Cambridge Audio Minx Loudspeaker Discussion Thread - Page 39

ItsJohnB,

"I'm wondering if there are other options with more relaxed requirements."

Have you considered the XTZ Subs? - Jim is very familiar with them & rates them highly as well - maybe something like the 99W10.16 or 99W12.16? Jim would be able to advise you far better than I on this!

Bazzy!

I'd be more then happy to give him the low down on XTZ, but I think he had a size restriction and the 99 series are not really all that small.

Hi everyone,

So I have the Minx 325 v2 set (with Min 21s) and I understand that the recommended crossover should be 140Hz. However, I also see that some people are setting a lower crossover for this, such as 120Hz. So my question is, what is the ideal crossover for these speakers in practice? Also, unfortunately, I have a Denon 2113CI, so I can only choose a crossover of 120Hz or 150Hz. Given only these two options, which would be better?

Lastly, I notice I have "LPF to LFE" set to 120Hz for my subwoofer and "Subwoofer Mode" to LFE. Are these good subwoofer settings?

Thanks!

Great, thanks!

this crossover thing on minx annoys me. the guys from cambridge say that it can go down to 120Hz, both the Min11 and Min21.

are they trying to confuse us?

Hi Jeff,

From your second pic, I was wondering if you have any boom/vibration/rattling issues with the subs placed & positioned the way they are & within the stand? In your experience, was there any detriment to the sound? I ask as I am wondering what sort of clearance is needed from the passive radiators on the side?

Bazzy!

I *would* like to consider the XTZ 99 W.10.16 if it is suitable for my room size. I read your review and know that you are high on it. I believe that you even kept the unit. The ported/sealed option is intriguing.

Any idea how it would compare to the SB12-NSD?

I compared dimensions and their volumes are almost identical. The XTZ is a bit taller and deeper, but narrower so it will take up less linear wall space. I have the green light for either of these from my wife.

I took the XTZ all the way to the checkout to see what it would cost. Unfortunately, I have to pay sales tax in IL. Not sure if that means that there is a physical presence in IL like a warehouse, or if this is just due to our governor's quest to get more revenue from online shopping. WI charged tax as well, so having a relative buy it for me won't work either.

Cost in gloss black is $580 vs. $680 for the SVS. That's close enough to get the better one and ignore cost.

The web site had a "Get A Quote" option that makes it sound like prices might not be hard and fast. Don't know exactly how that works. Perhaps it applies only when ordering multiple products.

Lest I be accused of just sitting back and waiting for the good people on this thread to give me answers , I tried to do my DD and investigate other options. This would not be a comprehensive, no-stone-unturned project, but I wanted to make a reasonable effort to make sure I didn’t miss something better.

Jim said that my options were limited and he was right. Finding something Minx-compatible for our room in my size and price range is difficult. I decided to narrow the search to subs mentioned in this thread, both the ones that were suggested specifically to me and ones that I found in other posts. In particular, Bazzy had an extensive list a number of months ago.

I didn’t want to complicate the issue (I’ve been accused of that in the past ), and I erred on the side of excluding rather than including. To get overlap with the sats, I required 200 Hz. I also set a minimum power of 300W. I felt that I could find a single sub solution and set a limit of $1000. The size limit was arbitrary and capricious.

My parameters are not a guarantee that they would work in our room, but it would be a starting point. Here is all I came up with:
SVS SB12-NSD
SVS SB-1000
Emotiva X-Ref 12
Martin Logan 700W
Martin Logan 1000W
CA x300
CA x500

My wife eliminated the SB-1000 (“Wood grain? Are you kidding?”). An AVS Forum thread on the SB12-NSD convinced me that it was superior to the Emotiva. There just didn’t seem to be any reason to pick either CA sub over the SB12-NSD, other than size. I’m sure the x300 would be too small. My adult ADD kicked in and I got bored and moved on without ever evaluating the Martin Logans.

So the winner was the SVS SB12-NSD. I know that Jim feels it is too small for our 2700 ft^3 room. I feel that it will be fine based on our usage. The Audioholics review gave it Certified Medium rating, so that makes me feel better about it. I would prefer to be more in the middle of the size range rather than at the top end, but I think I’ll be fine. I like the broad, flat response curve.

I *did* give consideration to two smaller, cheaper subs like the ESW-M8. It came down to more even coverage vs. lower bass for movies. I chose lower bass. I just need to find the best location in the room and reserve that spot for me !

The XTZ was not on my radar when I did this. I would like to put it up against the SB12-NSD and I will have my answer.

-John

Not deliberately!

I think the confusion in crossover settings stems from a difference in houses on either side of the Atlantic. The roll off in output on a Min21 between 150 and 120Hz is relatively limited. In a smaller European lounge, it can often be worth trying out because it reduces the directionality of the bass response fractionally and the roll off is not serious enough to be an issue. In my own teeny lounge, a 120Hz crossover is effective and would be my choice. Minx is not unusual in this regard, several sub/sat systems have passed through the room over the years and many of them have performed well with crossover settings below the stated 'optimal' one.

