MINIRIG 3 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

Product Information

For the rest of this review, as mentioned, we will be talking about the use of 1 single Minirig speaker being used on its own, without being daisy-chained to other units. Essentially we want to look at how the Minirigs perform as a stand-alone portable travel speaker. The mining 3 is very similar to the previous product in its design. Throughout the years, this is a brand that’s stayed true to a constant focus on quality in design. With so many Bluetooth speakers now on the market, it can be hard to choose one. Many are laden with features, and others can be had at super low prices. The most important thing to me is sound, and for the life of me, I can’t think of anything this size that sounds even close to being this good. Really to get something better sounding, you are looking at getting the Minirig 3. A key feature of the Minirig’s design is that it only uses a single speaker. This allows the company to fit in a 3-inch driver in a device that’s only 4 inches across by 3.75 inches deep. Devices that use two speakers, such as the Beats Pill, may be able to offer stereo sound, but from much smaller drivers and a much larger unit.

The result, when put side by side with the competition, is dramatic and the Minirigs 3 sounds better than all others I have tested. To be honest, it also sounds better than more significant semi-portable speakers 5-10 times the size of the Minirigs. 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 No speaker is perfect, particularly when you’re searching for something that’s small and portable enough to take with you to any environment. The way it works is your link in the subunit to the speaker and should significantly boost the low end. As I said I haven’t had the chance to play with one of these, but it could be an exciting addition if you don’t mind carrying the extra weight.Sound Quality What makes the Mini difficult to recommend, however, is that some (admittedly larger but still very portable) rivals have both significantly better audio quality and greater versatility.As mentioned above, Bluetooth on the MiniRig 3 isn’t as great as it could be. Although this functionality works around 95% of the time, you will occasionally have issues with dropped connections, which is the last thing you need if you’re a professional playing a show. 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. Remember, what you’re getting here isn’t a full-size set of monitors with their own dedicated tweeters and subwoofers. You might notice audio occasionally cutting off from one unit if you have multiple devices connected. Even if a speaker looks and feels amazing at first glance, it’s difficult to fall in love with the device if it’s tough to operate. Managing the MiniRig 3 portable speaker is very straightforward.

But, all that said, if you care about sound and portability first and foremost, the Minirig Mini is an excellent travel speaker. The main reason that the Minirigs sound so good comes down to the big single-unit driver on the inside. Almost all these other companies have taken the approach of creating multi-driver Bluetooth speakers, whereas Minirigs has opted for a single extremely high-end unit.

As mentioned above there’s not much in the way of extra functionality via hardware on the unit itself, but there is an app available via the Google Play Store that gives you more control and customization over your setup. Added functionality: In fact our existing Minirig has even survived a few rain showers and the new Minirig is specifically IPX4 rated for resistance to splashing water – Minirigs also claims it has an “air tight enclosure”. It won’t survive a trip to the bottom of a pool, but the general abuse you’d expect from a camping trip or being left at the bottom of the garden is something it will brush aside. That said, an individual Minirig, used on its own, is a mono speaker. This is as opposed to a stereo unit that other small portable units aspire to be. This is important because, by making a single unit mono only, Minirigs can fit a larger 3-inch speaker into this device. Other companies try to cram multiple speakers of inferior quality into their units. Here, the 3-inch diaphragm can move more air and produce a way better sound and a much fuller and deeper bass response.

A tip that is worth mentioning (and one that can be applied with whatever speaker you end up buying) is positioning your speaker for the best sound quality. This little device can deliver some sensational power, with 40w of RMS to ensure you fill a whole room in seconds. For instance, it’s nice to know that you can link multiple speakers to the same system and create a stereo surround sound effect. As mentioned above, the MiniRig 3 is intended to be a little more tech-friendly than its predecessors. The sound on a single Minirig speaker was matched only by the Beoplay A1 in my side-by-side testing. It managed to get louder and maintain a high level of detail before any JBL, Gear4, or Taotronics units started to distort. Even when pushed way past the comfortable listening point, the sound doesn't degrade as sharply as any of those units. The clarity and detail retrieved at normal levels are remarkable for something so small.Last month I was down in London meeting up with about 20 or so other audio fans. Everyone had come together to show off their latest and greatest portable gear. Loads of high-end stuff were set out for us to play about with; the usual headphones, amps, DACs, and DAPs littered the tables; it was a nerds paradise. So it was kind of strange that, on this occasion, the product I came away most impressed with was a tiny portable Bluetooth speaker. It wasn't just me though, a lot of people had been blown away by the Minirig Bluetooth speaker, a modular speaker unit that was pumping out the beats when we arrived in the reception area. What are Minirigs?