A few weeks ago when Minaska first came out with their Amp and Speaker Combo, I jumped at the chance to pick one up.
Yeah yeah, I know. I am a hand call guy. But let's be honest. There are times when an E caller is more effective than a hand call. If kiling predators is the name of the game, it pays to have options, and I was hoping the Minaska Amp and Speaker Combo would give them to me at a price that would not make the the prey around the house.
After using this unit in the field, all I can say is Buy One before they realize what they have and jack the price up. At 69 bucks, this little unit is a steal.
It works much like the Johny Stewart Power Pro set up. Except with the Minaska, the amp, speaker, and batteries are contained in one uinit. It's also about a fourth of the size of the Power Pro.
Here is a picture of the Minaska Amp and Speaker Combo, with a .243 round next to it for size comparison.
(http://members.aol.com/thogamecalls/min/front.jpg)
As you can see, it is a small compact unit. But don't let the size fool you. This little piece of gear is solid quality through out.
A look at the inside will show the detail and workmanship that goes into building these callers.
(http://members.aol.com/thogamecalls/min/inside.jpg)
When it comes to sound, and volume, you just wont belive your ears. The 3 inch speaker is superbly clear and reproduces sounds extremely well.
The volume is more than enough for almost any situation except where you might want to reach out 5 or 6 miles, and for that, there is a separate jack that will allow you to plug in an external speaker.
I just cannot say enough about how good the Minaska Amp and Speaker Combo sounds. You really do have to hear it to believe it.
The top of the unit is also laid out nicely, and is hunter friendly and well labled.
(http://members.aol.com/thogamecalls/min/top.jpg)
There are inputs for your MP3, CD or other sound source and separate external speakers. There is a green LED that lets you know the unit is on, a volume switch and a separate switch that allows you to play the internal spealer with an external speaker, or to turn the internal speaker off and play just the external.
The Minaska Amp and Speaker Combo I recieved came with a mono audio cable. This is the only thing I would like to see changed. MP3 and CD players have stereo outputs. The mono cable caused clipping of the sound and a loss of volume. I replaced the cable with a stereo cable and a jack that converts stereo signals to mono at the input of the Minaska and the clipping and loss of volume were solved.
I also used the Minaska Amp and Speaker Combo with a Johny Stewart Prey Master. If you own a Prey Master, the Minaska Amp and Speaker Combo is a must have. They work so well together it is like they were meant to be.
If you hunt small woodlots, and want a small light weight great sounding E caller, the Minaska Amp and Speaker Combo is well worth looking at. While it is not remote, a Nady 351 would fit perfectly on the back of the enclosure with a little Velcro.
My final thoughts? I like it so well, I have put my Prey Master and Power Pro up on E bay. Minaska has done it again. The Minaska Amp and Speaker Combo is a great caller at an unbeliveable price.
Al
THO Game Calls
Excellent.
Nice addition, thanks Al.
Thanks for the review Al. I need something like this.
AL "very well done" makes me want to pick one up. Thanks for doing this!
Very nice review thanks :biggrin: