Sound

Other styles of music

Just an FYI. Blue room is actually a record label. They've produced Psy-Trance. These speakers were designed for that kind of music. They're somewhat weak in other styles of music, but just keep in mind that they were designed for a specific type of music. I know a good set of speakers should play all types of music good, but if you actually listen to Psy-Trance, you'll hear where these speakers outshine all others. Since I'm most likely the only person on this board that's into Psy-Trance, I'll say: Go ahead and buy another brand.

Clarity, Coherence, spacious presentation, Neutrality

SLIGHT coloration in the upper midrange, sometimes a little bit 'impertinent' tweeter.

I've bought these two blue 'embryonic bears' as second speakers but also to reconsile my girl-friend with my stupid hobby..
My first impression in the HiFi-Shop: Whow..These are the best little speakers I've ever heard.
At the presentation the HiFi-Dealer has permanently converted between the Minipods and the B&W Nautilus 804. The difference between both speakers have been marginal (in view of the exorbitant price difference!!)
After purchase I've discovered this (very!!) slight coloration in the upper midrange, which you can hear in ALL kind of music (not only at female vocals!). But it's really minimal..
To minimize the problem with the 'sizzling' tweeter I would suggest to use a not too bright sounding (british!?) amplifier.

I think that these little ones are a very cheap REVOLUTION in building of loudspeakers.

LOOK, LISTEN AND BUY IT.

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there are NO similar products!!

Clarity , good looking and impressive sound quality,image and most of all truely value for money.

Recommended for easy listening music with few instruments and single vocal and migh not able to handle large scale orchestral works giving the size of the speaker.

Contrast to the comment from others, the speaker produces a clear and defined female vocal and the design of the speaker eliminates the diffusion from conventional box-type cabinet. Need careful placement to achieve the best sound image and a clear but not boomy bass. Speaker stand is recommended.

High power amp. is a good idea in order to gain better texture and total control of the speaker. I am using Krell KSA300.

I put my ATC SMC20 aside and indugle in the Minipod ever since.

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SL600, SL700

clarity, size, aesthetic

dispersion

Everyone else has gotten it right aleady. The upper mids sound a bit clangy and the upper highs are sizzly. Don't get me wrong, though, these complaints are very, very slight. Overall they sound dynamite, especiall for the price.
They tahe a while to break in, as all speakers do. Byt the change is amazing with these. I was disappointed at first. Now I am happy as a clam.
The bass extension is lacking, obviously. I tun them with a sub and the sound is clear, open, big, and musical. I know that that sounds like a lofty description but it's true.
The strangest thing about these is the off axis treble. They fill a room nicely, but if you are right in front of the speaker the highs will sound exagerrated. The tweeter is sunk slightly behind the curved shell and I think that this is the problem.
Everyone who comes into the house is curious. They attract a lot of attention.
I plan to use them as rears I think. Their characteristics are suited to surround application.

They are tough to beat at $400.00.

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B&W LM, B&W 602, Yamaha Mini System, Infinity sub system

Super-cool modern looks that stomps anything else out there in aesthetic appeal, clean, transparent sound for the size/$, easy to place w/ the tripod legs & small size

Upper midrange a bit thin (noticeable to a certain extent on female vocals), light bass (but hey, it's got a 5" woofer & small volume cabinet)

If you want a small "statement" speaker, this is it! Everyone coos when they see them in my living room. These things are the hippest, coolest ultra-modern speakers I've found. Well-engineered from ex B&W guys & looks to die for. Stunning looks & build quality/quality control.

Plus, they sound pretty good too, with a kevlar woofer & soft dome tweeter. Clear, transparent sound w/ just a touch of slight hollowness in the upper midrange. Nothing else comes close for the aesthetic/sound combination. Way better than the B&W LM-1 in sound and looks (compared them both in my high-end home system). Because they're sold direct (made in Holland (I think) but shipped from their San Francisco distribution point), you save on dealer markup & at $400 (shipping included) only $50 more than the B&W's! www.minipod.com

Now if they could only fit it w/ a ribbon tweeter & a slightly higher quality mid/woofer....

5 stars for value, 4 stars overall for slight midrange coloration.

