[andrewski]

I use my Minirig 3 wired with Chord Mojo fed by Chromecast Audio and Roon to interface. Bliss. I can't get with the Bluetooth. I find I have much better control over volume in low gain mode with wired mode, primarily.

Minirigs are a revelation. I've heard a lot of monitors, big and small, and currently the Minirig 3 is my fave listen. I think the fact that they are so understated in design and apparent concept has them overlooked by many. Minirig sounds way better on-Axis too, upward firing just loses so much of the clarity, separation and definition.

Got another on order from Father Christmas. Can't wait to hear stereo!

For the price of a Dragonfly Cobalt, I should have gotten a Chord Mojo. I'm hysterically jealous, though I love the Cobalt.

The stereo imaging with two Minirig 3's is insane. The speakers completely disappear. The manual can be vague, but wired, two presses of the button designates a left channel, and three presses designates a right channel. Need to update to version 18 or the process is reversed.

I highly recommend the sub, but would suggest 2.0 over 1.1. Others disagree. Waiting for two Minirig mini 2's, hopefully before Christmas

 

[salla45]

For the price of a Dragonfly Cobalt, I should have gotten a Chord Mojo. I'm hysterically jealous, though I love the Cobalt.

The stereo imaging with two Minirig 3's is insane. The speakers completely disappear. The manual can be vague, but wired, two presses of the button designates a left channel, and three presses designates a right channel. Need to update to version 18 or the process is reversed.

I highly recommend the sub, but would suggest 2.0 over 1.1. Others disagree. Waiting for two Minirig mini 2's, hopefully before Christmas

Thanks for that.

Am waiting for my 2nd M3 to arrive, Santa's bringing it, if I've been a good boy

I'm sure the Cobalt's just as good. The mojo's fine, especially soundwise of course, but it's a bit cumbersome as a portable rig, and the battery's are especially bad. I've had the 2nd failure of battery in 5 years just now; I've just removed it and use it 100% externally powered now. Does the Cobalt have optical input?

With 2 M3s, I can imagine the stereo imaging to be really good. It's what I immediately noticed about 1 only M3, the pinpoint imaging of the single source with a very uncoloured sound throughout the frequency range. I was also thinking simply to get a splitter out of my DAP and feed LR to each M3 when I get mine, like a proper monitor setup; wonder if SQ is improved further. After all, 2 wires are 2 wires, whether daisy chained or coming out of the source.

I just hope to goodness my 2nd M3 arrives for xmas, if my better half has ordered in good time and deliveries are not too delayed, lol.

What has surprised me somewhat has been how much I've simply enjoyed 1 only M3. I thought I'd be really not using it so much because of lusting after a 2nd, but actually I've been pretty obsessive about using it to the complete detriment of my main setups; a large Riva Festival in the kitchen and a pair of Adam A5X's in the living room.

I don't use the high gain at all, theres plenty of power in low gain with a wired connection. I am finding myself chilling with the M3 on my lap or side of the sofa, listening to sounds pretty intimately at medium to low volumes. That's another thing, I love how it performs at low volumes, I can hear all details and really enjoy the music without cranking it up.

The Minirigs are a sort of "everyone should have one of these" speaker, imo.

PS... I'll see how it goes, but potentially I'll go for 2.1 next year

 

[salla45]

Santa was kind to me and I received a 2nd Minirig 3 + Sub3. What a great setup! Sounds nearly as good as a pair of Adam A5X or better in some circumstances. Shockingly good at times. In all honesty I could probably do without the sub. It's not as lacking without it as one might think. A nice addition, but not essential..The 2.0 setup is just amazing. It demands attention. The soundstage is pinpoint accurate, from left to right. It could have more depth, but for the general l/r positioning of instruments and clarity of sound generally, the lack of depth goes unnoticed. Brilliant. It's a setup with or without sub which can happily replace a "proper" hifi for long periods.

 

[salla45]

Ok so this is getting serious.

I have been doing some a/b switching between Adam a5x and Minirig 3 2.1

The main takeaway is that the 2 setups sound amazingly similar.

Adams have more power on tap of course, but are less open sounding. Narrower soundstage with the Adams. Really strange how close they are in sound quality. I kept switching to the Minirigs as preference which was a bit of a shocker. The Minirigs sound a bit more musical and euphonic.

This is quite an upset... In a good way

Truly the tagline from Minirigs, the only speaker you will ever need, could actually apply.

 

[salla45]

Managed to find some mini-tripods to work as Minirig speaker stands. Really effective...

