X-Mini II Capsule Speaker (Black)

By 

A. Cooke (Dallas, TX) –

  

I’m sure this review, as with all other negative reviews, is going to get a “this was not helpful” rating. Look, I get it.. the X-Mini II is an AWESOME product and nobody should to talk terrible about it, right? At least hear me out first.. because I’ve been using these for nearly a year and have owned 3 of them. I reckon that earns me the right to an honest negative review. And remember, most people review products shortly with they buy them.. I’ve really spent a lot of time using them.

I absolutely loved mine when I first got it. I showed it to lots of friends and all my coworkers, many of which have since bought their own. It’s an brilliant small speaker. The sound quality is incredible for such a small package.. the build quality feels very solid. Sadly, it’s what’s inside that counts.. and what’s inside is junk. I’ve owned 3 of these speakers and all 3 are now dead. Here’s the series of events that led to this terrible review:

X-Mini #1 – Bought my first one about 10 months ago on Amazon. Loved all about it. One thing that really stood out (aside from brilliant audio quality) was the build quality. Very solid construction. I liked it so much I bought another one for a family member, which we’ll call X-Mini #2.

X-Mini #2 – Worked fine, but I noticed the build quality wasn’t as excellent as the first one I bought. The once soft rubber-like audio cable was now stiff, cheap, shiny plastic. The power switch was now flimsy and didn’t operate as solidly as my first one. The sound wasn’t quite as excellent, and it was a tiny bit lighter consequence. With about 1 month, I started having audio hiccups from it and had to contact the store (possibly power surges?). They sent me a replacement and let me keep this one. The replacement they sent me is X-Mini #3.

X-Mini #3 – Same lower-quality construction. By this point it was evident that X-Mi had started to cheap out on the equipment of the speaker. The once rock-solid speaker now feels like a cheap toy. About two weeks with owning this speaker, the battery stopped working. It no longer holds a charge and has to be plugged in via USB or a wall outlet in peacefulness to play sound. I’m not going to bother the company I bought this one from because they already sent me a free replacement.. now it’s up to X-Mi.

Now I have 1 excellent speaker (my first), one defective one, and one with a dead battery, right? Incorrect.

Back to X-Mini #1 – My beloved first, now, with 10 months of light use (maybe 3 hours a week), is dead. The battery is having the same issue as X-Mini #3. It will no longer play sound without being attached to external power.

I’m done with these things. I want to like it.. I really do.. and several months ago I would have given this thing 6 out of 5 stars if it were possible. I can no longer do that. They simply don’t last. I’m extremely disappointed with X-Mi for cheaping out on equipment and have sent them an email amplification this.

If you’ve been able to snag one that lasts longer than a year, consider yourself lucky. I envy you.

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Customer Video Review Length:: 2:15 Mins

(Video) Could have been better quality, but too large and wouldn’t upload.

First off, This speaker is incredible for it’s size. There is nearly no distortion in sound when playing on MAX volume. It comes with a USB splitter, to charge and a 3.5mm plug so that you can connect multiple X Mini II’s together. It also comes with a handy bag to store your X Mini II in. I had an Altec Lansing iM207 before this, and the X Mini II blew the iM207 away!!!. The size difference was one thing, and the sound quality was another. The iM207 also ran on 3 AAA batteries. There will also be distortion in the iM207 on full volume. The playtime with the batteries was terrible. I had to switch batteries every week, with only around 20minutes of playtime each day. For the X Mini II, it can play up to 8 hours. There are also LED indicators of when you need to charge again, and when it is fully charged.

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John D. Steere (Silver Spring, MD United States) –

  

I bought this and the iHome rechargeable mini-speaker at the same time. The iHome mini-speaker is much louder, but the sound quality of the X-Mini II is better for music, at least in my opinion. You get more of the high and low tones with the X-Mini II, and I am surprised that it does not have a tinny sound. The iHome speaker is excellent for movies or if you need a loud but small speaker for parties. The X-Mini II is slightly better than the iHome speaker, but not much. I recommend the X-Mini II for listening to music, and it works really well with my netbook or with an mp3 player.

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