Cambridge Audio Minx Loudspeaker Discussion Thread - Page 30

So why aren't they hooked up yet?

Hi Jim!

I say, steady on old chap - we Europeans like to take our time & savour things unlike you gung ho Yanks!

Bazzy!

Europeans 'take our time', or perhaps you're just slow as snails? It's been two days and no info on his install? He's not savoring it, he must have slipped into a coma...

LOL! Sorry guys, we'll all have to wait a bit more to see the whole thing installed and working. It's both a lack of time to do it and some wall painting needed before installing... Let's hope that I can fix the wall brackets and make the connections this weekend. Will post pics asap...

Just for you to see what the situation is right now:

This is the front wall. You can see the wires coming out, only need to paint the plaster and hook 2 of the 3 min21s. That good ol' CRT is (hopefuly) soon to be replaced by a Panasonic 50VT50, but before we have to receive (in one or two weeks time) a new piece of furniture to place the whole entertainment set (AV receiver, BD player, TV and center speaker).



This is the rear wall, also with the two wires presented, ready for the min11s. As you can see, we had some job to lower them around 30 cm (1 ft ?) from the originaly intended placement. Once I had the sofa in the room, I felt they were going to be too high, both in terms of listening position and aesthetically. Here there's also some paint job to be done on the plaster. Please don't look at the cloth on the sofa...



And this is a Google SketchUp design I did some months ago, this is how the whole thing shold look like in a few weeks, except from two things: Those dotted lines aren't there, they are just a reminder that behind the wall there are two sliding doors, so we cannot drill in those areas to hang anything . And the center speaker won't be on the standard mount, since the Pana VT50 sits quite low and the speaker would probably stand in front of the screen. Fortunately, the minx come with 4 tiny plastic "droplets" in case you want to let the speaker stand on itself.



Hope you like it. I've been planning (dreaming) this for so long that I can't wait to see it become real!!!

I truly hope everything works out like you envision it. You've obviously spent a lot of time planning this out.

Come on, Jim. You know the value of deliberation.

From your favorite author:

"He that will have a cake out of the wheat must tarry the grinding. "

Thanks for reminding me why I don't read Mr. Convoluted...

Don't worry about it. In the spirit of fair play I'm letting you know that you're not Bard from reading him in secret.

Oh man, that was so bad it makes me want to

"Mine eyes smell onions; I shall weep anon."

Sv: Cambridge Audio Minx Loudspeaker Discussion Thread

Been following this thread for a long time with keen interest. Bought a pair of Min10s a while back - really happy with them.

Now considering buying four, ie two pairs, used Min20s for a good price to replace my floor speakers. A few questions come to mind:

1. Is it a good or terrible idea to connect two speakers to each front channel, placing the Min20s on top of each other on both sides (kind of like speaker arrays)?

2. If the above is a good idea, should I connect them in series or parallel? (My receiver, Pioneer VSX-918 is said to handle impedances from 6 to 16 ohms, I think, so I guess that implies series, but on the other hand I head that parallel might be better and I always listen at very moderate levels).

3. Doing the above, my plan is to connect my two previous Min10s as center in the same way. Good/bad?

4. Has anyone tried pairing the Min20s with a XTZ W8.16 sub? I know off the good reputation of its bigger brother, but can't afford it right now. And besides, I don't really need all that horsepower anyway...

Thanks a lot for any input!

Sent from a mobile device.

Hi,

I'm just waiting for Perpendicular to pounce on this! Seriously though, he has probably experimented with more combinations of these speakers than Cambridge Audio themselves!

Bazzy!

Sv: Cambridge Audio Minx Loudspeaker Discussion Thread

I sure hope he will chime in on this topic soon. Meanwhile, I would really appreciate your, or any one else's, opinion as well. Even wild guesses is interesting enough!

Sent from a mobile device.

Probably not the best choice. Personally, I would go with a single Min 20/21 for the center instead.


If you're using it for TV/movies then an 8" driver is probably not going to be sufficient. I actually did a review of the W10.16 sub about a year ago, and now own the W12.16 myself. I suspect you would outgrow the W8.16 rather quickly, and wish you had bought something a bit more powerful.

Hi, thanks for all the valuable info in this epic thread. I have been eyeing the minx speakers for their compact and stylish design but don't want to throw money away if they don't sound good. This thread has convinced me that they are worth their salt and I have ordered a pair of min21 and a pair of min11.

