minimal visual impact. I know bass is a function of size but hey ho. I think we will have to downgrade from two floorstanding beasties to two much smaller mid/treble units and a subwoofer.
Whilst poking around the options, all looked rather traditional but I was intrigued by the Cambridge Minx range.
Min21s: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Camb-Minx-Min11-Gls-White/...
Min22s: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Camb-Minx-Min21-Gls-White/...
(the latter has a passive radiator - does it make much difference?)
And then the subwoofer, a choice of three starting with the smallest: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cambridge-Minx-X200-Gls-Wh...
But not cheap!
Question is - do these units reflect their price or is it style over substance?
My challenge now is to try to get as close to their sound as possible but for minimal visual impact. I know bass is a function of size but hey ho. I think we will have to downgrade from two floorstanding beasties to two much smaller mid/treble units and a subwoofer.
Whilst poking around the options, all looked rather traditional but I was intrigued by the Cambridge Minx range.
Min21s: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Camb-Minx-Min11-Gls-White/...
Min22s: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Camb-Minx-Min21-Gls-White/...
(the latter has a passive radiator - does it make much difference?)
And then the subwoofer, a choice of three starting with the smallest: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cambridge-Minx-X200-Gls-Wh...
But not cheap!
Question is - do these units reflect their price or is it style over substance?
Well, once upon a time you could get proper specs like Frequency response +/- 3dB, Crossover frequency, Roll-off. But now it's all marketing superlatives and acronyms. I'm also not convinced by reviews from gadget-heads.
Better than reading, I'll have to take my favourite CD (a jazz trio) into Cambridge and see what my cranium fins think!
Better than reading, I'll have to take my favourite CD (a jazz trio) into Cambridge and see what my cranium fins think!
I've just completed a home cinema install in a lounge measuring say 3m x 3m (approx).
I've used Minx MN11s all around, with a Minx 200 sub. They sound fantastic, although they are being driven by a very powerful Cambridge Audio Azur 640R amp, so they should.
The very neat install melts the speakers into the wall and you hardly see them.
The sound is big enough to match the 55" Panny WT50.
They are not the cheapest - but they really do the job - as well as keeping the wife happy with the room decor!
Thumbs up from me. Am happy to answer any specific questions you have.
D.
I've used Minx MN11s all around, with a Minx 200 sub. They sound fantastic, although they are being driven by a very powerful Cambridge Audio Azur 640R amp, so they should.
The very neat install melts the speakers into the wall and you hardly see them.
The sound is big enough to match the 55" Panny WT50.
They are not the cheapest - but they really do the job - as well as keeping the wife happy with the room decor!
Thumbs up from me. Am happy to answer any specific questions you have.
D.
I recently upgraded all my surround sound and was looking at the Minx range also.
My main criteria was I wanted compact speakers good for Music.
I looked at a couple of alternatives and ended up getting Boston Soundware XS 5.1 set, they were at least half the price 250 I think.
http://www.bostonacoustics.com/US/Product/Pages/Pr...
I have had them a good six months now and I am very impressed with them I also upgraded my AV receiver to a Yamaha RXV573.
They are a good all rounder, they are so compact but crank the music up and for their size they handle anything I throw at it.
My main criteria was I wanted compact speakers good for Music.
I looked at a couple of alternatives and ended up getting Boston Soundware XS 5.1 set, they were at least half the price 250 I think.
http://www.bostonacoustics.com/US/Product/Pages/Pr...
I have had them a good six months now and I am very impressed with them I also upgraded my AV receiver to a Yamaha RXV573.
They are a good all rounder, they are so compact but crank the music up and for their size they handle anything I throw at it.
Edited by Stubbsy on Tuesday 20th August 14:27
Might be worth auditoning one of these too http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/Default.aspx?page...
When I was looking for a surround system I auditioned the Minx. The Min11 are a waste of time (IMO), don't look at anything less than the Min21. The sub is amazingly powerful for it's size but overall, I was disappointed with the demo I had of the Minx system. Admittedly, it was far from ideal as it was a cramped space in the back of a very busy RS store. I ended up with some Monitor Audio Radius HD speakers paired with a BK Gemini II sub and I think they sound fantastic for their size.
Well just as a conclusion, I popped into Richer Sounds in Cambridge today where they had the Denon 39 teamed up with Boston XS 2.1 and Minx variants. Note this is for CDs and radio not surround sound/films.
I'd taken my favourite jazz trio CD (Ralph Sharon) - I know exactly what it sounds like with my old floorstanders and it's very demanding across the frequency range with plenty of attack. I'd set the new Denon 39 up to get as close to the old system as possible; now it was the speaker's turn. So I sat on the comfy sofa in the demo room and opened the case. Arse, no disk inside!
Anyway, they had a Nina Simone disk so we used that. The Bostons had a gaping hole on the middle - it was as if Ms Simone was in a room three doors away. So that was binned. Onto the Minx - first the Min 11s with X200 sub. Noticeably better, but there was still a chunk of Nina missing in the lower midrange. So out came the Min21s - and the difference was noticeably better again; the gap seemed plugged. The sub seemed to do its job fine so I didn't try the larger one.
