The latest portable speaker from Sonos might just be the piece of the puzzle they were missing

Item: Sonos Roam
Rating: 5
Author: Max Boker

For our regular readers, you’ll know about our love affair with audio brand Sonos since its inception in 2002 by changing the way we listen to music domestically in our homes.

Their design, functionality and intuitive UI and UX within the Sonos app make all of their product line sync together and work in glorious acoustic harmony.

You see, the beauty about Sonos today vs yesterday is that there is now a Sonos for everyone. Big, small, cheap, expensive, speaker, soundbar. The product line has evolved so much since the OG Play:5 its as though Sonos have tried to fill every gap in their portfolio to cater to how people listen to music.

When we reviewed the Sonos Move back in 2019 it quickly became one of our favourite tech products of all time, and it still is. It was the best all-around speaker Sonos had created without compromising design or quality.

Whilst it is very portable, it’s perhaps not everyday portable, and here we have it…another gap in the portfolio that Sonos is missing. Perhaps the only two remaining SKU’s from the product line would be headphones (which we know are rumoured) and a truly ultra-portable speaker.

It’s the only thing Sonos haven’t created. Until now. Enter Sonos Roam.

In the Box

I’m not sure how we were expecting the Sonos to be packaged, perhaps we were so used to the older boxes Sonos comes packaged in that this one kind of came as surprise.

The Roam comes in a no-nonsense small brown box that actually suits the speaker itself. It’s not here to be all up in your face or create a statement, it’s here for a purpose.

In homage to all Sonos products, however, when you do open the Roam is still wrapped up nicely in the classic white Sonos slip sleeve.

The only other two parts to the packaging are a quick start guide and a USB C charger. All you really need to plug and play.

Design

Let’s get straight to the point here. We love the design of the Sonos Roam.

Small in stature at around 17cm in height, it really is a truly portable speaker in comparison to its older cousin the Sonos Move.

Everything about the design of the move is mirrored to how it might be used. Passed around a lot and probably within a group setting.

Its triangular Toblerone type design is very ergonomic and feels really comfortable in the hand. At 430g it doesn’t feel cheap and light either, quite the opposite in fact that you do worry about dropping it but it borrows anything from the Sonos Move it’s that this speaker can probably take a beating.

The Roam is also IP67 rating meaning it’s splash and dustproof basically making it ideal for the outdoors.

On the top of the speaker, you’d find all of your usual buttons found on recent Sonos speakers. Play/Pause, Volume Up/Down and Mic button to control any voice activation you may have set up. Unlike the more expensive house speakers, however, these buttons are not touch-sensitive but rather physical buttons that sit underneath a rubber seal.

Another part of the design we really like is the fact that Sonos has put rubber feet on the back of the speaker allowing you to position it both vertically or horizontally depending on where you’re using it.

Features and Setup

Just like all Sonos speakers, set up was an absolute breeze if you’re already a Sonos customer with an existing Sonos system.

Simply open up your Sonos app, add a new device and the app should find your speaker automatically. From there, it’s an absolute doddle and your speaker should be set up in around 2 mins. You may need to wait for a software update before you can start using it the first time around but this was also pretty quick.

After everything is set up you’ll that glorious Sonos Chime which means you’re good to go.

If you’re new to the app you follow the same directions except you’d just need to create a new Sonos account/system. Given that the Roam is part Wifi speaker, you can buy a pair of Roams to offer Stereo sound (Left and Right) and work together as a pair.

Just like the Sonos Move, the Roam actually doubles up as a Bluetooth speaker too. This along with its IP67 rating and drop-proof build make it one of the most complete portable speakers out there on the market today.

Apple users can rejoice too as it’s compatible with Airplay 2, meaning you can send your music from any of your Apple devices directly to your Sonos and you can even ask Siri to help with commands.

It seems that Sonos has taken no attempt at shortchanging their loyal fanbase either as the Roam also features Trueplay which is a trademark Sonos innovation whereby the speaker actually listens to its surroundings and automatically balances your music to give you the best listening experience, this was a feature we loved from the Sonos Move.

Sound

We mentioned earlier that this speaker is tiny in comparison to its cousins in the range but also it wasn’t light or cheap feeling.

Underneath the mesh good of the Roam, 2 Class-H digital amps are carefully tuned to the drivers, one tweeter and one mid-woofer. For something so small in size this speaker is packing a lot

In short, this thing can kick but somehow manages to sound extremely balanced at both the high and low end without any sound distortion at all.

You’re not going to get heavy bass undertones but we wouldn’t expect that from a speaker this size anyway as it would only compensate for something else.

We actually couldn’t believe how loud this speaker got from such a tiny unit. After listening in a group setting we never actually put it any louder than 50% and even then that was probably a little too loud if anything.

Price and Verdict

At £159 this might be the best portable speaker you can buy right now. Even if this was solely a Bluetooth speaker on its own we’d be jumping all over this.

It’s IP67 rating, incredible build, and incredibly balanced sound make this an absolute winner in our eyes.

The fact this the Roam has successfully managed to plug a gap in the market Sonos was missing makes this a valuable puzzle piece in the jigsaw that is domestic audio for Sonos.

While the Sonos Move was awesome in its portability, you could have only moved it inside your house, around the garden etc but the Roam has essentially extended that range.

It’s small enough to fit in a handbag but loud enough to set a scene and entertain, making this speaker ideal for the house, hotels rooms, swimming pools, parks or just travelling on the move in general.

The list goes on and on but we will certainly be getting a lot of use out of this little wonder of a speaker.