The most significant thing you can say about the new Sonos Roam, which costs $ 170 and will start shipping next month, is that it fits in a handbag. Considering there are endless Bluetooth speakers available that match this description, from the superb $ 80 Wonderboom 2 to the horrible $ 30 best-selling OontZ angle, it may seem like a disguise. Is not. The Roam is a giant leap forward for Sonos, as it is exactly what the company’s devotees expected i the best possible portable speaker available for the most ardent skeptics of Sonos. Thanks to its small size, sterling audio quality and endless streaming features, the Roam is the first Sonos product that will make almost everyone happy.
The main reason for this is simple: the Sonos Roam is the best-sounding portable speaker I’ve ever tested. Eat lunch from any speaker of similar size and can compete with the larger speakers in your price range. When you test “Love Lockdown” (yes, it’s a what), the Roam sounds much fuller than similarly sized speakers like the aforementioned EU Wonderboom 2. The EU doesn’t necessarily sound bad (you can find the bass slider scheme), but the Roam sounds much clearer. The Nalgene-sized EU Megaboom 3 offers louder bass than the Roams for obvious reasons, but it doesn’t sound better. On slightly lighter tracks, like Saweetie’s “Back to the Streets,” the low-end sounds largely the same between the Roam and the Megaboom. In fact, the tiny Roam makes the artist’s melodic voice and all the bright details hidden in the production much clearer.
But that’s judging the Roam purely as a portable speaker, when it’s also the most sought-after member of the whole-house wireless family. Dedicated Sonos users have been betting on a portable audio solution for years. In 2019, Sonos received a first stab with the Move, a battery-powered Bluetooth-enabled speaker that had all the portability of a bowling ball, which can be carried in the backyard, but no more. It seemed like Sonos couldn’t extend its wireless super-system to that last frontier: the handbag.
Two years later we have the Roam, which includes a quality Sonos sound i Sonos level versatility. Once you’ve set up Roam through the Sonos app, you’ll be able to access a bunch of easy-to-use ways to actually use your speakerphone. AirPlay or Bluetooth from any app or WiFi using the Sonos app. You can control it with a connected streaming service, such as Spotify or AppleMusic. Don’t underestimate this level of choice – Bluetooth is fine when you’re on the road, but at home, the stability of AirPlay or WiFi, even on a portable speaker, is a blessing. It doesn’t mean walking away from the speakerphone and listening to music.
Once connected to Wi-Fi, you can also use Roam’s built-in microphone to call Google’s Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa to play audio for you (and turn off the smart bulbs while you’re there). But even if you’re not, the Roam still has relatively advanced software. There’s Sonos ’Trueos signature, which allows the speaker to adjust its EQs based on the acoustics of the space. In addition to the new Sound Swap, which allows you to send audio or “extract” music from any of the other Sonos speakers at the push of a button on the Roam.
Even on load, the Roam is ahead of the portable package. The USB-C input works much faster than the proprietary moving charger, but the real magic trick is that the Roam can charge when placed on any Qi-enabled wireless charging disc. In our tests, we found that the Roam’s drums lasted an entire working day by transmitting classical music from WQXR. This includes a bit of Bartok during a post-workout shower: the Roam is water resistant for 30 minutes to a meter of water.
Simply put, if you’re a Sonos skeptic, which I get, as the cost goes up when you imagine tearing up your living space with non-cheap speakers, the Roam still feels like the best portable Bluetooth speaker available. One you can take to the beach i which allows you to avoid the delicacy of Bluetooth when you are at home. One that fits your life perfectly. One that, if you decide to hit the Sonos, will suddenly be much more useful to you.
What if you already enjoyed the warm embrace of Sonos life? The Roam does exactly the one thing you’ve always wanted a Sonos speaker to do: it fits in an affordable handbag.