02 Feb
Blog

Chord Mojo 2 review: Sound so good, it may move you to tears

Chord Mojo 2 seen from top to bottom.

Chord Mojo 2

RRP $725.00

"The Chord Mojo 2 takes your smartphone or computer and turns it into an amazing sounding, amazingly powerful music machine."

benefits

  • Incredible sound

  • Powerful enough to drive most headphones

  • Multiple device connection options

  • Customizable lossless equalizer

  • Long battery life

disadvantage

  • The equalizer is complicated

  • MicroUSB charging is obsolete

  • No MQA file playback

I had a few people listen to the Mojo 2 DAC (digital-to-analog converter) with a pair of very special headphones, and one person really shed a tear as a particularly emotional song came to an end. This is the Mojo 2 effect. When you use it, you'll shop for new, probably ridiculously expensive, headphones, happily pay for Hi-Res streaming services, and take the time to just relax and listen to some fabulous-sounding music. The Chord Mojo 2 is very special indeed and I've been listening to it for about a month.

design and connections

If you've seen the first Chord Mojo, you'll realize that not much has changed. There are now four buttons on the front and a new USB Type-C port, but otherwise the little box is pretty much identical. There's also an optical/coaxial output and a pair of micro-USB ports, one for charging and the other for the USB Type-A adapter that's included. At the opposite end of the aluminum box you'll find two 3.5mm headphone jacks so you can listen in with a friend.

The Chord Mojo 2 features colorful buttons.Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

It's not what I would call a pocket DAC – although it's a bit smaller than the first Chord Mojo – at least by comparison to many of the thumb drive-sized affairs most people will think of. But it fits in a pocket if you really need to take it with you, and there's a battery inside that's good enough for around eight hours. But I don't really see it as an all-round product. It's best enjoyed at home, but the anodized black finish should prove durable when you're carrying it around in a bag.

Bring the Mojo 2 to life and the four buttons all light up different colors and change dynamically as you press them to activate different functions too. That's it for eye-catching design elements, though. This is a small black box that you will buy for what's inside, not what it looks like on the outside.

To get the audio from the Mojo 2 to your phone, use a USB Type-C to Type-C cable if you have an Android phone – it worked out of the box with my Galaxy S21 Ultra and OnePlus 9 Pro. If you have an iPhone, you'll need the Lightning-to-USB Camera Adapter, which costs $29 and plugs into the Mojo 2's USB Type-A to Micro-USB adapter. It's a bit messy and may require additional expense if you don't already have the right adapter, but you'll get over it if you listen.

life with mojo

Fair warning here, there will be some conversations that make me sound like an audiophile. It's the effect the Mojo 2 has on you. Before we get into how the Mojo 2 works and how it sounds, let's look at how it fits into your life. The Chord Mojo 2 turns your smartphone into an incredibly powerful music machine, but to fully exploit its talents you have to engage.

The Chord Mojo 2 next to an iPhone 13 Pro.Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Chord says the Mojo 2 is designed to work with any pair of headphones, and while that's actually true, it's really wasted on an average pair of headphones. If you're planning on using the EarPods that came with a long-deprecated iPhone 6, don't worry. The Mojo 2 deserves great headphones, and so do your ears. It's also not really suitable for listening to music on the go. It's not overly heavy at 185 grams, but the many cables to fiddle with make it onerous, as does an accident that's imminent. There is no Bluetooth connection. So if you can't live without your wireless headphones, this isn't for you.

Then what is Chord Mojo 2? If, like me, you've often dreamed of building a really powerful music system at home with massive speakers, amplifiers, a pair of mega headphones and all the other high-tech add-ons, but then woke up and realized it you did Don't have the space or the money, the Mojo 2 is the answer.

During my month with the Mojo 2, I've indulged myself by plugging in some amazing headphones and it's been well worth it. I've used the Chord Mojo 2 with Sennheiser HD660S headphones, Jay's Q-Jays, Audeze iSine 20, Grado GS3000e and a pair of (dreamy) Focal Stellia. I've used Tidal, YouTube Music, Apple Music and my own collection for music, mainly with an iPhone 13 Pro but also with my Mac Mini M1 and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.

The Chord Mojo 2 turns your smartphone into an incredibly powerful music machine.

The fact that I'm using the Focal Stellia headphones – which cost $3,000 – may surprise you, but it gets to the heart of what makes the Mojo 2 so special. Much like Focal, Chord has pedigree and exclusivity, and the Mojo 2 is handcrafted in the UK by an audio brand with over 35 years of experience. The Mojo 2 easily drives Stellia using only the iPhone as a source, so it returns a high percentage of that dream home setup experience at a far lower price point and with no footprint.

Listening to the Mojo 2

The Mojo 2 delivers a sound you can almost touch with a glorious richness that's hard to describe. There's depth and clarity, but never uncomfortable fullness or harshness, no matter the music. You feel the instruments and voices and hear all the emotions that can sometimes be lost through inferior equipment and headphones. I demoed the iPhone/Mojo 2/Stellia combo to a few people and everyone was blown away by how it plays their favorite music. One person was truly brought to tears, which underscores the power of the Mojo 2 when paired with a fabulous pair of headphones and your favorite tune.

The Chord Mojo 2 features two headphone jacks.Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

I've never heard anything that didn't sound great. The glorious soundstage in Stravinsky's The Firebird Suite (particularly Infernal Dance of King Kaschei) is delightful, with the brass instruments overhead, the drums somewhere lower right, and every other instrument whipping around you in a wonderful, dizzying way. It's perfectly controlled, exciting and totally immersive.

The guitar-driven crescendo of Sky's carillon is executed to perfection, and Richard Burton's soulful voice draws you into Jeff Gordon's Eve of the War, which once again showcases the wide soundstage of Mojo 2 and Stellia. The bass pounding in Ive's Eleven and Iz*One's Sequence never overwhelms the vocals — an integral part of K-pop and J-pop — while the snares in both have a whip-like crackle and the highs of each performer's voice are crisp and free of distortion .

While the Focal Stellia are great, I understand they can be a financial drain, but the Mojo 2 made sure all the headphones I've tested it with sound fantastic. It gives them boldness and depth, a solidity that's lacking when headphones don't get the performance they want. Yes, there's more volume, but it always comes with clarity and sharpness. I've listened for hours because everything sounds exactly how I want it to and there's not a trace of distortion or discomfort.

The joy I get from listening to the Mojo 2 cannot be overstated.

