Sonos introduced a new portable smart speaker called the Sonos Roam in March, which costs $ 169, making it the most affordable Sonos speaker to date. We got to check out the Sonos Roam to see if it’s worth the asking price and how it compares to other portable speakers on the market.
At just under a pound, the Sonos Roam is lightweight and can be taken anywhere from the living room to the pool and park. It’s not ultra-small, but it is smaller than a water bottle, making it easy to transport. The Sonos Roam offers IP67 water and dust resistance, so it can withstand water splashes and even a dip if accidentally dropped into a pool. Depending on how you use it, the speaker can be placed upright or on the side due to the triangular design.
Design-wise, it will match other Sonos speakers and will be instantly familiar to those in the Sonos ecosystem. Although it is light, it feels premium and is available in black or white.
Sonos says it includes two Class-H amplifiers, along with a custom racetrack mid-woofer, a tweeter, and a highly efficient motor. There are built-in beamforming microphones and an adjustable EQ. When it comes to sound, the Sonos Roam is fantastic for its size. Due to its design, the Roam is somewhat larger in size than the HomePod mini and that is reflected in the sound quality. Audio quality is always subjective and will not match taller larger speakers, but it provides the sound you expect from a premium Sonos product.
With an automatic Trueplay feature, the Roam can adjust the sound based on the environment it is in and the music being played. The microphones detect what song is playing and then adjust the EQ based on the environment for a balanced sound profile.
Sonos is known for its Wi-Fi-connected speakers, and the Roam works like many other Sonos speaker options, but it also supports Bluetooth. At home, the speaker connects to Wi-Fi and can be used as a standard Sonos speaker, but if it has no Wi-Fi range, it can be paired with an iPhone via Bluetooth. For those in the Apple ecosystem, the Sonos Roam supports AirPlay 2, which is rare for a portable speaker. With AirPlay 2, the Sonos Roam can be paired with other AirPlay 2 compatible speakers in the house for convenient multi-room audio, and it also makes it easy to play songs on the device from the iPhone.
There are physical controls and a Sonos app for controlling music, plus the speaker also works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The battery in the Sonos Roam lasts up to 10 hours and can be charged via USB-C or wirelessly with any Qi-based charger. Sonos eventually plans to make a special charger for the Roam, but it isn’t available yet.
Two of the Sonos Roams can be linked together to create a stereo pair, and it is also capable of communicating with other Sonos speakers. Sonos supports more than 100 streaming services, including Apple Music, so you can also stream directly from Apple Music using the Sonos app.
If you’re already in the Sonos ecosystem or want a portable AirPlayP 2 speaker experience, you won’t be disappointed with the Sonos Roam, even at the $ 169 price point, for its build quality and impressive sound from a small speaker. There are few other AirPlay 2 compatible portable speakers on the market and due to its portability and Bluetooth / WiFi switching capability, the Sonos Roam is more versatile than Apple’s own HomePod mini, which must be plugged in to function.
Sonos plans to sell the Sonos Roam on April 20, and it will be available for pre-order for $ 169 before that date.