Mint 130 Wireless Speaker for iPod, MP3 Players, PCs, and Mac (Black)
From Mint Digital Signature
- Color: Black
- Brand: Mint
- Model: Mint 130
- Dimensions: 4.30" h x 7.00" w x 11.40" l,
Wirelessly play your computer's audio, play and charge your iPods, and enjoy crisp, room-filling sound with the Mint 130. Combining the Mint 130 Digital Music Station and iPod dock, the Mint USB Wireless Audio Card for PC/Mac, and a handy remote control, the 130 marries great sound with great value. Since it also boasts an audio mini-jack input for other audio sources, you can amplify pretty much anything. Easily amplify your digital life with the Mint 130.
 Wirelessly amplify your iPods, computers, and other devices. Click to enlarge or see rear of device. |
 Enjoy your favorite iPod tunes while your device charges. Click to enlarge |
 Stream audio wirelessly from your PC or Mac to the Mint 130 from up to 45 feet. |
 Use the included remote for full control over your listening experience. |
Mint 130 Digital Music Station
The Mint 130 features Texas Instrument's PurePath Digital audio technology, which delivers custom-tailored amplification and equalization characteristics for great big sound in a tiny package. Enjoy 30 Watts of crystal-clear audio through two 3-inch, full-range speakers. Careful craftsmanship, acoustic engineering, and sealed enclosure design offer precise audio usually found only in much pricier systems.
The built-in iPod dock lets you enjoy your favorite iPod tunes while your device charges, and the 3.5-mm line-in provides a connection for MP3 players, gaming consoles, XM and Sirius satellite radio players, TVs, or portable CD players. Basically, any device that takes a standard 1/8-inch stereo headphone connector can be amplified with your Mint.
Mint 130 USB Audio Transmitter
The Mint 130 includes a wireless receiver for use with the included USB audio transmitter. Plug the transmitter into your computer's USB port, and you can enjoy all of your audio content--Internet radio, iTunes, Windows Media Player, and more--from your computer as it streams wirelessly to the Mint speaker.
The transmitter can stream audio wirelessly from your PC or Mac to the Mint 130 from up to 45 feet, and there's no extra software required--your machine will automatically detect the transmitter as a default audio device.
Mint 130 Remote Control
Use the included remote to access all of Mint 130's functions, along with the iPod's song and menu controls. Adjust volume, playback, and equalization for full control over your listening experience.
High-Fidelity Di-Fi Audio
Mint's "Di-Fi" audio transmission uses a lossless algorithm, meaning it doesn't degrade sound quality when compressing the data like Bluetooth or other options. This means you'll enjoy the same quality sound from a connected iPod as you will from a wireless source.
What's in the Box
Mint 130 Speaker System, Mint USB Audio Transmitter, Mint Remote Control, AC Adaptor, Power Cord, User Guide, and Warranty Card
Great Product
The person who wrote about having to sync the speaker to the USB wasn't reading the instructions. You totally don't even have to do that. I just plugged it all in, changed the setting on my computer and voila - wireless sound. I would recommend this to anyone looking to rid themselves of wires attached to their computer. The only bad thing that I can come up with was that the instructions were a little confusing which may be why that one guy kept trying to sync his up by pressing the buttons on each device. I never did that; it was plug and play almost instantly. Works great! Great price.
Mint 130 Delivers the Goods
I just read Aaron's review of the Mint 130 and I would have to say that my experience was the complete opposite. I love mine. I purchased the Mint 130 Wireless Speaker Dock a couple of weeks ago and I have been very pleased with it. I live in a two bedroom apartment and my computer is in the spare bedroom. I have my mint speaker system in my kitchen which is roughly 30-35 feet away from my computer and it works perfectly. I was surprised at how much sound these little speakers could produce distortion free, even at high volumes.
The iPod dock is a cool feature because I have a classic 30G iPod and my girlfriend has one of those 8G mini iPods and it can play both without having to switch out any adaptors or anything (It also has a line in jack so my friends MP3 players are compatible too). She loves it because you don't have to be computer savvy to enjoy it either, just plug in the Mint speakers and attach the USB transmitter to your computer. It automatically synced up and within seconds we were wirelessly streaming our favorite music from iTunes or Pandora. The remote control doesn't work from the other room but at least if I am sitting across the room on the couch we can change the song or adjust volume without getting up.
When I am playing Xbox on our TV my girlfriend will take the speakers into the spare bedroom and watch Instant Netflix movies on the computer. All she has to do is plug in the Mint 130 and it automatically syncs back up with the USB transmitter. I love that because then she isn't asking me to help her hook up the speakers.
For the price Amazon is asking, these speakers are a steal. They are compact, offer a rich clear sound, and are very easy to set up and use. Best of all they eliminate to need for wires and allow you to stream your favorite music wirelessly up to 45 feet.
I am not sure of the problems others have been facing with this device but my experience has been great.
Here is a link i found that shows how easy it is to pair the Mint 130 speaker system with the USB transmitter. It also shows some of the cool features this wireless speaker system can do. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-9tv7EvTJs
Taking it back
I was looking for a wireless solution for playing music from my computer, and decided to give these a try. The IPOD dock is a cool feature, but not the reason I bought it, so I'll be focusing on the wireless aspect of this device.
The initial setup was really easy - just plugged it in, plugged in the included USB transmitter, it automatically paired, and within seconds I was listening to music through it (I did have to restart WinAmp, but that's not an issue with the Mint).
Ok, so it works great when 2 feet from the computer - now let's move it away and see how we do. Immediately I ran into problems. The Mint does NOT run on batteries - only A/C. So - to move it from location to location (the reason I wanted wireless in the first place), you have to power it down and unplug it.
When you plug it back in and power it on (even if you are really near the transmitter), it flashes, indicating it needs to be paired. Ok - that would be fine, except to pair it, you have to push a button on the back of the Mint, and while holding it down, press a button on the top of the USB transmitter. My wingspan is only about 6 feet. If I wanted to pair with the Mint in another room, I had to wedge a pen against the button, then run into the other room where the PC was and press the USB button. Not acceptable.
Making matters worse, 45 ft is being pretty generous. This may work if abolutely no obstructions, e.g. an open plain. However, in normal household use (and I took it ALL around the house)- once you moved more than one room away (with doors all open), you were moving into dicey territory.
This affects both pairing and the signal once paired - so when doing the pairing two step described above, you may run back just to find your pairing failed. So then you engage in gymnastics akin to getting a cell phone signal - moving the device around and praying the light stays solid. Which it may - but in my experience, not for long if you're any distance away.
The sound out of the device is pretty good, and I REALLY wanted to like it and keep it. But the pairing pain in rear, plus the weakness of the signal mean this won't work for me.
Honestly, if they would have just made it work with batteries, I think I perhaps could have lived it with - because then I could have just walked around until I found out where the signal cut out (untethered by cord and having the constantly pair). Oh well.
