You want to take your tunes on the road, but headphones don't always cut it, and even the smallest home speakers and receivers/amplifiers aren't portable. Technology has come to the rescue with a new breed of really tiny speakers that sound a lot better than the tinny models you might remember from the Walkman days. These petite, battery-powered wonders are the hot ticket for travelers, dorm rooms, the beach, or the office; they plug into iPods, MP3 players, and laptops' headphone jacks, with sound that can easily fill a small to medium-size room. These portable sets are one-piece units; their speakers are connected to a base unit/stand and can't be moved for better sound separation. The upside, however, is that you can fold them up for supreme portability.

Mini speakers, mini sound
Most portable speakers are armed with 1-inch woofers and are designed to run off the feeble voltage supplied by a quartet of batteries, so don't expect a lot of bass from them. A truly microsize subwoofer would be a nice addition, but it, along with more cables, would defeat much of the appeal of portable speakers.

It's also true that you can get much better sound with a decent set of headphones, which are even more portable and have deeper bass, superior treble detail, and better stereo imaging. But headphones are best appreciated alone. Portable speakers are better for social situations and can be enjoyed by a few people or when you're rushing around your hotel room getting ready for a meeting.

Check latest prices		Altec Lansing InMotion  If you own an iPod, Altec Lansing's Apple-esque InMotion portable speaker will first catch your eye and, later, your ear. You can hook up your iPod via the InMotion's docking connector and receive the audio signal and recharge your player on the go. The nifty speaker set sounds better than the rest and can also be used with laptops or other portable audio devices, although the InMotion won't charge their batteries when connected.
Check latest prices		Creative TravelSound At first glance, Creative's TravelSound portable stereo speaker resembles an incredibly tiny boombox. The two inverted titanium-dome speakers and the blue power-on LED lend a high-end appearance to the design. You can tilt back the TravelSound to aim the sweet sound up toward your ears--a nice feature absent from most competing models.
Check latest prices		RCA FSP200 RCA's FSP200 clamshell portable stereo speaker set looks really cool and boasts useful features such as a retractable cable--a great addition, as frequent travelers learn to hate cords. You'll also find tone and volume controls. The gunmetal-silver plastic FSP200 folds to protect the speakers, and the whole package feels nicely put together. It's just too bad RCA's portable speaker doesn't sound much better than a telephone answering machine.
Check latest prices		Sony SRS-T57 Sony's spunky little SRS-T57 travel speakers are among the most compact and affordable models you can buy. With the stereo speakers folded in, the set will take up negligible room in your suitcase. Unfortunately, this unit's sound is as small as its size.
Check latest prices		Sony SRS-T77 It won't rock the house, but Sony's featherweight portable stereo speaker sounds immediate and clear. With its speakers retracted, the gunmetal-gray SRS-T77 is about the size of a two-disc CD jewel case.

Steve Guttenberg is a contributing editor to CNET Reviews.