 

[ilianto]

I have been recently updating my portable audio equipment and have spent nearly 500€ on two pairs of modded MH1's, a pair of KSC75, a pair of PortaPros, a BTR5 and a pair of Fiio FH3s for all my life listening scenarios... While getting all of these during this winter I was also expecting a Minirig 3 to drag around the house and the garden during the day. It was a very fun winter music-wise....
Now the Minirig has finally come, and somehow I prefer it's mono sound these last few days to all of the above and dare I say maybe even to my Edifier R2000DB's... Am I going crazy?

 

[salla45]

I have been recently updating my portable audio equipment and have spent nearly 500€ on two pairs of modded MH1's, a pair of KSC75, a pair of PortaPros, a BTR5 and a pair of Fiio FH3s for all my life listening scenarios... While getting all of these during this winter I was also expecting a Minirig 3 to drag around the house and the garden during the day. It was a very fun winter music-wise....
Now the Minirig has finally come, and somehow I prefer it's mono sound these last few days to all of the above and dare I say maybe even to my Edifier R2000DB's... Am I going crazy?

No you're not. I was the same when I got my 1 off Minirig 3. A pair is a game changer though. Then a sub...then another sub... then another satellite pair just to add more weight to the sound... lol

As I mentioned above, I've actively compared A/B listening-wise, a pair of Minirigs+a sub to a pair of Adam Audio A5X's, and they are pretty equal.

No, you're not going crazy at all. I used the minirig setup exclusively for around 10 weeks since xmas.

I've cooled off a bit and using more suitable desk and living room powered speaker round the house again. I have some Kef X300A's and some Iloud Micros which both do sterling service in their respective rooms. The minirigs are now in their pouches and ready for portable use - in the end the need to recharge, re-pair, and switch between sources, re-wire etc, was getting a bit annoying with the "Rigs". Horses for courses and all that!

What's mind blowing with the Minirigs is their ability to sound that good and to be able to waltz around the room with it at the same time, or hunker down in an arm chair with it on your lap, or take it to the privvy with you, lol.

 

[ilianto]

No you're not. I was the same when I got my 1 off Minirig 3. A pair is a game changer though. Then a sub...then another sub... then another satellite pair just to add more weight to the sound... lol

As I mentioned above, I've actively compared A/B listening-wise, a pair of Minirigs+a sub to a pair of Adam Audio A5X's, and they are pretty equal.

No, you're not going crazy at all. I used the minirig setup exclusively for around 10 weeks since xmas.

I've cooled off a bit and using more suitable desk and living room powered speaker round the house again. I have some Kef X300A's and some Iloud Micros which both do sterling service in their respective rooms. The minirigs are now in their pouches and ready for portable use - in the end the need to recharge, re-pair, and switch between sources, re-wire etc, was getting a bit annoying with the "Rigs". Horses for courses and all that!

What's mind blowing with the Minirigs is their ability to sound that good and to be able to waltz around the room with it at the same time, or hunker down in an arm chair with it on your lap, or take it to the privvy with you, lol.

What is even more odd to me is that I really like the MONO sound from just one Minirig. I used to have a Tivoli Number One for a few years and it had quite a nice sound as well. Somehow many genres of music I listen too sound really well in mono. Solo performances especially. And I don't feel I miss more bass, I think they are quite bassy actually which makes them sound warm and cozy with many genres. It definitely plays louder and cleaner than the Tivoli.
The best thing is that I can take this good sound everywhere though. Next to my bed, in the kitchen, outdoors. And with only one there is non fuzz with pairing. And AptX BT sounds really good. Not much difference when connecting the BTR5 with LDAC.

 

[salla45]

What is even more odd to me is that I really like the MONO sound from just one Minirig. I used to have a Tivoli Number One for a few years and it had quite a nice sound as well. Somehow many genres of music I listen too sound really well in mono. Solo performances especially. And I don't feel I miss more bass, I think they are quite bassy actually which makes them sound warm and cozy with many genres. It definitely plays louder and cleaner than the Tivoli.
The best thing is that I can take this good sound everywhere though. Next to my bed, in the kitchen, outdoors. And with only one there is non fuzz with pairing. And AptX BT sounds really good. Not much difference when connecting the BTR5 with LDAC.

yes i hear you on that. I had one only for a month b4 xmas and loved it! Now i've got a pair and sub, it's almost lost a bit of the magic of just the single speaker. I still prefer a pair, as the pairing's good once you get used to it. And once you hear the stereo... wow. Such precision, detail, soundstage is fantastic. Not deep, but pinpoint l to r. I'd say you lose a bit of the fun factor going from 1 to 2, but you gain so much more in SQ and also doubling the output of course.

