#SONOS PORTABLE SPEAKER BLUETOOTH#

If you aren’t at home, the Roam supports Bluetooth 5. This is a feature that the UE Boom 3 and the JBL Flip 6 don’t support, and it’s a feature that sets the Roam apart. It meant I didn’t have to have my phone near the speaker to play music, and I could stream audio via multiple sources like my PC. And for Apple users, it also supports Airplay 2. You can connect the Roam to your home WiFi to stream music. The Roam supports both Bluetooth and WiFi connections. Whether it was the hip-hop track, Ooh LA LA by Run the Jewels, a more mellow, Homeward Bound by Simon & Garfunkel, or a rock song like Party Hard by Andrew C.K, it all sounded good. There wasn’t a genre I tested that the Roam couldn’t comfortably handle. At higher volumes, the sound gets a bit sharp, but it’s a cleaner sound than other portable speakers I’ve used at high volumes. Enough so that it will fill a small to medium-sized room with ease. The default sound setting was a tad bass-heavy, but the Sonos app comes with an effective equaliser that allowed me to get the sound exactly as I wanted. Inside the device are two amplifiers: a high-efficiency motor, a mid-woofer and a tweeter. Soundįor a small portable speaker, the Roam has very good audio capabilities. On the back of the device, there’s a power button and a USB-C port for charging. There are volume buttons, a microphone button for initialising your chosen voice assistant and a play/pause button which also doubles as the input for Sonos Sound Swap (more on this below). The side of the device houses the touch controls. But the speaker is loud enough so you can still hear the audio clearly when standing behind or to the side of the Roam. It means the sound isn’t equal from all angles. The speaker grille is located on the front of the device. This isn’t a 360° speaker like the UE Boom 3. The flat bottom provides a stable platform with two rubber feet so it won’t roll or move. The Roam is a triangular shape, which is handy as it lends itself well to placing the speaker on slopes or slants. I didn’t diligently test this, but can confirm it’ll survive a brief dunk in the kitchen sink without any issues. Sonos claims it will survive being submerged in up to 3ft of water for 30 minutes. It has an IP67 resistance rating, protecting it from dust, sand and water. The Roam is a rugged device that will survive a trip to the beach or an outdoor adventure. The Roam wouldn’t look out of place in a lounge or dining room.

It comes in three other colours, red, blue and olive, and they all look good. Our review device had a plain black design with Sonos written in white on the front. It boasts a familiar Sonos aesthetic and ventures away from the flashy designs of other portable speakers like the JBL Flip 6. DesignĪt 168 mm (H) x 62 mm (W) x 60 mm (D), the Roam is small and light (430g). That’s on the expensive side for a small portable speaker, the UE Boom 3 costs $280, and the JBL Flip 6 costs $200.

It delivers a sound that is closer to reality than other speakers in its range, the bass is also surprisingly good for the size.The Sonos Roam costs $340. For the size of the speaker the sound quality is really good. It can also automatically switch between WIFI and Bluetooth connection whenever you leave your home which is handy and makes it a true grab and go. The speaker can be connected to via Bluetooth 5.0 and WIFI 5.0, furthermore it can be connected to a pre-existing Sonos system in your home. The speaker has an IP67 Rating meaning it is fully waterproof and can be submerged in 1m of water for 30 minutes, however it can't float so don't drop it in your pool. The tactile buttons are very responsive but also prevent any accidental touches, furthermore the speaker has a triangular shape which allows it to be played horizontally or vertically.

The speaker boasts a 10 hour all day battery life and has a feature that can put the Roam in a power-save mode that helps the battery to stay charged for 10 days. The roam encompasses Sonos' simplistic classy design, connectivity and sound quality into a device small enough to fit in your pocket. Following their successful launch of the Sonos Move, Sonos are dipping their toe in the true portable, waterproof and compact speaker domain, and it looks rather good! SONOS are releasing their first true portable bluetooth speaker soon and we are really excited to see what they have to offer.

Sonos portable speaker