Every morning, I need about 20 minutes of reading and music to set me up for the day ahead. The book changes almost daily as I chew through its pages throughout the day, but the speaker that plays my musical accompaniment hasn't changed for the last two years — it's our pick for the best Bluetooth speaker, the Sonos Move 2.
It hasn't been an easy two years for the Move 2, however. There have been moments of consideration as to its future with the woeful Sonos app update, combined with compelling competition.
After all, I'm lucky enough to test out some pretty incredible pieces of home audio equipment, so how has the Move 2 been able to weather the storm? Let me tell you a story...
Reason 1: The competition doesn't quite fit my needs
There have been some excellent speakers which have passed across my testing table, all with their own benefits in kind. But none have been able to unseat my faithful Sonos Move 2, even though some have come treacherously close.
The Meridian Ellipse got potentially the nearest. It's a stunning little smart speaker, filled with smarts and some of the best sound you'll get out of a box its size. It also happened to look really, really nice, with its UFO-like curves and metal feet.
But there were two barriers to it becoming my new bedside speaker. The first was the lack of battery and its stationary nature. It's a powered unit, and I wouldn't be able to shift it around the house should I want to listen to music elsewhere.
The second was its price. In the U.K., where I live, the Ellipse costs £2,000 — so when I boxed it up to go back to Meridian, I wasn't going to spend that much to get one for my room.
Nothing else has really gotten any closer thanks to my fairly strict criteria. I need the speaker to sound good, look good, feature over 20 hours of battery life, and connect over the WiFi so that I can use my the best music streaming services without compromising sound quality.
I'm currently testing Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro, for example, and while there are some big bonuses to the new challenger (sound, looks, and connectivity), it lacks a battery — so it's got a tricky battle on its hands.
Reason 2: It sounds really, really good
Sonos is well known for good sound. Ever since I first heard a Sonos connected speaker many, many years ago, I've seen plenty of evidence that Sonos' sound engineers know their way around frequency response and device tuning.
For a device of its size, the Move 2 is excellent at filling a room. My bedroom isn't the largest, but some audio devices can still struggle to fill it with rich, full-bodied sound — no such issue for the Move 2.
Thanks to the onboard microphone constantly reading the room with TruePlay tuning, it changes the EQ of the speaker to match the location it finds itself in. You don't notice it happening, but it does mean that it sounds great no matter where you put it.
Highs are clear and bright, the mids are clean and wide, and the bass is lovely and warm. I've found it excels for almost any genre you might throw at it, from jazz to R&B to death metal and everything in between.
Reason 3: The way that it looks
I'll admit, I've perhaps not got the best eye for design around (one look at my office space lined with action figures and model robots will tell you that) — but I do know when something looks really nice. With its simple, modern design, the Sonos Move 2 is one of the best-looking Bluetooth speakers I've ever seen.
There's a habit amongst Bluetooth speaker manufacturers to try and make a speaker look as mad as possible. That could be through some insane industrial design like the Soundcore line of speakers, or with dancing LEDs a la Sony's extensive selection of party boxes.
I want something simple and subdued next to my head while I sleep, and I certainly don't want flashing LEDs at 7am while I'm trying to read — and that's exactly what the Sonos Move 2 gives me.
Reason 4: The little design touches
The Sonos Move 2 has a permanent space on my nightstand — but it's not plugged in. Instead, it sits within its charging cradle, so I don't need to worry about unplugging it and plugging it back in when I take it out of my bedroom.
That's something that not every Bluetooth speaker offers, and it's a lovely addition that shows Sonos thinks about how you're going to use the Move 2. There's still a USB-C port so that you can juice the battery up on the go as well, of course.
The on-off switch for the microphone is a nice touch, and the hidden carrying handle makes it easier to carry around. The touch-sensitive buttons on top are useful, and the volume control is intuitive. There are plenty of lovely little design touches that Sonos has packed in, and it makes for a nice speaker to use every day — with few compromises.
Reason 5: I don't even have to use the app anymore
It's no secret that the Sonos app has had a tough two years. It was updated just before the release of the Sonos Ace ANC headphones, and it's never been the same since. Riddled with bugs and problems, the Sonos app is something I only use when I absolutely have to. Think changing the settings of the speaker, or diagnosing connection issues.
Because, for the most part, I connect to the Sonos Move 2 with Roon, my home streaming application of choice. It's not officially supported by the application, but thanks to its WiFi capability, it works pretty seamlessly with Roon's UPNP networking.
With it, I can send music to the speaker from Qobuz or Tidal, and track my listening amongst my (many) devices. I can switch between them all, and even play different things on them should I want to.
I've had none of the same issues with the Move 2 since moving over to Roon, and it's meant the speaker has solidified its place on my nightstand.
It's not going anywhere soon
If you can't already tell, there's not much I don't like about the Sonos Move 2. It's perhaps a little pricey for most people and it's quite heavy, but those are negligible issues when I remember who good it sounds and how useful its become to me.
It's easily one of the most versatile audio devices that I use day by day, and I don't know where I'd be without it. I think the only thing that might get close to replacing it will be the Sonos Move 3, if we ever see one. And if we do, it's likely to be some time off.
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