Bose SoundLink Micro vs Sonos Roam/Roam SL

Which Speaker Is Better?

Products

Bose SoundLink Micro
Sonos Roam/Roam SL

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 15, 2024 01:02 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Nov 11, 2024 07:27 PM

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Amazon.com

Our Verdict

Bose SoundLink Micro

Sonos Roam/Roam SL

The Sonos Roam/Roam SL is a better speaker than the Bose SoundLink Micro overall. The Sonos has a better-balanced sound profile and can produce deeper bass than the Bose. Its companion app also features bass and treble adjustments you can use to tweak its sound to your liking. Its Roam variant offers fantastic voice assistant support with built-in Alexa and Google Assistant. That said, the Bose offers a wider-sounding soundstage and has a longer battery life, though the latter can depend on your usage, and your experience may differ. 

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Variants

  • SoundLink Micro (Black)
  • SoundLink Micro (Bright Orange)
  • SoundLink Micro (Midnight Blue)
  • SoundLink Micro (Stone Blue)
  • SoundLink Micro (White Smoke)
  • Roam (Lunar White)
  • Roam SL (Lunar White)
  • Roam (Olive)
  • Roam (Shadow Black)
  • Roam SL (Shadow Black)
  • Roam (Sunset)
  • Roam (Wave)

Check Price

Black
SoundLink Micro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar White
Roam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Bright Orange
SoundLink Micro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar White
Roam SL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Midnight Blue
SoundLink Micro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Olive
Roam
Amazon.com
Stone Blue
SoundLink Micro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Shadow Black
Roam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White Smoke
SoundLink Micro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Shadow Black
Roam SL
Amazon.com
 
Sunset
Roam
Amazon.com
 
Wave
Roam
Amazon.com

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

5.8
6.3

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

5.6
6.7

Soundstage 
 

7.5
6.1

EQ 
 

No
Bass/Treble

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.4
9.4

Dimensions Photo  

Volume 
 

26 in³ (418 cm³)
39 in³ (632 cm³)

Weight 
 

0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)
0.9 lbs (0.4 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.5
8.5

Build Quality Photo  

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

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

Impact Resistance 
 

Yes (IK rating unspecified)
Yes (IK rating unspecified)

Floats In Water 
 

No
Unspecified
Show Text 

Controls 
 

7.9
8.0

Controls Photo  

Controls Photo 2  

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Good
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Physical)
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
Yes (Physical)

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

5.6
6.7

Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Slope 
 

-0.63
-0.06

Std. Err. 
 

4.44 dB
3.58 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

91.1 Hz
62.6 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

16.0 kHz
18.0 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.5
6.1

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details

Directivity Index 
 

1.04 dB
3.49 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

5.7
5.4

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

78.6 dB SPL
83.8 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.27 dB
4.26 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

6.5
5.4

Battery Life 
 

7.8 hrs
5.1 hrs

Charge Time 
 

5.4 hrs
3.4 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

Micro-USB
USB-C

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

4.9
9.4

Alexa 
 

No
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Google Assistant 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
No

Siri 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
No

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

No
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

No
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Decent
Great
Show Text 

App 
 

6.6
9.3

App Picture  

App Name 
 

Bose Connect
Sonos S2

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

No
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 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

8.7
7.3

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

Unspecified
5.0

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

67 ms
117 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

98 ms
201 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

187.0 ft (57.0 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
SoundLink Micro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar White
Roam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Bright Orange
SoundLink Micro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar White
Roam SL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Midnight Blue
SoundLink Micro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Olive
Roam
Amazon.com
Stone Blue
SoundLink Micro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Shadow Black
Roam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White Smoke
SoundLink Micro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Shadow Black
Roam SL
Amazon.com
 
Sunset
Roam
Amazon.com
 
Wave
Roam
Amazon.com

Bose SoundLink Micro

Sonos Roam/Roam SL

Comments

  1. Comparison

Bose SoundLink Micro vs Sonos Roam/Roam SL: Main Discussion

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