Sonos renews its most high-end portable speaker, the Sonos Move, with a new model which, while maintaining the same premises of the original, wants to convince a greater number of users that They need a speaker they can take anywhere without sacrificing superior sound quality..
Sonos’ gamble when launching the Sonos Move in 2019 was very risky because it completely changed the idea of a portable speaker, combining superior sound quality with excellent battery life and multiple connectivity options, including WiFi and AirPlay, but in exchange you had to pay a high price and also transport a heavy product. Over the years, this high-end portable speaker has made a place for itself on the market, and now with the Sonos Move 2 The company wishes to retain the essence of this model but by improving its sound quality and some design tweaks.
Features and design
- 241x160x127mm
- 3kg
- 3x Class D amplifiers
- 1x dual tweeter
- 1x woofer
- microphone array
- WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity
- AirPlay2 compatible
- USB-C (charging and auxiliary input)
- 24 hours of battery life
- Charging base included
- IP56 (dust and splashes)
With this size and weight, it’s clear that the Sonos Move 2 is not a typical portable speaker. Its built-in battery allows you to take it anywhere and its wireless connectivity allows you to connect directly to the Internet via WiFi or to any smartphone via Bluetooth. But this is not a speaker to carry around while traveling (the questionable need for these types of speakers is another topic). The Sonos Move 2 is designed so we can use it anywhere without worrying about outlets, internet or cables, but it’s obviously not meant to always be carried around.
Its design is practically identical to the previous model, although if placed side by side they clearly differ. The Sonos Move 2 is more rounded, but retains this perforated grille which occupies the entire side and front of its body, all in good quality polycarbonate, giving the whole a solidity which, with its weight, gives a very good feeling. The fact that there is no type of textile mesh makes cleaning very easy, without being a magnet for dust or dirt in general. IP56 certification gives you peace of mind with the speaker in the garden or on the street
At the top we find the touch controls and microphone holes. This new Move 2 inherits from the new Era 100 and 300 the tactile surface for volume control, much more practical than having to press a button several times to obtain the desired volume. We also have playback controls and a dedicated button for activating or deactivating the virtual assistant. A light indicator shows us the status of the assistant.
On the back, the large handle stands out, which allows you to comfortably transport a speaker of this weight. There we also have the power button, which activates Bluetooth connectivity and a physical button to deactivate the microphones and therefore the virtual assistant. The redundancy of this last button is a little strange, but the most wary always trust a physical switch more. At the bottom we have the USB-C connector which has several functions. The first is to recharge the speaker, but we can also use it to recharge our phone, we can even use it to connect a player of any type as an auxiliary input, even if to do this you have to buy a Jack plug to USB-C adapter which is not included in the box.
We’ve already mentioned how to charge the Move 2 via USB-C, but Sonos thought about charging its speaker via a ring-shaped base. As we have already told you, this Move 2 is designed to be placed in a place in the house, above its charging ring, and taken when you want to go with the music to another place, with a full battery to give us entertainment for the promised 24 hours. I haven’t been able to verify if it meets this battery life, but I can tell you that no matter how many hours you use it continuously, you will have battery left for a while.
Connectivity of your choice
The original Sonos Move was the first Sonos portable speaker to feature Bluetooth, a connection method that makes perfect sense when talking about mobility, but which has its limitations in terms of quality. Since then, Sonos has released more devices with this connection, and of course, it is not missing in the Sonos Move 2. However, this is a “secondary” type of connection, The speaker is designed to be used over WiFi, either with a direct internet connection or via AirPlay 2. if you own Apple devices.
Indeed, to be able to use Bluetooth you will first have to configure your Sonos Move 2 with the Sonos application, for which you will need WiFi and an internet connection. If you’ve never used speakers from this brand, you won’t know it, but eThe setup process couldn’t be simpler and more straightforward
Listen to music you can use the Sonos app which integrates all the streaming music services you know (Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc.). You can even combine several and control them all from the app. With it, you can combine different Sonos speakers to listen to music on each of them perfectly synchronized. If you have Apple devices, you can also send music via AirPlay, with the advantage that in addition to being able to send it to all Sonos speakers, all speakers compatible with this Apple transmission system will also be included, including HomePods. Finally, thanks to Bluetooth, the Sonos Move 2 behaves like any Bluetooth speaker, you don’t need an internet connection, just a smartphone, tablet or computer that connects connects to it.
Sound quality
Sonos claims that this new Move 2 improves on the previous generation in terms of sound quality and more realistic stereo and it’s not lying. It sounds better than the original Move, that’s more than obvious, and the stereo obtained with a single speaker is more perceptible than with the previous model thanks to the arrangement of the two tweeters. Like the original model, the bass is quite relevant, but in this new Move 2 the sound is more detailed and balanced. This is not the classic portable speaker for pool parties, its sound quality is high but without giving up the power that allows you to enjoy your favorite music during your outdoor parties.
Sonos has improved its Trueplay system, which adapts the sound of the speaker to its environment. If before you had to go through a manual process that took you a few minutes to move your iPhone around the room, now you don’t. a fully automatic process that recalibrates itself every time you move the speaker, just as happens with the HomePod. If we compare its sound with the Sonos Era 300, located in the same price range, the quality is not comparable, but we must not forget that these are different speakers for different uses. different. The Era 300 is a better speaker, but it’s not portable, it’s not as durable, and it doesn’t have a built-in battery. If I had to buy a single speaker to always leave it in the same place, my choice would be the Era 300. But if I need a single speaker that I want to move around the house, use at specific times in apart from this one, without I have no doubt that I would opt for the Move 2.
virtual assistant
An addition to the Sonos speakers is the ability to set up a virtual assistant. Sonos offers us its own, but only in English, and we also have the possibility of adding Alexa, Amazon’s assistant. This way we can control the music using our voice, including Amazon Music, Spotify and of course Apple Music. In addition to music control, we have all the options that Alexa offers us, including home automation control of lights and any accessories added to Amazon’s home automation platform.
Although it is a nice feature for many, having the microphones listening is an inconvenience for others, which is why Sonos gives us the option to deactivate them and be without an assistant. We can quickly deactivate the assistant by touching the touch button located on the top of the speaker, and also you can completely deactivate the microphones using a physical switch located at the rear of the speaker.
Editor’s opinion
Sonos is pushing into the premium portable speaker market with the Sonos Move 2. With a more than obvious sound improvement compared to its previous generation, the new Sonos speaker retains features not typical of portable speakers such as the virtual assistant or AirPlay 2 , as well as an app that lets you integrate all the most popular streaming music services. All of this puts it in an unusual price range for portable speakers, but makes it the ideal speaker for anyone who wants to enjoy superior sound quality that can be taken anywhere. Available on Amazon for $499 (link) in one of its three colors.
- Editor’s Note
- 4.5 star rating
- Exceptional
$499
- Move 2
- Review of: Luis Padilla
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Last modification:
Benefits
- Superior sound quality
- Excellent autonomy
- AirPlay 2, multi-room
- Bluetooth
- replaceable battery
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