Sonos Roam 2 Wireless Speaker Review: Hit the Road

Whether you’re relaxing in the living room or picnicking in the park, the Sonos Roam 2 wireless speaker ensures you have music wherever you go.

These days, there’s no shortage of portable Bluetooth speakers to slip into your travel bag. While most are compact and affordable, they tend to lack sound quality compared to good quality wireless home speakers.

The Sonos Roam 2 aims to give you the best of both worlds. When you’re at home, it’s a Wi-Fi-enabled speaker that’s part of the Sonos ecosystem. When you’re on the go, it works as a standard Bluetooth speaker.

Sonos is the gold standard for wireless multi-room audio, with a range of speakers and soundbars to suit every room. You can play the same music in unison throughout your home, or play different music on different speakers. So the kids can dance to the Wiggles in the playroom while you strut your stuff to the Rolling Stones in the living room.

While most Sonos speakers are confined to the home, the hefty $799 Sonos Move 2 and the new $299 Sonos Roam 2 have built-in batteries so you can take them anywhere.

Sonos Roam 2 Review:

First impressions

At first glance, the Sonos Roam 2 is identical to the original Sonos Roam. Both weigh 430g, which is about the volume of a water bottle, which is very convenient for travel.

On the top, you’ll find the same play/pause and volume controls, as well as the microphone mute function. Look closer and you’ll see that the Roam 2 adds a handy dedicated Bluetooth sync button on the back, above the power button.

The Sonos Roam 2 is very easy to set up if you already have a Sonos account and the app on your smartphone. Simply turn on the speaker and select “Add Speaker” in the app, which quickly recognizes the Sonos 2 and connects it to your Wi-Fi network.

That said, you don’t need to own any other Sonos gear to get the most out of the Roam 2. You don’t even need the Sonos app if you just want to use it as a Bluetooth speaker. Still, realistically, it’s unlikely to be anyone’s first foray into the Sonos ecosystem. At $299, it’s also rather expensive compared to similarly sized Bluetooth-only portable speakers.

Once Roam 2 is set up in the Sonos app, you can control it like any other Sonos speaker: stream music, internet radio, podcasts, or content from devices on your home network like a PC or NAS. You can also link two Roam 2s together to create a stereo pair.

Sonos Roam 2 Specifications

Features

If your Sonos Roam 2 never really moves around, you might be better off spending more money on a home Sonos speaker like the $399 Sonos Era 100. The Roam 2 wants to move around, with a built-in 10-hour battery and Bluetooth 5.2 for streaming from your portable devices.

It’s easy to connect the Roam 2 to your devices using the Bluetooth sync button. At this point, you can control it like a Sonos or Bluetooth device. When you turn off and restart the speaker, it automatically rejoins your Wi-Fi network, but it won’t automatically connect to your devices via Bluetooth.

While switching to Bluetooth 5.2 mode has advantages in terms of portability, it has some drawbacks compared to Wi-Fi mode.

One of the benefits of Wi-Fi mode is improved sound quality, including the benefit of AirPlay 2 streaming. That said, the improvement isn’t that noticeable on the smaller Roam 2. Keep in mind that you can only take advantage of AAC and SBC codecs, missing out on aptX and high-resolution options like aptX HD.

Wi-Fi mode also lets you take advantage of Sonos’ Trueplay auto-tuning, which uses the speaker’s built-in microphones to test the acoustics of the environment and adjust the sound characteristics accordingly.

By opting for Wi-Fi over Bluetooth, you no longer need to leave your phone near the speaker. It also means your music won’t be interrupted by notifications on your smartphone, such as incoming calls or text messages.

Another advantage of Wi-Fi mode is that you can take advantage of the built-in smart assistant, either Amazon’s Alexa or Sonos’s Sonos Voice Control, but not Google Assistant.

Inside, the Sonos Roam 2 is identical to its predecessor, with two Class-H digital amplifiers supporting a tweeter and midrange. A far-field microphone array uses beamforming and multi-channel echo cancellation for voice control and Trueplay auto-tuning. Keep in mind that you can’t use the speaker for hands-free Bluetooth calls.

Another subtle change from the original Roam: The Roam 2’s charging cable now has a USB-C port on the other end, rather than a USB-A port. That means you’ll need a USB-C power adapter, which doesn’t come with the device. Naturally, the move to USB-C will please some people and frustrate others.

The Sonos Roam 2 also supports Qi wireless charging. It doesn’t come with a charging base like the Move 2, but you can purchase an optional Qi charging base for $79.

Once you get off the beaten path, you’ll appreciate the Roam 2’s IP67 rating, which means it’s sandproof and can survive a 30-minute submersion in three feet of water.

Quality

On the software side, one of the biggest improvements in the Sonos Roam 2 is better battery management. The original Roam had a frustrating habit of crashing when not in use, something you only discovered when you were about to grab it and head out the door.

The new Sonos Roam 2 features Bluetooth auto-disconnect when in sleep mode, a battery saver mode, and a Wi-Fi power saver mode. All of this helps ensure that the speaker always has some power when you need it.

Speaking of software, the Sonos smartphone app has been pretty clunky lately after a major update earlier this year. Things are slowly improving as Sonos releases updates, but the Sonos mobile app still isn’t as solid and reliable as the desktop app.

When it comes to sound quality, the Sonos Roam 2 continues the solid tradition of its predecessor. Out of the box, the sound might be a little flat for some tastes, but boosting the bass and treble in the EQ really helps.

Despite its small size, the Roam 2 produces a surprisingly wide soundstage and full-bodied sound. The bass is powerful without being overpowering, while the mids offer plenty of clarity that doesn’t get muddy when things get rough.

The Roam 2 is powerful enough to rock a small room, but perhaps not a medium-sized room, given that the sound quality starts to suffer as soon as you crank the volume above 75%. Rather than distorting, the digital sound processing attenuates the bass, so the sound becomes rather harsh if you’re listening to something with fat bass.

Switching from Wi-Fi or AirPlay 2 to Bluetooth connectivity, the improvement in sound is very subtle. It takes a good ear and the right track to really appreciate it. The difference is much more noticeable on the considerably larger and more powerful Sonos Move 2.

Who is the Sonos Roam 2 for?

The Sonos Roam 2 is a great standalone Bluetooth speaker, but it’s best suited to people who already own Sonos gear. It’ll integrate seamlessly into your existing multi-room audio system, with the added benefit of portability to the backyard or front door.

In reality, you’ll need to use the Sonos Roam 2 both at home and on the go to get the most out of it. If your Roam 2 never travels, you’d be better off spending the extra money on the Sonos Era 100.

Alternatively, if the Sonos Roam 2 is only going to live in your travel bag as a portable speaker, you might get better value with a more affordable Bluetooth-only portable speaker, although it won’t quite match the Roam 2’s sound quality.

If you already own the original Sonos Roam, there’s no reason to upgrade. Also keep in mind that if you have a keen ear for sound quality and a budget to match, it’s hard to pass up the Sonos Move 2.