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Cambridge Audio Minx Loudspeaker Discussion Thread - Page 41

post #1201 of 1431
2/19/13 at 7:56pm
Hi guys,

Looking at the Cambridge Audio Minx system but having difficulty choosing which setup to get for my space. I live in prime Manhattan, where square footage is at an extreme premium.

My main room is shaped like an "L", with the living room area (where my home theater is located) about 12*14 feet. This area is directly open to the kitchen / dining / hall area. Overall the "living room" is about 1/3 of the total space with the kitchen / dining / hall area accounting for about 2/3 of the space. Ceilings are 10 feet.

My concern is whether the Minx 215 setup will adaquetly fill this space. I believe the direct home theater area is likely perfect for a setup like this. But the extra space (kitchen + dining area) does make me concerned.

Usage is about 50/50 split between music / video, with the music intended to be heard into the larger room (video mostly watched from the couch).

Any help here?

Note we can't blast the music as this is a nice building in NYC with neighbors in close proximity. That said, we do not live in a tomb and we will be playing tunes frequently.

Appreciate any advice guys. Many thanks in advance.
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post #1202 of 1431
2/20/13 at 6:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by billd View Post

My main room is shaped like an "L", with the living room area (where my home theater is located) about 12*14 feet. This area is directly open to the kitchen / dining / hall area. Overall the "living room" is about 1/3 of the total space with the kitchen / dining / hall area accounting for about 2/3 of the space. Ceilings are 10 feet.

My concern is whether the Minx 215 setup will adaquetly fill this space. I believe the direct home theater area is likely perfect for a setup like this. But the extra space (kitchen + dining area) does make me concerned.

Usage is about 50/50 split between music / video, with the music intended to be heard into the larger room (video mostly watched from the couch).

A valid concern, because I too have my reservations about whether you would get sufficient output. In a small space the Min 11 would be fine for surrounds, but I'm less convinced they would be adequate for the front channels. Realistically those should be Min 21's, so perhaps the Minx 325 system might suite your needs better. The 525 if you like more powerful bass.
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post #1203 of 1431
2/20/13 at 7:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimWilson View Post

A valid concern, because I too have my reservations about whether you would get sufficient output. In a small space the Min 11 would be fine for surrounds, but I'm less convinced they would be adequate for the front channels. Realistically those should be Min 21's, so perhaps the Minx 325 system might suite your needs better. The 525 if you like more powerful bass.

I agree with Jim, the S325 might be a better set-up for you primarily due to the X300 sub having a bit more punch. The really nice thing about the Minx Min speakers is that they have the BMR type speaker and offer a wide dispersion field. They are not like a traditional speaker that have a more direct sweet spot. They should fill your space nicely. I don't think I would break-up the system though. From my research you can get a better deal as a complete system, at least that is what I found to be true. I found the S325 system for about $450 off the MSR listed price. Best of luck what ever you get......the CA Minx is a great little speaker set-up. Perfect for Manhatten-ites, where I grew up wink.gif
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post #1204 of 1431
2/25/13 at 4:42am
Looks like Hi-Wave have now gone into administration. Not sure what this will mean for their customers, it all depends on who will pick up the patents and technology. I doubt the technology will die, but it could end up behind closed doors with only one brand using it which would be a shame.

http://www.hi-wave.com/regulatory_announcements/HiWave-Announcement_of_suspension_on_administration.pdf

On another note, it looks like Parts Express have a buy out on the cheaper 2" square 12w units. If any of you are into DIY, might be worth trying out. I've bought 100 of them so if anyone in the UK wants any (at cost) just let me know.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=299-208
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post #1205 of 1431
2/25/13 at 5:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vaugi View Post

Looks like Hi-Wave have now gone into administration

Swell. First NXT goes under and sells it's IP to HiWave. Now they've gone under and (hopefully) will sell to someone who won't horde the patents. Looks like BMR is a curse...
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post #1206 of 1431
2/25/13 at 5:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimWilson View Post

Swell. First NXT goes under and sells it's IP to HiWave. Now they've gone under and (hopefully) will sell to someone who won't horde the patents. Looks like BMR is a curse...

