With some of these competitors coming in at an equivalent or even lower price, it means that, in terms of performance for pound, we are left wanting more for a little less. What makes the Mini difficult to recommend, however, is that some (admittedly larger but still very portable) rivals have both significantly better audio quality and greater versatility. Some of those upper-midrange notes are also harsher than we would like. They have an unnaturally coarse cutting edge to them, which leaves you recoiling a little at each draw of the violin’s bow. This is only exacerbated at higher volumes.

The Minirig Mini is an interesting proposition: the stark design will be appreciated by some, its small stature will be attractive to the space-conscious, and the sound is solid. Compared to similarly-priced products, such as the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom, it isn’t quite as insightful across the board. We’d like more texture to each instrument, so this speaker can really show off the shimmer of cymbals or the throbs of bass guitars. Yes, the Wonderboom is bigger than the Minirig Mini - it's about twice the size, in fact - but it is still very small in its own right and is certainly very portable. In short, we think that someone eyeing-up the Minirig Mini could and should also consider the Wonderboom, and the latter finds a sweeter spot between size and sound quality.

20% more battery life