Sonos Move
Battery operation has always been a hole in the Sonos ecosystem, originally because it declined to include Bluetooth even once Bluetooth speakers were taking over the world — which might have been a quality decision, or just that stubborn ‘walled garden’ approach. And so with all Sonos music arriving via the home network, stepping outside the home was clearly a non-starter.
But now Sonos has now made its move — literally. At home you get network music streaming, AirPlay 2, multi-room and voice assistant (Google or Alexa, your choice), but with a built-in battery and Bluetooth (AAC, but no aptX), you can also now step outside.
Mind you, it’s a bit heavy for wandering far. If you’re thinking this looks like the One and One SL, think again. At 24cm high, the Move towers over the One, and it weighs 3kg. So you could pack it for hols, and certainly shift it out to the deck, given it’s IP56-rated (good for dust and strong water jets, but not full immersion, nor likely salt water of any kind). The Black Show finish has supposedly been chosen as the best for heat and UV resistance. Sonos quotes 10 hours use on a full charge.
This is still a mono speaker, with one downfiring tweeter and one mid-woofer. And it’s difficult to fully review the sound, as it changes all the time! — Sonos’s Auto Trueplay is triggered whenever the Move is placed in a new location, and Sonos says it continuously refines the sound when the speaker is stationary too. But no matter, it was always an enjoyable speaker — weighty and full-bodied, with a tonality that’s nicely evenhanded and not bereft of solid deep bass. The Move’s presentation gains in size, scale and space over the One. So for the Sonos fan who’s been longing for a do-it-all speaker that’s as at home in a garden as it is in a
bedroom, the Move is pretty much ideal.