There’s nothing particularly wrong with my Sonos Move. In fact, there’s nothing wrong at all with it. I often walk down to my pool – which was built in the 1970s and therefore far away from the house – with the Move, which continues to play with ease. That in and of itself isn’t that remarkable, you may say, but when my sophisticated smartphone loses Wi-Fi signal and the Move doesn’t, that’s impressive.
So, I’m keen to see what improvements are crammed into the Move 2, which Sonos announced this month. It has double the battery life, now up to 24 hours, and an “ultra-durable water-resistant design that’s ready to party”.
I may be passed the stage of life where I need a Bluetooth speaker that comes “ready to party” but I appreciate its enthusiasm. I am probably at the “if the Labrador puppy knocks the speaker into the water” phase of life, but I am pleased it won’t be destroyed by said Labrador.
It doesn’t actually move, but you will
The Move 2 will retail for R13,000 from 20 September. You might say that is a lofty price point for a Bluetooth speaker, but it is notably a Sonos Bluetooth speaker. That means you’re getting a premium build quality, fairly decent sound, and it will pair up with your existing Sonos system without much fuss.
It has three class-D digital amplifiers that power two angled tweeters for an improved sound stage and stereo separation. Those are accompanied by a mid-woofer for the mid and bass ranges. Sonos’ automatic Trueplay makes its return. It will analyse the speaker’s environment and adjust its sound accordingly by playing and listening to tones using the built-in microphones.
Previously you had to wander around the room, waving your phone which made pinging noises, and invariably never worked on the first attempt because I waved my arms too quickly. Viva that upgrade, which I have already gratefully seen action with the Era 300 and 100.
Weighing only 3kg, it’s the same size and weight as its predecessor (at 241 x 160 x 127 mm) which is impressive, considering the internal 44Wh battery offers double the playback time.
The capacitive touch controls on the top let you play/pause, skip or replay, adjust the volume, and mute your voice assistant. You can also group or ungroup Sonos speakers, which is always easier via the app. I never use voice assistants, so they are never installed. If you have no concerns about privacy and do set them up, there is a handy physical mic switch to turn them off – when you want to plot something heinous, like not supporting the Springboks in France.
It comes in olive, black and white and with an IP56 rating so don’t let your Labrador – or mine – knock it into the pool. A few drops or a light drizzle should be fine though.
We’re busy testing the Move 2 so keep your eyes on Stuff for our review.