Sonos Move – Sonos’s first portable Bluetooth speaker
The experts from Sonos introduce a portable speaker for the very first time with the Sonos Move. After testing the newcomer, you will find out about its strengths and weaknesses.
Sonos proves its sound expertise in the Bluetooth speaker market for the first time with the Move. With the full range of Sonos functions, premium quality, and excellent sound, it’s a great speaker and a great addition to any Sonos system. However, the Move is not a typical portable speaker for on-the-go.
Sonos is well-known as the market leader in the field of multi-room speakers. Now, with the Move, Sonos is entering a new market. Until the Move came along, Sonos fans could not take any of their Sonos speakers out into the fresh air. And now the Move offers all the features and characteristics of the familiar Sonos world. It features a network connection, multi-room functionality, and voice assistants. Moreover, there is a built-in battery and a Bluetooth connection for the first time.
Sonos Move in the test: The Bluetooth pioneer from Sonos
With the Sonos Move, a speaker from Sonos is supposed to feel comfortable outside of the home for the first time. It seems that Sonos is responding to the demand for portable speakers with the Move and has thus equipped it with a Bluetooth interface. Another new feature: The Move can be operated via the integrated 2500 mAh battery. At the same time, the Sonos Move is also a classic network speaker.
But the Move, as the first Bluetooth speaker of its kind, is not lightweight. With a height of 9.44 inches (24 cm) and a weight of 6.61 Pounds (3 kg), it is quite heavy and even exceeds Sonos models like the Sonos One or (in terms of height) the Sonos Five that use power outlets.
As typical for Sonos, the Move stands out with a high-quality build. It is surrounded by a fine-mesh grille and sounds in all directions, as you would expect from the look. The controls for play/pause, skip forward and back and the microphone are discreetly placed as touch surfaces on the flat surface.
The other buttons for turning the device on and off, as well as a button for switching between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth operation, can be found in the hollowed-out back, which also provides the Move with a kind of grip. Of course, all functions of the Move can also be controlled via the smart Sonos app.
A high-quality dock as a charging station and power supply is also included in the Move. The Move fits perfectly into the minimalist and practical dock and is powered via the two pins on the back. Like the speaker itself, the dock also has an extremely grippy rubber surface on the bottom, ensuring that the speaker does not slip.
Familiar Sonos sound on the go.
While the Move is different from its Sonos cousins in a few ways, it does share a strong sound performance with them. The Move has a powerful and at the same time, warm sound without dampening or boosting certain frequency ranges unnaturally.
The strong and strikingly clear lows are particularly noticeable. While many manufacturers give their Bluetooth speakers a good amount of bass, very few can deliver such a clear and well-defined bass range as Sonos does with the Move.
But the Move’s sound is not only very good directly in front of the speaker. The sound remains good no matter where you stand as a listener. No matter if you are in front of the speaker or to the left or right, the sound of the Move is spread evenly in all directions thanks to sophisticated acoustic reflectors.
Also, the Sonos Move comes with Auto TruePlay. For most Sonos fans, the TruePlay feature is already known. TruePlay is an acoustic measurement of the environment so that the sound can be adjusted to the spatial conditions as best as possible.
The name already suggests that this is now done completely automatically with the Move. It takes very little time for the mobile speaker to detect the surroundings and the sound is perfectly tuned to the living room, kitchen, or guest room.
Design and Quality
Because of its size, the Move is particularly suitable as a companion for the terrace, balcony, or garden. But it is still well-equipped for outdoor use. The rechargeable battery, which is a first for Sonos, impresses with a capacity of 2500 mAh and a runtime of up to eleven hours.
It can also prove itself with a robust, drop-proof casing and IP56 protection class. In other words, dust and heavy rain cannot do anything to the Sonos Move. Therefore, if you are willing to put the giant in your backpack and go to a park or lake, you will be rewarded with a great performance again.
Apart from the features that the Move now brings as the first Bluetooth speaker from Sonos, typical Sonos characteristics are of course also present in the speaker. That includes, in particular, broad connectivity. The Move’s new Bluetooth interface completes the Sonos range. Whether via a network, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, or Spotify Connect – the Move plays your music from every known source.
The Sonos app plays a big role in the Sonos experience and comes with many practical features. You can integrate your streaming services into the app, as well as control everything from one app, for example. So switching back and forth between apps is a thing of the past. You can also integrate the Sonos Move into your Sonos Multiroom system easily.
Like all other Sonos devices, the Move appears as a playback device. Just, as usual, users can also rename the device and assign it to a specific room or area.
Conclusion
Sonos enters the market with the Move and does everything very well. Arguably, the Move is a genuine Bluetooth speaker for on-the-go, but the high-quality build and performance are impressive in every respect.
A sound like you would expect from Sonos comes out of the portable Bluetooth speaker. The Sonos Move attracts attention directly with crisp and very clean-sounding lows in particular. This is complemented by balanced mids and trebles, which make the overall sound experience very dynamic. Particularly in the mid-range, the Move excels again.
The Sonos Move is the right choice if you are looking for a speaker that has both Bluetooth and multi-room capabilities. It is especially useful if you already own other Sonos devices, as the Sonos Move is a perfect addition that you can now take outdoors.
