Saturday 14 September 2013

Review of MINIX NT-1

This review focuses on experience and sound.
Please refer to my earlier post re: packaging, design, and my first impression of the headphone.


First of all, I am not a die-hard audiophile. So, to make this review more meaningful, I brought in 2 other devices as reference points to NT-1. The 1st device was a Creative WP-350, which was at a similar price range, and from a reputable brand (at least for audio devices). The 2nd device was a Plantronics BackBeat Go 2, which was slightly more expensive, from a mainstream bluetooth device maker.

Let's start with specification. As many reviewers would say, specs only tell half the story, what matter is the actual experience with the headset.


MINIX NT-1
Plantronics BackBeat Go 2
Release Year
2013
2012
2013
NFC
Yes
No
No
Bluetooth Version
Bluetooth V3.0+EDR
HSP, HFP, A2DP and AVRCP
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP
Apt-X
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP
Apt-X, SBC codec
Operating Range
10 meters (33 feet)
10 meters (33 feet)
10 meters (33 feet)
Driver Unit
40mm
34mm
6mm
Impedance
32Ω + 15%
32Ω
32Ω
Frequency Range
20-20KHz
18 – 22KHz
20-20KHz
Sensitivity
93 +/- 3db
102 dB
104 dB
Battery
320 mAh
240 mAh
?
Operating Time
10 hours
9 hours
4.5 hours
Standby Time
Up to 250 hours
?
240 hours

You probably can't find NFC Bluetooth headphone at around US$50-$60, from a mainstream brand. But the same is not true, if you can live without NFC. One example is Creative WP-350. As I was writing this, it was being sold at US$50 from Amazon. I managed to borrow 1 from a friend of mine.


In terms of build quality, WP-350 felt more solid, and you can tell more premium materials were used, as compared to NT-1. In terms of comfort, it is comparable. I like NT-1 better as the ear cups are bigger and cover my ears more comfortably. I will leave the sound part later as a consolidated comparison.

Now, the reason why I picked BackBeat Go 2 as a reference, was that I happened to own a pair of it. So I could spend more time comparing it to NT-1.


Obviously it would not be totally fair, as BBGo2 is earphones. There is no point comparing the build and comfort. But I thought it is sill a good reference for the sound comparison.

Finally, the audition. I used a Galaxy S4 as the source/ transmitter, and shortlisted 3 songs for the tests:
  1) Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight (complexed background music, with band and orchestra)
  2) Linkin Park - Papercut (strong music, mixed with some digital sound)
  3) 杨宗纬 - 怀珠 (rich vocal)

With the same setting on S4, NT-1 stood out in loudness/ intensity, and more importantly in bass (as MINIX touted). NT-1 can be very loud. I had to lower the volume on S4, but the same level would be low on the other 2 devices. The bass comparison was easy, NT-1 was clear winner among the 3. Thanks to its large driver unit, the bass delivered on NT-1 was deep, and punchy. However NT-1 seem to be a little cut off at higher frequency, for eg. the disc scratching parts in Papercut, it was clearer on the other 2 devices. The overall sound quality was comparable between NT-1 and WP-350. Worth mentioning WP-350 comes with Apt-X, but during the short time with it, I wasn't sure if it was any better than NT-1. BBGo2 on the other hand, had the best overall sound quality among the 3. Its Apt-X and SBC codecs might have played a part, as the sound on BBGo2 seemed to be richer. It was apparent in the starting of Tonight Tonight, with the layers of different instruments sounded more distinct. Sound isolation (not noise cancellation) on NT-1 was good. The tight ear cups, aided with strong sound intensity, I could not hear most of the external noises when I was commuting on the train.

Conclusion - decision to get something unproven is always difficult. Especially at US$50-60, MINIX NT-1 is not the cheapest. NFC is clearly its unique feature to make NT-1 still appealing at this price. I truly like its convenience pairing up the devices by simple taps. But in reality, it probably only save you few seconds each time... I will leave it to you to decide whether it is a gimmick or not. The build quality is respectable, though I would prefer a more original design. More importantly, the sound from NT-1 is descent if not great. The reproduction does not suffer much via Bluetooth, even without apt-x, sounds are clear and loud. The bass, which ought to be the highlight, is impressive. If you are like me, who value convenience, like to keep up to new technology, and always look out for value for money, then you may want to consider NT-1. 

I hope my feedback was informative. Please hit plus 1 if you find it helpful!

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