Minirig 4 (vs 3) Review

Minirig 4 – Sound!

You will need good ears to hear the differences between the MK3 and the MK4 based on my units. Although in an A/B the differences are there I would imagine playing only one at a time the overall character will be pretty simialr. For me the sound is on the more clinical/bright side. It certainly is a highly resolving speaker and will suit those favouring clarity over bass. It is also a speaker often spoken of as very neutral. I’m not sure I would agree with this but as is often the case a slightly bass lacking speaker with a clear high end and good mids is said to be neutral. for me personally the Minirig when played as a single unit lacks bass weight and extension. I understand this is tuned for the more discerning ear and minimising audible distortion is favoured over pushing more bass via DSP. Due to the design of the speaker as a single driver upwards or side on firing, how you listen to this speaker can totally change how it sounds. I judge the speaker l;sietnign 45 degrees above and down on the unit and straight on its side in so called studio mode. The Minirig is certainly a speaker I think of as suited to more near field intimate listening than outdoor parties but it can get pretty loud so can do both.  However going loud as a single unit means a complete lack of bass.

The Minirig 4 can get pretty loud. Hitting around 106 dB(C) @1m peak when playing Onlap – Rock Ain’t Dead at 100% volume. There is little bass at these volumes however.

Options are game changing!

I have talked of the Minirig 4 as a single unit only. However when you buy into the Minirig system its all about its modular nature. You can hook up multiple minirigs in both bluetooth mode and wired mode. When you do so everything changes. When I pair two Minirig 4s in TWS the whole sound comes alive. It does so the classic way of sum of whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Imaging and soundstage are fantastic and it offers both immersive and fun analytical listening. It does sound punchy rather than warm and warm is my preferred signature. However it is still a great listen and is game changing. For me a single unit is a bit on the bland side for listening and mono is not something I enjoy anyways. But two units in TWS makes the money I spent on them worth it. TWS is now pretty solid (albeit they must be turned on within 5 seconds of each other) whereas it was often unusable on the Minirig 3.

Then we have the subwoofer option (wired only) which adds a huge push for the low end. Even the subwoofer though is more punchy than extended but does again elevate the whole listening experience to a different level. We also have the Minirig Mini which can be paired with all other units (wired with Minirig 4). So the Minirig must be thought of as an ecosystem rather than judged simply on a single unit.