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Sonos Roam · Sonos official original Roam (2021) product photograph; sharper native source replaces the matching small guide pose.

Sonos Roam
Photo 1 of 67

Sonos Roam · Sonos official original Roam (2021) product photograph; sharper native source replaces the matching small guide pose.

Sonos · Roam

Roam

Released April 2021

Sonos's first compact portable speaker combines Wi-Fi multi-room playback, Bluetooth and AirPlay 2. Automatic Trueplay tuning works over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and Sound Swap transfers music to a nearby Sonos speaker.

Type
Portable speaker
Atmos
No
Connects by
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Battery
10 h
Weight
0.43 kg

What reviewers say

Both praise portability, extensive connectivity and full-bodied sound, while finding rhythm and detail weaker than the best rivals. TechRadar likes the strong bass outdoors but finds it overpowering indoors; What Hi-Fi finds it controlled yet hears limited clarity and dynamics. TechRadar measures about nine hours at medium volume, below the ten-hour claim.

From techradar.com and whathifi.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Sound

Type
Portable speaker
Dolby Atmos
No
Drivers
One custom racetrack mid-woofer and one tweeter
Amplifiers
Two Class-H digital amplifiers
Room tuning
Automatic Trueplay adjusts for orientation, location and content over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth; microphone must be enabled

Connections

Wi-Fi
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
AirPlay
Yes
Voice assistants
Alexa, Google Assistant and Sonos Voice Control
Wi-Fi
802.11a/b/g/n/ac on 2.4 or 5 GHz; maker launch fact sheet omits 802.11a from this list
Bluetooth
Audio streaming; original and later colour fact sheets specify Bluetooth 5.0, while the current maker guide lists 5.3
Ports
USB-C charging; no analogue audio input (TechRadar)
Streaming
Sonos app services, Sonos Radio and AirPlay 2 over Wi-Fi; Bluetooth playback can be grouped with other Sonos speakers through the Wi-Fi system
Multi-room
Sonos multi-room playback, stereo pairing with another Roam and Sound Swap to transfer music to or from a nearby Sonos speaker; cannot serve as rear cinema speakers (TechRadar)
App
Sonos S2 app for setup; original model requires Wi-Fi setup before Bluetooth pairing (TechRadar)

Design

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 10 hours
Water and dust resistance
IP67
Weight
0.43 kg
Battery life detail
Maker claims up to 10 hours of continuous playback; USB-C charging with a 7.5 W minimum adaptor, 10 W recommended in the guide; Qi or optional Sonos wireless charger. Guide specifies 18 Wh and 0–50% in one hour wired or two hours wirelessly
Controls
Volume +/–, play/pause and microphone buttons; double-press playback for next track, triple-press for previous; hold for grouping and Sound Swap; shared rear power/Bluetooth button
Microphones
Far-field microphone array with beamforming and multi-channel echo cancellation
Size
168 mm high, 62 mm wide, 60 mm deep
Colours
Shadow Black and Lunar White at launch; Olive, Wave and Sunset added in 2022
In the box
Sonos Roam, USB-A to USB-C cable, quick-start documentation; no power adaptor

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Wi-Fi multi-room playback and AirPlay 2
  • Automatic Trueplay tuning over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
  • IP67 dust and water resistance; USB-C and Qi charging

Cons

  • Initial setup requires Wi-Fi and the Sonos app
  • Voice assistants require Wi-Fi
  • No analogue audio input; power adaptor sold separately

Closest rivals

Model
TypeAtmosConnects byBatteryWeightReleased
JBLFlip 6
Portable speakerNoBluetooth12 h0.55 kgNov 2021
Bang & OlufsenBeosound Explore
Portable speakerNoBluetooth27 h0.631 kgMay 2021
JBLCharge 5
Portable speakerNoBluetooth20 h0.96 kgApr 2021

Newer model: Roam 2.

Sources

  1. assets.sonos.com/media-kits/hardware/roam/roamfactsheet.pdf
  2. sonos.com/en-us/guides/roam
  3. assets.sonos.com/media-kits/hardware/roam/roamcolorsfactsheet.pdf
  4. newsroom.sonos.com/254724-meet-sonos-roam-the-ultra-portable-smart-speaker-that…
  5. techradar.com/reviews/sonos-roam
  6. whathifi.com/reviews/sonos-roam

Photo: Sonos official original Roam (2021) product photograph; sharper native source replaces the matching small guide pose.

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