Six hundred stones buys you quite a lot of digital gratification these days: a fairly well-equipped laptop, just about any smartphones, or the latest Apple ipads packed with 32GB of storage. So if you're going to pay $600 for a gadget, it had better be worth it.
With the Cambridge Audio Minx Air 200, the cost does not translate to exceptional features you can't find elsewhere. In the end, you are paying for 200 watts of power, an unusually large 6.25-inch subwoofer, and the bone-crunching bass that will send the Neighborhood Watch team gunning for you. The bass booms, but the overall sound quality doesn't measure up — especially when you consider the price and what you can get from competing speakers.
The Minx Air 200 comes in white or black. Side-by-side, the white Minx Air 200 looks remarkably similar to the $400 Sonos Play:5. In addition to the Minx's massive sub, which is cleverly molded around the rear handle, there are two 2.25-inch speakers. The speaker measures about 18 by 9 inches (45.8 by 22.9cm) — much taller than the $400 Klipsch KMC 3 and a towering monolith next to the $300 Sony BTX-500.
Surprisingly, this speaker doesn't offer much freedom of movement — at least not where's no AC power. The Minx has to be plugged into a wall outlet. (However, you can configure the speaker to power down automatically after a set period.) At 11.2 pounds, you probably wouldn't want to haul it around anyway.
Part of what accounts for its high price are the two wireless signals available on the Minx. As with the Pure Jongo T6 ($469), this allows you to stream audio over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. However, the Minx streams at near-CD quality over Bluetooth AptX. You can also stream over AirPlay with the Cambridge speaker. Using a Mac or Windows computer, you can stream to multiple Minx 200 speakers on the same Wi-Fi network.
Why both signals? With Bluetooth, anyone with a smartphones or tablet can stream using AptX on androids phoness like the Samsung Galaxy S4 or using AAC with ioses. Over Bluetooth, you can select any sound source, such as Pandora or Google Music. With Wi-Fi, you're limited to playing through iTunes (on ioses) or with supported apps like YouTube and Netflix. (On androids, you can only choose presets and adjust settings.)
The Minx app is one of the best I've tested. It worked reliably on an HTC One and an iphoness 5, and it allows you to configure the EQ settings and the presets for Internet radio. The app is also easy to use. You can search for Internet radio stations and use DSP to boost the bass even more.
Configuring the Minx 200 for two wireless networks was easy and quick. As with any AirPlay speaker, you can attach directly from your ioses device or computer, select your Wi-Fi network, and off you go. The Minx had no problem syncing — and maintaining the connection — over a home Wi-Fi network.
But Cambridge Audio needs to rethink the buttons on the speaker. For one, the behavior of the power button is a bit confusing. When you plug in the Minx, the button glows, but the speaker remains off until press it once. To enable Bluetooth, you press a different button decorated with two overlapping rings. Maybe that screams "Bluetooth" to some, but I initially mistook it to symbolize Wi-Fi. Only the fact that the button glows blue set me straight. Also befuddling is the button for using the 3.5mm aux-in port. Its icon looks like an X, which some users could take to mean "mute."
There are five buttons on the speaker and ten presets on the included remote and in the Minx app. The Minx also uses presets for Internet radio. In the app, to choose your own preset, you select a station, then press and hold on the preset button.