CES 2014

Bluetooth speakers seem to be either miniscule and lightweight, or big and heavy. The Supertooth Disco4 ($50) is extremely light, but it has a big speaker cabinet for a big sound without the weight penalty. It weighs just over a pound with a built-in carrying handle. Even better, the Disco4 has Bluetooth 4.0 A2DP and it features tap-to-pair NFC capability. My phone paired almost instantly to the speaker using this feature.

The Disco4 has an amplifier providing 8 watts of power with a signal bass reflex speaker. I assume it’s a weight-saving consideration, but there are no volume controls - volume is controlled solely by the playback device. The lithium-ion battery provides up to 12 hours of playback at medium listening levels, and about 3 hours at maximum playback.

While not the highest fidelity speaker at the show, the Disco4 with NFC pairing stands out without weighing you down.