Cambridge Audio Minx Loudspeaker Discussion Thread - Page 27

Hey Chuck.........welcome to the discussion. I will let Perpendicular address your concerns but why not get the X300 and dial it down a bit, also there have been other recommendations for other subs in this thread by Jim Wilson with good reviews attached. BTW, Thanks for your review of the speakers I will now be calling my dealer to see if he has them yet or when he will get them in.

On a side note.....I went to the Cambridge Audio web site today and in going to the US site they now list the specs for the Min 21 satallite speakers........so I guess they are officially here!

Thats the nice thing about this forum - to see what other people are doing and what they think about their own set up including the Min 21 and their choice of subs :-)

Chuck A

Another interesting note - I was listening with the grills OFF as I found there was quite a bit of difference in sound between with it on and off. Plus I though they look even better with the grills off.

Chuck A

That's the general consensus with just about everybody who has listened to them. You find yourself looking at the speakers going "that little thing is making all that sound?". Pretty amazing little speakers, aren't they?


Probably not. The Min's suffer from the obvious effects of physics; they simply can't be crossed over too low because the drivers are so small. Most have found 150Hz to be about it, which means the subwoofer ends up playing a more critical part.


Never question your hearing; if the X200 sounded best to you then that's what you should get. Well, sort of, because I have to agree with the others - I think the X300 would be the better choice.

Preferences are unique to the individual, so there's nothing intrinsically wrong with your assessment. However, the store is not the same as your home, which may mislead you into believing the X200 was the best choice. I suspect when you got it home you might find it to be somewhat deficient in output and/or depth. If that proves true, you're stuck - you can't make it do something it simply wasn't designed to do. If you opt for the X300 instead, and found it a bit too much, you could always turn it down. That would also leave you sufficient "head room" for future adjustments, in case you every found yourself wanting a bit more bass.

Hi All

I have some questions about the Minx speakers.

I am considering buying a Cambridge Audio minx 315 combination (min11+X300), but i have been thinking - is there a reason why CA did not make an official 315 sat/sub combination? They only show the 215, the 325 and the 525 combinations on their website and brochures.

Is the 315 system maybe a bad combination of the speakers?

Anyone who might have experience with this combination?

Does the X200 integrate better with the min11 than the X300?

I really like the looks of the min11 and want to combine it with a sub, but I am considering if the X200 maybe to small for my room (4m x 4,5m), would the X300 be a better match or should I just go for the X200?

Anyone who have heard the min11 i comparison with min10 or maybe min21?

I think I will be using it for around 80% movies and 20% music.

I hope someone can help me with some tips and guidance before I by the speakers.

Thanks.

JP

Is it a bad combo? No. Personally, I think it's better then the 215. A "subwoofer" shouldn't have a 6.5" driver - for me that's simply too small.


The Min 11 and 21 just started to show up in the US, so right now very few people have had the opportunity to hear them.


That's about 13 feet x 15 feet, so it's not a very large room. Even with that, I'd still choose the X300. Movies require a certain amount of deep bass, and since that's what you'll use the system for 80% of the time it's probably best to configure your system to accomidate that.

I bought my parents a 47" LG TV last year and I recently sat down to watch it for an extended period of time. It sounded like garbage. My dad just cranks the volume on the internal speakers. I've been looking for cost effective ways to improve the intelligibility of the audio from the TV. Space is very limited as the TV sits in a small corner. I would like to be able to mount some small speakers to the side of the TV. Can the Min 21 speaker be mounted somehow to the side of the TV? Would they be a big improvement for clarity and intelligibility of cable TV programming? A subwoofer is not desired.

What would be a good (inexpensive) option for a 2 channel amplifier or receiver?

I think that the real question regarding my choice of subs may be which one goes up higher in frequency with enough energy to better integrate with the Min 21's. I am more concerned about this vs how low in frequency they go. Too bad there are not YET frequency response curves of each of the Cambridge subs for comparison. I am also a fan of at least two subs in the room to help minimize nulls across the listing area. I think I also need to look at other brands of subs to see which will generate the most energy in the 100-150Hz band.

Chuck A

Look no further then dual SB12-NSD's. Small, tight, articulate sub that can be crossed over as high as you'll ever need.

No sub = bad idea. Well, unless you get speakers that can effectively go down to at least 50Hz, otherwise you're only going from worse to bad. The Min's would be an improvement, but not a sufficient one because it would still sound pretty thin.

Have you considered a soundbar by chance? The Harman Kardon SB16 needs no receiver because it comes with built-in amps; it hooks directly up to your TV, so there's no hassle. The sub is wireless, which means you can place it virtually anywhere, and the soundbar itself is very small. Something like the SB16 might be a better alternative for you.

Thanks,

This could be it. Too bad Cambridge does not have something with these specs as it looks like it would work better with their speaker than their own subs. Now to try to find some of these to listen to...

