NudeAudio Move M Portable Speaker Review
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NudeAudio is an up-and-coming audio brand, and it's serious about making affordably priced portable Bluetooth speakers look and sound great too. And it does so without spending all of its audio engineering and speaker design budget on marketing. NudeAudio's Bluetooth speaker lineup consists of two very pocket-friendly speakers including the Move S and Move M (above), as well as a larger Move L speaker model which balances indoor and outdoor portability prowess along with the suitable horse power to help it deliver that extra kick some of you are looking for.
One thing NudeAudio's portable speakers all have in common is an 8-hour rechargeable battery and a travel-friendly, contemporary design that utilizes a protective shock-absorbing silicone bumper-like outline and a neat, colorful built-in lanyard cord. NudeAudio sent us two of their greatest wireless speaker offerings to have a look at – the mid-level Move M and the higher-end Move L. We will be reviewing them both in two separate reviews where they'll each have to face a rigorous comparison test. So make sure to check out the Move L review here, or jump past the break for our full review on the Move M!
Simple and effectively easy to get into, the Move M and Move L are presented with beautifully put together packaging from NudeAudio. First impressions are lasting impressions.
Inside the box, the Move M includes a micro-USB charging cable, a few NudeAudio-branded stickers, a quick start guide and nothing more. Remember that you're not paying for unessential extras, but rather for the speaker itself. Or so NudeAudio says.
Instead of spending tons of money on marketing its products and stuffing them with costly extras, NudeAudio has adopted what it calls a "fair price policy" in making its speakers so that customers can get their money's worth when it comes to audio performance. And what this ultimately means for you is a well designed, high-quality speaker that performs beyond what you'd expect from an inexpensive device.
NudeAudio's portable speakers aren't some generically designed accessories either. Design wise, NudeAudio has kept things very simple, clean and dare I say...uncommon. The Move M and Move L follow this fresh and playful contemporary design language that NudeAudio has created, which is all about simplicity and aesthetically pleasing soft edges. The front consists of a large, beveled metal speaker grille with myriad of tiny perorations with An angled pill-shaped NudeAudio logo branding tastefully graces the upper front side of the speaker grille and matches the color of the knotted lanyard cord hanging off one of the corners, which in turn creates a two-tone contrast of well-matched colors and a subtle but visually striking stylish looking product.
The perforated beveled speaker grille is augmented by an outer ring layer of silicone to give the speaker its soft and smooth rounded edge design. Not only does this make the Move M and Move L pleasing to pick up, but it's also there to help protect the speaker itself from knocks and bumps. We really do like this type of material use in portable speakers these days rather than hard plastics that inevitably feel cheap and uninspired. Alas, the use of silicone in the construction of both of these speakers could have used a finer execution, as you'll soon come to know.
The Move M and Move L are two purely basic Bluetooth speakers. One is a small and somewhat pocketable mono (single speaker driver) Bluetooth speaker, while the other is really just a stay indoors wireless speaker you technically could bring along with you on a trip or just move it in and around the house. Weighing in at only 6.7 ounces, the smallish 4-inch by 4-inch squircle form factor of the Move M and 1.5-inch thick physique makes it enjoyable and effortless to carry with you, and even hang on things. While not as ultra-portable as NudeAudio's smallest 3-inch Bluetooth speaker – the Move S, the Move M does pack a larger and more satisfying punch when it comes down to playing your music and movies.
It may not cost you a small fortune, but the Move M is still equipped with the basic essentials like a wireless Bluetooth 3.0 range of up to 30ft (10m) of cordless freedom, a 3.5mm auxiliary input for optional use of a wired connection to an external audio source, on-board volume controls as well as dual built-in microphones for using it as a speakerphone when you get or make a call. Buttons are highly mushy, but still work fine. And on top of that the Move M still lacks skip and play/pause button controls. Battery life as we mentioned earlier is rated to last 8 hours on a single charge, and based on our usage we can justify that claim. And like any good performing Bluetooth speaker, the Move M and Move L will remember to automatically connect to your device after you've paired it whenever you turn the speaker on. And it does so nearly instantly which is great.
You can use the Move M's micro-USB input to charge it using the included USB charging cable. But we quickly found out that by doing so, the Move M will automatically power itself on during the charging process. Annoyingly enough, there's no turning it off so long as the cable is connected. Not only that but the Move M also lacks a battery saving mode. This means that if you forget to manually turn the speaker off it will remain powered on indefinitely - even if it isn't paired to your smartphone or tablet.
