MINIRIG 3 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker - Discontinued, please search for the new version MRBT4

I own many speaker systems, including a reference system made up of B&W 705 bookshelf speakers apart from owning Bose soundlink mini 2, still the best portable bose speaker. Have also owned many other bluetooth speakers and I have listened to some top of the range also, for example B&W T7, Dali Katch, Viva etc.Battery of my bose soundlink mini was giving up so I started to search for something better, but still small enough to carry around. Listening to some youtube videos comparing different bluetooth speakers I came across the name of "Minirig", which surprisingly doesn't even come up when you search amazon for "bluetooth speakers" (meaning it is almost never included in the search results, unless you directly look for the word minirig)So I decided to get one directly from Minirig who posted immediately and I had it next day. Gave it a cold start (without any run in time as you normally do for speakers) and the sound quality was so good that I ordered another through amazon on same day!Sound quality from Minirig 3 is no just very good, it is exceptional, coming from a speaker of this size. People like me who are used to reference systems (B&W speakers, Musical Fidelity amps. etc) look for mid range clarity, sound staging, not just bass but a character to that bass and beats etc. This tiny speaker especially when paired with a second minirig has enough mid range clarity and sound staging to make me listen to this more and more, and I haven't switched on my bigger system for days!.Even one minirig is more punchy and clear with beautiful tonality to it's sound than any other bluetooth speaker in it's class. You will have to spend much more than £300 to get a speaker which can compete this minirig.The beauty of this system is that you can buy one minirig initially then add another and then get a minirig subwoofer and you have a cracking hifi system which you can even take with you out of the house ! I was immediately so impressed that I have now ordered a minirig subwoofer also and a minirig mini (which is half the size of minirig 3 and still souns amazing).My honest suggestion is that if you are looking for a class leading sound in a small speaker, then forget about buying Bose or JBL clips etc or UE booms (sorry to say but UE sounds horrible in front of minirig). Just get one of these and then make up a full system. Battery life is exceptional, it is very well made, looks classy.The only downside is that Minirig 3 is a bit bulky, don't take me wrong! Its still much much smaller than UE megaboom or other such speakers, its more or less comparable to bose soundlink revolve in its size/weight ratio. I also wanted a "pocket friendly" speaker, so I contacted minirig customer services who advised to get a minirig mini also, and if I didn't like it, I could return within 14 days to get full refund. So I ordered one through amazon. So impressed that I am keeping that also, in addition to the two minirig 3s that I already got.If you are looking for a bluetooth speaker and thinking of buying a quality speaker, perhaps thinking of buying a bose or more expensive model, just stop and give this speaker a go. You will not believe how good a bluetooth speaker can sound. And this small company is Bristol based with excellent customer support. Can't fault them!The only downside I can think of is that I find bluetooth connectivity with my iphone not very stable at times, especially when staring to play the music. It sometimes needs disconnecting and connecting again. Perhaps the company needs to update the software. But I am so happy with the sound quality that I am not bothered with this issue and happy to use wired connection if necessary.You can download minirigs app and it gives more functionality to the speakers, especially when you have two minirigs.I have uploaded couple of photos for size comparisonBrilliant stuff, don't think twice, just buy one (or preferrably two with a subwoofer) !

I've long been a fan of British hi-fi. Since the 70's I have spent more money than I really should have on a who's who of equipment, from the likes of Sugden, Quad, Naim and Rogers. My affection isn't scientific, I simply believe that the same recording can sound quite mundane, or on the other hand, blow your socks off, depending on the equipment used.Some years ago, I sold everything. I was hard up, and listening anyway mostly on headphones. The stereo system was wasted in our small terraced house. But I wanted something for those few occasions when some loud music might be needed. Such as 50th birthday, 60th birthday...I won't go on.I walked over to Minirig, in their former premises in Stokes Croft, in Bristol, and took home a three unit set up. I was very impressed, although I did return them. I bought some Audioengine speakers instead, as they were less fiddly to set up, but it was a very close thing.Recently I've been hosting music quizzes, and wanting portability. So I bought one speaker, that being all I can currently afford. My impressions:Superb build quality, in the true tradition of British hi-fi. The slightly industrial appearance is so well tempered by a curious elegance. Quite different to the plethora of plastic, over designed speakers that I'd considered. The minimalistic approach appeals to me greatly, although there is a bit of a learning curve. I did screenshots of the online manual, dropped them into Photoshop, reduced the size and printed out five A4 sheets of instructions. Hardly eco...I would have preferred a round, folding booklet to have been included, something that I might keep in the carry case. But I guess that most owners will glance over the online instructions and remember them for life.The sound threw me a little. Distinctly mono, obviously, but boomy and boxy. Mercifully, I was able to improve this enormously by tweaking (and locking!) the eq using the Minirig app. Thereafter, the speaker performed well, across all ranges, not suffering anywhere that I could notice, not in the treble, nor the mids nor the the bass. Clarity was very good, I could hear separate voices and instruments. Altogether enjoyable across quite a range of music. The speaker is revealing enough to betray poorer recordings, such as the remastered Dark Side of the Moon, but Alabaster Deplume's 'To Cy and Lee' was very sweet. I would love to try a two speaker setup, and one day perhaps, a subwoofer, but my piggy bank is currently depleted. It did occur to me that Minirig might consider extending their multiple purchase discount to help the less well heeled. Perhaps if a second unit were purchased within say, six months?I have used this speaker in both wired and bluetooth situations. I would never buy a speaker that had no aux, as I don't entirely trust Bluetooth. It can be very frustrating sometimes, I find. But it has performed flawlessly on the Minirig, using my iPhone, Bluetooth version 5, and my older iPod, version 4. I have also plugged the speaker into the headphone socket of our TV, and the improvement in sound over the inbuilt speakers is quite amazing.There are some quite scientific reviews of the Minirig online, I hope my essentially layman's attempt is of some use.One niggle, or maybe not: my receipt carried a request to post a review, which is fine. But it suggested a five star review, which isn't. Unless Minirig have their tongue in their cheek, in which case all is forgiven. Certainly not enough to affect my rating, and I should point out that my four star rating for sound is a little unfair, as I'm reviewing a mono speaker against my stereo mindset.