Filling a larger space and running at a higher overall level can make this roll off more pronounced and a 140/150Hz crossover would be more suitable. I would not really encourage trying to use the Min10/11 at less than 140Hz crossover however and this would apply in a room of any size.
Regards
Ed Selley
Cambridge Audio

Hi,

So, just to be absolutely clear, you are stating that in smaller rooms (please indicate what sort of dimensions) in UK/Europe, a subwoofer with a FR that only goes up to 120hz & a Crossover Setting of 120hz is perfectly fine & suitable without any issues of sound detriment or potential damage to speakers if one were to use the Min21's? What about the Min20's?

By the way, I have submitted a help request online with yourselves quite some time ago & initially it was responded to but not resolved despite several reminders & it seems it is just ignored now by CA. As there is no way to contact you directly via email or telephone - what other approach can a customer try? I have tried sorting out the issue with Richer Sounds a number of times - on the helpline & two different branches but nothing happens. They tell me to contact CA who ignore the issue.

Bazzy!

Mr. Selley:

It's good that you appear on this forum, which is one of the best venues for your products. There are people on this thread who have explored and experimented with the Minx system in such a way that has generated significant interest. So your participation and cooperation with owners can be quite valuable.

Is CA focused on evolving the line...going to larger BMRs, or providing wireless options?

Thanks.

With the Min 21 (less so the Min 20), the roll off between 140Hz and 120Hz isn't too great- between 1 and 2dB based on some crude measurements I've done here and in keeping with rather better measurements done by the engineers. In my 3 by 3.2 metre lounge, this is not very pronounced and I can run a 120Hz crossover without feeling there is any 'suck out.' I suspect that this would be more pronounced in a larger room though. Please note that as we build the Minx subs, we haven't really tested many other designs to see what effect they have on this behaviour.

What is the inquiry number on support site? I'll try and find it and have a look.
Ed

Hi Ed,

Many thanks for the info - I have PM'd you the inquiry number as requested!

Bazzy!

I've had a Min20 / X300 5.1 setup for a little over 2 years. As for crossovers I've found 150Hz to work best for me. With my AVR I only have the option of dropping down to 120Hz which is a little one the low side really. When playing the Minx without a sub and change the crossover, there is very little change in audio from dropping the crossover 30Hz, which implies they aren't really playing anything extra. I did use 120Hz for a period of 2-3 weeks not long after I first got my Minx setup, but eventually went back to 150Hz as it just seems to sound the best to me.

The sub can make a big difference though. My X300 is currently away being repaired (Faulty amp) and I'm using a CA S80 as a stop gap. I have it in a tiny room and the S80 is powerful enough in term of power, but it doesn't integrate quite as nicely with the Min20's as the X300 did. I sure notice this change much much more than my crossover fiddling exploits in the past, so this could easily be an area of difference from one setup to the next if a Minx sub isn't used maybe?

Does any know if the 21's can be turned sideways like the centre speaker ? the bottom of the speakers are intruding on the top of the projector screen.

Is there anything to be said about setting my AVR crossover to 150 but having my sub set to 200? Would this make any difference as surely the crossover isnt set in stone and the output from the AVR could rise above 150 even though it is set to that? Only a thought and im sure someone on here will tell me im completely wrong.
Edited by Eddyw78 - 2/17/13 at 8:25am

You're completely wrong.
You do not want directionally locatable frequencies, ie., above 100Hz, coming from a sub. The Minx pushes that envelope, but that's the price paid for the small satellites. I assume you're referring to the sub being set at 200Hz with respect to its internal amp. You want it set no higher than the AVR crossover frequency for the sub output. Most AVR crossovers don't have sufficient filter slope to keep the directional frequencies out of the sub output. Using both the AVR and internal sub amp filters in tandem combines their slopes for a better result. With a 150Hz setting in the AVR you're already putting far too much above 100Hz content into the sub than desirable, so don't make it worse by not cascading the filters.

Yes, they can.

Hi Folks,

My wife likes the Cambridge minx speakers quite a lot. I found out in this thread (which is, by the way, very good) that many people are happy with their performance. Then, I intend to buy a set to plug to my Onkyo TX-NR717 receiver. The minx min 10 seemed to be interesting. However, I am a little bit confused by the conflicting information in different places. I read in this threat:



and here as well

http://www.avsforum.com/products/cambridge-audio-minx-min-10-satellite-speaker-black-each

that the power handling of these speakers is 15-50W. However, on the Cambridge's website they explicitly say that the Recommended Amp Power is 25-200W.

minx min 10

Could any one help me with that?

Thanks,

Sergio

Hi Folks,

My wife likes the Cambridge minx speakers quite a lot. I found out in this thread (which is, by the way, very good) that many people are happy with their performance. Then, I intend to buy a set to plug to my Onkyo TX-NR717 receiver. The minx min 10 seemed to be interesting. However, I am a little bit confused by the conflicting information in different places. I read in this threat:



and here as well

http://www.avsforum.com/products/cambridge-audio-minx-min-10-satellite-speaker-black-each

that the power handling of these speakers is 15-50W. However, on the Cambridge's website they explicitly say that the Recommended Amp Power is 25-200W.

minx min 10

Could any one help me with that?

Thanks,

Sergio

Thanks for that regarding the crossovers. Was only a thought(and as it turns out not a very good one!). Have put my crossover on the sub back to 150.

The sub filter setting would be done after using any bass/response management.