The Sonos Move is a state-of-the-art Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker. It features a built-in battery, rugged construction, and weatherproofing; the Move is designed for both serious sound and portability.
The speaker comes from a company that knows wireless sound. Sonos has spent decades developing the tech behind their speakers, and that experience is clearly apparent in the Move!
In this Sonos Move review, I’ll describe my most-favorite and least-favorite things about the speaker, as well as a bit about why I’m sticking with it as my main speaker.
Overall, the Move has impressed me, but it comes with some drawbacks. Read on to find out more!
Sonos Move Review Takeaways
Things I Like!
I definitely have more positive than negative things to say about the Sonos Move. It’s an impressive speaker, rugged in design with advanced features and superior sound.
The number one thing I expect out of a speaker is excellent audio quality. The Move’s sound quality is outstanding, thanks in large part to the onboard Trueplay tech.
The sound quality remains impressive across all genres of media. From heavy metal to podcasts, the Move has the dynamic range to keep the audio quality high.
I was also impressed by the Move’s long battery life. The speaker can last for an entire beach day’s worth of tunes. Battery life is critical to my perception of a portable speaker, second only to sound quality.
The Move’s high-capacity battery meets my requirements for an entire beach days’ worth of tunes. In addition, the speaker stays loud with a strong sound for the duration of its battery life.
The Move’s weatherproofing is a great feature that really sells the speaker for me. It’s perfect for those who want their speaker to work well in wet, sandy, or snowy conditions.
The smart features worked well for me too. I’m not easily impressed by smart assistant technology, but the Move is a considerable step up from previous smart speaker tech.
Things I Don’t Like…
I’d prefer the ability to stream from a Bluetooth-enabled device while being connected to Wi-Fi to use smart features. This isn’t a major inconvenience, and I’ll likely only use the Bluetooth when I’m off Wi-Fi, but it would be a nice option.
The speaker is pretty big, and although its size gives the Move a bigger sound, it is a bit of an inconvenience to take on trips where it needs to be carried for a while. If there’s a long walk between you and your destination, be prepared for a sore arm.
I’ve found the sweet spot for taking the Move is somewhere close like our back porch to have some tunes while we’re enjoying libations, into the yard while we’re doing yard work, or playing with the kids.
I also found that the Wi-Fi connection could be troublesome under certain conditions. However, I’ve had similar issues with other high-tech devices. I noticed this when using devices connected to both bands of my router, and I can’t rule out a problem with my configuration.
Even with these drawbacks, I still really am enjoying the Sonos Move. If you’re already into the Sonos ecosystem, then purchasing this Bluetooth speaker is a bit of a no-brainer in my opinion!
- Get brilliant sound anywhere with the weatherproof and drop-resistant Move. Control with your voice, the Sonos app, and Apple AirPlay 2 at home, and stream via Bluetooth when WiFi isn't available.
- Experience surprisingly deep bass, a wide soundscape, and automatic Trueplay tuning that perfectly balances the sound for where you are and what you're listening to.
- Stream over WiFi and connect Move to the rest of your Sonos system at home. Switch to Bluetooth when you're away and offline.
Sonos Move Features and Specs
Let’s jump straight into the tech. First, I’ll cover how the Sonos Move works as a speaker, as well as some of the advanced technology the Move has at its disposal.
Audio
The Move is a multi-speaker unit. If you took it apart, you’d find the main speaker assembly (also called the mid-woofer) that produces the bulk of the audio.
The mid-woofer speaker is built into the body of the move and is forward-facing. It is responsible for producing clear mid-tones and rich, deep bass.
In addition to the mid-woofer, there is a downward-facing tweeter for producing clear, distinct high tones. This was one of my favorite features; the two-speaker configuration reminds me of the Sonos One, which was my go-to music speaker before the Move.
The design of the Sonos Move compliments high-quality audio. The speaker’s body has been engineered to work as a speaker cabinet that directs sound towards the listener. The Move balances form with function, demonstrating a sleek appearance that doesn’t sacrifice audio quality.
The circuitry that drives the speakers is industry-standard: the tweeter and mid-woofer each have their own Class D amplifier for crisp sound and reliable speaker performance.
Digital Tech
While the Sonos Move produces high-quality audio using clever engineering, so do many other portable speakers. What sets the Move apart is its superb audio quality combined with advanced smart features, excellent power management, and easy connectivity.
The Move has onboard advanced audio processing in the form of Sonos’ Trueplay. Trueplay uses built-in microphones to detect the ambient noise around the speaker. The onboard computer then uses this data to adjust the speaker’s equalizer to the optimal settings.
