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James

Site owner at Canadianomad

I sold everything 8 years ago to play professional sports & explore the world. After living in 7 countries, I made this to share everything. 100% authentic and strange!

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I had an original Minirig, the Minirig 2, and now 3 Minirig 3s. In this quick head-to-head, I’ll let you know what’s better in the Minirig 2 vs 3 showdown.

If you haven’t yet, first check out my Minirig 3 review to get a full overview on how I like those speakers! Lets hop into the Minirig 2 vs 3 review right now though.

Here’s the Minirig 3 Amazon link and the Minirig official website link.

Sound quality

The most important aspect – is the sound quality that much better on the Minirig 3 vs 2?

Honestly, it’s not so substantial.

The Minirig 3 does have a higher max volume, however you’re rarely pushing 100% power.

The bass extension is ~10Hz lower on the Minirig 3 vs 2. It feels a little tighter and louder, but about the same in most cases except for really deep bass music.

In terms of trebles and mids there is a slight difference, however they’re really close enough that it doesn’t matter in the end.

So overall in sound quality, yes, the Minirig 3 is an upgrade, though marginal. The bass extension is somewhat negated when you involve the subwoofer and actually the Minirig 2 might be preferred because it hits those upper basses slightly better.

Specs

I bolded the areas that the Minirig 3 and 2 are different.

Here are the Minirig 3 specs compared to the Minirig 2 specs:

Minirig 3 specs:

Dimensions: W = 10.16cm x H = 7.3cm

Weight: 550g

Driver: Custom 70mm driver, neodymium magnet

Frequency Response: 60Hz – 18,000Hz

Battery life max volume: 7 hours

Battery life average use: 30 hours

Battery life low volume: 100 hours

Input Power: USB (5V DC @ 1500mA)

Output Power: USB (5V DC @ 1000mA)

Amplifier power: 1 x 40W RMS

Bluetooth: 5.0 with aptX, AAC, Broadcast & wireless stereo

Bluetooth receiver mode: Yes (line out)

Bluetooth Range: >10-30 meters (meh… not really)

Charging time: 4-5 hours

Audio input/output: 2 x 3.5mm mini jack socket

Construction: Anodized aluminum and high impact ABS

Weatherproofing: Splash resistant

App: iOS and Android

Minirig 2 specs:

Dimensions: W = 10.16cm x H = 7.3cm

Weight: 488g

Driver: Custom 70mm driver, neodymium magnet

Frequency Response: 70Hz – 16,000Hz

Battery life max volume: 15 hours

Battery life average use: 50 hours

Battery life low volume: 80 hours

Input Power: USB (5V DC @ 800mA)

Output Power: USB (5V DC @ 500mA)

Amplifier power: 1 x 15W RMS

Bluetooth: 4.2 with aptX, AAC, wireless stereo

Bluetooth receiver mode: Yes (line out)

Bluetooth Range: >10-30 meters (meh… not really)

Charging time: 8-9 hours

Audio input/output: 2 x 3.5mm mini jack socket

Construction: Anodized aluminum and high impact ABS

Weatherproofing: Splash resistant

App: iOS and Android

Evidently, the Minirig 3 is better on the spec sheet, but honestly it’s not game changing if you already have a Minirig 2.

Build quality

Both the Minirig 2 and 3 are very similar in build. I actually preferred the textured anodized finish on the Minirig 2 instead of the flat colors on the Minirig 3, but that’s a whatever.

They’re both built extraordinarily tough and I’ve put both of them through some heavy abuse. So when it comes down to Minirig 2 vs 3 here, it’s really no winner in this section.

Battery life

They’ve upgraded the battery life a good margin on the Minirig 3. With that in mind, my Minirig 2 lasted *forever* before running out of juice, and the Minirig 3 improved that even more.

I could see the upgrade to Minirig 3 from 2 being worth it if you’re finding yourself out of battery often and doing extended weekends/outings frequently. I go to festivals, parks, hidden forest parties and all that jazz fairly often so bumping up the battery life that extra what feels like 30% was definitely worth it.

The bigger difference is the charging speed! The Minirig 2 charges at 800mAh while the Minirig 3 charges nearly twice as fast at 1500mAh – nice!

So, in terms of Minirig 3 vs 2, the Minirig 3 takes the win in battery life.

Other

The case on the Minirig 3 is much better. With that grey mesh case, you can just leave the Minirig 3 inside it, fully protected from the outside world. The case on the Minirig 2 is great but you need to unzip the top and expose the grill to the outside world. You can buy the mesh Minirig case for like $10 if you have a Minirig 2, but it’s free with a Minirig 3 so that might just be worth it for you.

Conclusion

I’d say it’s worth upgrading from the Minirig 2 to 3 if you use it constantly and find yourself running out of battery often, want the improved case, and are annoyed with the charging time. Otherwise, the sound quality improvement is marginal and the higher max volume is a niche desire.

However, if you don’t have a Minirig yet and are looking to hop on one, I’d recommend picking up the Minirig 3 and not think about it anymore. It is the better device and will blow you away regardless.

My Minirig subwoofer review will go into the details on that bit of kit, check it out!

Let me know if you have any questions about the Minirig 2 vs 3, I’ll answer them ASAP! Anyways, until next time, peace 🙂