There are times, when a local brand really impresses me, and I am proud to go an extra mile to promote them. This is one of those times. Recently, I have been the proud owner of a X-mini 2nd Generation by Singapore's XMI.
(SGD $45 at the smaller shops outside simlim)
.... Click Here to read on more about the X-mini 2nd Gen ^^x...
Unlike its predecessors, the X-mini 2nd Generation comes alone. However, this also makes it extremely compact and portable. Fits nicely in the palm of your hand, and seen here with a regular 50 cent coin.
Like its predecessors, it too has an expandable vacuum tube upon unlocking, but in terms of quality of the bass produced. This version wins it predecessors hands down.
Flipped over reveals a buddy jack that clips nicely in play when not in use. (Note: The jack is exposed here for viewing purposes. When clipped in place, it flushes with the sides of the speaker as seen above.) This version also have a more rounded bottom, for a more compact feel overall.
Sound wise, it is impressive. Much louder than its predecessors despite being just a single unit. Of course, being a single unit, it produces mono music, though when 2 or more are plugged in, you do get a more fuller sound, as seen in the videos below. However, if you are just using the buddy jack, they are a tad short, thus the distance between the speakers is limited as shown in the videos. One can use the cable provide to connect the speaker to a PC or to extend the distance, but the cable is not retractable like previous versions and thus can be alittle clumsy.
Personally, I am impressed with it. At just 83g with a built-in buddy jack, it offers added portability over its predecessor and is sufficient for sharing music on the go with a music player like an Ipod or Zen. The bass is overwhelming to the point that the speaker actually jiggles when played at maximum volume, which normally is not needed. Been testing the battery life and it does seem to last over a full 10 hours on a full charge and at 70% volume, with juice to go.
Am so captivated with it that I'm getting it as presents for some of my friends and this also gave me the opportunity to test out the buddy jack capabilities. Overall, the music was much fuller, though, the buddy jacks are too short for me to judge if the sounds is stereo or mono.
And finally, since photos and words can only say so much, I took this videos to let you judge them for yourself. I'll be bringing mine to hall for use with my laptop and outdoor studies, so those who meet me, just stop me for a demo.
First up is demo, showing how the 3 speakers can be buddy jacked together, and how the music can be heard through-out my house.. a regular 5 room flat.
Next, is a much more complete test on its music capabilities, testing how the trio stand up to different styles like rap, techno, instrumental and R&B. The speakers surpassed expectations with techno, rap and R&B, although it did struggle with instrumental (piano) with the sharper and higher notes, as slight feedback was heard when it was played at above 70%. Below that, it fared great.