What if you compare it to the original Mojo? When listening through the Audeze iSine in-ears, the Mojo's similarly full-bodied sound is immediately apparent, but the Mojo 2 has tons more power, significantly more bass response, vastly improved clarity and precision, and no hint of distortion at all. If you have a Mojo, it's totally worth upgrading. I also compared it to the cheaper iFi iDSD Nano Black Label and while I like the sound and was happy when paired with the Sennheiser HD660S, it didn't really have the power to drive the Focal Stellia headphones and it did lacked the wonderful, rich sound of the Mojo 2.

The joy I get from listening to the Mojo 2 can't be overstated and I don't think I haven't really explored the breadth of its capabilities.

adjustment

The major technical update from the original Chord Mojo and the secret to its incredible sound is the custom 104-bit, 705/768kHz UHD DSP. According to Chord, it's a world first because it offers a way to adjust tone across the entire frequency range without loss of quality. While it's possible, you'll need the instruction manual, a decent understanding of how to set up an equalizer, and a fair amount of patience to get it right.

The Chord Mojo 2 with headphones and an iPhone 13 Pro.Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The setting of the low and high treble as well as the low and medium bass is possible and has 18 levels each. Bring up the equalizer and press the lit buttons to change the frequencies, and the levels are then represented by different button colors. The downside here is that when you do this you have to refer to the manual to understand the changed frequency and new value, and you need a very good visual memory as you don't get a clear representation of the levels as a whole on the device. It's very difficult to keep track of and I reset it many (many) times before pretty much settling for just the flat EQ with a touch more mid-bass.

If you still like to keep messing around with the Mojo 2's sound, the UHD DSP adds a cross-feed function to change the imaging. It's less distracting than the frequency setting as there are only three levels, but again you'll need to remember what the button's color means to understand the setting.

The Chord Mojo in a leather case.Optional leather case for the Chord Mojo 2 Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

A handy feature is that the power button shows you the sample rate of the file being played. For example, it glows red for a basic 44Hz file, green for 96kHz, light purple for a 32-bit 768kHz sample rate, and white for DSD 256. The Mojo 2 isn't MQA certified, which is unfortunate and it nailed it could have been virtually unbeatable in terms of file compatibility. It is surprising when several far cheaper DACs offer playback of MQA files.

battery and charging

Despite adding a USB Type-C connector for devices, the Mojo 2 doesn't charge, and you'll have to go back to medieval times with a MicroUSB connector. Yes, you get a cable in the box, but that's not the point. I want to charge the Mojo 2 with the cable I use today for my smartphone, tablet, Kindle, and pretty much every other device I own, rather than the type of cable I left on the bottom of a drawer years ago .

The connectors and ports of the Chord Mojo 2.Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

I've found Chord's estimate of eight hours of battery life between charges to be accurate. It's about the same as the original Mojo, which is a little disappointing, but still more than enough for multiple sessions per week. The better news is that the Mojo 2 doesn't get hot when charging, which seriously affected the original model.

price and availability

The Chord Mojo 2 is available now worldwide. It costs $725 in the US, while it costs £449 in the UK. You can buy it online from retailers in Chord's network, and some may also offer the Mojo 2 through Amazon, so it's worth checking out.

Our opinion

The Chord Mojo 2 is an extravagance, and it's a purchase that will likely lead to purchases of other extravagances, as its tremendous capability will encourage you to look for better headphones. It's not the prettiest audio kit you'll buy, the battery and charging technology is light years behind the phone it's likely to plug into, and you'll need to be fairly experienced (and patient) to get the most out of the equalizer -Function of the UHD DSP.

However, these are relatively small points considering how much it adds to the enjoyment of your music. Like fine wine, sound is delivered clean and full-bodied at almost any volume and from any source. It encourages you to take time to settle down and listen to music. Unlike Bluetooth headphones that crowd into a life on the go, the Mojo 2 is about taking your time from it all.

It's the spacious, high-quality, multi-component home audio system you've always wanted, only in a small, convenient and comparatively inexpensive box.

Is there a better alternative?

There are many DACs that vary significantly in price. If you are new to DAC/amplifiers, it is advisable to start with a cheaper model, e.g. Consider the $99 Helm Bolt DAC, which performed well in our most recent group test, or the $330 AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt. Both can play MQA files and do not need to be charged.

How long it will take?

The battery is probably the only limiting factor to the Mojo 2's tech longevity, meaning you can indulge in peace of mind and don't expect to have to upgrade for many years to come. For some perspective, I was still regularly using the original Mojo, which is now more than six years old, until the arrival of the Mojo 2. The strong aluminum body and anodized finish should keep it looking good and relatively well protected, although there's no water resistance. You can buy a leather case if you want to give it a little more protection.

should you buy it

Yes. It's not a wise buy at all, but the same goes for any quality audio device and it's instead defined by the enjoyment you get from it and how amazing it makes your favorite music sound.

Editor's Recommendations



01 Feb
Blog

Tempo Move review: Interactive at-home fitness savant

A man exercising with the Tempo Move system.

"The Tempo Move offers compact storage, a great app, and plenty of workouts to target every part of your body."

benefits

  • Excellent device storage

  • Intuitive app

  • Responsive AI and reactive fitness tracking

  • Support for up to six users in a Tempo household

  • Competitive price compared to comparable options

disadvantage

  • No Android support

  • No live classes (currently)

  • App can be finicky at times

The last few years have been incredible for the world of home fitness equipment. Today, more than ever, we're buying treadmills, stationary bikes, and other interactive fitness equipment that takes full advantage of the current state of the smart home. Through apps and touch screens, we can track everything from calories burned to training goals for the day, week, month and year.

While some of these home exercise machines advertise impressive features, many also offer top prices. Yes, we all want the luxury of being able to exercise right from our living room, but not all of us can afford the thousands of dollars it takes to do it. That's where hardware like that move pace come inside.

From the creative workout minds that brought us the incredible mirror-mounted Tempo Studio, the Tempo Move is the company's latest technology. Designed for budget-conscious buyers and using our iPhones instead of a dedicated touchscreen, the company's latest addition to its impressive fitness range makes the grade? Read on to see what we thought after using the Tempo Move for a few weeks.

From the box

The Tempo Move cabinet with included weights, dumbbells and Tempo Core.

First impressions matter and the Tempo Move is designed to impress as soon as you unbox the device. For starters, we don't think we've ever seen a fitness company put as much thought into storing gear — let alone hardware — that costs as little as the Move package (currently available for $395).

