speaker

Not only does the Edifier ES300 sport deliciously retro-styled good looks, but it also offers great connectivity. You can play tunes via Bluetooth, hook up external sources via USB or a 3.5mm jack, or even stream hi-res audio at up to 24bit/96kHz. And with discreet lighting and a built-in battery, it’s a great companion for evening entertaining, even in the garden.

Pros

• Gorgeous, retro-styled design
• Capable of 24bit/96kHz hi-res audio
• More affordable price

Cons

• Less convincing sound, especially in the bass frequencies
• Shorter (although decent) battery life
• Missing some smart features

The Sonos Move 2 may be pricey, but it makes up for that in terms of awesome audio and razor-sharp features. It’s capable of punchy, dynamic sound with hefty bass, while retaining sufficient poise for lighter mixes. Meanwhile, excellent features like Automatic Trueplay room compensation and an epic battery life give it compelling utility.

Pros

• Fulsome and detailed sound with loud volumes
• Great battery life in real-world use
• Premium-feeling build quality

Cons

• A physical handle would be preferable
• High price for the audio quality
• Stereo sound isn’t very effective

The Edifier ES300 is an appealing retro-themed wireless speaker that definitely made a sizeable impression on me when I first received it. There’s something undeniably charming about its premium, old-school radio vibes, with its monochrome color palette and gold accents, and built-in lighting. While many audio products swing for this kind of aesthetic, far fewer successfully hit their target bang on.

However, there’s something else that struck me about it, something that gave me a little bit of gadget deja vu. The Edifier is a bulky Wi-Fi speaker – typically something you’d set and forget in an acoustic sweet spot in your living room, kitchen or bedroom – but, unusually, it also has a battery for listening on the go. This immediately reminded me of another entry in the annals of the best wireless speakers: the Sonos Move 2.

The original Move was considered a bit of an oddity on its release. It was a chonky boi, more at home on a shelf or counter than slung in a backpack and taken camping, and could be used as part of a multi-room speaker system. Yet, it had a built-in battery and IP56 ingress protection, meaning it could easily cope with the great outdoors if you had the means to transport it.

You may like

But the Move definitely identified an ecological niche for itself and the Move 2 that followed it, a seriously smart speaker offering high-end audio and modern connectivity that could easily do double duty spinning tunes at a picnic or a pool party. And that’s a niche that Edifier has seized on with the ES300. So which of these portable Wi-Fi speakers thrives best in this space?

(Image credit: Future)

Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Move 2: price and availability

The Edifier ES300 was first released on June 20, 2025, while the Sonos Move 2 was released back on September 20, 2023. The ES300 has a list price of $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$399, and the Sonos Move 2 has a list price of $449 / £449 / $799. However, deals exist on both: for example, at the time of writing, you can find the ES300 on Amazon UK for £247.76, while the Sonos Move 2 is available from $432.49 at Amazon US.

There are multiple variations of each speaker available. The Edifier ES300 is available in white and gold or black and gold colorways. Meanwhile, the Sonos Move 2 comes in three hues: black, white and ‘olive’ (which, at the risk of sounding pretentious, I’d describe more as artichoke).

(Image credit: Future)

Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Move 2: specs

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

Edifier ES300

Sonos Move 2

Weight

8.2 lbs / 3.7kg

6.61 lbs / 3kg

Dimensions

10.9 x 6.5 x 6.5 inches / 277 x 165 x 165 mm

6.3 x 9.5 x 5 inches / 160 x 241 x 127mm

Battery life (quoted)

12 hours

24 hours

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi, USB, 3.5mm jack

Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, USB-C

Drivers

4-inch (116mm) mid-bass, 2x 1.25-inch (33mm) tweeter

2x angled tweeters, 1x midwoofer

Aux-in

Yes

Yes (via USB-C adapter)

Charger port

AC power cable

Sonos charging base or USB-C

Microphone

No

Yes

Waterproof rating

None

IP56

Today’s best Edifier ES300 deals

Today’s best Sonos Move 2 deals

(Image credit: Future)

Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Move 2: features

Wireless speakers tend to sit at the bleeding edge when it comes to features, often rocking more innovative functionality than their wired or Bluetooth contemporaries. Neither the Edifier ES300 nor the Sonos Move 2 is an exception to this, although I found that one was appreciably smarter than the other.

Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.

The ES300 features you’ll probably use most are its sound profiles and EQ settings. Edifier provides four preset profiles: Classic, Monitor, Game and Vocal. Some of these felt like odd choices to me. Neither Monitor nor Game really fit the vast majority of users; I’d have thought that including a Bass mode instead would’ve been a no-brainer. Fortunately, it has a six-band EQ that lets you tailor the sound a bit more to your liking, although many cheaper speakers offer a more granular nine-band EQ, such as the Tribit StormBox 2.

At first, the Sonos Move 2 may seem even more limited than this, its main adjustable EQ settings in the app only allowing you to adjust bass, treble and loudness. But its smartest feature is that, for the most part, you shouldn’t ever need to get your hands dirty massaging frequency bands to get better sound. That’s because its Automatic Trueplay algorithm regularly assesses the speaker’s surroundings, calibrating its audio output for the shape of the space it’s in. And it works astoundingly well; I never really felt the need to tinker with its output to rebalance the sound.

One feature that the ES300 has over the Move 2 is its built-in lighting modes. There are three patterns on offer: Static, Breathing and Water-flow (a rather grandiose term for lights that just cycle counter-clockwise). And you can also select between two colors: a cool white and a warmer yellow. While I’d argue this isn’t a radical departure in terms of features, I do find the overall effect pleasing, and I enjoyed it enough that I kept it on even when I wasn’t listening to music.

You may like

Each device gives you a good variety of options for controlling it. The ES300 features some aesthetically pleasing touch-sensitive controls on its top surface, including two dials for setting its volume and the brightness of its built-in light, standard playback controls, and source selection. Meanwhile, the Edifier app provides further options, including configuring the Wi-Fi network, switching sources, setting up the stereo channel, EQ customization and light effect settings.

(Image credit: Future)

The Move 2 features controls on its top surface to handle play/pause, skip, replay, adjust the volume, and group or ungroup products. Its app offers you the ability to control multiple features, including network settings, its Automatic Trueplay feature and toggling on loudness correction. You’ll also notice one setting here that you won’t see in the Edifier app: voice control. The Sonos offers you the option to control your speaker using either Sonos Voice Control or Amazon Alexa, something sorely missing from its rival.

When it comes to connectivity, neither speaker exactly reinvents the wheel, but they both come with a good range of options. As you’d expect from a wireless speaker, they both offer Wi-Fi, while the ES300 provides Bluetooth 5.4 and the Move 2 has Bluetooth 5.3. Both devices allow you to play directly from streaming apps like Spotify and Tidal, or you can push out audio direct from your devices via AirPlay 2. In terms of physical ports, the Edifier has a USB port and 3.5mm input, while the Sonos rocks a USB-C port.

There is a slight difference in the audio resolution each device can muster. While the Sonos Move 2 is capable of lossless, CD-quality sound, the Edifier ES300 can stretch to 24-bit/96kHz hi-res sound from compatible sources. Naturally, this means you’ll need to either stream from an LDAC-compatible device, stream ALAC over AirPlay 2, hook up a service capable of hi-res audio like Tidal or plug directly into its 3.5mm jack.

As I remarked when I started this piece, perhaps the most notable feature of either of these Wi-Fi speakers is their built-in battery, something that’s still vanishingly rare in the market.

Both units have decent longevity. I played music continuously on the ES300 over AirPlay 2 at 50% volume with the light off for six hours – during that time, its battery only dropped down to 60%, meaning it could potentially last 15 hours total, significantly more than the 12 hours Edifier predicted. But the Move 2 still blew past this, lasting over 24 hours, meaning it will still be swinging long after its opponent is out for the count.

(Image credit: Future)

Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Move 2: sound quality

Given its pricing and styling, it’s safe to say that I had certain expectations of the Edifier ES300 going into my testing. And yet my initial impression of its sound was honestly pretty lukewarm. It’s okay, but I feel like as you enter the mid-range of the Wi-Fi speaker market, you’re entitled to expect better than just okay. In comparison, the Sonos Move 2 is more expensive but sounds every bit the kind of speaker I’d expect for its price.

