Sonos Move 2 Review – This powerful portable speaker is how you get the party started

The original Sonos Move wireless portable speaker debuted sometime in late 2019 and remained the mainstay of outdoors house parties on account of its robust build and ability to kick out quite a bit of sound for its size for up to 11 hours. 

While Sonos has taken their time, they’ve managed to improve on the original in every way while retaining the same robust mini keg-shaped form factor with the Sonos Move 2 that launched a couple of months ago. 

We managed to acquire a sample for testing and put it through its paces (sorry neighbours) – here’s our Sonos Move 2 review where we share if their latest portable speaker ought to be at your next party.

Sonos Move 2 Review – Build and Design

The Sonos Move 2 looks similar to its predecessor but improves on it in every way with better stereo sound and double the battery life though the price gets bumped up by RM550. The original Sonos Move clocked in at RM2,249 at launch while the new Sonos Move 2 retails at RM2,799.

However, the Sonos Move 2 goes some way to justify this with the addition of a charging dock bundled with it out of the box along with several upgrades under the hood which we’ll get into shortly. Interestingly enough, the charging dock is reverse compatible with the original Sonos Move in the off chance you have one lying around.

Aesthetically speaking, our Sonos Move 2 review sample doesn’t wander far from the design of its predecessor with a curved keg shape that has a flattened top and base as well as a rear carrying handle for easy transport.

Much like the original Sonos Move, the Sonos Move 2 retains a robust IP56 dust and water resistance. What this translates to is that it’s effectively splashproof and able to resist dust and a good amount of rain. 

Wrapped around most of the design is a mesh grille with the front hosting a tiny LED indicator light and the SONOS logo embossed sideways. 

Up top, the first major improvement you get is the addition of a touch sensitive volume slider shaped into a groove for better tactility while retaining the playback controls and a button to turn voice services on or off seen in its predecessor.

Unfortunately, due to the ongoing tiff with Google, you don’t get Google Assistant on tap but you can use Amazon’s Alexa as an alternative or their own Sonos Voice Control to control the speaker with your voice. You also get a tiny array of six pin-sized holes though only four contain microphones for voice assistant functionality.

Just beneath the carrying handle on the rear, you get a power button that turns it or or off or alternatively puts it to sleep if you’re not using it for a while, a Bluetooth pairing button and a microphone switch to toggle voice services on or off in lieu of the top-mounted button.

You also get a USB-C port for charging other gear in the field like a gigantic power bank and itself too if you can rustle up a 45W charger as well as act as an alternative line-in if you purchase their specific adapter. The base hosts a pair of contact pins that interact with the bundled charging dock to let it charge in place in lieu of the USB-C port.

Overall build quality is impressive which is par for the course for Sonos issued gear with a solid heft and a precise, tactile finish in every button and corner.

In Malaysia, the Sonos Move 2 is available in your choice of black or white with our review unit being the former as well as a new olive colourway that looks rather stylish though its matte green hue means that you may end up misplacing it as it’s rather well camouflaged when placed outdoors near foliage. 

Unfortunately, our Sonos Move 2 review unit tips the scale, weighing in at 3kg while being almost 24 cm tall which makes it an extremely unlikely option for you to toss into your backpack for a party though it is small enough that you can easily toss it into your car boot or haul out to the garden should the situation warrant it.

Sonos Move 2 Review – Build and Design

While its aesthetics have seen minimal updates, the Sonos Move 2 enjoys a slew of upgrades in terms of the hardware under the hood. Where the original Sonos Move was primarily a mono speaker, the improved Sonos Move 2 manages to cram in an additional class-D amplifier for a total of three, doubles the number of tweeters to two while retaining the same solo mid woofer which allows for a stereo sound setup.

The Sonos Move 2 also has double the battery life and is rated for a whopping 24 hours of music playback over its predecessors 11 hours of endurance.

