I'm not a huge fan of little speakers (heh heh, I'm punny). But I have to admit at the recent CEDIA show I left Cambridge Audio's booth impressed.

The reveal in their booth was one Bose has perfected over the years (instead of, say, improving their speakers). Black curtains obscured the speakers, so we were forced to just listen. It was obvious to anyone who'd been through such a demo that little speakers lay on the other side of the curtain. I was surprised, though, to see such seemingly normal looking little cubes.

This is because the audio was decidedly un-tiny cube. The soundstage was quite large, belying the diminutive size of the speakers.

What makes the Minx truly different is the driver. The flat center of the driver is actually a flat-panel radiator, similar to what you'd find in one of NXT's designs. It's actually a hybrid, though, as the radiator is mounted on a rubber surround, like a conventional speaker. It's weird, different, and seems to work quite well. Cambridge claims that in addition to a broader sound dispersion (explaining the soundstage), the hybrid design results in a wider frequency response as compared to other drivers of its size. This makes for better blending with the sub.

The Minx cubes are roughly 3-inches square. They're paired with one of three subs of roughly 8-inches square in 200, 300, and 500 watt flavors. There will also be double cubes.

There will be multiple configurations available, including 2.1. A 5.1 system will start around $800 when they all go on sale in January.

I can't wait to get my hands on a set to try them out. Coolest little speakers I've seen in a long time.

CambridgeAudio.com