Weights, dumbbells, and the Tempo Core Module are all designed to fit in a stowable cabinet that's 22 inches high, 13.5 inches wide, and 13.5 inches deep. Closet color options include light blonde and maroon wood finishes.

A magnetized mesh cover slides back to reveal two shelves for storing weight plates. Wooden inserts for weight, resistance band and cable storage can be cleverly removed at the top. There is also a hinged compartment where you can put the dumbbells. Weight plates range from 1.25 to 5 pound increments and the included dumbbells weigh 7.5 pounds each.

A center cut-out can be removed to allow the Tempo Core to sit on top of the cabinet, although you can always place the module right next to your TV if you have space. The Core itself comes with an HDMI/USB-A combo cable.

The top of the Tempo Move case.

Apartment dwellers, you're in luck. The Tempo Move is the perfect home setup when you're short on space. Better still, if you don't have enough space in the TV room to store everything, you can always store the cabinet in another part of your house. When it's time to train, just grab the Tempo Core along with the weights you need for the day.

initial setup

Getting the Tempo Move to work is a fairly simple process. To get started, the first thing you should do is create a Tempo account. You can do this by going to members.tempo.fit/register. The website will ask you to register the device and enter a payment method. While the first 30 days of your Tempo membership are free, after the trial period you'll be spending $40 per month – a price that compares to competitive training subscriptions from companies like Peloton.

In addition to the impressive A.I. skills is the amazingly interactive pace app.

Next, grab your iPhone and download the Tempo app from the App Store (you can also scan the QR code on the quick start guide in the box). Once you launch the app, scan the bottom of your Tempo Core to pair your membership. The first few screens are all about collecting data about what kind of person you are (height, weight, training experience) and what type of goals you want to set (weight loss, muscle gain, etc.).

Next up is the Tempo Core, the actual A/V engine and iPhone docking station, which is your essential A-to-B connection from your Tempo hardware to your TV.

The Tempo Core idle screen.

In the box you will find an HDMI/USB-A cable. Plug the HDMI part into any free port on your TV and the USB-A connector into a free USB port on your TV. In case your TV's USB port is already in use, you can use a dedicated USB power brick instead.

The last step is to dock your iPhone. Since the Tempo Move uses the iPhone's True Depth Sensor for motion tracking, you'll need an iPhone XS/XR or anything up to the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Speaking of mobile hardware: Sorry Android users. As of now, Tempo Move is only available for iOS devices.

During setup, we actually had some trouble getting our iPhone 12 to handshake with the Tempo Core. We've followed a few troubleshooting tips, including HDMI and USB-A unplugging and replugging, but to no avail. However, after restarting the phone, everything was connected correctly. Ah, tech.

features

The key technology behind the Tempo Move is 3D Tempo Vision, an A.I. Learning system that tracks your training style and keeps track of everything from form to reps over the long term. Over time, the system becomes intelligent enough to know your training style, which allows it to recommend weight sizes, for example.

As you mimic what your trainer is doing, the exact exercise you are doing is displayed in the top left portion of the TV screen, with the remaining rep time displayed in the top right corner. Actual reps, pace, and heart rate (which requires a compatible wearable) are recorded at the bottom of the screen.

The higher-priced Tempo Studio has 3D Tempo Vision integrated directly into the touchscreen mirror. As for Move, 3D Tempo Vision forms an alliance with your iPhone's various motion tracking features via your device's True Depth Sensor.

In addition to the impressive A.I. skills is the amazingly interactive pace app. At launch, the Home tab shows you how many courses you've completed on the current date, along with calories burned and leaderboard stats (if you're interested). Here you can also see which workouts you have completed throughout the week.

Under the Classes tab you'll find a wide range of training tools, including thousands of classes covering everything from high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to stretching, yoga, strength, cardio and more. Tempo Move doesn't currently offer live classes, but we're betting they will soon.

A series of screens in the Tempo app.

The Programs tab lets you choose from a mix of pace-curated workouts for everything from losing weight to getting definition. For those who need a recommendation, a separate "For You" sub-tab suggests programs based on the training experience you entered during registration.

Then there's the Profile tab. Here you can see how many workouts you've completed, how many calories you've burned, and your total. Date ranges include a week, the last 30 days, and all times. If you select the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, you can customize notification settings, change your password, invite up to five family members to your Tempo membership, and more.

training experience

Now it's time for the mat. We placed our Tempo Core on our TV stand, slightly in front of the TV. After docking our phone, the first thing we were asked to do was set up our exercise mat. Ideally you should have this about 5 feet from your TV stand. During setup and throughout your interactive workout, a mat gauge appears at the bottom of the screen to let you know if you're properly within your workout zone.

We started with a 20-minute low-impact cardio workout, because your humble reviewer isn't that adept at the art of training. The onscreen trainer was energetic and encouraging but incredibly talkative. A little too talkative. No big deal – we need to pump up!

As you mimic your trainer's moves, the exact exercise you are performing is displayed in the top left of the TV screen, with the remaining rep time displayed in the top right corner. Actual reps, pace, and heart rate are shown at the bottom of the screen. And hello, it works! Sometimes the little things really count when it comes to consumer tech, and watching the rep count increase with every pathetic squat I performed confirmed that my iPhone was playing well with the Tempo hardware.

The leaderboard is displayed on the right side of the screen. However, I was scared of other people's achievements, so I've hidden this real-time chart (you can do this by selecting Leaderboard on your iPhone and choosing the Hide setting). In the app you can also choose from different music genres during the workout and adjust the volume balance between the music and the trainer.

A man exercising with the Tempo Move system.

When you pause a workout (by pressing the big pause icon on your iPhone screen), your TV screen will show your current circuit along with any upcoming forms that are in the circuit of the workout you're currently working on. All of this information is also displayed on your phone screen right before the actual workout starts.

In my 25 minute total body building and 35 minute strength training classes, it was nice to have the required weights displayed on the screen. However, on both exercises, the Move struggled to keep track of my reps. Even though I left the mat zone a few times, the move still wasn't counting my reps or tracking my pace when I nailed the form to the mat (or nailed it as close to it as possible).

Looking at things later, I realized that this probably wasn't a bug. In fact, the Move doesn't track reps, tempo, or offer form correction for any exercise. A bit of a shame, but I think interactive feedback is provided on enough workouts not to make this such a big deal.

price and guarantee

Tempo is currently offering a solid discount on the Move. Normally, the Tempo Move package costs $500, but Tempo is currently dropping $100 off the retail price. So for $400 you get a solid workout package, a versatile storage cabinet, and a three-year warranty.

