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Sonos Move review: What can the first portable Sonos speaker do?

Sonos Move featured image
Picture: TechnikNews
(Post picture: © 2019 TechnikNews)

At IFA 2019 we saw the first "portable" loudspeaker from Sonos - the Sonos Move. I was able to take a close look at the good piece, where I noticed a lot.

Actually, Sonos is known for a wide range of multi-rooms. The manufacturer's range includes sound bars, small speakers and slightly larger boxes, all of which were previously always intended for use in your own four walls, as no battery has been installed in any model. That changed now with the Sonos Move. Thanks to a rechargeable battery and Bluetooth, it can sometimes leave the home of its own.

Unboxing and initial setup

Sonos put the Move in a very large cardboard box. This is mainly black, you can only see one Product picture, some logos and various inscriptions. If you open the box on the top, a quick start guide with all possible instructions appears. If you remove the piece of cardboard that contained the note, you can see the loudspeaker in a small cloth bag and another box. This includes the fairly successful charger with integrated power supply, which I will come back to in more detail later.

Sonos Move unboxing

Here is a look inside the packaging. (Image: TechnikNews)

The initial setup is done entirely within the Sonos app, which is hidden away for download in the Play Store and App Store. Once opened, the question appears as to whether the user can create a new one Prowant to set up the product – select this option. It is important that the setup device is connected to a WLAN and that the Sonos speaker is in the charging cradle. Both devices should find each other after a short time. Then the rest of the setup happens by itself. The whole thing should take about 10 minutes.

Sonos S1 controller
Price: Free of charge
Sonos S1 controller
Price: Free of charge

Later, the Bluetooth pairing mode, AirPlay and Spotify Connect will also be available.

Design and workmanship

With just a quick glance, Sonos fans will see that the Move is another Proproduct of the manufacturer. The speaker comes in a single color - namely black -, has a subtle logo on the front and has the obligatory touchpad with some far-field microphones on the top.

Sonos Move microphones

On the top there is a touchpad and microphones. (Image: TechnikNews)

Compared to the Sonos One, however, this model is a little rounder and taller. Nevertheless it should profit easily on any shelf. Other differences become apparent when you take a look at the back. Instead of an Ethernet port and a power cable, there are connectors for the charging station and a USB-C port. Both serve to charge the device, with the charging base being simply a minimalistic black plastic circle that you can easily place the Move in. USB-C is practical when you're on the go, as you can use a power bank to refill the speaker's battery. Sonos only sells the Move in one color, black.

Sonos Move charging cradle

At home, the Move charges in the charging cradle, while on the move via USB-C. (Image: TechnikNews)

portability

And because the word "on the go" was already mentioned, I would like to briefly talk about the portability of the speaker. First of all: The Sonos Move is not light with a weight of three kilograms Product. The integrated handle and the included carrying bag make it easier to transport, but for the swimming pool, for example, I would still use BluetoothProproducts from Ultimate Ears, JBL or Libratone, as they are much lighter. In my case, the Sonos Move would then be used more in the garden, where I don't have to carry it for long. It's nice that Proproduct is IP56 protected against the ingress of some water and dust.

Sonos Move design

The Sonos Move is no longer a compact speaker. (Image: TechnikNews)

Equipment and sound quality

So that you can now play music on the Move outside where the WLAN is not sufficient, Sonos first installed Bluetooth. To use this, press the Bluetooth button on the back and add the device via the Bluetooth settings. Alternatively, Airplay 2 and Spotify Connect are available, for which a WLAN connection is required again. Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are also on board. If you have several loudspeakers with the assistants in one room, the one with the smallest distance to the user speaks. The battery has a capacity of 36 watt hours, and the manufacturer specifies a runtime of 10 hours. This value roughly corresponds to the truth. In my test, I was able to achieve a usage time of 9,5 hours, with the all-round speaker usually sitting in the charging cradle anyway.

The big question is still there: how does it sound? When I first played my absolute favorite song, I was a little disappointed. The higher tones were swallowed up a bit by the bass. And that didn't just happen with this piece. Other songs on my playlist, such as Yellow Claw's "Invitation," shone, however, because there are hardly any highs in this song. The singing sounds very clear. Podcasts also sound great on the device. The maximum volume was sufficient for me at all times, I usually had the controller at around 25 Procent (and it was still almost too loud).

Sonos app

Then there is of course support for the Sonos app, which can be found free of charge in the Google Play Store or in the Apple App Store. The manufacturer also offers a suitable one for the Mac Version for download.

  • Sonos S1 controller screenshot
  • Sonos S1 controller screenshot
  • Sonos S1 controller screenshot
  • Sonos S1 controller screenshot
  • Sonos S1 controller screenshot
  • Sonos S1 controller screenshot
  • Sonos S1 controller screenshot
  • Sonos S1 controller screenshot

As mentioned at the beginning, the app helps with the setup. Once that's done, the fun really begins. Then you can add the first music services, it doesn't matter which one you already use, since pretty much every conceivable streaming service is available. From Spotify to Apple Music and YouTube Music to Pandora, everything is represented. So I could often listen to music with Spotify and then switch to Pocket Casts for my podcasts in no time at all. Practically! The user already has an existing Sonos system? No Proproblem! Simply add the Move to an existing room and it will play music from the other speakers.

I particularly liked the fact that the loudspeaker responded immediately to every input via the app, even when I use one device and sometimes the other.

Prices and availability

The recommended retail price for the Sonos Move is 399 euros. You can buy it at Sonos' online shop, on Amazon, at MediaMarkt and at Saturn. By the way: For Black Friday there is at Sonos some offers where the move is also included.

Sonos Move: Conclusion

So, now we've come to the end again - the part where I have my opinion on a Proget rid of duct.

I have to say that I like the Sonos Move in principle. He sees others visually Provery similar to the company's products, making the latest speaker in the range look perfect alongside other models. In addition, thanks to the WLAN connection, it is just as good a multi-room speaker as others from the Sonos range. And if you want to listen to music outdoors, all you have to do is take the Move out of the charging station and possibly put it in the carrying bag. And if the speaker gets empty on the go, there is USB-C. Now you can enjoy your music away from a socket and the WLAN thanks to Bluetooth. Doesn't that sound like the perfect all-rounder?

Unfortunately, the world is not that perfect either, in my opinion there is still a little bit of fine-tuning. Well, the Move should be portable - but it wouldn't take it any further into the garden than mine. This is due to the heavy weight. Although there is a handle, it does not make the device any lighter. In addition, I don't always find the sound perfect.

Overall I think I got this one Product would not increase. But I also believe that Sonos fans will get their money's worth here.

Thank you for providing the Sonos Move.

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David Haydl

David lives in Graz and has been there for around half a decade TechnikNews, also editor-in-chief for some time. He regularly provides the site with news, test reports and the like TechnikNews Weekly, which was his idea to launch. He likes to spend his free time outdoors, listening to a lot of music (and clearly too loud) and some podcasts on all kinds of topics, and also likes to go running. He enjoys the time that remains with his charming girlfriend or in front of the TV.

David has already written 1245 articles and left 116 comments.

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Julian

Hello, thanks for the informative article. Which power bank did you use to charge the power bank? I have a power bank that has an output of 45 watts via USB C via power delivery. Unfortunately, it doesn't work with that. VG Julian

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