You hear that fuzzy, high-pitched, scratchy noise coming from the dusty corner of the desk? I sure do. That’s the sound of music coming out of my computer speakers—two ugly, beige Harman Kardon HK195 units I got for free 10 years ago with the purchase of a Dell desktop computer. My Dell now resides in a landfill somewhere, but these speakers have soldiered on, blasting music, videos, calls, and God knows what else out of my office nearly every day. In that time, I’ve dropped them from shelves, kicked them off coffee tables, even thrown them into steaming hot pizza (don’t ask). They just kept working. That is, until yesterday.

And so my mission is to find new computer speakers. Turns out I’ve got two choices: corded (those that plug in) and Bluetooth wireless speakers. What I like about Bluetooth speakers is they will allow me to stream music, videos, or phone calls—not just from my computer, but from my phone or any other Bluetooth-enabled device—from anywhere within a 30 foot range in my office or house, all wirelessly. Who said the future isn’t awesome?

The Plan

In the last few years, seemingly everyone has put out Bluetooth speakers—Sony Ericsson, Creative, Bose, and others. As such, there are dozens of wireless speakers to choose from. I’ve collected five popular models at various price levels. I reviewed each for ease-of-use, sound quality, volume, broadcast distance, and overall functionality through various Bluetooth devices (iPhone, laptop, Android), in various settings. Here’s how they stacked up.

Sony Ericsson Portable Bluetooth Speaker MBS-100, $38

Specs: 3.9 in; 1 lb; corded with recharge-able battery; aux audio input.

Good: If robots laid eggs, they’d look just like the MBS-100. This thing is small, round, and covered in a weirdly cool Matrix-esque design. Soundwise, it offers decent bass and good midrange; it’s a little tinny on the high-end but not bad. The built-in rechargeable battery means you can throw it in a bag and take it on the go.

Bad: Top volume is office-conversation quiet, and probably not loud enough to use around the house. The real bummer, however, is that there is no volume adjustment on the unit. You heard me right. You cannot control the volume on this device. I thought I was missing something so I called Sony. They confirmed: Volume can only be controlled on your phone, computer, or other compatible device. Turns out I have an iPhone 3G that does not allow me to adjust Bluetooth volume, and so whenever I use this, it plays at maximum volume.

Verdict: The dude down the hall from my office has an iPhone 3GS on which we were indeed able to control volume. So the volume does work with some phones and computers. Such a silly flaw to an otherwise cool, small, inexpensive device.

Monster iClarityHD Precision Micro, starting at $95

Specs: 666 in; 1 lb; rechargeable battery (5 hours between charges) via USB; speakerphone; aux audio input.

Good: Super small (palm-size) and super portable. Sound is not audiophile-quality but it’s very good, with present bass and tingling highs. Very impressive overall.

Bad: It can be charged only through USB, which makes charging a pain if you use an extended USB mouse and keyboard on a computer with only two USB inputs (like I do). Initial pairing with devices is confusing and counterintuitive, but once you get the hang of it, it’s simple. You have to have the power on while charging, which seems kind of silly.

Verdict: I’m sold. It ain’t better sounding than some others, but that’s quickly forgotten considering it’s truly wire-less and so freaking small, loud, and portable.