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 bag. Since there are endless Bluetooth speakers available that fit this description, from the $ 80 Wonderboom 2 superlative to the $ 30 best-selling OontZ angle, this might sound like a dis. Is not. Roam is a huge leap forward for Sonos, because that’s what the company’s devotees expected and the best portable speaker available for even the most ardent skeptic Sonos. Thanks to its tiny size, sterling audio quality and endless streaming features, Roam is the first Sonos product that will make almost anyone happy.
The main reason for this is simple: Sonos Roam is the best portable speaker I’ve tested. Eat lunch from any speaker of similar size and can compete with the larger speakers in its price range. When put to the “Love Lockdown” test (yes, this is a working), Roam sounds much fuller than speakers of similar size, such as the aforementioned EU Wonderboom 2. The EU doesn’t necessarily sound bad – you can find the contour of the sliding bass – but Roam sounds much clearer. EU Megaboom 3, Nalgene-sized, offers louder bass than Roam for obvious reasons, but doesn’t sound better. On slightly less bass tracks, such as Saweetie’s “Back to the Streets,” the bass sounds mostly the same between Roam and Megaboom. In fact, the diminutive Roam renders the melodic voice of the artist and all the glittering details hidden in the production much clearer.
But that’s what Roam simply considers a portable speaker, when it’s also the most enjoyable member of the Sonos wireless family. Devoted Sonos users have been pushing for a portable audio solution for years. In 2019, Sonos received a first stab at Move, a battery-powered Bluetooth-enabled speaker that had all the portability of a bowling ball – transportable in the backyard, but no further. It seemed that Sonos could not extend its wireless super system to the last frontier: the bag.
Two years later, we have Roam, which contains a Sonos sound and Versatility at the Sonos level. Once you’ve set up Roam via Sonos, you’ll have access to plenty of simple ways to actually use your speaker. 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 good when you’re on the road, but at home, the stability of AirPlay or WiFi, even on a portable speaker, is a blessing. It means not moving away from the speakerphone with your phone and listening to music.
When you’re on Wi-Fi, you can also use the Roam microphone to call Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa to play sound for you (and to turn off the smart light while you’re at it). But even if you’re not, Roam still offers some relatively advanced programs. There is the Sonos Auto Trueplay signature, which allows the speaker to adjust its EQs according to the acoustics of the space. So is the new Sound Swap, which allows you to send audio or “pull” music from any of the other Sonos speakers just by pressing a button on Roam.
Even during charging, Roam is in front of the portable package. The USB-C input works much faster than the proprietary charger on the Move, but the real magic trick is that Roam can charge when placed on any Qi wireless charging puck. In our tests, we found that Roam’s drums lasted an entire working day when we played classical music on the WQXR. This includes some Bartok during a post-workout shower – Roam is water resistant for 30 minutes, up to a meter of water.
Bottom line here: If you’re a Sonos skeptic – which I am, because the cost adds up when you imagine you’re throwing away your living space with cheap speakers – Roam still feels like the best portable Bluetooth speaker available, all things taken into consideration. One you can take with you to the beach and which allows you to avoid the glare of Bluetooth when you are at home. One that fits perfectly in your life. One that, if you decide to do Sonos diving, suddenly becomes much more useful.
What if you already enjoy the warm embrace of Sonos life? Roam does exactly what you’ve always wanted a Sonos speaker to do: it fits in a weird tote bag.