Admittedly, when I played Otomo by Bonobo on the Edifier, the woody-sounding percussion was really tightly expressed, while the tribal, choral vocals rose above everything clearly. But it’s when that bassline drops that the specifics of the ES300’s sound profile are laid bare. There’s enough upper bass that you can hear the bass swell – it’s not entirely AWOL, fortunately – but if you’re hoping for anything more tangible than this, you’re going to be left wanting.

Conversely, the Sonos Move 2 brings much more low-end guts to the same drop, giving the track a far more stable foundation. On occasion, it actually could sound a little overblown, with the sub sounding overly resonant and swamping the lower end of the mix. However, I soon discovered that this was an artifact of the speaker’s loudness correction – things sound a lot clearer with it off, although this does come at the cost of some bass presence at lower volumes.

I was a little more impressed with how the ES300 handles vocal-heavy mixes. Sticking on How Does It Feel by London Grammar, I was pleasantly surprised by the rich timbre of the vocals and how they rose above the rest of the mix. But when trying the same tune out on the Move 2, I could see how much I was missing out on – Hannah Reid’s honeyed vocals somehow felt even more rounded and held more gravitas, while the warmth to the track’s low-end and pump to its kick added some much-needed glue that held the mix together.

(Image credit: Future)

A personal pet peeve of mine is when speaker manufacturers pump up the treble to compensate for a lack of dynamism in the lower frequencies. The Edifier, fortunately, doesn’t fall into this trap. Fleetwood Mac’s Go Your Own Way is a great track for exposing an overly bright and glassy mix, and yet the ES300 manages to avoid those jangling guitars sounding too sharp. It does pull its punches a little too much compared to the Move 2, though, which gave the transients of the drums much crisper edges and enabled them to puncture through the mix without ever sounding over-exposed.

The Edifier ES300 can occasionally rally, though: at louder volumes, some of those truant frequencies start to labor a little harder. While I was listening to Reflection by Ben Böhmer & Wood, its swelling sub actually put in a proper shift, helping to support its thumping kick. The result wasn’t what I would call balanced, though – naturally, the mids are boosted too, so can be pretty intense – and the Move 2 shows it’s possible to still obtain impressive performance without needing to crank things up to 11.

Perhaps the only area where I felt the ES300 took a palpable lead over the Move 2 is in instrument separation. Listening to Claire de Lune by Kamasi Washington, it gave each element room to play, with the layered brass playfully dancing around the bass and piano.

Conversely, while Sonos’s speaker offered fuller, more cohesive sound, this occasionally felt like it came at the expense of more discrete expression of different instruments. This could well be the work of Move 2’s Automatic Trueplay algorithm, though, with it slightly compressing the dynamic range to prevent subtler elements getting lost in the space.

All told, I found the Move 2 offers far more consistent, authentic sound compared to the Edifier ES300. It seems capable of a wider frequency range, outdoing its rival at both the high and low end, giving far more depth and context to a range of genres. Yes, the latter rallies a little at higher volumes, but I’d expect a speaker at this kind of price point to be more consistent at different loudness levels.

Today’s best Edifier ES300 deals

Today’s best Sonos Move 2 deals

(Image credit: Future)

Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Move 2: design

One area where the Edifier ES300 shines is in its design. In some ways, I feel that this is a speaker designed more to be seen than heard. Particularly in its white and gold colorway, it effortlessly nails that retro vibe so many speaker brands have aimed for and yet rarely hit.

Wrapping the ES300’s handcrafted wooden speaker case is a ‘leather-like’ coating in either cream or black. Despite being a crunchy veggie, I’m not always keen on this kind of leatherette finish – rather than feeling vintage, it often comes across as cheap and a bit tacky – but here it feels pleasingly tactile and premium. Woven from braided fabric, the speaker cover comes in either beige or black, while the plastic grille beneath is picked out in gold across both models. Cumulatively, this all helps the ES300 stand out in a market crowded with dull black boxes.

