X-Mini 1.1 Capsule Speaker Review – Big Things Come In Small Packages

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” – Mark Twain

The Mono X-Mini Capsule Speakers have been out for a while and the holidays are once again upon us. Personally I believe these still make the perfect stocking-stuffers and pair nicely with any MP3 player/tablet. Don ‘t let the tiny size fool you; they only measure 52 x 42mm closed. The X-Mini capsule speaker is small but sturdy, with a weight of only 57.4 grams…and is astoundingly very capable of producing exceptional sounds.

The X-Mini’s certainly are well worth the very modest price of roughly $25, and are available in black, grey, red, and pink colours. I take these with me everywhere I go and still get questions about the speakers from people of all ages, those usually being along the lines of where I bought them from, the price, and if they are still available!

EXTERIOR AND BENCHMARKS

The top of the X-Mini has a hinged semi-transparent glossy plastic lid that contrasts nicely with its matte body.  I assume it ‘s to keep dust out of the speakers ‘ membrane and helps direct acoustics. I removed mine right away; the cover is a little tricky to lift up and if left down creates horrible distortion. You don ‘t have to remove it though. The hinge is very solid and the cover doesn’t collapse on itself. I just find it simpler and don ‘t notice any difference if the lid is off or not. The newer X-Mini II speakers and upper models have removed the lids which I assume for the same reasons.

The sides of the X-Mini have a very important function – they have a  twist-to-unlock feature that reveals the€œBass Xpansion System € when unlocked. The X-Mini  pops open to reveal a ribbed, accordion-styled spine. It bounces the audio around and helps create bass for the speaker. It ‘s simple, well thought-out, and works well, especially when chained to other X-Mini speakers. You can use the speakers just fine without extra bass, but we recommend against it, as the sound becomes a little flat and muddy. The added bass really brings out the clarity and makes everything much warmer:

As we can see and hear, the X-Mini provides a massive difference to the sound quality. The ASUS TF700T’s speakers are left in the dust by the Mini which demonstrates a crystal-clear, superior audio experience. A $25 capsule speaker handily beating a $600 tablet speaker system is absolutely amazing!

There is only one negative thing I can mention, which is to make sure not to leave them on edges of tables or counters because they move around if you are listening to something with a lot of bass. On the plus side however, I ‘ve dropped mine dozens of times and they still work perfectly.

Next we will take a look at all the inputs this little guy has.