The bar is relatively low for portable speakers these days. All a consumer asks for is a quick set-up, good sound, long lasting battery and portability, naturally. But the Sonos Move 2, might have pushed that low-ish bar into the stratosphere.
Sonos is a good speaker brand, you can’t deny it and neither can we with our previous reviews singing nothing but the brand’s praises, which is also high praise since we are very picky reviewers.
Sonos Move 2 has been out for close to seven months and calls itself ‘Sonos’ most powerful speaker ever’, and they’re not wrong.
The latest iteration of the Move series is all about using this speaker in every element and ensuring you have quality sound everywhere, whether it be outdoors with your mates, camping in the wilderness or in your home when you’re having a house party.
Big speaker, big weight
Let’s get the specs out of the way! The Sonos Move 2 has three class-D digital amplifiers, two angled tweeters and one midwoofer.
The Move 2 measures at 241 mm (H) x 160 mm (W) x 127 mm (D).
It has an IP56 rating, comes in black, white and a chic-AF olive green, this is the model I reviewed.
It has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, (whereas the previous model it was an either-or situation), a wireless charging base, a replaceable battery, a USB-C line in (can charge via this too), the addition of touch controls, and voice-enabled use.
The Move 2 is heavy like 3kg heavy, it’s a great speaker to do reps to if you need a quick arm workout. It’s portable for those who haven’t skipped arm day but I wouldn’t be chucking this in my bag to go to the beach, I’d be renting a trailer.
A big speaker, big sound
The set up of the speaker is your usual Sonos fodder, download the app, make sure your Wi-Fi is connected to your phone and in a few minutes you’re able to play music.
The Move 2 also has Bluetooth capability which was super handy when I didn’t have any Wi-Fi for the first week in my new apartment.
This speaker speaks for itself. (Sorry.) It has a clear, crisp sound thanks to its dual tweeters.
But something that has blown me away is its bass, it is impeccable. I’ve been using this speaker for the past couple of months, the first time I turned it on and popped on Carry Me Higher by The Blessed Madonna, a bass-heavy dance track and I was shocked by how deep the bass was.
It shouldn’t shock me that a speaker this small can produce bass this good but here we are. Skrillex said ‘drop the bass’ and the Move 2 replied: ‘how low?’.
When unveiling the speaker, Sonos said the Move 2 had “overhauled acoustic architecture”, which means a clear, clean sound.
With Sonos TruePlay, it has this uncanny ability to fill up a room without seeping into another room, as other speakers do. Obviously, if you blast the speaker at full volume you’re going to hear it in other areas of your home (and maybe others if you live in an apartment).
But I was so shocked at how it could contain the sound of the room it was in. This was handy when my housemate didn’t want to hear my chaotic playlist on a Saturday morning while she was relaxing doing pilates.
I decided to push the Move 2 even further by pairing it with my MacBook Air and watching Michael Bay’s best Transformers, the 2007 film (the best one IMHO).
This isn’t marketed as a sound system by any means but holy moly, did it produce some fantastic sound, especially during the fighting scenes and the bass was put through its paces.
It was doing such a good job my housemate had to ask for it to be turned down as she could feel it shaking her room. A good indication that the sound is top-notch.
Big battery life
The Move 2 is said to last 24 hours, which was on brand and the specs matched what was on the box.
Charging took two to three hours from a flat battery to 100 per cent but this was also while I was playing music so that could also be an indication. However, most speakers – and technology for that matter – take a couple of hours to charge so it wasn’t too debilitating.
The Move 2 has a little charging dock that it sits on that makes charging a bit annoying because it means you need the dock and not a USB-C or another form of universal cable.
Regardless, if you’re taking this speaker out and it’s low on charge, that’s on you. Even if it was low on charge, I had the speaker on 20 per cent for two hours and wasn’t sweating in the slightest.
Big speaker, big looks
The Sonos Move 2 is beautiful and could be mistaken for a piece of art. I had the olive green hue and it blended in perfectly with the home. So for those reading with a neutral-toned home and don’t want to throw it off with a bright pink speaker, the Move 2 has you covered.
The speaker stands just under 30cm and is a thicc boy. It is a cylindrical speaker with touchpad controls on the top of the Move 2.
You can control the volume, change songs, play/pause songs and enable voice control.
The speakers are not 360 degrees, I’d say they’re closer to 270 degrees with the non-speaker space reserved for the power button, Bluetooth and voice control switch.
Big sound, big price
Okay sure the sound is great, this speaker fills a room quicker than Taylor Swift at Accor Stadium but the price is sure to impact your decision on whether to get it or not.
We are very much still in a cozzie-livs, so if you are living paycheck to paycheck you are not going to drop $799 on a speaker. It’s also a massive bump up from its next portable speaker the Roam, which goes for $299.
But this is Sonos we are speaking about, it’s a premium consumer sound brand that hasn’t dropped the ball, yet. So you’re paying $799 for a Sonos speaker which means you’re getting a beautiful cylindrical box that expels some beautiful sound.
Big verdict: Should I buy the Sonos Move 2
Yes. If you’re on the hunt for a speaker that can produce some sound that gives you full-body tingles, lasts an amazingly long time and is within your budget. This is the speaker you upgrade to when you’ve got yourself a new home and need a nice new speaker to compliment your new aesthetic.
Wanna go get this speaker? I’d say, your Move (2).
Buy the Sonos Move 2 from Sonos | The Good Guys
Image: Athina Mallis/Gizmodo Australia