best portable Bluetooth speakers

I had the opportunity to try a version of the MiniS Magnetic Speakers ($99) that Growtek successfully launched on Kickstarter. These are beautiful, compact well-designed Bluetooth speakers that would be right at home in an Apple store.

I had the opportunity to try a prerelease version of GoDuo Speakers ($79 via Kickstarter) from KNZ Tech.  These are really clever for a number of reasons. First, they are beautifully designed and remind me of the transparent Mac speakers Steve Jobs introduced, but these are wireless. In fact, they can work together, to deliver stereo sound, or you can use them individually and you essentially get two Bluetooth speakers at a reasonable price.

There are a lot of portable Bluetooth speakers to choose from, so why not choose one that offers something extra? Divoom offers a variety of such speakers and I got to try a few. The BlueTune Bean ($39.90) and AirBeat 10 ($49.99) are both cute and compact—about the size of a hockey puck—and come with a few extra features. 

There are a lot of wireless speakers out there, but the Soundbox 10 ($95.95) from PAWW is one of the best Bluetooth speakers you'll find. When you touch and pickup the Soundbox, you feel the quality, heft, and attention to design that sets the Soundbox apart from its plastic competitors. Other distinctive features include the smooth touchscreen surface where the buttons live. The speaker grill is very finely detailed, and the whole unit would look right at home in an Apple Retail store.