Sonos unveils its new portable speaker: Roam

Sonos has unveiled its smallest speaker yet, the portable Sonos Roam.

Sonos Roam

Sonos has announced its smallest speaker yet, the portable Sonos Roam. It weighs less than half a kilo and is designed to be taken out of the home. The portability and new design elements point to a new direction for Sonos which can go where you go.

The Roam features both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth so it can be used like a normal networked speaker at home, while at the beach you can switch it to Bluetooth mode. At home it can be part of your Sonos ecosystem and looks ideal for a kids bedroom speaker.

Sonos has continued to support compatibility with Google and Amazon voice assistants while Apple users can enjoy Airplay 2 for integration with iOS devices. During the set up of the Sonos Roam you will need to select Google or Amazon as your voice assistant of choice, you can’t have both on the same speaker. If you have more than one Roam you can use them as a stereo pair creating a wider soundstage.

 

The Sonos Roam has a 10-hour battery life, which will cover a long trek or day at the beach. It can be recharged using a USB-C connection or via wireless Qi charging. Sonos will offer a magnetic wireless charging base. It will be sold separately.

You’re covered with an IP67 rating if the Roam gets wet, and it’s sealed from dust. It’s fully waterproof for up to 30 minutes in one metre of water. As it is available in black or white, you’ll be glad you can simply wash it under a tap if it comes into contact with dirt.

Sonos has added silicone caps at either end should the Roam fall off a ledge, you won’t need to worry.

Sonos promises to deliver with a strong reputation for sound quality. The Roam features two Class-H amplifiers, a mid-woofer and one tweeter with sound tuning occurring automatically to suit the location, orientation and type of music.

 

Sonos lets you bring your speaker inside and switch the music to the nearest indoor Sonos speaker. You can take your music from the BBQ area indoors once the cooking is finished with the touch of a button.

There are multiple ways to operate the Sonos Roam. You can use your voice to leverage the Google or Amazon assistant, press the tactile buttons on the top panel, control it with the Sonos app or use the music app of your choice. Sonos has built tighter integrations into more and more music services, and today offers more than 100 options including Spotify and Apple Music.

The Sonos Roam will be priced at $279 when it arrives in Australia on April 20. It will face competition from Bose, Sony and Ultimate Ears. Each brand offers products in the same category but won’t carry the same features at this price.

Geoff Quattromani is a tech commentator across radio, print, online and television. Continue the conversation with Geoff on Twitterat @GQuattromani