Just a slight correction, NXT never went under, they just got a new CEO and changed names. They then tried to change from a licensing-to-everyone model, to direct sales of finished units. Looks like neither way worked and they should have stuck with their original brands - Mission and Cyrus.
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post #1207 of 1431
2/25/13 at 10:29am
Given that Naim bases premium speakers on BMR drivers, they might be a good contact, along with CA, for info on the future.

It would be absurd for development of this driver design to be abandoned, given that it has remarkable acoustical properties at less than the price of more exotic designs that aim for the same acoustic qualities.
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post #1208 of 1431
2/27/13 at 11:25am
Hi All,

Given that HiWave has gone into administration & that possibly R&D will cease on BMR Drivers with no new products, how likely is that CA will cease introducing any new speakers with BMR Drivers? Is it possible that the Min11/Min21's will be that last of such products they might market do you think?

By the way, Ed Selley from CA still has not responded to my PM to him from two weeks ago - just very disappointing at this level.

Bazzy!
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post #1209 of 1431
3/7/13 at 9:34pm
Long time lurker 1st post.

I have some min10 on order from Amazon for use in a multiroom setup I'm putting together. Ultimately I'd look to hook some Sonos units to feed them but I'd like to power them independently from that.

Having a dickens of a time finding an amp to use for this purpose. I would llke something really small and not too expensive, ideally less than $150.

Amps along the lines I am considering are (pricing aside)
The Orb price is really hard to beat...

Any other suggestions or cautions here?
Edited by artur9 - 3/8/13 at 10:06am
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post #1210 of 1431
3/8/13 at 7:02am
Hello one and all,

I've put together a system as follows-

2 x MIN20s for left and right. Min21 for centre. 2x min11s for rears. (The min20s were second hand and cheap. hopefuly they will work well with the min21 centre.)

The Av receiver I'm using is Yamaha RXV373. I have got a Cambridge Audio S80 as I wanted a cheaper option than the X200.

SO... What crossover frequency should I used on the Yamaha? Any advice would be great.

Thanks in advance. - Also what should i set the sub freq to? or will the amp override it? bit confused on this!
Edited by britishteapower - 3/8/13 at 8:04am
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post #1211 of 1431
3/9/13 at 1:41am
Been abit of an on going topic here regarding crossovers. What steps does your Yamaha let you set the crossover. For Min20/21 it should be no less than 140htz. I use Min10s and I use 150htz. As for the sub some have said its correct and some have said I am wrong but I set the crossover as high as it will go. In your case the 80 goes up to 180htz I believe. I use an x200 which I have set to its highest of 200htz. Best thing to do is try it out and see what sounds best to you. If a particular setting sounds good to you stick with that as its your system.
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post #1212 of 1431
3/9/13 at 7:00pm
Got my min 10 set up with an old Sony STR-DE475 and a Yamaha YST-FSW100 to break them in while I figure out what I am doing.

Wow! Just wow! The clarity and fullness of these little guys are amazing. True, without the sub there's nothing going on at the low end but even with that old Yamaha. Wow!

Glad the forums turned me on to these. The size and sound quality are perfectly suited to my needs.

(Although I still cannot believe the wife when she says the 20/21s are too big)
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post #1213 of 1431
3/10/13 at 12:33am
Can you set the crossover on the Yamaha? If you cant be careful. I had an old Yamaha which you couldnt which means there could be to many low frequencies going to your min10s which are below the rated 140htz that could damage their tiny drivers. Min20s to big!!!!
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post #1214 of 1431
3/10/13 at 12:33am
Can you set the crossover on the Yamaha? If you cant be careful. I had an old Yamaha which you couldnt which means there could be to many low frequencies going to your min10s which are below the rated 140htz that could damage their tiny drivers. Min20s to big!!!!
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post #1215 of 1431
3/10/13 at 11:25am
Yes I have set the crossover on the yamaha to 160 and on the subwoofer it's around the same.

I hope I'm doing the right thing? I'm not really sure what i'm doing! I've got 2 Min20s for left and right and the centre is min21.

