Ninety7 VAUX

It's easy to get hooked on having Amazon Alexa around, but though the affordable Echo Dot's always-listening microphones are good, there's no beating the true portability of a battery-powered speaker. Rather than splash out on an Amazon Tap, though,...

Affordable upgrade for Echo Dot owners ; Better microphone performance than Amazon Tap ; Volume gets loud

5-6 hour battery life is only average ; Audio distorts at higher volumes ; Occasional pops can be distracting

There are a few ways to take Alexa with you, and plenty of ways to get louder or higher-quality audio from an Echo Dot, but not that many options if you want some of both. Vaux’s music improvements aren’t going to wow audiophiles, and its battery life...