Cambridge Audio Minx XL Speaker Review

[Nopiano]

In the UK this model is no longer listed by the company.

 

[Mosquito]

Perhaps if they had commissioned the construction to the Micca people, the endl result would have been better.

 

[uwotm8]

Here you go:
View attachment 429035

Well... Let's not forget what some highly praised reference studio monitors produce

I guess that happens when "cost effective" means molded plastic tray instead of healthy thicc front baffle.

 

[Philipp]

Someone needs to tell Cambridge what a flagship […] is

We should toss it in a pond to see if it swims.

 

[anphex]

I bet that if they took a little more care with the crossover design this speaker could perform MUCH better.

 

[MZKM]

Preference Rating
SCORE: 2.9
SCORE w/sub: 5.7

Sensitivity: 86.1dB (300Hz-3kHz ; spec: 87dB)
Frequency response: ±8.3dB 50Hz-20kHz ; ±4.1dB 80Hz-20kHz

​

 

[dtaylo1066]

Rated it "Poor." Whomever designed that crossover should have taken a little more time than the 5 minutes they spent on it. Pathetic and embarrassing effort given the company involved. I'd like to see someone pull that crossover and design a new one. Too bad, as it is an aesthetically pleasing speaker.

 

[Thomas Savage]

Reserved for @AdamG to kindly post the specs.

Manufacturer Specifications:

View attachment 429003
Link to Webpage for additional details and information:

Cambridge Audio MINX XL Flagship Bookshelf Speakers

Simplicity of design and incredible performance. The Minx XL is a compact speaker that offers an immense hi-fi sound stage but still with unrivalled value.

www.cambridgeaudio.com

Ah what you have there is the Oxford to Cambridge dip , there's no decent transport links so you end up losing time .. hence the dip . .


In that respect these speakers are extremely accurate.

 

[fordiebianco]

Thanks for the review @amirm . Confirms my suspicion of the brand.

As ever, much appreciated.

 

[CedarX]

In that respect these speakers are extremely accurate.

Joke aside, is it even a possibility for that 2kHz dip to be intentional? What would be expected “effect”?
Or no. it’s just a sloppy job…

 

[Rottmannash]

Rated it "Poor." Whomever designed that crossover should have taken a little more time than the 5 minutes they spent on it. Pathetic and embarrassing effort given the company involved. I'd like to see someone pull that crossover and design a new one. Too bad, as it is an aesthetically pleasing speaker.

Don't give "YouKnowWho" any ideas...he'll be selling a crossover kit for $350 within a week.

 

[Bucking]

Would love if somebody could send the Minx 22 to amir.

 

[Mikig]

yes, sometimes it is incomprehensible:
in a historical period where science and technology allow us to produce at least without defects, I find it inexplicable that historical names are content to put on the market products that present recognizable critical issues.
Thanks Amirm for the test!!

 

[David_M]

Joke aside, is it even a possibility for that 2kHz dip to be intentional? What would be expected “effect”?
Or no. it’s just a sloppy job…

I believe this is the infamous "BBC dip" or "Gundry dip"... a famous way british manufacturer's design their speakers to reduce harshness in the 1khz to 3kHz range.

Gundry Dip or BBC Dip?

Gundry Dip or BBC Dip?

hydrogenaud.io

Gundry Dip in loudspeakers

Apologies if this has been discussed or posted before, but I stumbled on this just now and being UK based and occasional defender of the BBC style of speaker design (cough) and seeing lower kHz dips in so many modern speakers reviewed here, I thought some of you might find the linked thread...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[audiotron]

Well said! It's probably one of those CES off the shelf speaker deals...

 

[dtaylo1066]

I believe this is the infamous "BBC dip" or "Gundry dip"... a famous way british manufacturer's design their speakers to reduce harshness in the 1khz to 3kHz range.

Gundry Dip or BBC Dip?

Gundry Dip or BBC Dip?

hydrogenaud.io

Gundry Dip in loudspeakers

Apologies if this has been discussed or posted before, but I stumbled on this just now and being UK based and occasional defender of the BBC style of speaker design (cough) and seeing lower kHz dips in so many modern speakers reviewed here, I thought some of you might find the linked thread...

www.audiosciencereview.com

That's not a BBC dip, it's closer to a Marianas Trench.

 

[dtaylo1066]

Don't give "YouKnowWho" any ideas...he'll be selling a crossover kit for $350 within a week.

Not advocating or implying that. I was thinking of a select few on this forum. They may be worth buying if you have a MiniDSP and four channels of amplification. Yank the crossover and work some DSP magic. Conversely you can avoid the purchase and get something that has been tested here to be good.

I am always struck by the fact there are a lot of dogmeat speakers out there, many of which are due to poorly matched drivers or worse, just badly designed cross-overs. I think some crossover software such as LEAP can to a good degree outperform some of this stuff.

 

[SmackDaddies]

If I hadn't just reviewed this $99/pair speakers,

That is the rub. If you are 3x the price of speakers that are superior, you don't get a participation trophy

 

[CedarX]

That's not a BBC dip, it's closer to a Marianas Trench.

Maybe it is a trench… or Cambridge Audio’s version of the Grand Canyon… Whatever, I’m not sure what to think about Amir’s listening test:

I first filled in the dip:

That nicely filled in the hole but then my attention kept going to high frequency sharpness. So I quickly dialed in that shelf. The transformation was quite nice. The sound now was quite neutral which when combined with wide dispersion and good power handling, was quite nice.

Is it definitely a poor (bad?) design, or an ill fated attempt to balance this HF sharpness Amir is talking about?

I haven’t cast my vote yet. I don’t think it’s ’Great’, but is it really ‘Poor’?

 

[NicolasGr]

That is the rub. If you are 3x the price of speakers that are superior, you don't get a participation trophy

They could buy a Micca at retail price , brand it as their own, and still make 200% margin, while protecting their reputation. This minx, a sad excuse of a speaker, must have cost them 30-50$ to produce, but not sure it was worth it.