 

[salla45]

What is even more odd to me is that I really like the MONO sound from just one Minirig. I used to have a Tivoli Number One for a few years and it had quite a nice sound as well. Somehow many genres of music I listen too sound really well in mono. Solo performances especially. And I don't feel I miss more bass, I think they are quite bassy actually which makes them sound warm and cozy with many genres. It definitely plays louder and cleaner than the Tivoli.
The best thing is that I can take this good sound everywhere though. Next to my bed, in the kitchen, outdoors. And with only one there is non fuzz with pairing. And AptX BT sounds really good. Not much difference when connecting the BTR5 with LDAC.

checkout my tripod pic in the post above.. it's a great addition. You can attach the minirig anywhere with that

 

[ilianto]

I guess eventually I will add at least a sub for outdoors where more loudness is needed but a second one might also come in the future. When relatives travel to Greece from the UK that is cause this one cost me about 200€ to get here...
And I already have a tripod like this for my phone so thanks for the idea about placement options!

 

[salla45]

I guess eventually I will add at least a sub for outdoors where more loudness is needed but a second one might also come in the future. When relatives travel to Greece from the UK that is cause this one cost me about 200€ to get here...
And I already have a tripod like this for my phone so thanks for the idea about placement options!

If I was to choose, either sub or 2nd m3, i'd go for 2nd m3. The bass boost is nice, but not essential. I'd say the bass boost is nice for outside partying when a lot of bass gets carried away due to the space and wind factors. 2.1 outside, cranked up is quite amazing. Clear and loud!! Lots of people complain about the sound getting harsh when you push the m3, but really you need to give them space to do that. At around 10 or 12 feet away outside , around 8ft apart with the sub working as well, the setup is just astonishing. Especially if you back the setup against the side of a house to get additional reflective sound.

Actually, when it's cranking like that outside, and pushing the db's, it really gets you think about another sub, another pair running in parallel and so one. What if...? Lol

 

[salla45]

Ok, so the minirig addiction bites deeper.

I received a week ago a pair of Minirig Mini 2's.

I would say that they sound almost identical to the Minirig 3's at low to medium volumes. They go loud. Physics takes over inevitably above perhaps 80 decibels and they start to sound more shouty than the 3's. The 3's win out for sheer power, as one would imagine. The 3's have a smidgen more bass presence at lower volumes and more certainly as the db's increase. Having said that, dare I say it, but the mids and highs may be even better on the Minis. Jury's out on that.

To my mind, the mini 2's offer about 80% overall of the capability of the 3's for normal usage. This is incredibly given they occupy less than half the volume and are about half the weight of the 3's.

I also came to the conclusion that minirigs should be used as a system, stereo pair or more. Once used as a pair, they really shine as a replacement for desk monitors on the go. To use just one Minirig is great but sort of just gives half the loveliness.

Finally, wiring up the 2 mini+2 Minirig 3's + Sub makes for a killer rig. The extra power and added midrange and hf weight added by the Minis seems to make the whole setup much more effortless and means it really does sound good when compared to the Adam A5X's which I have in the living room. Better overall. But the bass of the Adams still kills the MR setup. Note the cost of the 4 mr + sub is getting on for over 700 eur which is a hefty investment, lol.

Currently I'm really just using the MR Minis to assess their potential. Can't wait to take them on holiday as my only setup. DAP + 2x Mini's will make a super lightweight solution for travelling.

Enclosed is the rig I have setup using velcro+short angled connectors to link MR mini to 3's and then mount them on tripods. Works nicely.

 

[semaj8james]

Ok so this is getting serious.

I have been doing some a/b switching between Adam a5x and Minirig 3 2.1

The main takeaway is that the 2 setups sound amazingly similar.

Adams have more power on tap of course, but are less open sounding. Narrower soundstage with the Adams. Really strange how close they are in sound quality. I kept switching to the Minirigs as preference which was a bit of a shocker. The Minirigs sound a bit more musical and euphonic.

This is quite an upset... In a good way

Truly the tagline from Minirigs, the only speaker you will ever need, could actually apply.

Hah your story & photo is found in a Minirig 3 review.

I love your tripod setup for them by the way! How did you mount the Minirig 3 to that?

edit: OMG nevermind, I have the same tripod and realize you just used the retractable phone holder part for it - GENIUS!

 

[andrewski]

Really enjoying the pair of mini2's I got in December. They have some interesting differences from the Minirig 3. One thing that took me too long to notice was that when paired in BT stereo, the primary speaker is the right channel, while the secondary speaker is the left. This is opposite on the 3's. Also after the mini's have been paired in stereo, they will not work wired in input mode. They line out to a sub no problem, but require a factory reset to work wired line in again. Also, when wired two presses of the button will make a right channel with two wires inserted (as pictured) and a left channel with one wire inserted. Important to note that this is on update version 14, as it may all change.


These speakers are on another level wired. The sub is capable of going louder without clipping (my files are too much for high gain), and deeper. Blending the sound signature from the mini's, the 3's and the sub3 is the best stereo I've ever had. Recommended