Hi-Fi: Scandyna Minipod Podspeakers and Minibass Subwoofer – 51

Let me tell you, the ratings at the bottom of the specifications panel of Tone’s tests can be a minefield. Take, for example, the first one: aesthetics. Here I am, confronted by an odd pair of small white speakers that remind me of Frosty the Snowman in a kinky latex outfit. My first urge is to score them minus-something. They look silly in their surroundings. I want to go and stick a carrot into the tweeter and then add a pair of spectacles.

But that would be harsh. They would certainly fit into many people’s décor very well and you can lessen the Frosty look by specifying one of the other colours. I can even imagine people seeing them in the shop and making a beeline for them. Which is why they ended up with a good score – aesthetics being somewhat in the eye of the beholder. Then there’s the subwoofer; a bulbous piece of kit that dwarfs the speakers like a giant C3PO. I was going to say you might want to hide it, but again, I could see why some owners would want it front and centre.

I like the Minipod’s description from their manufacturer, the Danish Scandyna company: “A lifestyle signalling courage and taste.” Scandyna says that being different is part of its mission and the pods demonstrate its desire to break away from “traditional build and square speakers”. Mission accomplished.

Actually, I do like the way you can wipe their ABS casings clean and I love the little Sputnik legs that simply slip and grip into recesses in the base – no screwing or tightening required. Alternatively, the speakers can be wall-mounted or put on shelves… whatever takes your fancy.

The pods are versatile little snowmen – you can use them with everything from iPods to home theatre. We hooked the testers to a traditional mid-range hi-fi system, an upgraded Rotel RA971 Mk II integrated amp topped by the ever-faithful Yamaha CDX-1060. Would they sound anything like they looked?

In fact, they’re very good. The immediate question that came to mind was whether they even needed the tubby subby. They handled bass surprisingly well. You rock guys will have your own ideas, but my ultimate bass test is how speakers handle the organ of Westminster Cathedral doing the Carillon de Westminster on Pickwick’s Organ Spectacular. I once blew a much more expensive and high-end speaker than the Scandyna on this track, so I tend to be more conservative with the volume knob these days. Yup, these little guys growled their hearts out, providing a very satisfactory experience.

Time to switch on the 100W sub, connected to the Rotel via the pre-amp out plug and the phono leads. Alternatively, it can be connected via bare-ended wires using the auxiliary speaker outputs.

The sub complemented the Minipods’ own effort, rather than transforming it, as sometimes happens with small speakers that can’t spit out a decent low note. Subs can be iffy things to optimise, so it is fortunate Scandyna provides useful instructions and hints.

But, enough obsessing over bass. The Pods are quite sweet and musical, well into the better end of the spectrum and not a world away from the KEF Cresta 2s that provide a reference point for this class of speaker. Getting picky, they tended to blend individual instruments and voices on complex recordings, rather than preserving the distinct sound and location of each, especially at higher outputs. The high end of the volume knob is not their friend either.

Despite my churlish opening remarks, many people will buy these newcomers for their looks and point of difference. Fortunately, like the best Danish confectionery, they also have a sweet inside.

PHIL HANSON

Scandyna Minipod Podspeakers and Minibass Subwoofer 

$2098 for white and black $2298 for other colours

Contact: podspeakers.com

SPECIFICATIONS

SPEAKERS

AMPLIFIERS: 10W to 100W
DRIVERS: 5-inch with
Kevlar piston
TWEETER: 1-inch
free-mounted
SHAPE: Two-way reflex,
ABS cabinet
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 55hz and 25Khz
SENSITIVITY: 90db for 1W at 1m, 4ohm
WEIGHT: 2.3kg (without spikes)
DIMENSIONS: (HxWxD) 440 (with spikes) x 210 x 200mm
COLOURS: Silver, yellow, red, blue, white, pearlescent white, green, blue, black and lucente

SUBWOOFER

DRIVER: 10-inch long throw
POWER: 100W RMS
CROSSOVER: 40hz to 120hz (variable)
SIGNAL TO NOISE
RATIO: 90dB
FUNCTIONS: Input level control, phase 0 deg or 180 deg (switchable), power (on, auto, off) switch
WEIGHT: 10.2kg (without spikes)
DIMENSIONS: (HxWxD) 529 x 348 x 348mm

PROS

Clever design features
Decent sound

CONS

Won’t suit everyone’s home décor

VERDICT

Frosty almost melts our heart

Aesthetics: 93%
Performance: 80%
Features: 85%
Functionality: 91%
Price Value: 90%

Overall: 88%