Chuck A

Hey Gregg, to answer your question.....there is no direct to TV mount that Cambridge Audio makes for the Minx Min speakers. There is a small wall mount bracket, small table top stands and floor stands available. You can view them here...http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/series.php?SID=94. I would agree with Jim that you would want some type of Sub in the system and a soundbar would be a great choice as it seems that you only want to improve the Audio for the TV. I also believe that several companies now make direct to TV mounts for soundbars which may be your answer since the TV sits in a corner! Hope this helps!

I'm looking to improve the coherence of the sound. It currently sounds like you're listening through a wall or something. I have considered a soundbar and that may be the route I go. I subwoofer is not desired here, only clearer dialogue for standard TV. I don't think my parents would appreciate the difference with the sub.

Look here Gregg...........another forum member had the same question. Click here >>> http://www.avsforum.com/t/1249134/soundbar-without-subwoofer-any-good. Its a short thread but the general idea is that it is better than the TV speakers and you can probably attach the SB to the TV itself.

Not from Cambridge Audio, but this may be closer to what you are looking for:

http://www.zvoxaudio.com

Chuck A

You forgot to add..................Will Robinson!

I will look closer at a soundbar. Thanks for the suggestions.

I can get Cambridge at a significant discount through my local dealer so that is why I was looking at the Minx. I also thought they would be kind of neat to play around with. But it does seem like a soundbar would be the best and likely the most simple choice.

There's a newer. more sophisticated Harman Kardon than the SB 16...the SB 30.

Also the Vizio VHT 510 is interesting as it has rear speakers, making it true 5.1.

Nice!
Edited by MacNThorens - 9/21/12 at 12:16pm

Here is a review of the Minx 21 BUT it is not in English:

http://www.alpha-audio.nl/2012/02/cambridge-audio-minx-min-21/

Chucka

Hi!

Here it is via a Google translate:

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=http://www.alpha-audio.nl/2012/02/cambridge-audio-minx-min-21/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://www.alpha-audio.nl/2012/02/cambridge-audio-minx-min-21/%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26prmd%3Dimvns&sa=X&ei=LgNhUIn8OIbZ4QSUz4HQCw&ved=0CCUQ7gEwAA

Bazzy!

It took me a couple of days to read the whole topic.
I would like to thank Perpendicular, JimWilson & Bazzy for the great effort they have put in to this.
I am really pleased Cambridge Audio is following this topic as-well. It shows it does care and respect the customers. That's a really positive sign. However i hope there will be a little more input from CA in the future.

The last years i am used to listen music and watching movies with the use of a Bose Lifestyle 18 set.
Now i getting my own place and i thought, one of the important things i need is great sound. So this is high on the list. I hear a lot of friends saying they want great sound but after a few years being on their own, they still watching movies though their tv speakers. Or buying a cheap set because they can't afford it anymore. So i want to avoid going in that direction.

I was quite sure to go with Bose again (T10), only after reading, a lot of people are saying you can get a lot of more for less money, i decide to take a dive.
After some searching i first strumbled on Orb Audio. Only there are 2 negative points they are on the market for quite some time now, and i can only order them from America. This will bring up some extra costs as i am living in The Netherlands and makes it difficult to demo.
Then i struggled on Cambridge Audio Minx. Reading this topic i am aware now that there are more competitors. But as you guys may say the Minx are quite unique.

I have listened to a demo of the Min 20, X200 and X300 sub in my local store. It was just 2 Minx 20 on stands. It did not gave me a satisfied feeling because i only heard music (it was not attached to a TV) and it looked like it did not have many play hours and it definitely was not calibrated.

My budget is about 1200 euro with a max of 1600/1700 euro.
If i decide to go with Minx, i think i will go for the Minx 20 or 21 (5.1) if the budget allow it and a X300 sub as in the store i heard the difference between the the X200 and X300.
If i will move to a bigger place i think it will benefit this choice.
Unfortunately i haven't found any comparison between the Minx 10/11 20/21 yet. Would be worth the extra money?

Off-course the Minx will not do much without a receiver. The last 2 days i am reading about AV receivers. Now i understand why you guys are saying: you can get a lot more for less money.
I was thinking to go for a Denon Receiver. Why Denon? I am a DJ and i have read a lot of good things about their Mixers.
Today i was checking the Onkyo receivers. I think i have found a really good deal with the TX-NR515 for €329. I don't think i can find a Denon for this kind of money which would be comparable: Denon AVR-1513 €379 and AVR-1713 €499. or lost years AVR-1912 €439.
Only negative i can find is that the Onkyo does not support Airplay, i haven't used it yet and i think i can live with this. And the + is i can add 2 subs (Perpendicular's favorite )

Do you guys think the Onkyo TX-NR515 is good to use with Minx? They will be used 70% movies/series/tv and 30% for music.
Is the Audyssey 2EQ for Room Acoustic Correction enough?

any suggestions are welcome.
Edited by Baswazz - 9/25/12 at 6:39am