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  1. Home
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JBL Charge 5 vs Sonos Roam/Roam SL

Which Speaker Is Better?

    Top
    Main Differences
    Design
      PicturesStylePortabilityBuild QualityControlsIn The Box
    Sound
      Frequency Response AccuracyRaw Frequency ResponseSoundstageDynamics
    Active Features
      BatteryVoice AssistantApp
    Connectivity
      WiredBluetoothWi-Fi
    Comments

Products

JBL Charge 5
Sonos Roam/Roam SL

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 08, 2025 05:04 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Nov 11, 2024 07:27 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
JBL Charge 5 Picture
Sonos Roam/Roam SL Picture
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
No
Battery Powered
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
Yes
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. JBL

Our Verdict

JBL Charge 5

Sonos Roam/Roam SL

The Sonos Roam/Roam SL and the JBL Charge 5 are similar speakers, though they have different strengths. The Sonos is smaller and more portable than the JBL. Its Roam variant has an outstanding voice assistant performance. However, the JBL can get louder than the Sonos and has fewer compression artifacts at max volume. It can be paired to two devices at once via Bluetooth and has outstanding battery life, though this can vary depending on your usage habits, so your real-world experience may differ.

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Variants

  • JBL Charge 5 (Black)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Blue)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Camo)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Gray)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Green)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Pink)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Red)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Teal)
  • JBL Charge 5 (White)
  • Roam (Lunar White)
  • Roam SL (Lunar White)
  • Roam (Olive)
  • Roam (Shadow Black)
  • Roam SL (Shadow Black)
  • Roam (Sunset)
  • Roam (Wave)

Review

See JBL Charge 5 Review
See Sonos Roam/Roam SL Review
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Check Price

Black
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar White
Roam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar White
Roam SL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Camo
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Olive
Roam
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Gray
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Shadow Black
Roam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Green
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Shadow Black
Roam SL
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Pink
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sunset
Roam
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Red
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Wave
Roam
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Teal
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
White
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.5
6.3

Dynamics 
 

6.6
5.4

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Style Photo
Sonos Roam/Roam SL Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.1
9.4

Dimensions Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Dimensions Photo
Sonos Roam/Roam SL Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

121 in³ (1,982 cm³)
39 in³ (632 cm³)

Weight 
 

2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
0.9 lbs (0.4 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.3
8.5

Build Quality Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Build Quality Photo
Sonos Roam/Roam SL Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Great
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Dust-Proof (IP6x)

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Yes (IK rating unspecified)

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.6
8.0

Controls Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo
Sonos Roam/Roam SL Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo 2
Sonos Roam/Roam SL Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Good
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Forward Only (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
Yes (Physical)

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

JBL Charge 5 In The Box Photo
Sonos Roam/Roam SL In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.7
6.7

Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Slope 
 

0.49
-0.06

Std. Err. 
 

3.75 dB
3.58 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

59.1 Hz
62.6 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.5 kHz
18.0 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

5.8
6.1

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Directivity Index 
 

4.27 dB
3.49 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.6
5.4

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

90.2 dB SPL
83.8 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.15 dB
4.26 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.7
5.4

Battery Life 
 

14.5 hrs
5.1 hrs

Charge Time 
 

3.8 hrs
3.4 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

USB-C
USB-C

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

0.0
9.4

Alexa 
 

No
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Google Assistant 
 

No
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Speakerphone 
 

No
No

Siri 
 

No
No

Voice Assistant 
 

No
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

No
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

No
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Microphone
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
Great
Show Text 

App 
 

7.9
9.3

App Picture  

JBL Charge 5 App Picture
Sonos Roam/Roam SL App Picture

App Name 
 

JBL Portable
Sonos S2

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Graphic
Bass/Treble

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

8.5
7.3

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
5.0

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

125 ms
117 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

102 ms
201 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

328.1 ft (100.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
No
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

0.0
8.3

Wi-Fi Version 
 

No Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 5

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

No Wi-Fi
2.4GHz & 5GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

No
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
Yes

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
-2 ms

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar White
Roam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar White
Roam SL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Camo
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Olive
Roam
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Gray
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Shadow Black
Roam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Green
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Shadow Black
Roam SL
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Pink
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sunset
Roam
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Red
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Wave
Roam
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Teal
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
White
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Back to Top

JBL Charge 5

Sonos Roam/Roam SL

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

JBL Charge 5 vs Sonos Roam/Roam SL: Main Discussion

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