Rears are min11s. It's not possible to set it as 140 on the yamaha. the options are 120, 160, 200 around that mark.
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post #1216 of 1431
3/11/13 at 12:34am
The 120 setting would be too low for a minx speaker especially if you wanted to play them at reasonable volume as too much low end could be output and trash the dainty drivers. 160 should be fine. Whether its correct or not I always have the.sub crossover as high as it will go if you cannot bypass its own crossover which I dont believe you can with a Cambridge sub. How are you finding this sub with your minx set up? Never really considered one due to the relatively low power output.
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post #1217 of 1431
3/11/13 at 6:56am
I bought this sub off the back of some good reviews on amazon and i didnt want to spend double on the x200. I'm in a small flat and i dont need world shaking bass.

Can you give me a brief idea of how the cross over settings would affect the sound?

In a nutshell what people are saying is to set it as 120 or 160 (as i cannot set it to 140) on the Yamaha and then the same on the Sub? Or set it to max on the sub? I literally have little or no idea about this kind of stuff!
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post #1218 of 1431
3/11/13 at 1:47pm
There has been lots of info on this throughout this thread but I have set my sub to the highest crossover(200htz on the X200) and the AVRs crossover to 150. I have been told on this thread by reliable sources that crossovers are not set in stone and trial and error and what you find pleasing to listen to is all that matters. It has been said that if you set the sub crossover lower than what the AVR is outputting then you could missing htz and thus creating a hole. Have a read through this thread and just try out different ways of setting up your system. Does the s80 seem to be a good match with the minx speakers? I thought it may struggle due to a minx set up not being like a conventional set up in that you have to crossover the sub very high and put more strain on it. Only a thought though.
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post #1219 of 1431
3/11/13 at 2:14pm
The S80 isn't too bad. My usual sub is an X300, but it suffered amp issues so I was given an S80 as a loan unit while mine was sent away for repair. Clearly the S80 isn't as nice or quite as well integrated as the X300 sounds, and the S80 actually takes up slightly more space (it's longer and narrower), but it's still not too bad really once you get it set up right. Given the price of it I wouldn't really have any major complaints with it.

Depends on the content really. I must say movies do sound rather more impressive with the X300, as does music (varies, though).
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post #1220 of 1431
3/13/13 at 3:36am
I have gone through the YPAO on the yamaha so i was told from yamaha that any control on the sub itself will have been overridden by the amp.
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post #1221 of 1431
3/14/13 at 12:09pm
Please take a look a a thread that I started earlier...http://www.avsforum.com/t/1463318/another-need-help-finding-the-right-speaker

I am thinking of using the Min21 across the front but unsure if there is a better option in a similar size but maybe slightly larger.

Thank you!
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post #1222 of 1431
3/17/13 at 8:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by billd View Post

Hi guys,

Looking at the Cambridge Audio Minx system but having difficulty choosing which setup to get for my space. I live in prime Manhattan, where square footage is at an extreme premium.

My main room is shaped like an "L", with the living room area (where my home theater is located) about 12*14 feet. This area is directly open to the kitchen / dining / hall area. Overall the "living room" is about 1/3 of the total space with the kitchen / dining / hall area accounting for about 2/3 of the space. Ceilings are 10 feet.

My concern is whether the Minx 215 setup will adaquetly fill this space. I believe the direct home theater area is likely perfect for a setup like this. But the extra space (kitchen + dining area) does make me concerned.

Usage is about 50/50 split between music / video, with the music intended to be heard into the larger room (video mostly watched from the couch).

Any help here?

Note we can't blast the music as this is a nice building in NYC with neighbors in close proximity. That said, we do not live in a tomb and we will be playing tunes frequently.

Appreciate any advice guys. Many thanks in advance.

I just wanted to close the loop here.

I ended up purchasing the Minx 215 system for my apartment, and boy am I impressed.

It took two attempts to get the setup working via the Audyssey mic with my new Marantz. But it sounds great and is perfect for the space.

We have been listening to music and watching video and have been very impressed. We got the white ones, and they disappear into the background. Overall these speakers recreate a very crisp sound field, but the bass is not earth shattering. If I wasn't living in an apartment with lots of neighbors (NYC), I'd definitely get the larger subwoofer. But as it stands, the small size of the unit is incredible and I am very happy with both the Minx and my Marantz slim line NR 1603 AVR.

