X-mini Max II gets a design makeover

Juniper Foo | Apr 24, 2009

The volume dial's gone, giving the X-mini Max II the streamlined looks of the Sony Rolly. Just don't expect it to beep, whistle and boogie to music like the latter. (Credit: Kelvin Low/CNET Asia)

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? Well, the guys behind the red dot-winning X-mini capsule speakers are taking a design leap of faith with the X-mini Max II. Instead of the grenade appearance of the Max, the next-gen stereo speakers have taken on a Star Wars drone look with cone heads. While we're told the material and colors may be different come the May global launch, the Max II's exposed and angled tops are intended to "open out" the speakers for more focused sounds.

The pumped-up girth also ensures more space for a bigger driver. If we thought the Max was already bombastic enough to wake up a few banshees, CEO Ryan Lee says the Max II will "nearly double" the sonic prowess of the original. That doesn't yet factor in the buddy-jack system where the user can daisy-chain as many X-mini units as he likes to crank up the decibels.

Other than the design makeover, the Max II retains the cool magnetic base design of the former to hold both speakers together, which kind of gives this resculpted X-mini a rather Sony Rolly look. The accordian vacuum bass also remains, to give the Max II its boom. What we did notice missing was the volume dial, with control now relegated to the player that the speakers are hooked up to.

Other quick specs we got off Singapore-based XM-I: The Max II will weigh in at 170g, have a loudspeaker output of 2.5W, an 80dB signal-to-noise ratio, playback time of up to 12 hours, and battery charge time of 2.5 hours.

The initial retail price is expected to be similar to the Max which launched at US$48 (S$68).

The microdriver is now more exposed, but it's a tradeoff for more directional speakers. (Credit: Kelvin Low/CNET Asia)

A sneak peek at the upcoming packaging of the Max II, though personally I prefer the more compact, see-through casing of the Max. (Credit: XM-I rendering)

Filed under: Music & Play, Notebooks
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ferdiei

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ferdiei says...
yeah you're right about "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" the original design looks industrial+robust at a better S/N of 86dB, than this groovy looking (a-la-china-made) with an environmental friendly packaging(?)

Apr 24, 2009 22:22