Sonos introduces small Roam speaker for 179 euros

Sonos introduces its Roam speaker, which is meant to be taken with you. The speaker automatically switches from WiFi to Bluetooth when used outdoors. The speaker can also form part of an indoor Sonos network.

Sonos Roam is the lightest and smallest speaker that Sonos has released to date. It weighs 430 grams and measures 168x62x60mm. Since it is meant to be taken outside, the Roam has an IP67 certification for dust and water resistance. This means that it has been tested for functioning at a depth of one meter for half an hour. In an introductory video of the speaker, Sonos suggests that the speaker can withstand the necessary. Among other things, the Roam is rinsed off and thrown onto a picnic blanket. The ends consist of silicone caps, which should absorb the impact of a fall.

According to Sonos, the Roam continues to play seamlessly when you take it outside. It then automatically switches from WiFi to Bluetooth. This would be possible because the speaker indoors is already connected with both WiFi and Bluetooth if desired. Another new feature, intended for when you come home, for example, is Sound Swap. When you hold the play/pause button, the music switches to the nearest Sonos speaker in the house. The rest of the Sonos system can also take advantage of the Roam’s Bluetooth streaming functionality, as they can be grouped together with the speaker.

Sonos Roam has support for Trueplay tuning. This means that the speaker analyzes acoustic factors from the environment and adjusts the sound accordingly. The Roam is therefore equipped with microphones, with which Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa can also be called up. Since you can let the Roam join the Sonos network, it has the same support for streaming services as the other Sonos speakers via the Sonos S2 app.

According to Sonos, the battery life is 10 hours with continuous playback. The battery would hold its charge for ten days when not in use. Roam comes with USB-C cable to charge it. There is also a wireless magnetic charger from Sonos available for 49 euros, with which you can fully charge the Roam in 2.5 hours, according to Sonos. You can also charge it on any Qi charger. There are two class H amplifiers, a mid-woofer and a tweeter in the Roam. The speaker has play/pause, skip and volume buttons. The speaker can be used both horizontally and vertically.

Sonos Roam can be ordered from Tuesday via the Sonos website for 179 euros. It will be available from April 20.