And thanks to all those on this forum who pointed me in the right direction.
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post #1223 of 1431
3/25/13 at 4:49am
Hi all

Long time reader and first time poster. I have minx s325 set and now friend of mine wants to sell x500 sub for me for a very good price. How will x300 and x500 work together?

I think i have standing wave in my room and i have heard that second sub is good way to fix this. I bought Anti-mode cinema 8033

http://www.dspeaker.com/en/products/anti-mode-8033.shtml

and it helped little but didin't solve whole problem.
Edited by jv72 - 3/25/13 at 10:27am
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post #1224 of 1431
4/9/13 at 12:45pm
Things have been quiet on this thread, but I thought I would let you know that I received an email from HiWave, in response to a query by me.
I contacted them because of concerns that because of some reported perturbation in HiWave's circumstances that BMRs would vanish from the scene.

In a nutshell, the representative from HiWave assured me that BMRs will continue to be developed and used.
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post #1225 of 1431
4/9/13 at 4:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by taichi4 View Post

In a nutshell, the representative from HiWave assured me that BMRs will continue to be developed and used.

Isn't that similar to what the owners of eD claimed as they were spiraling down the toilet? Just saying...
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post #1226 of 1431
4/9/13 at 6:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimWilson View Post

Isn't that similar to what the owners of eD claimed as they were spiraling down the toilet? Just saying...

I'm just putting it out there, Jim.

I suppose anything is possible...
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post #1227 of 1431
4/9/13 at 8:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by taichi4 View Post

I'm just putting it out there, Jim.

I suppose anything is possible...

No worries. I'm not giving you a hard time, just pointing out there have been a few companies in the past several years that made the same type of claims. Epik is doing it now, so they may be the next one to disappear.
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post #1228 of 1431
4/10/13 at 9:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimWilson View Post

No worries. I'm not giving you a hard time, just pointing out there have been a few companies in the past several years that made the same type of claims. Epik is doing it now, so they may be the next one to disappear.

Are you aware of the fact that HiWave licensed Boston Acoustics in November to make BMR
based speakers?

http://www.hi-wave.com/news/bmr_speaker_drivers_boston_acoustics.php
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post #1229 of 1431
4/10/13 at 12:28pm
Hey Guys,

Been doing a bunch of research and am in a little bit of a bind on space limitations. I built a new built for my living room and only allowed about 3.2 inches below my tv for my Left Right and center. Stupid. But anyway. I was looking at these Cambridge Audio Minx speakers. I have a receiver and sub already and the house that we bought has speakers in the ceiling for the rear channels

My main question was I see that there is a Minx 10 and a Minx 11 what is the difference? My main thing is can I run three Minx 11's for LCR and have pretty good sound? I see a lot of people are running an min21 for center but I dont have enough room unless I set it on its side. and I dont really like that look.

I have a big media center computer so we mostly watch movies and a lot of regular tv as well. So looking for something well rounded

Its not a huge room probable 15 x 17 open on the right side if you are sitting on the couch.


Thanks in advance for the beginner questions smile.gif

Kris
Edited by kcmoney13 - 4/10/13 at 12:38pm
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post #1230 of 1431
4/10/13 at 4:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kcmoney13 View Post

My main question was I see that there is a Minx 10 and a Minx 11 what is the difference? My main thing is can I run three Minx 11's for LCR and have pretty good sound? I see a lot of people are running an min21 for center but I dont have enough room unless I set it on its side. and I dont really like that look.

I have a big media center computer so we mostly watch movies and a lot of regular tv as well. So looking for something well rounded

Its not a huge room probable 15 x 17.

The minx will/should work great in that size room. I do not have them but I have demoed them and they are amazing speakers for their size. If you close your eyes and listen you would think you are listening much larger speakers, great imaging! As for the difference in the min10 & min11 is that the min11 were redesigned internally by CA, for the better. Check the CA web site for more info....or Perpendicular (AVS member) will probably chime in. Now on to your inquiry about the min21.....I believe they come with 2 grills so they can be placed horizontally and look perfect like that. They will look like you have 2 min11's side by side. • •• • Sorry, I do not have cube images on my iPhone.
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