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

The 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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1 Go hard or go Roam

The Roam has a refined aesthetic, in keeping with the rest of the Sonos family. It feels sturdy and the rubberised ends are there to absorb shock. The buttons are physical to avoid accidental prods, and there’s USB-C charging or you can fuel it wirelessly.

2 Roam computer

Above the Sonos logo is a tiny LED displaying connection status and muting; a second LED on the top indicates when microphones are active. The final LED is found at the bottom and shows power and charge status. If it glows orange, it’s thirsty.

3 Make yourself at Roam

Pairing is a breeze: control the Roam from a streaming platform, a podcast app or AirPlay 2. You’ve got Alexa or Google Assistant on voice duty, and automatic Trueplay means it’ll tune its sound to suit the environment, whether you’re inside or outside.

4 She’s leaving Roam

Another choice feature is Sound Swap, which switches audio to the nearest Sonos speaker in the vicinity. Press play/pause and the Roam pings sound around accordingly – useful if you wish to express your right to Roam without taking it with you.

5 Roam on the range

Connectivity remained rock solid throughout our testing, as did the seamless switch between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, although the claimed 10-hour battery life is a stretch and it takes around two hours to get it juiced up with a full charge.

24 hourswith the Sonos Roam Good Meh Evil Time for a recharge. What, already? Other small speakers last longer.That’s enough charge – let’s see what this little Toblerone has got.It’s a teeny weeny Sonos, the likes of which we’ve never seen. We like the matt white finish, even if the design is a tad dull.Forget using this as a makeshift dumbbell – it’s really very light. Merlin’s beard, that Roots Manuva bassline is awfully deep……too deep for the shower, in fact. Time to toggle the EQ. Now we’ve got the levels right, this thing sounds pretty swell for its size.We’ve gone multiroom using Sound Swap and it works a rather well.

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Is Trueplaytweakingthings?Can’ttell, but it soundsgreatindoorsandout. Welikethiscleverspeaker;we’rejust notsureitedgesitsfive-starrivals.At least we’ve got the option of Qi wireless charging. Handy. We’re happily switching from Bluetooth to Wi-Fi and backagain.Just carrying the Roam from room to room is a nice feeling when WFH.

Techspecs

Audio 1x tweeter, 1x mid-woofer, 2x Class H amps Connectivity Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2 Battery life Up to 10 hours Water-resistance IP67 Dimensions 168x62x60mm, 430g

Green green grass of Roam

In, out, take it all about. How did the Sonos Roam fare on our mini world tour to the park and back?

■ Roam comforts

For a Sonos, the sound quality is really just OK. But for a speaker of this size and form factor, it’s impressive. It might not quite outweigh some of the competition, but it certainly matches them. ■ Roam front

One thing this little box doesn’t lack is bass: it has a surprising amount of low-end oomph for a speaker so small. In fact it’s a bit overzealous in certain cases, requiring some tweaks to the EQ.

■ Roam truths

Things are well balanced in the mid-range, although it does suffer in the higher echelons, lacking a bit of clarity. That bass really is the boss here, especially when you take the Roam into the shower. ■ Roam and dry

In reality, your mates in the park are not likely to hush the crowd to note that vocals sound ever so slightly dampened, and on that basis the Roam is a perfectly well-rounded portable speaker.

Sonos should have made the Roam years ago. Its portability alone should be enough to see it shift plenty of units, but it’s the bonus features like automatic Trueplay and Sound Swap that set it apart. Yes, there are bettersounding sub-R4 000 speakers, but none with the Roam’s skills – it’s up to you to decide whether you need them.