I was really impressed with the smart assistant features of the Sonos Move. It works with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. If you already have a Sonos network, it can be integrated easily.
The Move features an industry-leading microphone array to ensure that you are clearly heard. In addition, beamforming and echo cancellation let your voice be heard even from across the room or with significant background noise.
You can stream to the Sonos Move in one of two ways: over Wi-Fi or via Bluetooth. You’ll get the most features over Wi-Fi, and I found a connection to be (mostly) straightforward.
My chief gripe is with how the Move handles different Wi-Fi bands. My router and most routers produced within the last few years have a 5 GHz band and a 2.4 GHz band for carrying data.
These aren’t separate Wi-Fi networks, just different frequencies the router uses. Most of my devices use the 5 GHz band, but a few use the older 2.4 GHz band. I often needed to reconnect my Move to the 2.4 GHz band to make it visible to these older devices.
I also begrudgingly accepted the limited feature set in Bluetooth mode. Unfortunately, when you’re playing audio through a Bluetooth connection, features like smart assistants aren’t available.
This makes sense if I’m away from a Wi-Fi connection entirely. Still, I would love it if the Sonos Move could connect to Wi-Fi while supporting streaming over Bluetooth at the same time!
Power
The features I’ve mentioned so far make for a great speaker. Of course, you can find speakers with similar features designed for permanent installation, but the Sonos Move is designed to, well, move.
Portability is a massive part of what makes the Move unique. The built-in 36WH battery is combined with intelligent power-usage technology to provide an impressive amount of playtime.
You can expect to get about 9 or 10 hours of listening time on a full charge. The Move has a USB-C port for easy charging as well as a dedicated charging base and takes about two hours to reach max capacity.
For me, the battery length was a huge plus. I’ve had bad luck with the batteries of portable speakers dying quickly in the past. So even though the large battery adds a little extra heft, it lets the Move outlast many of the other speakers I’ve used.
The quick battery drain is further exaggerated when you’re really cranking up some tunes through these smaller Bluetooth speakers.
Body and Design
As I mentioned briefly, this speaker is hefty. It is significantly larger than its predecessor, the Sonos One, standing a full three inches taller. The Move weighs six and a half pounds, making it noticeably heavier than many other portable speakers.
The good news is that this weight is put to good use as the audio profile for this speaker is impressive!
The robust battery and powerful speakers aren’t the only things contributing to the bulk of the speaker. The Move’s rugged construction meets IP56 standards for weatherproofing.
I wouldn’t recommend taking your Sonos Move for a swim, but if you get caught in a rainstorm or if a rogue cannonball competition at the pool douses the Move, it won’t mind a bit.
The bulk of the Move is made easy to handle through an ergonomic carrying handle built into the body. I definitely noticed the speaker’s weight, but it was never unmanageable.
The Sonos Move features capacitive controls on the top panel that are easy to use. It has the standard arrangement: previous/next, play/pause, volume, and mute microphone buttons are all present.
Overall, the Move isn’t a bad-looking speaker either. It is relatively large, but it has a sleek matte finish that comes in black or white, which helps it blend in with the surroundings.
This should come as no surprise as Sonos is known for producing sleek, attractive devices.
Buyer’s FAQ
Below are some common questions asked by interested users about the Soros Move!
Is the Sonos Move worth the money?
In a word, absolutely. The Sonos Move’s sound is everything you’d expect from a high-end device.
Its durability, tech, and long battery life make it worth the investment. Not to mention the fact that it works flawlessly with the Sonos ecosystem.
Is the Sonos Move Better than Bose?
While Bose produces several excellent speakers, the Sonos Move gives them a run for their money. The Sonos Move acts and sounds like a high-end speaker from a company such as Bose.
Can the Sonos Move be Stereo Paired?
Yes, you can set up dual pairing with two Move speakers. In that configuration, one speaker handles the left audio channel, and the other handles the right, producing a dynamic stereo sound.
Is the Sonos Move Good for the Beach?
The Move’s long battery life and IP56 weatherproofing make it an excellent beach-going speaker. Its one downfall in this area is its size and weight.
For example, there are many options that are far smaller and lighter (including the new Sonos Roam) that would them easier to carry out to the beach. Of course, with this smaller size and weight comes less impressive audio.
Can the Microphones on the Sonos Move Be Disabled?
Yes, as with other smart speakers, the Move’s microphones can be completely disabled to ensure your privacy.
Keep in mind, under normal operation, the Move does not process what is being said around it unless it hears the activation phrase.
