First Look: The New Sonos Roam Speaker Is Versatile but Pricey

Bluetooth speakers and Wi-Fi speakers are two distinct types of audio devices. Most portable Bluetooth speakers are small, light, and fairly inexpensive. They’re made to go where you go, and they allow you to stream directly from your smartphone, tablet, or computer through Bluetooth. On the other hand, pricier Wi-Fi and smart speakers are stationary devices, usually tethered to a power source, that rely on a home network connection. The Roam is designed to switch seamlessly between the two situations, combining the portability and easy connection of a Bluetooth speaker with a smart speaker’s ability to connect to a multi-speaker system over Wi-Fi. (Two Roam speakers can even pair together to play music in stereo when connected through Wi-Fi.)

“We have a guide to multiroom speakers, a guide to portable Bluetooth speakers, and several guides to smart speakers (HomePod, Google Assistant, and Alexa),” says Wirecutter supervising editor Adrienne Maxwell. “One of the nice things about the Sonos Roam is that it combines the perks of those picks into one product that fits your entire needs.”

Until now, Sonos offered only one portable Bluetooth speaker, the $400 Sonos Move. But despite its name, “this isn’t something you want to lug around,” Adrienne says. “It’s bigger and heavier than most portable speakers. You wouldn’t want to throw it in your bag and take it with you.” The Roam, on the other hand, is roughly the size and shape of a 20-ounce bottle of soda, weighs just under a pound, and costs a lot less than the Move.

“The Roam is kind of like the ultimate portable wireless speaker,” Wirecutter senior staff writer Brent Butterworth says. “You can bring it to the beach, but when you come home, it automatically switches back to Wi-Fi and becomes part of your Sonos system. And then you can carry it to any room, or out in the backyard.”

The Roam’s ability to simultaneously connect to Bluetooth and sync with an existing Sonos multiroom wireless speaker system makes it a better party speaker, too: If you have guests over, they can play DJ by connecting their own phones to the Roam instead of asking you to queue up their jams. Then you can easily toss the sound to the other Sonos speakers set up around your house by hitting a button at the top of the Roam.

Small, portable speakers are not exactly known for their high-quality sound. But so far, Brent likes what he has heard from the Roam—due in part to its automatic tuning capabilities. Using what Sonos calls Trueplay tuning, the Roam adapts to your surroundings and what you’re listening to in order to provide a detailed and balanced sound, whether you’re listening on a home network connection or through Bluetooth. It sounds just as good on a bookshelf, Brent says, as it does in an echoey bathroom.

The Roam, available in shadow black or lunar white in a matte finish, is also a nice-looking speaker. Its triangular shape makes it easy to tuck away into a corner, and it can sit horizontally or stand vertically depending on the space available. “It’s really a premium product,” Brent says.

The Roam is compatible with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant when it’s connected to your network, so you can easily ask your voice-activated assistant of choice to play a specific playlist or song, check the news, control your other smart devices, or dunk on your kids.

Brent found that, while the Roam took about the same amount of time to answer a “Hey Google” prompt as his Google Home Mini did, with Alexa it’s slower to respond than Amazon’s own devices. Keeping the voice-activation mic engaged also drains the battery pretty quickly—in our experience, the Roam has played for about six hours with the mic turned off but only about two to three hours with it turned on (more on that topic below).

Whether you bring the Roam right into the shower with you or accidentally knock it into the shallow end of the pool, this speaker will survive to play another day. With a rating of IP67, the Roam can tolerate being dunked into 3 feet of water for up to a half hour without sustaining any damage. According to the Sonos website, it’s also dust and drop resistant. All of that offers tremendous peace of mind, especially considering that the Roam, at $170, is not exactly cheap. It also opens a world of possibilities: You can take this speaker with you to the beach, the back or front yard, a workshop, or the shower. “You can even leave it outside, and it probably doesn’t matter,” Brent says. It doesn’t float, though, so be sure not to drop it off a boat.

The Roam is ideal for anyone who already has a Sonos multiroom speaker system set up at home because it integrates seamlessly into the existing system, and at a lower price than the Sonos One.

“Up to now, the Sonos One was the primary entry point into the Sonos system,” Adrienne says. “It was the cheapest way to get a smart Sonos speaker to start building a system, and it’s $200.” The Roam is now officially the most affordable Sonos-branded speaker that can act as the cornerstone of a whole multiroom system—with the very nice added perk of portability.

That’s also why it’s the ideal smart speaker for anyone considering starting a multiroom system. “Even if you’re just looking for a good-sounding smart speaker, this is a solid option,” Adrienne adds. “If you haven’t built that Sonos system yet, the Roam will fit into your existing Alexa or Google ecosystem, and you can build off it in the future if you want.”

And if you decide after the fact that you don’t want to create an echo chamber of speakers around your home, you still have a high-quality smart speaker that functions independently as a portable Bluetooth device.

If you’re looking for a good portable speaker just to use outside your home while you’re on the go, the Roam isn’t the best choice. It’s nearly $100 more than the UE Wonderboom 2, our top Bluetooth speaker pick. Our budget pick, the Tribit XSound Go, is usually less than $40. At $170, the Roam is an investment that you may not feel comfortable bringing with you on a camping trip or to the beach. The Roam may be waterproof and drop resistant, but there’s always the possibility of a mishap. If you leave the Roam behind, say, or destroy it on a rugged outing, you’ll be out $170, which hurts a lot more than misplacing or breaking a $35 speaker. Unlike some of our other portable Bluetooth speaker picks, the Roam doesn’t have a place for a lanyard, either, which makes it easier to lose or drop.

Battery life is the real heartbreaker. Sonos claims the speaker lasts about 10 hours, but Brent has found that it loses its charge after five to six hours with the voice-control mic switched off. With the mic engaged, the speaker lasts only two to three hours. You can get away with charging our other Bluetooth speaker picks every few days, but you have to charge the Roam every single day if you use it frequently. The good news, though, is that this Sonos speaker can charge wirelessly on any Qi-certified charger. Qi chargers, especially the models Wirecutter recommends, are fairly inexpensive—usually $50 or less. And the Roam is fully functional while it’s charging, so you can set it on the Qi charger whenever you’re using it at home.

For some folks, though, these flaws are not necessarily dealbreakers. If the Roam’s price fits into your budget and you think you can get past its short battery life, this nifty, versatile speaker can be a great addition to your home’s Sonos multiroom wireless speaker system—or maybe the start of one.