X-Mi X Mini II 2nd Generation Capsule iPhone / iPad / iPod / MP3 / Laptop Speaker - Black

As someone who does a lot of travelling around the country, I find it very useful to have a set of portable speakers that can be plugged into my MP3 player so as to listen to music without headphones. Unfortunately the sound quality you get from most portable speakers is very poor with the bass in particular, failing to impress.

When I ordered my x-mini, I did so because of the size and design rather than any expectation of performance. However, these portable speakers are a very impressive piece of kit, so impressive in fact that as soon as I had seen my first one in action, I went straight online to buy a second.

The speakers are powered by an internal battery which can be charged through an included usb cable. The sound quality is so good that I use my speakers as replacement for my laptops speakers when listening to music and thus running low on charge hasn't been a problem for me so I can't comment on battery life further than what the official statement has to say. The sound quality as stated before is very good, the speakers can't quite cope flawlessly with the loudest parts of some songs when everything is turned up to full volume, but I think to expect that may be unrealistic for a portable speaker in this price range. Even saying that the volume these guys can produce without any distortion is amazing. The bass is far superior to any of the other portables I've used and the size is perfect for just throwing in a bag when you're on the road. There is also a system in place which means you can "buddy jack" numerous x-mini's thus further increasing their sound output. All the equipment required for this, as well as charging comes included so you don't need to worry about buying extra cables or peripherals.

All in all these are a great purchase and I've already recommended them to some friends. They should be seriously considered if you're looking to invest in some portables. I honestly think they would be cheap at twice the price.

There's a good reason this product has so many 5 star reviews.

One of the most impressive buys I've made in a long time. Eventhough this is possibly a 'gimmick' it works as a decent enough speaker in it's own right and is highly useful for a number of different situations.

Incredibly small and convenient to transport, the XMI Mini pops open it's accordian centre to allow it to work similarly to a subwoofer. The punchy bass produced from such a small effect is genuinely impressive. The highs and mid-range are not too bad, with the former being much more dependant on the direction the speaker is pointing. After testing it out on multiple genres, electronic music is probably the most impressive - but anything with decent bass is going to show what this speaker can do.

No these are not replacements for a hi-fi, that's so obvious it almost doesn't need mentioning, but for 'small convenient speaker soloutions' these will really impress. Do you need something to use with your laptop? they'll do the job. Need music for a picnic? These are perfect.

One of my first thoughts after plugging it in for the first time was: I want to buy another one. Sure enough, the subsequent day my second speaker came. Unfortunately, here come my only gripes: when you have two on full volume, the imperfections of each are significently magnified. Just one speaker on full volume doesn't sound too distorted even when tested on a variety of music, but two on full volume and thee's a massive reduction in quality. This means you'll have to lower the volume and then it's worth wondering whether the increase in sound is worth having two. It's definitely louder, but I can't help but feel more impressed with them on their own for some reason. - Just something to consider if, like me, you felt the need for two.

The battery life is great, easy to charge. The headphone jack tucks away neatly into the device. The thing looks good, feels reasonably sturdy. Overall it's just a very impressive device.

This is a great gadget, it's cheap, it's loud, it's convenient and it's worthy of all the great reviews it's recieved here. Read more ›

Saw a good review of this on the net and i'm going backpacking this summer so it seemed perfect. It's much smaller and louder than i expected it to be, and really good value for money. in diameter its roughly 6cm and about 4cm in height. the built in audio lead means you don't need anything extra and even comes with its own little pouch for packing. Plus as for audio quality i couldn't ask for more in one speaker and the bass is impressive.

i'd reccomend getting the usb-plug charger too which means you can charge your ipod and this and save individual charger space. Overall thoroughly impressed.

Great little speakers - plenty of sound and staying power - tiny and easy to transport bought two of these and use a left/right splitter lead to obtain true stereo (e.g. Maplin L39BA)

I have just bought an X-Mini II and am very impressed with it. Really, very impressed. It has provided an improved sound to all of my various portable devices that I have plugged it into (Palm TX, Nokia, iPod, netbook computer, CD player, LCD projector - the list goes on). It is really portable, and I love the way it is rechargeable. Now I have a couple of suggestions to get the best out of these little marvels:

1. Take care when setting them up. When I first plugged mine into my computer (the first source I tried) there was heavy distortion even at a low volume. I thought the X-Mini II was to blame, but then I looked over the volume adjustment options of my computer and found that all the volume controls were up High. So, I adjusted the Wave slider down to mid-way avoid the risk of the signal there getting over-loaded and adding distortion, then I adjusted down the Master volume control to mid-way. After that I played with the level on the X-Mini volume control itself and then went back to play with the Master control. That way I got a MUCH better sound at the volume I wanted. Obviously the volume level available from the X-Mini is so high that it easily makes input distortion audible, and worse. The same control issue applies to any other source - be careful to NOT wind up the volume from the source to full - e.g. the volume control of an MP3 player - as then the output to the speaker will probably be distorted and the speaker will just then amplify distorted sound, sound terrible, and give the impression that it is the speaker at fault when it's not, it's the input signal. Instead start mid-way with the source volume, adjust the speaker, and then play more with the source volume (PS: The volume slider on the X-Mini is so well 'disguised' that at first when I used it I didn't realize it was there, hence my first reaction to wind up the volume on the source, which increased the distortion!)

2. Right now the speaker sits on its base pointing up, but, that is not good for high frequency. Pointed up towards the ceiling I lose much of the directional high frequency and the sound is a bit flat. You can get a much better sound when the driver is pointed towards your ears, but the shape of the speakers - round - means they automatically tend to roll back to the vertical. So, try something like a wedge of paper (or something more elegant if you can - I have used egg-cups as one way!) to get them on a slant. Pity about this one - there should be an integrated solution, like a flat side or pop-up foot (like my keyboard has) - I hope that is looked at for the next up-grade! Read more ›