Minirig 4 Portable Speaker Review

Video Review

First Impressions / Setting up

The Minirig 4 comes in a recycled cardboard tube, inside of which you’ll find a well-packed fabric zipper case with the speaker inside it. It comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable and a minijack to minijack cable, which can be used for connecting it to another speaker to give you wired stereo, should you wish.

You get a few accessories in the box, including a lanyard and a carabiner clip, so you could, in theory, carry it around your neck, although it’s a bit too heavy for that. (However, you could do what I do and attach your keys to it to show off that you use Minirig speakers!)

The overall first impression is of a very high quality “boutique” speaker.

Setting up

To get it going, you tap the power button and simply plug your audio into the top socket on the side, where you’ll also find the USB-C charging socket. From a DJ controller you’ll need a 2 x RCA to 1/8″ minijack lead to do this.

Note that it takes about an hour and a half to charge with USB PD via that socket, or six hours with a normal charge cable, and lasts about 20 to 100 hours, depending on how loud you have it playing. You can also use the speaker to charge your phone if you get caught out.

If you want to connect another speaker, you plug the supplied lead into the bottom socket of the first speaker over to the top socket of the second, and by pressing a button combo, you can set which one you want to be left and which one right, to set up a stereo pair.

If you want to use them casually as Bluetooth speakers, you can do all of what I just described wirelessly, and additionally, you can attach further speakers to build a really big multi-speaker arrangement.

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Note that Minirig sells a subwoofer as well that can be connected in wired mode for DJing or in wireless mode for general use. Adding the subwoofer would be a serious addition indeed for bass because they have really impressive bass anyway, but the option is there.

In Use

Once you’ve found the right cables and got everything wired up to your DJ equipment, either with one or two speakers, it’s time to go! The correct way to gain stage these is to set your output from your DJ gear to what you would normally set it to, i.e. loud but not in the red, and then control the speaker volume on each individual speaker.

Positioning-wise, they can be placed with the speaker facing up or on their sides, and there is a setting in the optional app that lets you adjust the treble EQ for either of these choices (more about the app in a bit). For me, pointing straight up works great.

You’ll find they have deep and clear bass (obviously nothing belly-shaking, but impressive nonetheless), and great warmth in the mids, with sweet-sounding and clear treble. I know people often say small speakers sound great “for the size”, but these really do, and the volume is there too, with distortion only creeping in when you push them ear-splittingly loud.

In my testing I added a second speaker for stereo, and they were endlessly impressive. I appreciated the addition of physical volume buttons and the strip of LEDs for volume, battery charge level and various other bits of info, and also was glad of the USB-C charging, as I always worried I’d lose the proprietary charging cable from the previous Minirigs.

The app

I found the app a bit clunky, but thankfully it’s not really necessary, and you’ll more than likely download it, have a little poke around, maybe set a couple of things how you want them set, and then not use it again.

For me, this is how things should be. I like simpler hardware like this to work without the need for connecting to anything else. Just know though, that there are bass and treble controls, various LED configurations, and a few other bits and pieces for you to explore on the app. This is also where you’d update the firmware should the company push out improvements.

Conclusion

Minirigs are cult speakers for a reason. Apart from their incredible volume and sound quality, they’re really well made, and they are built to last – I have Minirig 1, 2 and 3 models that still work fine.

If you still own older ones, and you’re happy with the way your previous speakers perform, there’s no need to upgrade here. But if USB-C charging, the ability to take calls on a Bluetooth connection from your phone, and the convenience of actual physical volume controls for the first time on the speakers themselves are tempting for you, you may decide to go for an upgrade – you’ll certainly enjoy this latest model.

And if you’re new to the Minirig world? These are the best speaker they’ve ever made. The question may then just be, how many to buy? For me, one of them is a great start, and two will give you a really good micro-monitoring system for your home practice studio, to use as monitors when you’re DJing in smaller venues, and even for intimate parties.

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I do personally think that the entirely optional subwoofer is overkill, because in my mind, having to remember to charge and wire up three separate units (assuming you’ve gone for a left/right pair) takes away some of the spontaneity from this kind of speaker. Honestly, I would just find a much bigger speaker if I really felt like I needed the extra bass, and have it all in one unit. However, we have several students here at Digital DJ Tips who love their Minirig subwoofers, so again it’s down to you!

Wherever you look and at whatever size, though, you’d be hard pushed to find any other portable Bluetooth speaker with this combination of sound quality, volume, DJ friendliness, and build. For that reason, we wholeheartedly recommend these little speakers.