Just like the one found on the larger Move L speaker, this thick shoelace-like fabric cord attached to the corner of the Move M opens up more ways as to how it can be used outdoors. While we like how JBL implemented a built-in carabiner into its Clip speaker, we think that NudeAudio's removable lanyard cord solution is just as good if not a more versatile solution.
Build quality is actually very good for a fairly priced $70 portable speaker. But our first impressions of it were not met by uncontrollable excitement. Don't expect to melt the moment you first set your hands on the NudeAudio Move M or Move L speaker. And although we don't quite understand the meaning behind nor were we blown away by the use of unnecessary removable silicone material composition, it should be mentioned that for the price, these are indeed high quality made portable speakers. Of course, we wouldn't say no to a little extra safety thanks to that very smooth use of silicone sleeve encasing the plastic and metal speaker grille construction. Even though the Move M and Move L have a protective silicone layer, because of how the metal grille bulges out slightly, the silicone sleeve does nothing to protect it from coming in contact with even and uneven surfaces. We already noticed a few small dings on the surface.
But there's a small problems. Well, is isn't really a problem at the moment, however, we really don't think that the silicome sleeve should have any ability to flex out of its rightful place. It will only become an issue down the road as silicone tends to expand. It's not much of an issue when it's encasing the smaller Move M speakers, but unfortunately it's a much bigger issue when you look at how the Move L is constructed using the same silicone sleeve method. The Move L is obviously much heavier and the silicone around it covers more surface area. And because of this the silicone sleeve is easily lifted off the plastic body of the speaker should you begin to lift it up near the edges of the sleeve.
And again, why see no reason why this piece of silicone should be so easily removable. It should have been glued into place or held tightly in place all around the perimeter of the speaker from front to back. While we haven't experienced any troublesome issues with the Move L's build quality, suffice it to say that with heavy use and a long hot summer of partying, it won't have the same skin-tight body it once had when you first took it out of its packaging. If only NudeAudio offered replacement sleeves or optional colors to purchase individually then we would not have made such a big deal out of this.
Looking at the Move M from behind we can see the NudeAudio branding and the letter "M" to signify the model name and size if you will. The silicone border around the back overlaps the hard plastic casing of the speaker creating a anti-slip platform for it to safely and firmly rest flat on different types of surfaces.
And yes, the shape and design of the Move M means that like the JBL Clip and other similarly sized attachable portable speakers like Logitech's X100, it's meant to be used laying flat on its back facing towards the sky. Even if you wanted to face it more towards you when you're sitting next to it, the round narrow edges of the Move M will not allow it to stand on its side without some kind of support. You can of course lean it up against something should you want to adjust the direction of the sound. But honestly we haven't really had any issues with how the Move M performs when it is laying flat like it should. The benefit behind the Move M's up-facing use is a wider dispersion of audio, which essentially makes it so that you'll be able to hear 360-degrees of sound that will evenly be audible from any angle around the speaker.
When we compare the Move M with the JBL Clip we find that the it has a flatter sound signature and a slightly recessed midrange, while the Clip has a brighter and clearer sounding mids and highs. Both deliver bass that's equally impressive for such small single-driver speakers, and there's no faulting the Move M for it. That said, the Move M's bass responce is a little better handled and the midrange has more skin in the game compared to the JBL Clip, however, the highs are brighter and a little clearer sounding coming out if the Clip as a result.
Vocals sound crystal clear and impressively life-like for a speaker of this size. The highs are well within an ear-pleasing range and hold their own amazingly well without sounding too harsh due to excessive treble. The NudeAudio Move M is much more balanced than the JBL Clip making it a more pleasing speaker to listen with to all sorts of music genres.
All things considered, NudeAudio's Move M is a good small-sized Bluetooth speaker option with pleasant audio quality and a good looking portable form factor. The Move M could use a little more clarity throughout its frequency range, however, it does deliver big sound considering its chubby pocketable shape. On top of that it also has great battery life that respectively outperforms the JBL Clip. If battery life and nifty styling is what matters to you the most in a portable Bluetooth speaker, then NudeAudio's Move M will be a solidly good pick for you. Otherwise, we think that the JBL Clip produces clearer sounding audio quality despite being smaller than the Move M at an even more wallet-friendly price. Whichever one you decide to grab though, we doubt you'll be disappointed with the results. And if size or all-day battery life isn't hugely important to you, Logitech's X300 is a more impressive sounding option that won't cost you more than what you'd pay for the Move M.
