The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is one of the most portable speakers in the manufacturer's lineup. This speaker boasts a small and compact design that's ideal for on-the-go listening. It's even rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, meaning it can hold up against some exposure to the elements. With built-in Alexa and Google Assistant, you can control this device with your voice. If voice assistant support isn't ideal for you, you can also check out the SL variant of this speaker, which comes without a microphone.
Our Verdict
The Sonos Roam is acceptable for music. Like more premium speakers on the market, it has a room correction tool called Trueplay that optimizes its frequency response based on your room's unique acoustics. It's suitable for listening to most music genres, given the clear and accurate reproduction of voices and lead instruments in the mix. Its bass and treble adjustments allow you to switch up its sound. Trueplay isn't available with the SL version of this speaker since it relies on a microphone to work.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- Trueplay room correction feature (not available with SL variant).
- Lacks some low bass.
- Not loud enough for large rooms.
The Sonos Roam isn't meant for listening to movies, but if you happen to watch a video on your paired smartphone, it can get the job done. Dialogue is clear in the mix, meaning you can follow along with the plot, and low latency over Apple AirPlay ensures that you don't have to worry about lip-synching issues. However, it isn't loud enough to fill up larger rooms with sound, and the lack of low bass is noticeable in action-packed scenes.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- Low AirPlay latency.
- Lacks some low bass.
- Not loud enough for large rooms.
The Sonos Roam is decent for podcasts. Dialogue is clearly reproduced, so you can easily follow along with your favorite shows, and the portable design lets you bring it with you from room to room. You can adjust its bass and treble. If you purchase the Sonos Roam variant, you can use its room correction tool, Trueplay, to improve its sound. That said, it only pairs to one device at a time, which can be annoying if you want to switch your source frequently.
- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatibility.
- Not loud enough for large rooms.
The Sonos Roam offers excellent voice assistant support thanks to the built-in microphone. Built-in Alexa and Google Assistant are available so you can control the device with your voice, and it easily picks up all your commands. You can mute the microphone, which is great for privacy. Naturally, if you buy the SL variant of this speaker, this feature isn't available.
- Mic mute button (not available with SL variant).
- Excellent far-field performance.
- Not loud enough for large rooms.
The Sonos Roam is fair for outdoor use. It's a portable and lightweight speaker that's easy to carry in one hand, with a sturdy build and an impact resistance rating. An IP67 rating for dust and water resistance means it's certified to withstand some exposure to the elements. However, it doesn't get super loud, so you'll want to stay close by when listening outdoors.
- IP67 rating for dust and water resistance.
- Rated for impact resistance.
- Not loud enough for large rooms.
- 5.1-hour battery life.
Changelog
- Updated Jun 20, 2024: We've added a comparison between this speaker and the Sonos Roam 2 in Controls.
- Updated Feb 26, 2024: We've merged the review for the Sonos Roam SL into the Sonos Roam review since they're essentially the same speaker. The SL variant lacks a microphone, so we've adjusted the text in the Controls, Frequency Response Accuracy, and Voice Assistant boxes to elaborate on this difference. While our usage scores haven't changed, we've updated the text in these boxes to distinguish between the two variants more clearly.
- Updated Feb 02, 2024: We've added a comparison between this speaker and the Bose SoundLink Mini II Special Edition in Bluetooth.
- Updated Jan 17, 2024: We've updated this review to ensure accuracy and added relevant comparisons to other speakers.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
This speaker is available in 'Shadow Black,' 'Lunar White,' 'Sunset,' 'Wave,' and 'Olive.' We tested the 'Black' variant but expect the other color variants to perform similarly. You can see the label for the model tested here.
The Sonos Roam SL is essentially the same speaker but comes without a microphone for voice assistant support.
If you encounter another version of this speaker, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update the review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Sonos Roam is a very lightweight, portable speaker with built-in support for Google Assistant and Alexa. Like the Sonos Move, it comes with the Trueplay room correction feature to help optimize audio reproduction based on the room you're listening in. However, this is only available on iOS devices, which may disappoint some Android users. That said, since it's smaller than the Move, it doesn't get as loud and can't reproduce a very extended low bass. Its SL variant is also a good alternative for those who don't want voice assistant support.
See our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best Sonos speakers, and the best waterproof Bluetooth speakers.
The Sonos Roam 2 is the next generation of the Sonos Roam/Roam SL and, in many ways, is a very similar speaker with a nearly identical look and feel. With the second generation, you get separate Bluetooth and power buttons. While built-in Google Assistant is phased out, it's replaced with a Sonos voice assistant. Other than that, the sound performance is very similar. The second-gen can get a bit louder, but it's still not enough to fill a large room with sound.
The Sonos Move is a better speaker than the Sonos Roam/Roam SL. The Move can get louder, and it has a more extended low bass. It also has a longer battery life, though this can vary slightly depending on usage. However, the Roam has a smaller, more portable design, which some users may prefer.
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is a smaller, more portable alternative to the Sonos Move 2. However, the larger Move 2 gets louder, brings more bass, and lasts longer on its battery. It can playback stereo content, too, unlike the Roam, which has to downmix it into mono.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Sonos Roam/Roam SL or the Bose SoundLink Flex. The Sonos is Wi-Fi enabled, and its Roam variant offers fantastic voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. It's smaller and more portable, too, with bass and treble adjustments to tweak its sound to your liking. That said, the Bose can get a bit louder with less compression at max volume. The Bose also has a better-balanced sound profile out of the box and has a longer-lasting battery life, though this can depend on your usage.
Test Results
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