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Gifts for mobile music lovers

Check out our top gift-worthy picks in wireless speakers and mobile-friendly headphones.

David Carnoy
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
David Carnoy
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1 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

Bose SoundLink Mini

Bose's SoundLink Mini is one of the most popular Bluetooth speakers for a reason: it has excellent build quality and delivers very impressive sound for its tiny size.

Buy the Bose SoundLink Mini at Amazon or Bose

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2 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

Jawbone Mini Jambox

While the Mini Jambox has its limitations sound-wise, we gave it a perfect score for its design.

The Jawbone Mini Jambox is available at Amazon

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3 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

JBL Flip

The JBL Flip isn't the newest Bluetooth speaker on the block, but it remains a good value at $99.

Buy the JBL Flip 2 at Amazon

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4 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

UE Boom

The Bose SoundLink Mini may have the edge as an indoor speaker, but the UE Boom performs great outside.

Buy the Logitech UE Boom at Amazon

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5 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

Sonos Play:1

At $199, Sonos' slickly designed and nice-sounding Play:1 speaker makes it affordable to start a multiroom audio system (and expand on it without breaking the bank).

Sonos Play:1 available at Amazon

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6 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

Sony MDR-7506

Sony's MDR-7506 has been around for ages. But it's also aged very well.

Sony MDR-7506 headphones available at Amazon

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7 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

Audio-Technica ATH-M50

In terms of pure performance for the money, Audio-Technica's ATH-M50 is right at the top of our list.

Buy the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 at Amazon

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8 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

Sennheiser Momentum

It's not cheap, but the beautifully designed Momentum delivers true audiophile-grade sound.

Sennheiser Momentum Over Ear headphones available at Amazon

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9 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

Beats Studio 2013

The original Beats Studio hyped the bass hard. The new Beats Studio 2013 doesn't.

Beats Studios available at Amazon

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10 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

V-Moda Crossfade M-100

We gave the V-Moda Crossfade M-100 an Editors' Choice Award for its combination of excellent sound and build quality.

V-Moda Crossfade M-100 available at Amazon

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11 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

Bose AE2w

Bose's AE2w adds a Bluetooth module to its comfortable AE2 headphones (alas, you can't buy the module separately). The result is a surprisingly excellent Bluetooth headphone.

Bose SoundLink Around-Ear Bluetooth Headphones available at Amazon and Bose

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12 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

Plantronics BackBeat Go 2 + Charging Case

With its second-generation BackBeat Go headphones, Plantronics has improved the sound quality while adding sweat resistance. Battery life remains relatively short, which is why it's a good idea to get the model with the charging case bundled in for 20 bucks more.

Plantronics BackBeat Go 2 + Charging Case available at Amazon

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13 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

V-Moda Remix Remote

The in-ear V-Moda Remix Remote delivers excellent sound (with lots of bass) in a relatively affordable package.

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14 of 14 Sarah Tew/CNET

Parrot Zik

The high-tech Zik offers both Bluetooth streaming and noise-cancellation. It's one of the best sounding Bluetooth headphones -- and comfortable, too.

Parrot Ziks available at Amazon in a variety of colors.

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