FIRST TEST SONOS ROAM
Boom, shake the Roam Sonos has made a truly portable speaker fit for chucking just about anywhere – but can it make a full-size noise? R4 000 / takealot.com
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he Sonos Roam is this esteemed audio company’s first proper portable speaker. Forget the Move, because while it would love to claim that title (and is a fantastic bit of kit in its own right), the truth is its sheer heft puts it pretty low down our list of boomers to sling in a satchel. The Move is an able beast but simply too unwieldy for weekends away and jaunts in the park… but the Roam is an altogether more sensible proposition for outdoor parties – and that’s not only due to its physical dimensions. Being clued up for both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, it’ll get on nicely with an existing Sonos setup but has the nifty addition of appealing to punters from outside of the Sonos sphere – those looking for a no-nonsense wireless speaker without the need to use a dedicated app. This, then, might just be the brand’s most accessible speaker yet – and it continues Sonos’ focus on quality. But the sub-R4 000 porta-speaker market is awash with strong rivals from Marshall, JBL, Ultimate Ears and more, so Sonos needs to cut through the noise. Designed to stand either vertically or horizontally, the robust Roam isn’t exactly shouty in the design department, with a metal mesh and rubberised matt plastic finish; so it’s what’s inside that matters. Does it stick to the same sweet audio recipe as the rest of the Sonos range?
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