However, there is more money to spend. The Tempo Move requires a Tempo subscription, which will set you back $40 a month after the 30-day free trial. All in all – including the massive range of classes, fitness customization, and support for up to six unique users – this isn't a bad monthly premium in our opinion.

Our opinion

If you're looking for an all-in-one home workout experience at a reasonable price, Tempo Move is a fantastic package that we definitely recommend. While you might not get exactly the same experience as the company's more expensive studio hardware (or its competitors' equally priced workout gear), the Move effectively takes your iPhone's performance to the next level.

The fitness tracking is on point, the workouts are rich and the sky is the limit for new features to add. True, it's no fun that Android followers can't play along too. But if you've got a fairly new iPhone and a little cash to spare, both upfront and month-to-month, this is it move pace is the perfect way to get your reps off the ground in the comfort of your living room, bedroom, or basement gym.

How long it will take?

With the Tempo Move, you only rely on two pieces of equipment to power your workout. There's the Tempo Core, which is covered by Tempo's three-year warranty, and the iPhone, which you use for the Tempo app. That being said, we're betting you'll have a successful few years with the Core module, with performance only improving as app updates are rolled out.

In fact, Tempo already has plans to take advantage of more advanced hardware features in later iPhone models, so you can expect improvements and new features in the foreseeable future.

Is there a better alternative?

If you want a more robust platform, Tempo's pricier Studio ($1,995) includes an interactive touchscreen that doubles as a training mirror. Negating your iPhone, everything you would use the Tempo app for is built right into the display. And don't forget: The Studio includes live classes (the Move doesn't).

As for an alternative that matches the price of the Move, we're having a hard time thinking of one. Home fitness equipment typically costs thousands of dollars on top of the monthly subscription you have to factor in.

should you buy it

Absolutely. The Tempo Move offers an incredible training experience through solid equipment and an intuitive companion app.

Editor's Recommendations



19 Jan
Blog

Move Well First: A New Path for Coaching Fitness

Mass information in the fitness industry is a beautiful thing; It allows trainers and the general population to learn at high speed. But mass information can also lead to mass confusion. Figuring out how to train yourself and others can be a rollercoaster ride — and not always a fun one.

Man holding a loaded barbell in the front rack position

Luckily, the intentions behind this industry babble are usually genuine. Coaches want to help clients get results, and the general public just wants to feel better. Amid the confusion, however, there is a growing need for the fitness industry to develop a common language that both professionals and consumers can understand. And that common language should focus on helping society move better and more often over the long term.

Changing the language of the industry may feel like an impossible task, but two principles are undeniable:

  • Put motion quality first.
  • Help people move more.

Regardless of your goals (muscular hypertrophy, strength, power, etc.), these two factors are critical for the industry to move in the right direction. A movement-based approach to training has magical potential and must begin in children's physical education classes. The lack of a proprioceptively enriched exercise lifestyle for children is a major societal concern.

However, it's never too late to restore what Gray Cook calls "movement competency." Here is Gray's definition of finding movement competence:

We test this with motion screening. If the screening reveals pain or dysfunction in the form of limitations or asymmetries, there is a movement competence problem. Alternatively, there's a basic motion problem – choose your term, but make it point. Adequate competence indicates an acceptable basic movement quality.

Achieving movement competency becomes difficult when we focus our fitness programs solely on looking better. I'm a bodybuilder at heart and have been working to build bigger muscles and look better since I was 15 years old. Fast forward almost 20 years and I have found that my pursuit of aesthetics has resulted in flawed movement patterns. I'm now forced to work on improving my movement skills instead of working on looking good.

That doesn't mean I can never train for aesthetics, but I must earn the right to make that the sole focus of my training. Muscle building becomes more and more important with increasing age, but you can still have a high level of movement competence at any fitness level. Building muscle and getting stronger should be your main goal once you start moving well.

A catalyst for change

This was my catalyst for developing a movement-based approach to hypertrophy training. In the past, bodybuilders might do light static stretching, five minutes on a cardio machine, and a few warm-up sets before jumping into a 25-set chest and triceps workout. Young lifters without a lot of miles on their bodies can get away with this method for a while, though Ultimately, this approach can lead to asymmetry, injury, pain, and frustratingly slow progress.

You don't have to be in your fifties to have a high age of education. As Dan John says, "It's not the years, it's the miles." I've been training hard for almost 20 years, taking a week off here and there, but not often. The miles are deep in this young body.

If you're going to be a long-term weightlifter, endless sets of eight to 15 reps per body part may not be what your body needs. So what should a person aiming for a bodybuilding-like physique do instead of the typical splits? Rethink and master basic human movements and execute them with realistic sets, reps, and loads. If you first focus on moving better, you'll be surprised at how quickly your body can often lift heavy objects again.

A collaborative design

Like any other trainer or strength coach, my philosophy has evolved over the years. Today I follow philosophies of various proven methods.

Functional Movement Systems (FMS) is a useful approach to understanding movement baselines and exercise modifications. Most people would benefit from an FMS screening. Along with a detailed medical history of intake, FMS provides a solid basis for program design. For the beginner or veteran, the basics are the beginning and the end.

Any strength and muscle hypertrophy program should include a variation of the following movements depending on the individual's goal. This list is largely inspired by the legendary Dan John:

  • To press: Push-ups, bench press, overhead press
  • Draw: Dumbbell rows, reverse rows, pull-ups, pull-ups
  • squatting: Cup squat, front squat, back squat, single leg squat
  • Hinge: Deadlift, kettlebell swing, single leg deadlift, Olympic lift
  • Loaded transport: Farmer stretcher, suitcase stretcher, overhead stretcher, sandbag stretcher
  • Basis: swaying, rolling, crawling, crawling, Turkish getups
  • Core/Rotation/Anti-rotation: Ab wheel rollouts, cable press outs, chops, lifts

The new age bodybuilding template

Below is a basic hypertrophy template, which consists of lifting 3 days a week for 6 weeks. Breaking up your strength and conditioning into four to six week phases keeps your body fresh and resilient and improves overall physical readiness. This length of time seems to be the sweet spot since most people have what I call "exercise ADD."