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B&W LM-1

Their looks! their sound (for the price)

Need careful placement

Let's cut to the chase here, you've got your new loft apartment in London, New york, Dublin or wherever you're from - it's got hardwood flooring, stainless steel everything & a funky bathroom. Do you really want to ruin it all with big ugly black mdf speakers? OK, you can buy a nice small rosewood ones, but these still require nastly, evil, gaudy black metal stands. For that killer touch buy some Blueroom Minipods.
I know what you're going to say - he just bought them for their looks. Well, your right! No really, my (downstairs) neighbour complained about the noise resonating from my speakers, apparently he hear nothing but tumbing bass all the time (even thought I was only playing Jeff buckley). Being a good neighbour I agreed to look at some alternatives, so off I went to my dealer with my Linn Classik under my arms. I was set on Linn Kans which I was going to wallmount, but I saw these babys and was sold. The Kans cost £299.00 and sounded worse, if I wanted rosewood I'd have to upgrade to the Tukans at £549!!. In an A/B comparison, the minipods were far better the the Kans or even the Tukans (at £300 more). The main thing is they sound much better than my old Mission 750LE's and rewrite the book on looks v's sound quality v's positioning.

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Celestion MP1/Mission 750LE

Artsy, Aesthetic looks. Competent transducer.

I've always been interested in these speakers since I first saw them in some audio magazine many years ago. I was working in an audio retail store that carries every line of B&W, and I was fortunate to audition the Blueroom Minipod when the company rep from B&W brought a pair to our store.
At first, I was really hoping that these speakers would satisfy my audio taste, atleast, I wanted to like these speakers, so I would want to have these pretty speakers in my townhouse in a second stereo system.
But, after my initial audition, I was rather dissapointed in it's performance. These are not bad sounding speakers, especially since I am very attracted to their looks. But I wouldn't get myself to buy these speakers, even at a superb discount direct from the company rep.
These speakers uses proprietary cabinetry, I forgot what the materials they are made of. The drivers and cross overs are directly transplanted from the DM series speakers, namely the DM601, I do believe.
Compared to the DM601, the Minipods are not as compressed sounding, because the LF is not as strong, probably because the cabinet has a larger square area than the 601. And the HF is sharper, probably because the material of the minipod has more reflective properties than the wood/mdf used in the dm601.
Overall, the DM601 is still way more musical than the minipod despite it being more compressed sounding. The NHT Superone, however, makes the minipods sound like computer speakers. The Linn Kans produce less LF, and I think these speakers cannot do without a subwoofer, but I rather live with the Kans than the minipod.
In conclusion, the minipods are excellent adornment for the modern looking living area. The sound might not be the best choice in its price range, infact, its only a tad better than the entry level B&W's DM300 series, but they are more musically accurate than most Boston Acoustics or Bose cubes you find in mass market retail stores.

Similar Products Used:

NHT SuperOne, Linn Kan, B&W DM602.

SNAPPY PERCUSSION, MALE VOCALS, COOL LOOKS

ONLY AVAILABLE ON-LINE, SIBILANTS ON FEMALE VOCALS. 1 yr warranty

These are cool looking speakers available in a variety of colors. They are designed by a former owner of B & W speakers so have a good pedigree. To see the speakers and get their history and price ordering information go to www.minipod.com as they are only available on-line, no U.S.
dealers to date.
If you do decide to but just to forewarn you that the price does not include freight and custom duties which will add up $50-$70 for U.S. customers. Be sure to include an easily reachable phone number as you will have to arrange payment of the custom duties with the freight company before they
forward the speakers to you. I would recommend to Blue Room
that they include customs in the quote so their customers don't have to fool with this. In spite of this i had the speakers in less than 2 weeks.
The sound of the speakers will be greatly affected by placement. Against a back wall you will have decent bass and
ok clarity. Out in a room on stands of 24" to 36" you will
have outstanding clarity but lean bass.
On the floor or on the supplied "sputnik" stands which lift the speaker 4" or so off the floor you will have very good bass considering the 5" woofer and above average clarity.
I love these speakers on male vocals. No chestiness, they sound like real voices in the room with you. They also sound good on choruses. Female voices don't rate as high
due to somewhat excessive sibilants.
The speakers have an upfront sound but are a bit bright,so on older digital recordings they can be harsh. Be careful of the electronics you match them up with.
They can be great on percussive heavy music such as Phillip
Glass's "Aqua da Amazonia" featuring the percussive group Uakti. This recording lept right out of the speakers.
They are real good on rock, jazz, and orchestral recordings.
Classical and film music orchestral works especially on the
floor location had good bass solidity and wonderfull clarity.
Rock music rocked as you would expect since Blue Room also
does progressive rock recordings in the U.K. Once again for
best bass they must be near the floor.
I also ran them with an M&K MX-90 subwoofer which added
to the sound but even at 1/3 volume were to bassy for these
speakers. I would recommend a faster subwoofer, probably with 6" or 8" woofer.
One caution these speakers do not have grill cloths and seem to attract fingers poking at the drivers. It seems to
be a natural reaction as they look like toys to some people
and the combination of the yellow kevlar woofer and tweeter
seems to attract touching. If you have kids this could be
dangerous to the speakers. The speakers are made of ABS plastic with an automobile type paint finish. I got the blue
ones which throw people off as they don't expect speakers
to have such odd looks and be colorful.
I think they are a good value at $380-$440 U.S. depending
on currency exchange, freight and custom costs with quite good sound. The only thing that really bothers me is the 1 year warranty which if light considering that they would be a pain to return to the U.K. if you have problems. Otherwise i have enjoyed them quite a bit in the 5+ months i have had them.