Seeing as this is a Sonos speaker, the Sonos Move 2 plays nicely with their eponymous ecosystem and also hosts fast WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity which is a notch better than its predecessor’s Bluetooth 4.1 which is rather long in the tooth. For those who prefer Cupertino-issued hardware, the Move 2 also supports Apple Airplay 2. 

Another upgrade with our Sonos Move 2 review sample is the option to connect external sound sources via line-in using the rear USB-C port though this requires a special adapter from Sonos which is sold separately.

In lieu of that, the rear USB-C port functions as a means to charge phones and other gear using a standard USB-C to C cable off the mammoth built-in battery to offer a modest 7.5W of power; it’s not the fastest but it works in a pinch.

One of the biggest improvements to Sonos speakers of late is their Auto TruePlay function that is device agnostic. The prior version of Trueplay required you to use an Apple iPhone or iPad to optimise the acoustics of a Sonos speaker to a given room setup.

With Auto TruePlay mode, the Sonos Move 2 uses its own speakers to detect and optimise its sound signature to best suit the acoustics of a particular room on its own without the need for an additional device.

Getting it up and running is a pleasantly simple affair though initial setup revolves primarily around you downloading their Sonos S2 app on Android or iOs first before connecting the speaker to your WiFi network first to activate it and get any necessary updates.

Once that’s sorted, you can then have the option to pair it to Bluetooth. The Sonos S2 app also lets you pair it up with another Sonos Move 2 to form a stereo pair or add it to a larger established Sonos sound system in your home.

When put to the test in indoor and outdoor scenarios, our Sonos Move 2 review unit did not disappoint. Paired with an Android smartphone, the portable speaker managed to effectively belt out tunes via Bluetooth streamed from the phone as well as via Spotify. 

The improved speakers kicked out an impressive amount of sound and are loud enough to quite literally fill a good sized garden outdoors to about twenty paces without distortion even when cranked to near maximum. 

The provision of stereo offers a modest amount of left and right sound staging for tracks like Pink Floyd’s opening portions of ‘Time’ though this of course pales in sophistication to what the Sonos Era 300 can offer. Vocal tracks were handled well and remained distinct even with busy tracks and Aerosmith’s ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing’ and Tyler’s frenzied vocals sounded crisp even over the layered background. 

Granted, orchestral and subtler tracks aren’t intended to be its forte but it managed to handle the intricate violin work in the classic ‘The Lark Ascending’ track by Williams.

On its own merits as a standalone speaker, the Sonos Move 2 was immensely capable and in its role as an outdoors speaker and for general use, it’s more than capable of tackling most contemporary musical genres in a competent fashion without it sounding. Battery life did not disappoint and without recharging and a few hours of use a day at moderate volume, it lasted close to 23 hours spread across a week without the need to plug it into the mains.

Should you buy the Sonos Move 2?

On its own merits, the Sonos Move 2 offers immense endurance and impressive performance, kicking out excellent sound and a good amount of detail without distortion even when cranked to near maximum in a relatively portable form factor that offers a whopping 24 hours of battery life. 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t come cheap and even though it is portable as speakers go, it’s still a veritable behemoth weighing in at over 3kg that makes it something less than ideal to plonk into your backpack on a whim and a day out.

Unfortunately, it’s a less than compelling upgrade if you already own its predecessor, though those looking with a more static setup and looking for even greater performance should gravitate towards the Era 300. If you’re seeking endurance and performance in a portable speaker form factor, the Sonos Move 2 does not disappoint.

Sonos Move 2 Review – Specifications

Price RM2,799
Speakers 3 x Class D Digital amplifiers, 2 x tweeters, 1 x midwoofer
CPU Quad Core 1.4GHz
Memory 1GB RAM / 8GB storage
Connectivity WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C line-in
Battery 44Wh (24 hours quoted)
Size/Weight 242 x 160 x 126mm / 3kg

Sonos Move 2 review unit courtesy of TCAcoustic. For more details and to purchase please visit https://trysonos.my/products/sonos-move-2