Design & Construction

The Sonos Roam, as can you see, is by far the smallest Bluetooth speaker that Sonos decided to create as a smaller alternative to the Move. But don’t be fooled by its petite size, it really packs a punch. This time, the entire speaker is IP67 water and dust-proof and weighs in at a rather lightweight of 430g which makes it super lightweight to carry around. With its matte surface, it resists fingerprints smudges very well. On the top end of the speaker is where we find all our necessary controls. In the centre is where we find our multi-function play-pause button. A single press will play/pause, a double press skips forward and a triple press skips backward. On the sides, there are the volume buttons and towards the top, there is the microphone button for muting and unmuting the mic with a single press and a long press will bring up your smart assistant while in Wi-Fi mode. At the back. there is a USB-C port for charging as well as a power button that also acts as a mode switch button. Press the power button to sleep or power on. Press and hold for one second to connect to Bluetooth. Press and hold for five seconds to power off. The speaker will enter Bluetooth pairing mode every single time and will automatically connect to your last connected device. On the front, we will find our speaker grille where you can faintly see the honeycomb structure that houses the drivers, the speaker is claimed to be drop-resistant which I found it to be true, though I would say it will suffer from some serious cosmetic damages or dents. Why so? The Roam outer surface is mostly metallic, unlike the UE Boom 3 which has a fabric outer surface and is also drop-resistant. You can see 2 LED indicators, one near the Sonos logo which shows the status of connection. A blue LED indicates Bluetooth connection and a white LED indicates Wi-Fi connection. Meanwhile, another LED is found on the opposite side which indicate the charging status of the speaker. A red LED indicates charging and a green LED indicates fully charged. You will be glad to know that because of the triangular build of the speaker, you can do horizontal or vertical placement and from my tests, both orientations work well and did not alter the sound signature. When placed horizontally, there are 4 rubber feet that keeps the speaker from moving about when it vibrates. 

Sound Quality

Moving on to sound quality, the Roam may look small from the outside but it really is loud and powerful. It features 2 Class-H digital amplifiers perfectly tuned to the single tweeter and single woofer's acoustic architecture. I would personally say it does well in creating a filling angled front filling degree experience. The bass response is certainly deep and punchy. However, the bass does lose its presence when the volume is max out. It hits deep and so much more than its competitors. Highs sound bright and filled with plenty of details. Mids are very crisp and instruments separation is excellent. The soundstage is surprisingly wide, thanks to the automatic TruePlay tuning and covers much more areas in a room than its competitors. At 70% volume, it is able to fill up a medium-sized room. To actually set-up the speaker, you will require the Sonos S2 app, which will guide you through the process and register the speaker for you. The Sonos S2 app is available on both the App and Play Store. In the app, you may hook up your various music subscriptions like Spotify, Soundcloud, Sonos Radio, or content on your device etc. and stream music from there. You can also add your favourites to the My Sonos category for easy access and change your different music streams on various speaker rooms as well as search your music collection. In the settings, you can change the individual speaker settings like the EQ for different genres, control the volume limit as well as hardware options. Overall, I felt that the sound signature was the best and cleanest in its default setting out of the box without the need to even alter it with any equaliser settings. The sound signature can be best described as being neutral with an emphasis to the bass. But you can always alter the sound signature with the bass and treble slider which by the way controls the speaker very well. Even if you try to max out the bass or treble, the sound signature stays relatively clean and was very enjoyable to listen to.  The fact is the sound sounds really fantastic right out of the box so not much altering is required for it to sound the best. If I was to summarise the sound signature, I would say it has a V shaped sound that is a boost in both the bass and highs. It will be suited to fit modern day pop, Rock, R&B, EDM or any fast paced kind of music. If you are looking to use the Roam as a speakerphone, you will be glad to know that you can do so.  You may also connect your Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa assistant in the S2 app for your smart home needs as well as link your other Sonos speakers together for louder sound. A pair of Sonos Roam will also allow you to stereo pair them together for distinct left and right channels.

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Connectivity & Portability

In terms of connectivity, Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth 5.0 are offered. There is no 3.5mm audio-in port so there is no way to use this speaker wired. Its battery life peaks at 10 hours but loud volumes drain it quickly. The speaker does come with a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging and it is worth commending that the cable that is included has a L-shaped end that plugs into the speaker giving the speaker a much cleaner look even when charging. Charging can also be done wired via the USB-C port at the back as well as with an optional Qi wireless charging pad. There is the option to buy a Roam wireless charger that docks the Roam magnetically in vertical or horizontal mode as you like. Wireless charging will also work on any other Qi Wireless charging pad too.

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PROS​

• Loud, Powerful Sound

• Rugged Design

• Full Functionality via Speaker Buttons

• IP67 Water and Dustproof

• Sonos S2 App Support

• Sound EQ Customisation

• Speakerphone

• Stereo Pairing

• Home Audio Wi-Fi Pairing

• Wi-Fi Streaming Support

• AirPlay 2 Support

• Bluetooth 5.0 Support

• Wireless Charging

• USB-C Charging

• 2 Colour Options

 

 

CONS​​​​

• No 3,5mm Audio Input

 

The Bottom Line

All in all, the Sonos Roam is a capable and durable portable speaker that focuses on bringing the best audio quality to the table. With a capable Sonos sound signature, easy to use controls, compact size and long battery life, it will retains the key essentials of what you really need in a speaker of this size as well as a few bells and whistles that complement the overall user experience really well. The Roam comes in both Shadow Black and Lunar White colourways.