Just recently got a Pioneer VSX-522K AVR which came with these really cheap pioneer 5.1 speakers. (S-HS50) I'm planning to use the min21 as L and R and the Min11 as surrounds. Will probably keep the pioneer speaker in the centre (listen mostly to music) Maybe later on will use the spare speakers as rear surrounds.

Hopefully the new speakers will arrive tomorrow. Will report back

Just a quick question.........I was pretty set on the S325 v2 for my HT/Audio needs. Happen to go to the folks house for the holidays and there was an A/V store in the area that is a CA dealer. Set an appointment to listen to the Minx speakers. Upon my arrival I was informed that he only had 2 min10's to test w/ the 300 sub. He also had Paradigm MilleniaOne's and Focal Dome's set up. I listened to all and was impressed by the Minx speakers but I was told that my room of 15 X 12 w/ 10' ceilings (room opens to the kicthen so it is wider than 12') was at the limit for the Min21's. I really liked the minx speakers and I also really liked the MilleniaOne's. I currently have Paradigm speakers that I willl be replacing as I want smaller satellite speakers. The Focal were nice but not as nice to my ears as the CA & Paradigm, plus MORE expensive. My question is: What do you all here think of what I was told with regard to my room size and the Min21's getting lost in the room. I do like to listen to my music fairly loud, not ear shattering though. I am now leaning to a Paradigm MilleniaOne 5.1 with the Monitor sub 8 maybe 10. Any feedback would be great thanks.

Just to clarify, I think the Minx speakers are great but I am not sure if they will be great in MY scenario.

I say bull to that. The MilleniaOne's are fantastic little speakers, no doubt about it, but if your room is 15x12x10 (and that's in feet, not meters) then the Min 21's won't get swallowed up. I made a little 2.1 system out of Min 10's and a sub in a room that's 13x17x8 - which, by cubic feet, is actually smaller then your room - and they did pretty darn good.

Does anyone know if the Min 11s are better than the Min 20's?

If so, I think I'm going to replace all of my Min 20's and get myself some 11's. Frequency range seems to be "fuller" than the Min 20 according to the front page, but I'm not sure. Spec wise it looks like it, but would anyone who has the new revisions of he Minxes let me know how it is in person? Is it actually better IYO?

Hi,

It would be interesting to find out but I would be very surprised if they did - remember the Min11/Min21's use much smaller magnets & the Min20 has two drivers I believe - so a single Min11 with a smaller magnet & newer cost driven driver design against a twin driver Min20 with approx. 40% bigger magnets - seems unlikely but I am sure the more knowledgable folks will offer far better insight!

Maybe consider keeping the Min20's for all surround duties & update just the L/C/R's to Min21's?

Bazzy!

I have OCD, so I all my speakers have to be the same all across (e.g. all Min 10s, or all Min 21s, etc)

Hi,

Maybe then order both Min11's & Min21's from a place like Amazon where you can make returns & keep the ones you feel are better over your current Min20's if that might work out to be the case. It would be very interesting to read about your views & opinions on any changes you make!

Hi Bazzy, so I am thinking either the Min 20s may be "too much" oompf for my room or it may not be enough since the new basement suite i moved into is all carpeted, and the fact this room/suite is much larger than where I was renting before (12 x 10 feet). Ceiling height is 8 or 9 feet, and the main dimensions of the room is 22 x 15 feet. The front 3 speakers (LCR) will be at the end of one room, and the rears will be at the opposite wall (this is going lengthwise of 21 feet).

Is this a good placement for the rears, since the back and front speakers are so far apart? I will take some pictures of my suite later tonight and where I have my speakers as of now. I plan to buy a loveseat or recliner chair for my HT set up but need some advice on how to properly set up the speakers first, before buying chairs and whatnot. Small rooms are much easier for placements since you're physically limited in space.

I can't test anything as my receiver is still MIA so I can't do any personal sound tests or auditions.

New to the thread, I have read some of it. My question is:

Is there a big difference between the Min 10 and Min 11? I would be pairing them with a Klipsch SW-110 subwoofer for a 3.1 setup. Using a Pioneer VSX-1021-K.

Thanks!
Edited by AdamITR - 12/2/12 at 9:09am

Well got my speakers over the weekend and have been giving them a good run in. Powered by a Pioneer VSX-522k, I have two Min21 for L&R and Two Min11 hooked up to the surround.

First impression is they sound great compare to the cheap pioneer speakers (not surprising). Straight out the box, they sound a little tight. The mid-highs are the most obvious feature. Overtime after 2 days of playing though, they seem to open up a bit more. I have my Xover setup at 150hz (was either 100 or 150).

