Sonos Roam Review: Portable Sound Perfection
Discover the ultimate portable speaker! Our Sonos Roam review covers its sound quality, features, and why it's perfect for on-the-go listening.
Sonos Roam is a portable speaker that works with Bluetooth & Wi-Fi. It’s perfect for outdoor use and can also connect to your home Sonos system. It supports Google Assistant and Alexa for voice control of music and smart devices.
Priced at $179 / £179 / AU$299, it’s the most affordable Sonos speaker, offering great value with a sleek design, waterproof and dustproof build, and long battery life. It also has features like Sound Swap to easily transfer music between Sonos speakers and automatic switching between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
The Roam delivers powerful sound with prominent bass, especially outdoors. While it might not satisfy audiophiles due to slightly overpowering bass, it performs well for most casual listeners. It’s a great choice if you want a portable speaker that blends into your home system and works on the go.
An update in September 2021 improved battery life and connectivity, making it even better.
Table of Contents
Sonos Roam Specification
Sonos Roam Price & availability
Sonos Roam is available for $179 / £179 / AU$299, making it the cheapest Sonos speaker. This price is $20 more than its original launch price in April 2021, following a price increase across Sonos products. It’s cheaper than the Sonos Move, which costs $399 / £399 / AU$649.
While the Roam is still pricier than some other Bluetooth speakers like the UE Boom 3 ($129.99 / £129.99 / AU$199.95) and Tribit Stormbox Blast ($199), it offers smart assistant features, which those don’t.
If you prefer a version without voice assistant, Sonos Roam SL is available for $159 / £159 / AU$269.
Design
Sonos Roam is designed for portability & durability with a rugged build and IP67 water- and dust-resistance rating. It’s light (0.95lbs / 0.43kg) and easy to carry and it can survive being submerged 3 feet underwater for 30 minutes.
The speaker features tactile buttons for volume, play/pause, and microphone control, making it more accessible than the touch-sensitive buttons on the Sonos Move. Roam can be placed horizontally or vertically, with a concave design to reduce accidental button presses and increase drop resistance.
It comes in two colors, Shadow black and Lunar white, and includes a honeycomb grille for style (though it’s not 360-degree sound). For easy charging, there’s a USB-C port, and you can purchase a wireless charging stand for $49 / £44 / AU$79.
The Roam’s compact, sleek design makes it perfect for both indoor and outdoor use.
Sonos Roam Audio performance
Sonos Roam delivers powerful sound with strong bass, despite its small size. It features two amplifiers and a custom mid-woofer and tweeter, providing clear audio. While not as room-filling as the Sonos Move, the Roam’s sound is impressive for its size, thanks to clever design.
Inside, speaker’s transducer is built into the housing, saving space while delivering great sound. Bass is prominent, making it ideal for outdoor use but indoors, it can be a bit overwhelming. Adjusting EQ can help balance the sound especially by increasing treble.
Roam supports various streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music and Sonos Radio. It also works with AirPlay 2 on Apple devices.
Sonos Roam Sound Swap
Sound Swap is a great feature on the Sonos Roam that lets you transfer music from the Roam to another Sonos speaker, or vice versa. To use it, hold the play/pause button until you hear a third tone while the Roam is close to the other speaker. The music will then switch to the other speaker or your full Sonos system.
This feature also works in reverse, allowing the Roam to pick up music from another speaker which is useful when moving it between rooms, like from the kitchen to the living room or taking it outside.
Sonos Roam Connectivity
Sonos Roam is easy to set up and works with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5, so you can use it at home or on the go. You can easily pair it with other Sonos speakers by holding down the play/pause button and you can also pair two Roams for stereo sound.
With Automatic Switching feature, Roam automatically connects to your Wi-Fi when you’re at home and switches back to Bluetooth when you’re out.
To set up, connect Roam to your Wi-Fi through Sonos S2 app. Once connected you can customize settings like Auto Trueplay and voice assistants (Google Assistant or Alexa). App also provides a helpful product tour to guide you through the setup process.
Sonos Roam Voice Assistant
Sonos Roam supports Google Assistant and Alexa, letting you control the speaker and other smart home devices with your voice. You can also check your calendar and ask questions but you need Wi-Fi for these features to work.
Setting up with Google Assistant is easy through the Sonos app, which guides you to the Google Home app. The microphones pick up your voice clearly, even with music playing. However, you can’t use the voice assistant while connected via Bluetooth but it’s not a major issue since it might be less useful in that mode.
Sonos Roam Battery life
Sonos Roam has a battery life of about 9 to 10 hours when playing at medium volume, and it can last up to 10 days in sleep mode, which it enters when not in use. This is similar to the Sonos Move’s 11-hour battery life.
You can charge the Roam with any Qi-certified wireless charger, or buy Sonos’ $49 wireless charging stand, which uses magnets to keep the speaker in place. A USB-A to USB-C connector is included for charging with your own adapter.
Pros and Cons of Sonos Roam
| ✅Pros | ❌Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Powerful audio performance | ❌ Fairly pricey |
| ✅ Easily portable design | ❌ Bass can be overwhelming |
| ✅ Excellent connectivity | ❌ No stereo pairing with two Roams |
| ✅ Google Assistant and Alexa support | ❌ Voice assistant not available on Bluetooth |
| ✅ Rugged and water-resistant build | ❌ |
| ✅ Supports wireless charging | ❌ |
Conclusion
Sonos Roam is our top choice for the best portable speaker. It has powerful sound, a durable design, great connectivity and smart home control. The bass-heavy audio is perfect for outdoor use, and the Automatic Switching feature makes it easy to use indoors. However, audiophiles may find the bass too strong and the rhythm a bit off.
