Small & trending

Just when I thought Fender was roped into the desktop amp camp, I thought wrong. Fender just released a pair of bluetooth speakers, in the likes of Marshall's Kilburn, Acton & family. I'm better off with amps, not speakers. 😐

The digital way

This was last night's set up following the arrival of my iRig Stomp: Guitar-iRig Stomp-X-mini speaker-iPad.

My concern with every digital set up has always been the latency issue. Since the early days of my LINE6-into-PC meddling, I have been upset with that slight delay in processing but technology had come through in terms of development. The set up seen above has no such complications. In fact, iOS applications are reputable in this aspect. I have downloaded the free Amplitube bundle & the features are minimal (expected) but it managed to get things going. As far as the iRig Stomp is concerned, it's a hassle-free plug-&-play. My only down in terms of purchase satisfaction was that the cable it came with was dodgy from the start; it affected connection & there was crackling noises to be heard through the speakers. This was how cost corners were cut, obviously.

Tone-wise, the X-mini ME speaker did well in projecting clarity but does nothing in terms of depth. If you are serious in getting some mojo going even with such a simple set up (yes, it's definitely possible), invest in a pro-size monitor.

X-Mini: ME (Part 1)

This is a recent purchase, I specifically went for this one at the shops. My last encounters with the X-Mini speakers had been negative, not in terms of tonal offerings but the speaker per se had rotten features. 

Firstly, the chassis coating went sticky after some time. No idea if this had something to do with the humidity but regardless of where I placed it, it went sticky. Secondly, the X-Mini was designed with a twist function to extend the height of the speaker & the manifestation of more bass- which was a novel idea- but not the latching mechanism. Due to its plastic nature, it weakened over time & the latch snapped, regardless of the model.

The ME version, seen above, has no twisting mechanism whatsoever so there are virtually no movable parts. That yellow cap there is the driver's cover, remove it & you'd see the black driver exposed & blaring music when in use. The depth of the 'barrel' structure ensured a good serving of bass which is rather crucial considering the device's minute physique. I have tested it with my phone & iPad & the results are definitely above average. This was expected because it's not my first encounter with an X-Mini. Take note that it has no volume control so the loudness of it all depends on your device but the ME was designed to amplify. I had my room door closed & turned my phone's volume way past 70% & the ME did its job- it was loud, it was clear, it was impressive :-) 

Next up- applications with guitar-related devices.

More on the ME here: CLICK

That speaker in there...

Ibanez has a featured 1x12 cab for its new TSA15H as seen above...

...what really excites me is the fact that there's a Celestion Seventy80 in there- my fav!!

The 3rd

This is an interesting offering by amp manufacturer 3rd Power- a 3x12" cab so you can remain special in between friends who own a 2x12" & 4x12"...

70-80

Managed to take a peek at my Celestion Seventy 80 while cleaning my cab today...

I simply love these drivers as they sound right with any set ups but more importantly, they serve my ultra distorted tones very well; that's my staple tone... Many of us would look at the cab's brand name while choosing our goods but I'm interested to know what drivers are inside, this will make/ break my tone.

Drum the mini

In the absolute case of laziness, I have assigned my X-mini speaker to manifest some drum beats- works very well. My Zoom RT123 is powered by Biyang's noiseless adaptor.

City Music Year-End Sale: Recommendations (Part 3)

Vox Night Train V112NT
Sale: $231

Vox AC4 V112TV

Sale: $196

You need a good extension cab for your amp head, you don't need a big one, just a single driver unit for home use. I'd say you check the above cabs out. They both sound fantastic clean & overdriven. Between them, the Night Train has more to offer when you wish to manifest intense distortion, not that the AC4 couldn't do that but the former is more adept to such requirements. Both units are superb for the money, no doubt about that.

The twin menace

The other X-Mini capsule speaker I own is the X-Minimax version which I do not prominently mention here.

It's actually a 2-in-1 unit, the whole can be detached to reveal two halves. I would usually deploy them as depicted above, one of which would be in 'more-bass' mode.

Any tonal difference from the regular, Gen 1 version? None; the reason I don't mention it here as often.

The bigger menace (Part 3)

One of the great new features of the revised X-mini speaker is its ability to either attach its previous incarnation to itself (as shown above) or accept another of its kind, to give the user a wonderful stereo experience. As you can see, I've attached my red, first generation version to its contemporary sibling. Sonic bliss!

The bigger menace (Part 2)

The upgraded feature in the current version of the X-mini speaker is its build-in audio cable. Unlike the previous incarnation, the wire remains attached to the speaker & can be tucked in neatly when not in use.

The bigger menace

You might have read my praise for the X-mini capsule speaker back in 2008- how it complemented digital guitar devices; well this year the manufacturer upgraded their ware as depicted above (the right, black unit...).

Watch this space for tone appraisals.

The little menace

This little ditty is simply the most amazing thing I've come across, it's actually a pocket-sized speaker, smaller than the average billiard ball. It's slightly less than $40 & made in Singapore.

I bought it as a companion to my pocketPOD, it's an alternative to head/ earphones. It also connects to your MP3 player via the 3.5mm / USB jack.

The X-mini Capsule Speaker (as the manufacturer calls it), dare I say, produces a more inviting tone for pocket guitar processors or any Mult-FX units with a headphone outlet, than the audio headphones. In addition to the above-average clarity on offer, the X-mini is also loud. Say, do you own the mini Marshall MS2 or other novelty miniature amplifiers which you thought would serve as a good tone projector for bedroom noodling? Well, the X-mini's tonal performance exceeds what those novelties could offer.

Tone purists would be critical to the limited performance of small driver equipped devices because of the inability to manifest good lower frequencies. As depicted above, the X-mini pops up to deliver more bass in the mix. Well, for the beginners among us who are in a dilemma of choosing between a good guitar signal processing unit & a practice grade amplifier (with a restrictive budget at hand), the X-mini could be the economical answer to this complication- highly recommended.

More details on this product here: X-mini Capsule speaker