Sonos Roam review: great sound, portable and smart

A portable speaker should be small enough to carry everywhere, but without having to compromise on optimal sound quality. Sonos has not only achieved this with its new Sonos Roam, but also offers us many additional features that put it ahead of the competition.

Design and specifications

Just by naming the brand Sonos, we can already get an idea of what the design of any product it launches will look like: minimalist, understated, elegant and, most importantly, perfectly finished. Well, that’s exactly how this new Sonos Roam is, which with its 168x62x60mm and weight of just 430g, is perfect for taking it anywhere without barely noticing it. It is available in two colors: black and white.

We can also be very calm by placing it anywhere, because its IP67 certification makes it resistant to dust and water, but not to water splashes, even to possible submersions (1 meter for 30 minutes). Don’t worry about putting it by the pool, because if someone accidentally drops it in the water, all you have to do is bother to pick it up and take it out.

It has a built-in battery that gives you up to 10 hours of continuous playback and up to 10 days of standby time. Charging the battery can be done using the USB-C cable provided in the box, or by using any conventional Qi charger you have at home, real comfort now that we all have it in almost every room. Sonos sells an optional magnetic charger which can be purchased separately.

To connectivity WiFi (dual band) and Bluetooth, and once configured, the speaker will switch between connections depending on availability. Leave the house and it will automatically switch to bluetooth connection, come home and connect to WiFi again without you having to do anything. It is also compatible with AirPlay 2, so you can use it as another speaker with your HomePod or any other Sonos speaker, or compatible with the Apple protocol.

Listen to music the way you want and from where you want

The possibilities that Sonos offers are always huge when you decide how you want to listen to music. Are you using Spotify? Apple Music? Amazon Music? Whatever music service you subscribe to, you can add it to the Sonos app (Download link). You can even add multiple accounts and shuffle the music lists, to control them all from the Sonos app itself. If you want to use the service specific app, you can do that too, transferring the music through the bluetooth connection or through AirPlay.

And if you want to forget your iPhone and use the speaker directly, You can also do this because it is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can ask by voice what music you want to listen to, or the latest podcast of your favorite show. Of course, you also have all the options offered by virtual assistants: home automation control, news, weather … A smart speaker that you can take anywhere.

Integration with the Sonos ecosystem

One of the most unique characteristics of Sonos is its ecosystem. Its speakers create a network that you can gradually expand, with different models, which interact perfectly with each other, creating spectacular home theater equipment, multiroom speakers whose sound is perfectly synchronized in all places of the house, etc. Once you add the speaker to your network, Sonos automatically integrates with it and lets you combine it with other speakers. In addition, this new Sonos Roam launches a new function.

If you’re listening to music on your Sonos Roam and walk into the living room, where you have your Sonos Arc, move the small speaker closer to the large one, press the Play button, and the audio you were listening to on the Roam will go to the Arc in a second. The operation is also possible on the contrary, from Arc to Roam, so that you can always continue to listen to your music or podcast without having to navigate the phone menus.

Sound quality

The new Sonos Roam is the smallest speaker the brand has ever launched, but it doesn’t compromise on the sound quality that is the hallmark of the house.. The limitations that the enclosure imposes due to its size have been minimized to the maximum, and this small portable speaker gives us sound quality on par with other bigger speakers. Sonos Roam gives us powerful sound, which can perfectly fill a room or throw a party outside.

All aspects of the sound are very balanced, with a powerful bass that doesn’t hide the mids or highs, but if you prefer other types of sound, the EQ is customizable, so you just have to adjust the settings you like the most. In addition, Sonos has added the automatic TrueTone, which adjusts the sound to where you place it, always giving you the best possible quality.

Editor’s opinion

Portable speakers are usually very limited in terms of power or sound quality. Sin embargo Sonos ha conseguido con su Roam un altavoz muy equilibrado en sonido, potente, y con todas las funciones que tienen los altavoces de mayor tamaño, además de la posibilidad de la conectividad Bluetooth y WiFi, junto a una con aplicación que marca la diferencia the rest. It will be available from April 20 on the Sonos website and in other stores for $ 179, more than deserved for everything it offers us.