JBL Xtreme 3 vs Sonos Roam/Roam SL

Which Speaker Is Better?

Products

JBL Xtreme 3
Sonos Roam/Roam SL

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 20, 2024 12:46 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Nov 11, 2024 07:27 PM

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Our Verdict

JBL Xtreme 3

Sonos Roam/Roam SL

Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Sonos Roam/Roam SL or the JBL Xtreme 3. The Sonos has a more portable design, and its Roam variant supports voice assistants. It also comes with bass and treble adjustments for sound customization. However, the JBL supports stereo content, gets louder, and has a longer battery life.

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Variants

  • Xtreme 3 (Black)
  • Xtreme 3 (Blue)
  • Xtreme 3 (Camo)
  • Roam (Lunar White)
  • Roam SL (Lunar White)
  • Roam (Olive)
  • Roam (Shadow Black)
  • Roam SL (Shadow Black)
  • Roam (Sunset)
  • Roam (Wave)

Check Price

Black
Xtreme 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar White
Roam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
Xtreme 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar White
Roam SL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Camo
Xtreme 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Olive
Roam
Amazon.com
 
Shadow Black
Roam
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 

6.7
6.3

Soundstage 
 

7.2
6.1

Dynamics 
 

6.4
5.4

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.5
6.7

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

8.9
9.4

Dimensions Photo  

Volume 
 

250 in³ (4,093 cm³)
39 in³ (632 cm³)

Weight 
 

4.2 lbs (1.9 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  

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  

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  

Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.5
6.7

Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Slope 
 

-0.09
-0.06

Std. Err. 
 

4.67 dB
3.58 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

55.0 Hz
62.6 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

13.9 kHz
18.0 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.2
6.1

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details

Directivity Index 
 

5.21 dB
3.49 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.4
5.4

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

91.0 dB SPL
83.8 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.87 dB
4.26 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

9.0
5.4

Battery Life 
 

12.7 hrs
5.1 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.1 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 Microphone
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Microphone
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
Great
Show Text 

App 
 

7.9
9.3

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 
 

Yes
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

8.2
7.3

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
5.0

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

134 ms
117 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

122 ms
201 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

190.3 ft (58.0 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
Xtreme 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar White
Roam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
Xtreme 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar White
Roam SL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Camo
Xtreme 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Olive
Roam
Amazon.com
 
Shadow Black
Roam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Shadow Black
Roam SL
Amazon.com
 
Sunset
Roam
Amazon.com
 
Wave
Roam
Amazon.com

JBL Xtreme 3

Sonos Roam/Roam SL

Comments

  1. Comparison

JBL Xtreme 3 vs Sonos Roam/Roam SL: Main Discussion

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