Vocals and Instrumentals is where these speakers are at

Hello everybody!

sorry not to have posted news since I received the speakers, too busy... Well, now they're hooked up and working, and so far I'm really happy with them. The wall mounts and wiring are first class design, incredibly easy to set and plug.
Just as a reminder, I have 3 min 21s as fronts and center, two min 11s as surrounds and the x200 subwoofer. I will post pictures today when I get home, but my first impressions after one week and a half of listening (not very thoroughly, just every now and then, when I get the chance, between job and wife ) would be:

-The 2.1 match of the two front min21s and the x200 sub when listening to stereo source music is simply spectacular. So much presence, strength, clarity, no matter if you throw them some hard rock or opera, they seem to have no limits. A true pleasure... Only thing is, they kind of need a certain degree of volume to deliver all their beauty. At mid-low volumes they just sound right, nothing spectacular, frequencies seem to "stick together", it all sounds much flatter. They sound perfect at music-lover volume, nothing exagerated, just that volume where you can enjoy music without being disturbed by everyday little noises at home, but you still can hear your wife when she calls you...

-The 5.1 set has proven harder to test. To start with, I needed to set the AV speaker settings to "small", but the very instructions of the AV receiver (I have a Sony STR-DB790 QS) give this advice (in other words): setting small but capable speakers into "large" will get them some mid-low range frequencies and they may just sound better, try it and decide. And so I did. And indeed the min21s delivered in "large" just as if they were!. The amp continues to send low frequencies to the sub, but you're not able to set the crossover from the amp any more, you can only change it when speakers are set in "small". You can choose 60hz, 100hz or 150hz. But honestly, I didn't feel that much difference playing with that, I kind of prefer the "large" setting, but I still have to test it deeper.
Then the problem comes when you start testing the whole surround effect by playing those movie sequencies you know by heart (and I mean you know how they sound by heart!). These days I have learned that having changed home and speakers, I cannot expect certain things to sound the same. But the first days of testing I thought that "sound the same" meant "sound as good as", so obviously nothing sounded "as good as" it used to, and I felt kind of disappointed. After some further testing I realized that I cannot expect these speakers to sound as large wooden bookshelf 2-way speakers, so I started enjoying them as they are, trying to find the best setting to create the proper surround environment.
That tiny mental switch changed the game big deal. So far, the min11s surrounds are set at a +3 level respect to the rest, since I struggled to hear them at the beginning. But I feel that as they get run in they gain presence in the surround sound, I still have to play a lot with them. The true, honest test was spinning a movie I had never seen before (Ice Age 4) and not in a testing mood, but just trying to enjoy it with my wife. And the result couldn't be more satisfying. Clear but strong-bodied voices from the center min21 (at the first tests with well known movies they sounded thin and weak). Good integration of fronts and surrounds, both in effects and music (music sounds just amazing!!). And the x200 sub is a little devil, is a bomb, you think you don't feel it but it's always there, it fills up the music subtly but firmly, it gives body (a strong one) to all kind of sound) and it's equally able to shake your walls when the effects require so!! When the earth cracks in the movie and entire pieces of ice and land fall into the ocean, the whole room seemed to tumble together with the characters, in a series of booms that emerged between music and voices. Such a satisfying pleasure, and such a lesson of how to face the setting and understanding of your new speakers!

As I say, I have just started playing with them, I'm only looking forward to having more time... Sorry for the long post, I hope I can post some pictures today, and more impressions to come.
Edited by lluberest - 12/3/12 at 7:40am

Some pics of the process:


This is the wall mount base already screwed to the wall and with the cables ready


This is the same piece with the cables wired to the "banana" type plugs that the speakers have (really simple and easy process)


Front Left min21 at its position:


Front Right min21:


Both fronts set (no Panasonic plasma yet... )


The X200 (don't be fooled by its innocent look, this thing is dangerous!). That blue glow on the wall is the reflection of the little blue led on the back side of the x200, indicating that it's active.


The min11 surrounds:


The min11s ready to deliver:


The min11s again:


I hope you like them! Sorry for the poor quality of the pics, did them with the iphone in poor lightning conditions...
Edited by lluberest - 12/3/12 at 9:41am

Very nicely done. Now it's definitely time for a better TV. But all the TV's have black frames, not white, so what are you going to do?

Based on Perpendicular's experience, the experience of other users, and numerous reviews, you can expect dramatic changes as the speakers break in.