Program components:

  1. corrective
  2. movement preparation
  3. lift weights
  4. finishers

1. Corrections

Correctives are based on FMS and health history. For example, a perfect score for an active straight leg is 3/3, 0 for pain. Your goal should be to achieve symmetry (a score of 2/2 or 3/3). If your score is 2/1, The following corrective exercises will use core and motor control to improve alternating hip flexion and extension.

Man performing lower body flexibility exercises on floor with band

  • Alligator Breathing: Lie down in a comfortable position for 2-3 minutes. I prefer to feel the abdominal wall on my stomach. Breathe in and out through your nose. Focus on drawing air deep into your stomach. It can be helpful to imagine drawing air down into your feet.
  • Assisted lowering of the legs: 10 repetitions per leg
  • Cook hip lift: Each side lasts 5 x 10 seconds

2. Movement preparation

Before you start exercising, spend 5-10 minutes on the following movement preparations:

  • kettlebell handle bars: 5 on each side
  • Half kneeling kettlebell halos: 10 repetitions
  • Cup squat with curious knees: 5 repetitions
  • lunge matrix: 6 repetitions
  • plank to down dog: 10 repetitions (not in the video)
  • customs Service Worm: 10 reps (not in the video)
  • Leap rope: 2-5 minutes (not in the video)

3. Lifting weights

Below are the rep counts for the three days of training. Organize your week so that you don't lift two days in a row.

  • Monday or Tuesday): 5×5
  • Wednesday or Thursday): 8×3
  • Friday or Saturday): 3 x 8-12

The following exercise options are based on the basic movement patterns:

  • To press: One-arm kettlebell press, one-arm bench press, push-ups
  • Draw: Reverse rows, pull-ups
  • squatting: Goblet squat, single leg squat, front squat
  • Hinge: Deadlift, single leg deadlift, kettlebell swing
  • Loaded transport: Peasant walk, carrying suitcases
  • groundwork: Turkish get up, crawl and roll
  • Core (rotation/anti-rotation): McGill Big 3, rollouts, anti-rotation press-outs

4. Finishers

Choose one conditioning finisher per session:

  • Airbike Sprints: 6-8 rounds of 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off
  • Concept 2 rowing machine: 1,000 meters
  • Ski Erg Sprints: 3 rounds of 1 minute, rest 2 minutes between sprints
  • Push/pull slide: 5 x 50 meters
  • battle ropes: 8 x 20 reps for 2 arm strokes. Rest 30 seconds between sets.

cooling down

Proper rest will give your body a better foundation to build muscle in the long run. Before you leave the gym after your workout, perform this cool-down routine:

  • Alligator breathing: 2 minutes
  • Head nod: 10 reps up and down and 10 reps side to side
  • Bird Dogs: 10 reps/side
  • Rock backs: 20 reps
  • Egg rolls: 20 reps
  • Rising and descending from the floor: 5-10 repetitions
  • Baby crawling, Spiderman crawling: 30-40 meters each

The change is here

I will always be a meathead at heart. I love bodybuilding and am amazed at how much weight powerlifters can lift. But the "Pedal to the Metal" workouts eventually take their toll.

If we continue to steer the general public toward endless sets of body part split workouts, people who aren't ready, and may never be ready, to impose Olympic lifting, and making the most of the squat, deadlift, and bench press, the transport may never come. Instead, let's focus on keeping people moving.

03 Jul
Blog

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Review: Move Aside Thin Gaming Laptops

lenovo legion 5 pro rating 01

"The display quality and performance make the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro a fantastic mid-range gaming laptop."

  • Excellent gaming performance

  • Beautiful 1440p display

  • Satisfactory, accurate keyboard

  • Good cooling

  • Inexpensive touchpad

  • Thick and chunky

Gaming laptops are getting thinner and thinner. Still, there's plenty of room in the market for gaming laptops that don't forego unbridled performance on the altar of portability.

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is one such gaming laptop. Its design is nothing spectacular, nor is the strain you will feel as you lug around.

But for a decidedly old-school gaming laptop, the Legion 5 Pro brings the basics together in a way that will make many performance-minded PC gamers very happy. The affordable entry-level price of $ 1,700 will put a smile on your face too.

design

The front of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro with the lid open.

The Legion 5 Pro is not an eye-catcher. The oversized Legion logo on the lid isn't exactly subtle, and the sleepy, storm gray color and keycap font come straight from Lenovo's business laptop designs. Add in the ThinkPad-like keyboard and black vent pieces that seem glued on, and it's a bit of a Frankenstein design.

I have no problem with a stealth gaming laptop that hides its gaming roots – like the Predator Triton 500 SE or even the Razer Blade 15. But the Legion 5 Pro seems torn between the two identities. The name itself seems a bit confusing, as it can be found both in the Legion gaming line and as a "Pro" laptop. It's less of a mix and more of a mishmash.

The design has its strengths. For example, the super thin bezels around the screen look amazing. Even the lower bezel is relatively small, which makes for a modern design that puts the screen in the foreground. This is thanks to the 16:10 aspect ratio, which is a new trend in gaming laptops. Extra vertical screen space may seem unnecessary when gaming, but it's sure to come in handy when you need to get some work done. Again, 16:10 makes a lot of sense because the Legion 5 Pro hits the line.

The back of the lid of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro when closed.

The screen is also larger than the average 15-inch gaming laptop that is 16 inches diagonally. That's the same as the Predator Triton 500 SE, but it's still an unusual screen size for gaming laptops. But here, too, thanks to its small bezels, it does not add any additional size to the overall print.

And that's important because the Legion 5 Pro is by no means small. It weighs 5.4 pounds and is 1.1 inches thick – clunkier than your average 15-inch laptop and most high-end gaming laptops out there. As we'll see later, this extra size makes for excellent thermal performance, especially when compared to the Razer Blade 15, MSI GS66 Stealth, or even the Alienware m15 R4.

Ports

The ports are on the back of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

The Legion 5 Pro offers an increasingly popular port placement option: the back of the device. This makes the laptop's footprint even bigger, but it does a good job of keeping messy cables out of the way.

On the back you will find HDMI 2.1, RJ-45 Ethernet, a power jack, three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports and a USB-C port that supports both USB 3.2 Gen 2 and DisplayPort 1.4.

This leaves only ports on the sides that you really need to access quickly. On the left you will find a headphone jack and another USB-C. There is a single USB-A port on the right.

In terms of connectivity, the Legion 5 Pro supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

display

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro with Cyberpunk 2077 is played.

