Swedish company Audio Pro has announced a new portable Bluetooth speaker that can connect to your home Wi-Fi network, and could be a worthwhile alternative option to the Sonos Move.
The Audio Pro A15 is a complex Bluetooth speaker that can be used as part of a multi-room audio setup just as easily as it can be taken to your backyard, giving you more choice about where and how you listen. what way to perceive his music. .
Bluetooth speakers with Wi-Fi connectivity are an emerging trend in the home audio world, with models like the Sonos Move and the tiny tube-shaped Sonos Roam proving how one speaker can meet virtually all of your listening needs. Audio.
The Audio Pro A15 is more like the Sonos Move than the Roam, with a boxy, minimalist build that should look good in most homes. Unlike Sonos speakers, it has a canvas grille, a carrying handle, and a multitude of physical control buttons to adjust music playback. It's IPX2-rated, so it has some protection against casual splashes, though we wouldn't advise taking this particular speaker into the shower or to the beach.
While Audio Pro doesn't have quite the same powerful brand cache as Sonos, it does have its range of multi-room wireless speakers that can be paired in different configurations for tailored sound setups.
The A15 can be linked to other Audio Pro speakers using the company's bespoke multi-room system technology, such as other Google Chromecast and AirPlay compatible speakers.
You get eleven hours of battery life if the speaker is playing at half volume; that boils down to 8 hours if you really listen to music at full volume, but that should be enough to create a soundtrack for a celebration.
Audio Pro didn't share any information about the drivers on the A15, so we need to test it now before we can rate the sound quality on offer here. Nonetheless, we're fans of the company's stereo speakers (see our Audio Pro A36 review for more), and all other specs look promising.
Should I get the Sonos Move from your site?
If the Audio Pro A15 were significantly cheaper than the Sonos Move, we'd say it's worth the risk; however, its cost is practically identical in the USA.
The Sonos Move was €15 / €XNUMX / AU$XNUMX when it launched in XNUMX, and the discounts are still outrageously rare. The Audio Pro AXNUMX retails for €XNUMX/€XNUMX, and while the Australian cost hasn't been confirmed yet, that works out to around AU$XNUMX.
So the A15 is the same price as the Sonos Move for US buyers, slightly cheaper for UK buyers, and potentially much cheaper in Australia (provided Audio Pro uses a direct conversion when calculating the price in this shingles).
That means your purchasing decision won't necessarily come down to cost if you choose between the Sonos Move and A15, and there are a few quirks that make the Move a potentially better alternative.
For example, the Sonos Move comes with IP67 dust and water resistance, making it considerably more robust than the A15. It also comes with support for Alexa and Google Assistant, meaning the Move can act as a smart speaker and be used to monitor your other family smart devices.
That said, we'd advise looking at the Sonos Roam if you don't need the huge sound that the Move offers. This smaller, more affordable Bluetooth speaker comes with plenty of nifty features, like the ability to "swap" audio to other Sonos speakers and automatic switching between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
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