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KLIPSCH FORTE II, ALLISON 9, ALLISON 6'S

Pleasing form, modern organic format. Excellent sound

May not be the best objective choice

Very nice design and excellent sound for this format, which was clearly based upon aestetic principles, not acoustic.
A very pragmatic compromise, and just the right price/performance balance, which I can appreciate.

I like the minipods very much, to my (untrained) ears the sound is a wee bit bassy if you get too close.
When I normally listen to music, they stand on my study desk at unequal height (with my head in the middle), this may influence the perceived performance.

From the snoozer sofa straight across the speakers at 3 meters the sound is better balanced.

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Used to buy larger forms

Extremely unique design; both construction and sound quality is surprisingly solid

May be a tad weaker with female vocals, but that's picking nits

First of all it should be noted that there are two different versions of the Minipod. The first (the ones I own) editions were built in partnership with B&W, using thier then-popular yellow kevlar cones and range-wide tweeters.

The ones available now go for less than half the price of the originals. They are made by different people in Britain in partnership with Amsterdam technical designers, and the parts are mostly all-new. I haven't heard the MK II version but from photos can see several differences, such as a visible seam where the front & rear case halves are sealed together, and a newer style of snap-in sputnik stand with round feet (MK I version has simple screw-in aluminum spikes with no feet). The binding posts have gone downhill since the MK I as well. It seems the GRP material B&W used for the case form is now simple plastic, but is still hand-painted in a large range of colors (about to get bigger).

I have no idea how the newer MKIIs sound. However I've had the MKIs for nearly six years now and they still run great. In fact the Minipod seems to have the longest break-in period of any speaker I've ever come across. They sounded muddy and heavy when I first got them, but within two weeks of television, film, and every genre of music playing thru them they completely woke up. And months later they had transformed yet more, putting out a room-filling alive presence each time they were switched on. I think I have just the right size living room as I am not sure how well they would work in an overly-large room.

They sound fantastic but seem to mumble at late-night low-volume levels -- they beg to be opened up to a healthy volume in order to give happy sound. Which is why my old neighbor used to pound on my wall so often. The yellow drivers really bump along visibly when they are humming, and I think that may have something to do with why they sound better at higher volume.

If you back them up closer to the wall, the bass gets noticably louder, but can make the overall tone too bassy or boomy... which is why it is a good idea to go for the Basspod as well. It's been designed to compliment them and is tuned just right, no complaints with that. Because of thier rounded design I've found the space between each speaker needs to be wider than you'd normally expect, since so much of the field radiates out in W I D E circles instead of bouncing off the inside of the rectangular box and coming straight out the front, like a typical speaker. Spread those babies out!

The original Techno Pod design was created back in '92-'93, geared towards club owners and that whole rave scene; they had steel hardware in the back for bolting onto walls to aim down at the dance floor etc. That being said I don't feel that any of the Pods series work in only one particular genre of music -- they run a great DVD home theater as well as they can bump mad hiphop beatz or put out sweeping ambient techno vistas. They certainly do excel in "electronica" in general, though.

I have noticed a faint kind of slurryness when a house track has a female diva going really high-pitched... but maybe it is just my placement. Not sure yet.

Overall I definitely recommend them, and I have seen the MK I for sale used on the web often, so if you can try for those. Spend some time positioning them correctly and pairing them with the Bass Pod as well as the right amp (don't go over 100 watts/channel with these) and give it them long warm up, break-in period, and you'll be happy.

Also you can get wall mount brackets for both the MK I and MK II, so a 5.1 setup is easily within reach. They are currently working on a center channel speaker called the Cinepod (of course) so keep an eye out for that in March/April. Also they are rumored to be updating the old House Pods (ahhh yeah!), which would be awesome for use as the front two mains. Not sure how true this rumor is though...

Similar Products Used:

24.5" tall dual-driver Techno Pods, 21" tall House Pods, Basspod subwoofer