Sonos Roam: Portable Speaker Becomes Even Smaller

A new portable mini Bluetooth speaker, smaller and above all cheaper. Sonos presents Roam, an ultra-compact Bluetooth stereo speakers (more or less the size of a half-liter bottle of water) that are positioned at the base of the home’s wireless ecosystem. The price is $169.99, about twenty bucks less than the entry-level speaker of the house (Sonos One SL) and less than half compared to the older brother Sonos Move.

Like the latter, the new Sonos Roam also comes with a body with essential lines and resistance to atmospheric agents (IP67 protection degree) but with a triangular design designed to be positioned both vertically and horizontally.

From the Move, Sonos Roam retrieves the TruePlay automatic calibration system and dual connectivity – WiFi or Bluetooth 5.0 – to work inside and outside the home. The switch between the two modes is automatic: when the Roam returns home, in practice, it switches directly to WiFi. There are no inputs for the 3.5 mm jack.

Again there is the audio transfer feature called Sound Swap: by holding the Play / Pause button, the music is “passed” to the nearest speaker of the Sonos system to continue listening from one room to another. Added to this is the possibility of grouping with other Sonos Bluetooth speakers, not only in WiFi but also via Bluetooth through the Sonos S2 app.

Like all the latest born in the Sonos lineup, the new Roam is also compatible with the world of voice assistants (Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant) and with Apple AirPlay 2. The integrated battery promises 10 hours of battery in continuous playback mode and up to 10 days on standby. For charging, a Type C connector is available (in the package) or an optional Qi wireless charging base at $49.

Sonos Roam will be available from April 20 at the price of $169.99 in two colors (black and white), and new Bluetooth stereo speakers will be available to pre-order via the Bhphotovideo.com and Bestbuy.com websites.