The Legion 5 Pro offers an excellent screen for both gaming and standard work. Native resolution is 2560 x 1600 to support 16:10 aspect ratio and can be scaled down to 1920 x 1200 for lower resolution games.

According to my colorimeter, the Legion 5 Pro has one of the best displays I've ever tested on a gaming laptop. First of all, it's unusually bright, reaching a brightness of 550 nits. That's even brighter than the latest MacBook Pro or Razer Blade 15. It's also a decently color-accurate panel that hits 77% of the AdobeRGB color space.

The Legion 5 Pro has one of the best displays I've ever tested on a gaming laptop.

It's rare to see such a bright, vibrant, and well-calibrated screen on a gaming laptop. Like the Predator Triton 500 SE, the Legion 5 Pro offers that great picture quality alongside a fast refresh rate, although 165Hz isn't as high as the 360Hz panels you can get in 1080p gaming laptops. But let's face it – unless you're a professional esports gamer, you probably wouldn't notice the difference while gaming anyway. The gameplay feels very responsive and fast, especially since you are running most of your games in the native resolution.

The increase in resolution is worth the tradeoff, especially with such a large screen. Pixels are disappearing thanks to the sharpness that matches what you get on the MacBook Pro. And thanks to the power you will use the full range of 165 Hz even with native resolution.

performance

As I mentioned earlier, the Legion 5 Pro is a chunky gaming laptop that offers better cooling. The result is pretty amazing gaming performance.

My configuration came with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, Nvidia RTX 3070, 16 GB of RAM and two 1 TB PCIe SSDs. Lenovo also offers an identical configuration with the exception of the RTX 3060. This saves 150 euros, but the RTX 3070 option should offer a noticeable increase in frame rates. It's not currently available, but Lenovo reportedly also has a confusing mid-tier model with just 1TB of storage but 32GB of RAM. Most gamers will choose more memory and less memory.

Laptop 3DMark time spy 3DMark fire strike Assassin's Creed Valhalla (1080p Ultra High) Battlefield V (1080p Ultra) Fortnite (1080p Epic) Civilization VI (1080p Ultra)
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (RTX 3070) 9175 21033 61 fps 73 fps 101 fps 114 fps
Asus ROG Strix G15 (RX 6800M) 10504 26800 77 fps 109 fps 108 fps 150 fps
MSI GS66 Stealth (RTX 3080) 9097 19175 70 fps 117 fps 140 fps 149 fps
Razer Blade 15 (RTX 2080 Super) 7637 16895 58 fps 98 fps 110 fps 134 fps

I included the benchmarks in 1080p in the table above to level the playing field between these different laptops that include both 1080p and 1440p resolutions. The Legion 5 Pro masters all games with over 60 frames per second (fps), including the tough assassin Creed Valhalla. As for the lighter esports tariff, the Legion 5 Pro averaged over 100 fps in Fortnite, with room to use the full 165 Hz range in lower settings.

At native resolution, which is the number of people who will likely be using the Legion 5 Pro, you'll still get over 60 fps in most games. Battlefield V was right on the line at 60 fps, while Fortnite played fantastic at 83 fps. The system slowed to 52 fps at 2560 x 1600 in Valhalla, so you should probably stick to lower resolutions for heavier titles like this one.

The Legion 5 Pro offers an excellent price-performance ratio.

Although the Legion 5 Pro with RTX 3070 consistently beat the MSI GS66 Stealth with RTX 3080 (and 1440p screen) in 3DMark runs, the MSI device was well ahead in every recent game I have tested. Of course, newer configurations of the GS66 Stealth aren't widely available right now – and if so, they'll get quite a bit more expensive. The same goes for the Razer Blade 15, which will easily cost you at least $ 1,000 more.

All of this makes the Legion 5 Pro an excellent price-performance ratio for the performance it offers. The only problem is the Asus ROG Strix G15, which offers a base configuration for a similar $ 1,650. It's a more powerful laptop, no doubt about it. It's a strength of AMD's new Radeon RX 6800M graphics card that beats the RTX 3070 in every way and challenges the RTX 3080 in some. The performance of the ROG Strix G15 is undeniable. I prefer the design and screen of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, but it's hard to beat the ROG Strix G15 in terms of price.

Cyberpunk 2077 plays on the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

During my tests, the Legion 5 Pro turned out to be a well-cooled device. The GPU temperatures never rose above 86 degrees Celsius, while the CPU temperatures were even cooler. The surface temperatures got warm at times, but never quite as hot as on slimmer laptops like the MSI GS66 Stealth or the Razer Blade 15.

All configurations of the Legion 5 Pro feature the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H. It's a powerful 45-watt chip with eight cores and 16 threads. This gives you improved CPU performance over the 35-watt processors found in something like the ROG Zephyrus G14. The Legion 5 Pro had a particularly impressive single-core score of 1430 in Cinebench R23. It also does a lot better than Intel-powered laptops such as the MSI GS66 Stealth.

I also tested the CPU-based video encoding in HandBrake, and the Ryzen 7 was an absolute runabout. In comparison, the GS66 Stealth was 24% slower in the same test. That ensures the Legion 5 Pro is just as good a machine for content creation and heavier CPU-based workloads as it is for gaming.

Still, it's not quite as fast as the Ryzen 9 5900HX that you can find in the ROG Strix G15 or ROG Zephyrus G15.

battery

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro doesn't have great battery life. Other gaming laptops have made strides in this area, like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, but the combination of the RTX 3070 and G-Sync panel is a recipe for frequent use of the charging port. The 80-watt-hour battery isn't quite as big as some of the 99-watt-hour batteries you'll find in premium gaming laptops.

Still, the battery life isn't nearly as bad as a laptop like this one has been for years, probably thanks to the efficient Ryzen processor inside. A little more than seven hours of light surfing on the internet isn't a bad thing. However, the second you boot up the discrete GPU, you'll find that it drops off pretty quickly. On the other hand, you probably shouldn't be playing without being plugged in anyway.

I should also mention the massive 300 watt power brick that comes with this thing. It's a tank and adds some weight to the backpack if you plan on traveling with the Legion 5 Pro.

Keyboard and touchpad

The illuminated keyboard of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

The Legion 5 Pro uses a precise, ThinkPad-style keyboard. It's an odd look for the keycaps on a gaming laptop, but it offers one of the best typing experiences you will find. The key travel of 1.5mm is luxurious and the layout is perfect. The backlight is pretty limited with only four adjustment zones (including the number pad) and a disappointing software experience with Lenovo Vantage. The joy of typing more than makes up for the lack of a stylish backlight.

