Harman Kardon Esquire Mini 2

There are dozens of Bluetooth speakers available in Australia today that follow a standard template: internal rechargeable battery, Bluetooth, microphone...

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. True that. However, you usually can assume quite a bit by that cover. When I first saw the Harman Kardon Esquire Mini portable Bluetooth speaker ($150), I knew it was something special. Very few speakers can compete with the looks of this one; and on an executive’s desk, looks do matter. Just slightly larger than the new iPhone 6, and substantially smaller than the iPhone 6 Plus (5.3” x 3” x 15/16”), the Esquire Mini is a sleek, elegant speaker system. It’s about half the size of the original Esquire.

Harman Kardon’s new found talent for chic design has never been more evident than in its elegant new Esquire Mini speaker. Unfortunately, the speaker’s sound signature is nearly as thin as its frame.

Damn these companies are making it hard to choose a Bluetooth speaker, with so many on the market you've got to find a way to stand out. Looks, sound,

It’s been a long, long time since we checked back with bluetooth speakers, and the market is still flooded with an endless number of near-anonymous companies churning out absolutely awful products. To that end, little has changed.

not me I reviewed two portable Bluetooth speakerphone options earlier this year: The Philips WeCall ($145) vs. Logitech P710e ($125) . Both are square and have internal batteries and make conference calling easy. But for their ~$150 price tag, I wondered if you could get more portability and style without sacrificing sound quality. The answer to those questions

The compact Harman Kardon Esquire Mini 2 speaker delivers clear, crisp Bluetooth audio from a sleek design, but it lacks in bass depth.

The latest version of Harman's svelte travel speaker has improved sound, battery life and USB-C charging.

A compact, powerful and chic Bluetooth speaker