But then I totted up the price - £450 for a 'toy' system! So we have the top of the toys - but how would they compare with 'proper' speakers? Tom the nice manager set up a pair of £450 speakers - Acoustic Energy? - anyway, the sound didn't do much for me and they were too big for the minimal look I was after. So we tried some Missions around the £250 mark - and they still didn't sound as impressive as the Minx, very average in fact.
But what would the Min21s + X200 sound like in my living room, and with my fave CD? Tom the nice manager let me take them on a 14 day home approval. He also threw in the better wall brackets
I've just finished testing them with Mr Sharon and his trio and tweaking the settings until it's as good as I can get it. The Min21s do a great job for the size and are effectively invisible; the sub struggles with definition on fast double bass and can't really get low, tending to boom instead - but there was no way 1 x 6.5" unit was going to match the two superb KEF B139 drivers of my old system. To my surprise there's a variable crossover control on the back and I tried moving this higher than the suggested setting for the Min21 - but then the lower bass faded off so I put it back.
Now I accept that the Minx is a toy system and cannot technically officially match 'proper' speakers - they are not butcher's home-made sausages with organic chives but supermarket bangers with brown sauce to cover up the deficiencies. But to my ears at least, the sound they make is remarkably decent and the fact it comes out of such tiny boxes makes it almost worth the price tag - as ever, you pay for miniaturisation. £450 is a lot but there's no other way to get what I want and eventually I'll forget the price.
I'd taken my favourite jazz trio CD (Ralph Sharon) - I know exactly what it sounds like with my old floorstanders and it's very demanding across the frequency range with plenty of attack. I'd set the new Denon 39 up to get as close to the old system as possible; now it was the speaker's turn. So I sat on the comfy sofa in the demo room and opened the case. Arse, no disk inside!
Anyway, they had a Nina Simone disk so we used that. The Bostons had a gaping hole on the middle - it was as if Ms Simone was in a room three doors away. So that was binned. Onto the Minx - first the Min 11s with X200 sub. Noticeably better, but there was still a chunk of Nina missing in the lower midrange. So out came the Min21s - and the difference was noticeably better again; the gap seemed plugged. The sub seemed to do its job fine so I didn't try the larger one.
But then I totted up the price - £450 for a 'toy' system! So we have the top of the toys - but how would they compare with 'proper' speakers? Tom the nice manager set up a pair of £450 speakers - Acoustic Energy? - anyway, the sound didn't do much for me and they were too big for the minimal look I was after. So we tried some Missions around the £250 mark - and they still didn't sound as impressive as the Minx, very average in fact.
But what would the Min21s + X200 sound like in my living room, and with my fave CD? Tom the nice manager let me take them on a 14 day home approval. He also threw in the better wall brackets
I've just finished testing them with Mr Sharon and his trio and tweaking the settings until it's as good as I can get it. The Min21s do a great job for the size and are effectively invisible; the sub struggles with definition on fast double bass and can't really get low, tending to boom instead - but there was no way 1 x 6.5" unit was going to match the two superb KEF B139 drivers of my old system. To my surprise there's a variable crossover control on the back and I tried moving this higher than the suggested setting for the Min21 - but then the lower bass faded off so I put it back.
Now I accept that the Minx is a toy system and cannot technically officially match 'proper' speakers - they are not butcher's home-made sausages with organic chives but supermarket bangers with brown sauce to cover up the deficiencies. But to my ears at least, the sound they make is remarkably decent and the fact it comes out of such tiny boxes makes it almost worth the price tag - as ever, you pay for miniaturisation. £450 is a lot but there's no other way to get what I want and eventually I'll forget the price.
Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 27th August 22:13
Simpo Two said:
Now I accept that the Minx is a toy system and cannot technically officially match 'proper' speakers - they are not butcher's home-made sausages with organic chives but supermarket bangers with brown sauce to cover up the deficiencies. But to my ears at least, the sound they make is remarkably decent and the fact it comes out of such tiny boxes makes it almost worth the price tag - as ever, you pay for miniaturisation. £450 is a lot but there's no other way to get what I want and eventually I'll forget the price.
I've been out of good quality hifi for a while but a few months back was in Richer Sounds and heard the Minx for the first time. I was amazed such small speakers could sound so good. Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 27th August 22:13
So good, that they will be in my forthcoming home cinema/hi fi room.
Edited by Wozy68 on Thursday 29th August 21:33
I'm finding that whereas my floorstanders ate pretty much whatever you threw at them, the Minxes sometimes need to be adjusted depending on what you play - notably the sub which sometimes needs to be turned down to avoid booming - and that's with the bass on -6dB on the Denon. Maybe they're set up for the drum'n'bass brigade. They don't stand up to serious listening, but then they're only the size of a Kellogs Variety pack... so I'm still very pleased with my purchase.
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