The quality of the touchpad was all the more disappointing. It's the kind of quality you'd find on a $ 400 Chromebook, not a powerful gaming laptop. It's a big touchpad which I appreciate. But the surface isn't very smooth, which means that clicking and dragging, pinch-to-zoom, or other gestures that require close tracking can skip or feel awkward. It's frustrating, especially on a laptop doing so many things right.

There is a 720p webcam above the screen, which Lenovo fortunately included. It's still omitted from Asus' ROG gaming laptops to allow for a thinner top bezel. However, the laptop does not contain any security features, but it lacks both a Windows Hello IR camera and a fingerprint reader. These have become more common lately even on mid-range gaming laptops, so it's a shame to see Lenovo force you to rely on passwords and PINs to log in.

Our opinion

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is the real deal. If you're done with gaming laptops trying to be too thin at the expense of the right cooling and performance, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is what you've been waiting for.

Are there alternatives?

Most gaming laptops at this price point cannot be compared to what the Legion 5 Pro has to offer. The Predator Triton 500 SE corresponds to the screen size, but is limited to an RTX 3060.

The Legion 5 Pro's two biggest competitors come from Asus. The all-AMD ROG Strix G15 is the gaming laptop with the ultimate price-performance ratio, while the ROG Zephyrus G15 corresponds to the Legion 5 Pro in almost all specifications for the same price. It doesn't have such a good screen, but the Zephyrus G15 has a sleeker design and options for up to an RTX 3080.

How long it will take?

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro should last at least five years. It's a powerful gaming laptop that can handle the latest AAA games for many years.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro isn't the most stylish gaming laptop in the world, but its performance and display more than make up for the difference.

Editor's recommendations



27 Oct
Blog

The Move Well Project

This week's guest is Chris Peil, a sports rehabilitation expert who helps Olympians and the strongest man in the world get out of pain and get back to their best performance.

Continue reading

27 Oct
Blog

The Move Well Project | Breaking Muscle

Our guest today is Chris Peil. Chris is a sports rehabilitation professional who specializes in helping people get back to their best performance after the medical community has tried and failed. His no-nonsense, logical, no-nonsense approach is a breath of fresh air compared to much of the hot air and self-promotion you see from people who are far less skilled.

Chris flies under the radar for someone to work with Olympians, professional athletes, and World Champion of the Strongest Man, Eddie Hall. Its lack of self-promotion is refreshing, but it robs the world of its wealth of wisdom. Listen to this episode to learn from a real gem in the fitness industry.

If you enjoyed this podcast and cared about it, rate and rate it so we can get the word out and motivate and inspire others to take their performance to the next level.

You can find more podcasts like this on the Breaking Muscle Six Pack of Knowledge page. Here you can find all podcasts for most of the available streaming services including iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, YouTube, Stitcher, PlayerFM and PodBean.

I am the host, Tom MacCormick, and I am a personal trainer and online coach whose goal is to be the curator of the greatest hypertrophy experts in the world. If you're interested in working with me or learning more about me, follow me on Instagram @tommaccormick.

26 Oct
Blog

The Move Well Project | Breaking Muscle

Our guest today is Chris Peil. Chris is a sports rehabilitation professional who specializes in helping people get back to their best performance after the medical community has tried and failed. His no-nonsense, logical, no-nonsense approach is a breath of fresh air compared to much of the hot air and self-promotion you see from people who are far less skilled.

Chris flies under the radar for someone to work with Olympians, professional athletes, and World Champion of the Strongest Man, Eddie Hall. Its lack of self-promotion is refreshing, but it robs the world of its wealth of wisdom. Listen to this episode to learn from a real gem in the fitness industry.

If you enjoyed this podcast and cared about it, rate and rate it so we can get the word out and motivate and inspire others to take their performance to the next level.

You can find more podcasts like this on the Breaking Muscle Six Pack of Knowledge page. Here you can find all podcasts for most of the available streaming services including iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, YouTube, Stitcher, PlayerFM and PodBean.

I am the host, Tom MacCormick, and I am a personal trainer and online coach whose goal is to be the curator of the greatest hypertrophy experts in the world. If you're interested in working with me or learning more about me, follow me on Instagram @tommaccormick.

18 Jun
Blog

Sonos Move Review: A Great Speaker for the Great Outdoors

sonos move review 8

"The Sonos Move can be used anywhere, but is just as happy at home. It may be the only speaker you need."

  • Outstanding build quality

  • Integration with Sonos systems

  • Sounds particularly good outdoors

  • User replaceable battery

  • The Sonos app does not work via Bluetooth

  • Big size, big price

Sonos has been the leading brand for wireless home audio since the company effectively launched the category almost 20 years ago. All this time, however, it has decidedly refused to support Bluetooth wireless connections on its devices.

Only Sonos knows all the reasons why the company has held back, but this chapter is now closed. The company's first truly portable (and Bluetooth-enabled) $ 399 Move is here. The only remaining question is whether the move is worthwhile given the significant investment.

Big but balanced

Hold the Sonos Move by the handle

Sonos products are known for their excellent build quality. Regardless of whether it's a Sonos One SL (formerly Play: 1) or a Sonos Sub, every speaker feels solid and solid. The Sonos Move goes one step further. It weighs 6.6 pounds, making it more than two pounds heavier than a Sonos One and almost twice as heavy as the Ultimate Ears Megablast, a portable speaker with many of the same features.

Thanks to the well-designed integrated handle, you can still carry it from place to place without fear of accidentally dropping it. The included charging station essentially disappears with the move in position, which is ideal and offers additional stability.

Thanks to the handle, you can move the Move from place to place without fear of dropping it.

Not that the move needs it. Despite a rounded base that wants to roll the Move to the side at any time, a low center of gravity and a very grippy rubber floor lets the Move lean at surprisingly precarious angles without falling over. Even if that were the case (I didn't intentionally drop or roll the move), Sonos assures that the speaker will continue to work properly, although no promises have been made to dent the black metal grill. And unlike so many other speakers built for the elements, the Move's understated design still looks great on a coffee table or in a bookcase.

