best portable Bluetooth speakers

I have been going to trade shows like the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas every year for decades now, to try to find the best consumer gadgets to review. I also try to go to shows like Comic-Con, as today's toys are increasingly intelligent and connected. So I was glad to see the Audio Pet Animal Bluetooth Speaker ($39.99) from My Audio Life at the most recent New York Comic-Con. The company let me try the adorable Narmony, a Narwhal that would be at home under the sea, or more accurately, submerged one meter for up to 30 minutes according to it's IPX7 waterproof rating. 

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.