Helpware: Speaking of portable speakers

Space is tight in my man cave.

A Dell desktop with a 24-inch monitor is stationed alongside an iMac. There are three desks and three built-in bookshelves where dozens of software packages are on display.

The room measures 10 feet by 14 feet. Think "Where's Waldo," and you'll have an idea of where I fit in.

But what computer room is complete without a set of speakers?

In answering that question, I knew the solution had to be small, wireless and have the sound quality of Bose speakers without a Bose-like price.

Like anyone born in the last century, I went to Amazon, only to be overwhelmed by dozens of small speakers from dozens of vendors. The frustration made me pine for the JBL Flip speaker I long ago gave away. I parted with it because I wasn't using it enough, but it's still the standard by which I judge all portable Bluetooth speakers.

So, I hooked up my Amazon Echo and asked Alexa, its voice-activated personal assistant, to recommend a small Bluetooth speaker.

Alexa recommended speakers in the AmazonBasics series that cost between $15 and $40. I was ready to click the "place your order" button but remembered Alexa had been promoting daily deals, it being the holiday season and all.

So, after a new inquiry from me, Alexa recommended the DKnight MagicBox II Bluetooth speaker, which was on special for $24 (normally about $40).

The reviews on Amazon about sound quality, portability, Bluetooth connectivity and value were mostly positive. So, I told Alexa to order one for me.

Two-day shipping, free for Prime members, was included.

To call this speaker portable would be an understatement. It weighs half a pound, fits in my palm, has a built-in mic and speaker for making and receiving phone calls, and it works flawlessly with the Echo Dot, a smaller version of the Echo.

It's rated at 10 watts, which means, while it will not blast you out of the room, it will fill a small space like mine when the volume is turned up. I'm not an audiophile, but the stereo speaker sounded darn good, with decent bass, given its size and price.

Then the fun began.

Turns out, the Echo ($180) doesn't talk to speakers. Paradoxically, the Dot ($50) does, so I was forced to go that route. The MagicBox, for the record, also works with Bluetooth-enabled smartphones.

If your device doesn't have Bluetooth, you can connect it to the speaker with the included audio cable. Also thrown in is a rubberized pad that is supposed to boost the bass, although it didn't make much of a difference to my ears.

The MagicBox uses a USB port on a computer to charge itself. I leave the charger plugged in all the time, but because the speaker is so small, I can take it anywhere and play music from my iPhone for up to 10 hours, assuming my iPhone's charge will last that long.

There are, however, better speakers.

My late, lamented JBL Flip ($70) comes to mind. But the third-generation Flip and other speakers cost three to eight times what I paid for the DKnight MagicBox II.

And, since I subscribe to Amazon Music Unlimited ($4 a month for Prime members using Echo or Dot; $10 a month for non-Prime members), I have choices of tens of millions of musical selections available just by asking Alexa to play something that soothes the savage beast.

My only complaint about Music Unlimited is that it's near impossible to get it to play whole symphonies or operas. On the other hand, it played "Benny Goodman Live at Carnegie Hall (1938)" from beginning to end. If your taste runs to Fleetwood Mac, you can get the whole library with one request from Alexa.

I positioned the speaker on top of my desktop Dell tower, and hunted around for the odd concerto in B-flat minor. Alexa found several and played them in succession when I asked. But when I asked Alexa to play Puccini's "La Boheme," the best it told me it found was Act One. Actually, when the music started, it played only an aria from Act One. But the speaker itself did what it was supposed to do: deliver clear music without skipping a beat.

If money is tight and you like your stereo speakers small, portable and capable of decent output, you might want to put the DKnight MagicBox II on your shopping Liszt.