Image: Adam Gasson Positive Grid Spark Mini: Hands on The Spark Mini uses the same iOS/Android app as its 40-watt sibling, but clearly with less control on the unit itself, that app experience is going to be all-important – let’s dive in. Holding down the Bluetooth pairing button also activates a tuner. Round the back you’ll also find 3.5mm jacks for headphones and an aux-in, while a USB-C port does double duty as both the charging port and the means to use the Mini as a recording interface (as well as a means of updating the firmware). There’s no tone stack or gain control here, simply controls for guitar volume, music volume and a rotary switch to select one of the four signal chain presets that can be stored on the hardware at any one time. There’s simply no room on the condensed control panel to fit the 17 knobs, buttons and switches that adorned the original, but even so the Mini’s three knobs feel a touch ascetic. Obviously this opens up a wealth of al-fresco playing possibilities, and you’re helped on your way thanks to the addition of a reversible faux suede/faux leather carry handle to make the Mini a literal grab and go affair.īeing a third smaller than the 40-watt Spark does come with some unavoidable compromises on the control front, however. The differences don’t end there we mentioned portability being a key aspect of the Spark Mini’s proposition, and so rejoice in being freed from the tyranny of plug socket thanks to a 3,000mA rechargeable battery that promises up to eight hours playtime at low to moderate volumes. Physics dictates that some changes from its larger sibling are inevitable, and so instead of a pair of four-inch full-range speakers and 40 watts of power, here we get 10 watts of Class D power pumping through two two-inch drivers and a passive radiator on the bottom (a very important addition, more on that later). The Spark Mini is roughly one third the length and a smidge shorter and deeper than its 40-watt sibling, making it roughly the size of a small studio monitor or a smart speaker like the Sonos One or Echo Studio. Image: Adam Gasson What are the differences between the Spark Mini and the Spark?įirst up, some vital statistics for you.
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