The mission is simple: gather three brands of popular mini-speakers and see which is powerful enough to annoy a grumpy building superintendent. To expedite the outstandingly unscientific experiment, I ...

David Priest is an award-winning writer and editor who formerly covered home security for CNET. Amazon's Echo Dot is impressive as ever. Its 1.6-inch speaker is half an inch larger than the previous ...

Better sound, especially playing music. Onboard machine learning should speed up Assistant response times. Built-in wall mount eliminates the need for accessories. Recycled speaker fabric. Still $49.

The Google Nest Mini hits all the right notes. This small, Assistant-enabled smart speaker makes improvements to music quality as well as voice recognition and speed. If you want a Google-made smart ...

Unlock to see our ratings and compare products side by side The Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen) has overall fair sound quality. What little bass there is has little impact is subdued and deep bass is ...

Ultimate Ears, owned by Logitech, makes my favorite portable speaker ever: the UE Boom. The cylindrical powerhouse of a speaker is rugged, stylish, and easy to use. Imagine my utter joy when I ...