In June 2020, Sonos announced that a new matt white color would be added to the Move's matt black debut. This brings the Move in line with other black and white products from Sonos such as Sonos One SL, Sonos Five and the new Sonos Arc soundbar.

let it Rain

This robustness extends to the Move's ability to deal with the inherently variable outdoor conditions – in fact, this is a large part of the speaker's appeal. With IP56 protection, the Move should be able to withstand deserts and beaches alike, and if you take it to the snowboard terrain park, it should also work well there.

The Sonos move under a tap

I didn't do any of that with the move. Instead, I had a small meeting on the terrace, placed it next to our cats' dusty litter box for 24 hours, and then ran it under a tap to clean it. You would never do that with a normal Sonos speaker, but the Move did it all effortlessly.

Patio power

The ability to survive in the face of water, dust, and occasionally spilled beer is one thing, but a portable speaker must sound like it was built for one thing: great audio. Indoors, the Move is cheap compared to Sonos One or Play: 1. It creates a slightly wider sound stage and the bass is more pronounced, but there is also a corresponding clouding of the mid-range. You would only notice something like this if you place a move right next to one of these other models and then compulsorily switch between them while playing everything from The Offspring to Adele. Of course not that I did.

Take the movement outside and only one thought comes to mind: This thing rocks.

Take the train outside and all other thoughts but one melt away: this thing rocks. Even with a volume of less than 50%, I ran the risk of attracting unwanted attention from neighbors several doors away. The expanded sound stage, which made itself felt in the interior, magically expands further outdoors. We have a pair of Klipsch AWR-650-SM landscape speakers in our garden that are powered by a Sonos amp. You sound fantastic. But if the Move had been available, we could have bought two of them, saved ourselves considerable dough, and found a much more flexible solution for outdoor music. For many people, a single move is more than enough speaker for even the wildest pool parties.

A better battery

I've said it before, but it needs to be repeated: Sonos' decision to make the Move rechargeable lithium-ion battery user replaceable deserves praise. Sonos claims that the cell lasts three years or 900 charges. You can then replace the battery with a new one. The battery is suitable for an alleged duration of 10 hours at medium volume. I think that's pretty accurate, but I had a different experience when the Move was in standby. It was supposed to stay that way for up to 120 hours, but I found it heard an audible tone when I canceled it with a 40% charge remaining that it had to be plugged in after just 12 hours.

On June 16, 2020, with the announcement of the new white color option, Sonos announced that the battery life of the Move would be increased to 11 hours by a software update.

The Move can be charged via USB-C if you don't have the charging station at hand. However, please note the following: Not every USB-C charger works. The move requires a charger that can output one of these three voltage / current combinations: 12 V / 3 A, 15 V / 3 A, 20 V / 2.25 A, and it is highly unlikely to do so with your phone supplied charger is compatible. You don't want to make this discovery in the middle of a road trip. The Move's front LED flashes angry orange to let you know that she's not happy.

Hey google, can you say bluetooth, wifi and airplay 2?

The Sonos Move offers many options: a portable Bluetooth speaker with a battery life of 10 hours, a Wi-Fi speaker with AirPlay 2 and a smart speaker with Alex or Google Assistant on board. The move makes everyone right. Switching between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modes is as easy as pressing the dedicated mode button on the back of the speaker. Amazingly, Bluetooth sounds very similar to the quality of Wi-Fi, which proves that the biggest factor in the perceived sound quality of the speakers is not necessarily the source.

I still preferred to listen over Wi-Fi indoors, but frankly it's more than sufficient in places where Bluetooth is needed. Sonos claims that the Bluetooth wireless range is excellent on the go, and while this is true outside, it also had trouble staying connected to my phone indoors as I was in our multi-tier home, as in other BT products that I tested, say we didn't like being separated by more than one floor.

Sonos needs to find a way for the Sonos app to maintain operational control over the move in Bluetooth mode. It's not right to start a third-party app like Spotify, Apple Music or Tidal just because I'm not at home. I like the experience with the Sonos app and hope that one day it will be the only experience I need, regardless of the color of my wireless connection.

I had some difficulty installing the Google Assistant setup on the go, but I feel like I've already used GA for another Sonos product in my home. If you completely remove GA from the system and add it back in, everything will work properly. As soon as Google was operational, it ran perfectly and responded to all of my commands. "Hey Google, how do I make a mojito?" on the specific, "Hey Google, play Los Lobos in the living room", very quickly. The microphone array on the Move has so far proven to be more sensitive than that of the Sonos One. It picked up my orders in quiet speaking throughout the room and even whispered when it was only a few meters away.

Is it really trueplay?

The same microphone array is responsible for one of the more fascinating functions of the Move: Auto Trueplay or the ability to optimize your own EQ settings based on the location of the speaker. In last August's Sonos demo, a speaker moved the move from a wide-open living room to a tiny storage compartment, and in fact Auto Trueplay has adjusted to improve the sound.

I may not have made the move sound as extreme as I did in the demo, but I haven't noticed many EQ adjustments from place to place. I wondered if Auto Trueplay could only be as effective with its dependence on local acoustic feedback as Trueplay from a smartphone microphone outside the speaker. Unfortunately there is no way to test this. If you disable Auto Trueplay on the Move, you won't get manual Trueplay as an option.

Our opinion

At $ 399, the Sonos Move isn't as cheap as some would have liked for the company's first Bluetooth speaker. It lacks some Bluetooth gadgets like a speakerphone and Bluetooth stereo paring, and you can't use the Sonos app in Bluetooth mode. It only sounds a little better indoors than a Sonos One SL for $ 170.

With its ability to fill any garden or pool party with music, the easy switch between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and the practical integration of smart speakers, it is the ideal companion for some Sonos fans and possibly the only Sonos product that does so you need .

Is there a better alternative?

The number of portable, smart, weatherproof speakers that can work on both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks is gradually increasing. Many of them are cheaper than the Sonos Move for $ 399. Of these, the Bose portable home speaker for $ 349 is the closest in design and features. It's not quite as powerful as the Move, but it's a bit lighter and its handle makes it a better companion for longer hikes. Here's our head-to-head comparison of these two excellent portable devices. However, none of these competitors can connect to a Sonos system. This makes the Move unique for Sonos owners.

How long it will take?

All Sonos products come with a one-year warranty. However, this is not an indicator of longevity. Sonos speakers have always shown impressive build quality, and the company goes to great lengths to test its products for durability. We believe that the Sonos Move, with its user-replaceable battery and first-class construction, has an excellent lifespan.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Sonos Move delivers great portable sound in a package that survives almost anything you can throw at it.

Editor's recommendations