A great portable speaker - the Minirig

[Globaltruth]

http://minirigs.co.uk/

I was recommended this rugged high performance speaker, which you can plug into anything with a 3.5mm audio socket & after a few weeks use, have no hesitation in passing the recommendation on - superb in every respect.
Mrs GT has taken to it as well - we both like the fact that there are no controls, sound quality is very good, battery life seems infinite (actually about 50 hrs)

Also, unusually made in Britain.

Here's an accurate review in every respect apart from the price...it has since gone up by a few quid

http://www.wired.co.uk/reviews/gadgets/2011-11/pasce-minirig-speaker-review

[Don Petter]

Looks interesting. Presumably it combines the stereo input to give a mono output, and even if a second unit is added the output is mono.

I don't think it will replace my little Aiwa 'laptop' speakers which we use on holiday trips, which last for a long time on four AA batteries (and most of the time can be used without the amplifier being switched on anyway) and give a good stereo spread.

They weigh in at 19.5 ounces (including batteries) against 15 ounces for one Minirig.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I just hope people will not be tempted to use these things in the garden, in the street, in trains, etc.

[Globaltruth]

Looks interesting. Presumably it combines the stereo input to give a mono output, and even if a second unit is added the output is mono.

I don't think it will replace my little Aiwa 'laptop' speakers which we use on holiday trips, which last for a long time on four AA batteries (and most of the time can be used without the amplifier being switched on anyway) and give a good stereo spread.

They weigh in at 19.5 ounces (including batteries) against 15 ounces for one Minirig.

Yes you can daisy-chain them.

[Don Petter]

I now realise that with a 'stereo to two monos' lead (as Maplin sell) you can have two units giving stereo, rather than just mono with a daisy chain.

[johnb]

It looks interesting but I wonder how easy it is to replace the batteries as they deteriorate over time.

[johnb]

Answering my own post, I have found this on their website:

Well, the battery is rated to still hold 80% charge after 500 charge cycles. This equates to using your Minirig for 12 hours a day, EVERY DAY for the next 5 YEARS! So in short, we hope your battery will hold out for many many years.

We built this product to be solid and last many years.

You can look after your Minirig battery by not leaving it at full or empty charge for months at a time. If you don’t plan to use it for a while, store it with half 50% charge in a cool place.

This is the same for all lithium batteries.

Please note that the rechargeable lithium polymer battery inside is only replaceable by us and not user replaceable. We will be offering a replacement service at a low cost in the years to come should the battery life start diminishing.

I am always sceptical about manufacturer's claims regarding battery life as I have found they are usually grossly optimistic (or perhaps they are derived from idealised test conditions that are rarely, if ever, met with in practice). It would be much better if the battery was user replaceable .... but then I guess it might be possible anyway for someone with soldering skills.

Looking at BatteryUniversity.com it seems that the best practice with Lithium batteries is to charge a little and often - the percentage charge/discharge used can markedly affect the life of the battery. It is best not to fully charge or fully discharge them.

Depth of      Discharge cycles before
Discharge     Capacity reaches 70%
100%           300 - 500
50%             1,200 – 1,500
25%             2,000 – 2,500
10%             3,750 – 4,700

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

er currently unavailable on amazon.co.uk

[Flay]

er currently unavailable on amazon.co.uk

I thought this would be an ideal birthday present for one of my sons. As you say, it's out of stock at Amazon. It is also listed on the Minirig website as being available at play.com and Chemical Records, but they also are out of stock. I managed to find one at Brits Mall for a good price but it would not let me pay at the check-out - after I had spent ages trying to sort out my paypal account

Eventually I managed to buy one from a tent supplier! but P&P was £6.

[Flay]

How quaint:

Minirigs are handmade in the UK by a little company and are only available in small runs. One of the owners of the company has one of our Bell Tents and agreed to let us be one of the few places allowed to sell them.

http://www.belltent.co.uk/accessories/minirig_portable_speaker

They even have a Himalayan demonstration!

[Globaltruth]

They make them in batches that sell out quickly, like, er hot cakes...

On battery life - I've only had mine for a couple of months and it is used irregularly but the battery life has been better than I hoped (obviously 5 years of use would be a better position to comment from - hopefully me and the Minirig will still have some battery life left then). I've recharged it once since I had it. Arrived with a small charge, took all night to get fully charged.
Still very pleased with it - I don't think I emphasised the 'ruggedisation' (dreadful word) enough in my original post - that is also impressive.
You can advance order on Amazon and Chemical Records too.

[Nevalti]

An excellent alternative is the 'Soundmatters Foxl'. Rather more expensive but truly excellent for the size. It is stereo but as the speakers are only 5" apart that does not make a huge difference, it just gives a little atmosphere. It also acts as a hands-free mobile phone.

I'm on holiday, listening to it right now.

[Flosshilde]

I just hope people will not be tempted to use these things in the garden, in the street, in trains, etc.

They even have a Himalayan demonstration!