The Package

The Qinpu V-1.8 mini speakers ship in a thick cardboard box with foam inserts. The samples arrived in mint condition, except for one missing rubber foot. As far as accessories go there are none! You get the speakers and that is it. If you plan on using them with one of your amplifiers you will be pleased to know that the terminals can accommodate both banana-plugs and normal cables.


Even though they are big by desktop speaker standards they are still small enough not to take up all your desk space.

Closer Examination

First of all, these mini speakers look really nice. They are made from MDF board with a rosewood veneer finish which actually looks good, if you do not look carefully they could easily pass as real rosewood cabinets. The porting scheme is somewhat complex, the top one right next to the top driver acts more as a horn according to the inventor while the two large slits act as conventional bass reflex ports for the lower driver.


Overall I was taken by surprise by the Qinpu V-1.8 speakers, the quality of the construction is way ahead of Travagan's mini speakers, however, they do cost $25 more a pop. On the back of the speakers you can read the specifications and easily access the speaker terminals. The terminals stick out of the back at a 90 degree angle which makes it easier to install the cables This also means that you cannot get them as close to the walls as for example the Travagan's speakers with their 60 degrees or so exit angle.


There are small holes through the center of the rods which allows you to mount normal cables pretty easily. If you have cables with banana-type plugs you just push them in from behind.


The two soft dome 50 mm drivers have a very natural sound to them. Given the size and nature of these speakers it is clear that they are aimed at near field listening, they quite simply cannot muster the power to fill a whole room with sound. When sitting within a meter of them or so they sound very convincing, move to the back of your room and they sound hollowed out.


The drivers are held in place with a few umbraco screws from the front. Not the prettiest solution, but definitely a solid one. Overall the cabinet seems very sturdy. The design has very few details except the small grooves that accent the shapes of the drivers and ports.


One of the two 50 mm drivers has a foam cover which is not removable. I guess the foam is there to dampen the high end a bit, making the unit better suited for bass reproduction.


Sizes wise these Qinpu speakers dwarf the Travagan's mini speakers. The volume of the cabinet is about twice that of the Travagan's 2" mini speakers.