MINIRIG 3 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

Product Information

I don't tend to cover Bluetooth speakers here at Audiophile On, but companies send a lot to our offices. By that, I mean a lot of very average or outright crappy Bluetooth speakers. I won't bother covering them most of the time as nothing about them really stands out. When we decide to write about one, it means that we think highly enough for us to recommend it to our readers.

The sound is full and rich, with lots of detail and minimal distortion. Even when you push the speaker to its total volume, it sounds incredible and results in a slight clipping of the bass instead of completely degrading the sound. Yes, the Wonderboom is bigger than the Minirig Mini - it's about twice the size, in fact - but it is still very small in its own right and is certainly very portable. In short, we think that someone eyeing-up the Minirig Mini could and should also consider the Wonderboom, and the latter finds a sweeter spot between size and sound quality. To just get music playing, you hold down the single button on the top of the speaker, pair with it via Bluetooth from your music device (such as your phone), and play music. There is very little you can do from the speaker itself regarding controlling the music – not even volume control, other than toggle between low and high gain modes. All that happens from the music source, or from the Minirig app (more about that later). However, if you can get past the small criticisms that some customers have about these speakers, you’ll be amazed about the quality of sound you get. While we intend to look at a full Minirigs 2.1 portable Hifi system later, this review will concentrate on a single Minirig Bluetooth speaker. We will take a look at its design and how it performed under our various tests and comparisons. Audiophile On doesn't usually cover Bluetooth Speakers.

An impressive-sounding, ultra-portable speaker

Funnily enough, most of the other people on those trips later bought Minirigs because they were impressed with how loud they got and how much bass they had. Each brought their speakers, but it was the Minirig we all used for watching movies or listening to music around the campfire. For full details on how to connect the subwoofer to your Minirig or phone and for the best ways to use it, please read the subwoofer user manual AND the Minirig user manual. Inside the Minirigs app, you will also find support for a five-band EQ system that allows you to custom tweak the sound of your speaker. I was surprised just how well the speaker took the EQing because I have had some units struggle in this regard in the past. Link-Up Mode

To reduce the effects, use the Minirig in LOW gain. Also, plugging an aux lead into one of the outputs when in Bluetooth mode will simulate a subwoofer and "fix" the eq. The app does have the occasional bug to worry about, and Bluetooth isn’t perfect, but there are a lot of great bonuses that help to make up for this. It’s nice to be able to experiment with EQ components and other features within the app. You can toggle between high and low gain (volume) when the subwoofer is on by pressing the button ONCE.Now we come to the point that’s likely to make or break your decision when it comes to purchasing the MiniRig 3. After the cable has been inserted, you can then turn the sub off and on using the button by holding it down for 2 seconds. The sub will not turn on without an aux cable inserted. Aside from the points mentioned so far, there are a handful of additional features that might make the MiniRig 3 more appealing to some professionals. The appearance and durability of the MiniRig 3 portable are among the first things you’ll notice when evaluating this speaker. The hand-assembled devices come with ruggedized grills for internal protection and fantastic anodized aluminum bodies. A. The subwoofer is not a standalone product so needs to be used with another speaker to improve the bass response. It is designed to work in perfect harmony with Minirigs for the best possible sound.