The Edifier’s built-in lighting is the cherry on top. Admittedly, the two hues and three lighting modes it offers aren’t exactly a scintillating aurora, but there’s no end of party speakers out there that can drench you in a cocktail of kaleidoscopic color, so in some ways the level of restraint shown here is a breath of fresh air. Wave a hand over the Edifier’s top surface and its buttons light up as well, albeit in a cold white tone – it surely wouldn’t have been hard to have this shift with the hue of its main light, but that’s a minor nitpick.

In comparison, the Sonos Move 2 defines itself more by its brains than its beauty. It’s an elliptical cylinder, with a gentle curve toward the base where it nestles into its cradle. This is also a nice touch, as rather than having to plug in a power cable to juice up its battery, you can simply plop it down in its little nest to recharge.

(Image credit: Future)

The bottom quarter and control panel on top of the Move 2 are made of matte plastic – this feels gorgeously smooth to the touch, with the olive/artichoke green coloration on the model I tested adding more visual interest than the plain black or white colorways. Meanwhile, the rest of the device is covered in a fine metal grille. Overall, it’s an attractive package, but it’s undeniably modern and gadgety compared to the more retro vibes the ES300 aims for.

For the most part, which device takes the lead for you is likely a matter of personal taste. However, one clear area in which Sonos unarguably leads is weatherproofing. While the Edifier has no protection against either splashes or dust ingress, the Move 2 offers IP56 protection, which should not only prevent grit and dust from interfering with its workings but can also withstand powerful water jets from any direction. So if you want a poolside companion, the Sonos is the undeniable champ.

Given that both speakers are designed to be semi-portable, their comparative bulk will be an important consideration. With the ES300 weighing in at 8.2 lbs (3.7kg) and the Move 2 at 6.61 lbs (3kg), neither of them is what I’d consider light, but they’re both movable enough that you won’t struggle carting them from room to room or out to the garden. Ultimately, though, the Sonos takes the edge for me in terms of maneuverability – it has a useful carry handle built into its back, which the Edifier lacks, making the former more convenient for moving as you drift from room to room.

(Image credit: Future)

Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Move 2: value

There’s a pretty major caveat to everything I’ve said so far: price. While I’d argue the Edifier ES300 and Sonos Move 2 are both firmly mid-range speakers, there’s still a noticeable difference in their cost. The ES300 has a list price of $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$399, and the Sonos Move 2 has a list price of $449 / £449 / $799, meaning the latter costs a fair slice more. And this gap is only widened once you factor in sales prices on the ES300, which, at the time of writing, was discounted down to £247.76 at Amazon UK.

However, price doesn’t necessarily translate directly to value. And when you look at all of the extras you get with the Sonos Move 2, that price suddenly seems a lot more justified. Not only is the Move 2 crammed with smart features like Automatic Trueplay and voice-assistant support, it also offers superior sound with better-sculpted bass. While I do marginally give the Edifier ES300 the edge when it comes to looks, the Sonos is a bit more portable, and its IP56 rating makes it much more usable outdoors.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a wireless speaker with a built-in battery, you’re going to get a lot more mileage out of the Sonos Move 2. That extra $99.01 / £201.24 / AU$400 isn’t small change, but I do feel it’s worth saving for a little longer and making the investment in smarter features and more expressive, well-rounded sound.

(Image credit: Future)

Edifier ES300 vs Sonos Move 2: verdict

Maybe I should have sprinkled some spoiler warnings throughout this versus piece, because I’ve probably already given away the ending. Despite an attractive design, the odd novel feature, and its capacity for hi-res audio, the Edifier ES300 just can’t quite KO the champ of portable Wi-Fi speakers.

Fundamentally, the Sonos Move 2 is smarter, with both its automatic audio-tuning and voice control running intellectual rings around the Edifier. Additionally, its sound covers a broader range of frequencies, offering crisper treble and whomping bass – it has a confidence that its rival can’t quite muster. Add in that IP56 ingress protection and lengthy 24-hour battery life, and you’ve got a set of specs that few mid-range wireless speakers can challenge.

Unless you’re head-over-heels in love with the ES300’s looks or you simply don’t have the extra dough to stump up for Sonos’s pricier speaker, the Move 2 is the one you’re gonna want to put your money on here.

Today’s best Edifier ES300 deals

Today’s best Sonos Move 2 deals

You may also like

Source link