Big sound from the little Foxl

Compared to most portable speakers, the Foxl V2 speaker from Soundmatters is a big step up in both sound and price.

The Foxl's sound comes from a pair of small dome speakers mounted behind rigid steel grille. Soundmatters calls them "Twoofers" because they handle both the bass and treble frequencies. If you want more bass, the unit has an output jack to connect to a subwoofer.

When the Foxl is cranked up, you could easily mistake it's sound for a much larger bookshelf stereo or boom box. Yet it's small enough to easily carry in your pocket or computer bag.

Soundmatters says the speaker's battery will last for about eight hours and can be recharged from a wall outlet or an USB connection.

The standard Foxl costs about $150 at soundmatters.com. A Bluetooth version that also works as a speakerphone costs about $200.