admin When the Sonos Move first dropped in 2019, it felt like a bit of a head scratcher. Sure, Sonos had finally made the portable Bluetooth speaker we’d all been clamoring for, but it was big enough to take up half a backpack, weighed a monumental six pounds, and was priced according to its largeness. If all of that stuff sounded like a turn-off four years ago, then the new Move 2 isn’t going to immediately convince you otherwise. It has the exact same form factor, adds some greater audio polish into the mix, and costs $449 (50 bucks more than the OG). Despite all of that, we do think it’s a great product and a real luxury for the right kind of person.
You see, the thing about the Sonos Move is that all the things that make it slightly incongruous on paper—especially its size—mean there’s nothing else quite like it. My better half uses the original as her go-to sound system when gigging in small venues. My parents have one that they traipse between the kitchen and the garden, depending on the seasons. And despite the absurd number of speakers that have passed through my possession for testing during its existence, nothing has been able to knock the Move off its perch on the bedroom dresser. Until now, of course.
Specs
- Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 5.0 inches
- Weight: 6.6 pounds
- Amplifiers: Three class-D digital amplifiers (versus the Move’s two amplifiers)
- Tweeters: Two angled tweeters (versus the Move’s single downward tweeter)
- Woofers: One midwoofer (comparable to the Move’s midwoofer)
The big upgrades with the Move 2 mainly come down to sound and battery life. Now capable of withstanding a 24-hour rager—a big leap forward from the original’s 10-hour runtime—and reconfigured to use significantly less power in standby mode, its outdoor credentials span well beyond impromptu picnics in the park to legit camping trips and festival expeditions. Although the Move was never lacking for sheer oomph, its finesse has been elevated with a new stereo speaker array that brings greater depth and clarity to your chosen tunes. Or to put things another way, you were always going to able to hear Olivia Rodrigo’s Bad Idea Right? over a blaring kitchen extractor fan, but now those crunchy guitars carry the appropriate amount of a 20-year-old’s angst.
In a major month for new music, we had an absolute blast running the latest records from Romy, Slowdive, and Noname through the Move 2. While we can’t say it’s quite up there with the Era 300 or something like Apple’s HomePod in terms of out-and-out fidelity, the Move 2 remains a good, fun-loving time and is (obviously) a more versatile option than either of those alternatives.
