Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
The update Roam 2 is still one of the best portable verbalizer around , providing strong sound quality , AirPlay 2 financial support , and a lightweight , sturdy conception that is ideal for outside function .
Best Prices Today: Sonos Roam 2
If it ai n’t broke , do n’t restore it . Sonos’soriginal Roam smart speaker was released back in 2021 , and it was one of the unspoiled portable Speaker we ’ve ever seen , provide very unspoiled sound quality in a extremely stocky design that also negociate to extort in useful features such as wireless charging and even plunk for for Wi - Fi and AirPlay for Apple devices . The new Roam 2 does n’t attempt to fiddle with that successful formula , but it fine - tunes a number of features such as its set - up and tuning procedure , and provide more straightforward control .
Available in a variety of colors – including red , green , blueish and plain old black and white – the Roam 2 look virtually identical to its predecessor ( and the original Roam and Roam Sendero Luminoso mannequin are still wide available online , so check that you choose the Roam 2 when buying ) .
The compact verbalizer is 168 mm tall when you stand it upright , 62 millimeter wide and 60 mm mysterious , and weighs about the same as a can of beans at 0.43 kg . It ’s not quite pocket - size , but it will agree easily into a rucksack when you ’re out and about . It also has a inflexible IP67 rating for resistance to water and dust , which allow it to be submerge in 1 m of water for up to 30 minute without damage , so it ’s well suitable to life outdoors or on the beach .
The succinct design means there ’s not much way for a magnanimous battery , but the Roam 2 should last for up to 10 hours with music playing at around 50 % volume . It call for to support vertical for wireless charging , as the exponent circuits are in the radix of the loudspeaker system , while the loudness , playback and mike controls sit on the top . However , a niggling lot of arctic feet allow you to twist the speaker onto its side and lay it flat if you prefer , and there ’s a USB - light speed port on the back that can be used for charging as well ( with a USB - atomic number 6 cable included in the corner ) . The Roam 2 starts at $ 179/£179 ( presently the monetary value is marked down to $ 143/£139 on Sonos ’s website ) . It ’s also potential to buy the Roam 2 with an optional wireless charging digs for $ 228/£228 and there ’s an Adventure Set with two Roam 2 speakers available for $ 358/£358 – although if my math is correct that ’s incisively the same price as corrupt the speakers severally , so there ’s not much of a saving there .
As you ’d expect , the Roam 2 supports Bluetooth – updated to 5.2 – and it now has separate buttons for Power and Bluetooth pairing , which are easier to apply than the fiddly multi - function button on the original Roam . get commence is still a short fiddly , though . you’re able to press the Bluetooth release on the back of the speaker to quickly copulate via Bluetooth , but you really need to download the Sonos app for Io or Android to determine the speaker up by rights . The app has its own place - up process , which uses an audio - PIN – a serial publication of chimes – to detect and tie to the Roam 2 via Bluetooth at first , and you are then propel to enter your Wi - Fi password in rules of order to also connect the speaker unit to your home Wi - Fi web . However , our office router transmit freestanding networks on the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz absolute frequency , and this seemed to befuddle the Sonos app – which has received a lot of critique following a recent update – so we had to spend some time shift the Wi - Fi configurations on our iPad in guild to associate via Wi - Fi . But , once that was done , the Roam 2 worked really well , and its musical accompaniment for AirPlay mean that connecting it to additional Apple gimmick was much more aboveboard .
Just like its predecessor , the Roam 2 provide very good level-headed quality for such a heavyset verbalizer , particularly when using the higher bandwidth that is useable with a Wi - Fi connection . It does a good job with the transonic mashup of Sturgill Simpson ’s Sing Along , laying down the grinding , bleary guitars that form the bedrock of the strait , while the froth EDM keyboard wail through the melody with arm - wave muscularity . It ’s even got a pretty healthy bass beat for such a humble loudspeaker system , letting the electronic basso on Billie Eilish ’s Bad Guy bounce along with a relaxed , swaying speech rhythm . It also rip out the crisp fingerbreadth - snaps and click percussion that give the strain a slightly erratic , nervous muscularity . Switching to a Bluetooth connectedness causes the audio to misplace a little clarity – but that ’s a limitation of Bluetooth rather than the utterer itself , and the Roam 2 can go head - to - oral sex with any portable speaker of this sizing and exercising weight .
See how the Sonos Roam 2 equate to other AirPlay speaker in our troll - up of theBest AirPlay Speakers for iPhone .
Should you buy the Sonos Roam 2?
The Roam 2 might not be an essential upgrade for owner of previous models , but this lightweight talker still punches above its weight when it comes to well-grounded quality . Its hardy and lightweight design is heavy for outdoor use , but it also provides wi - fi and AirPlay musical accompaniment for when you get back home .
