If you’re thinking about purchasing the Sonos Roam, it’s crucial to keep your expectations in check. The company’s larger speakers frequently produce audio performance that sounds bigger and more expansive than you’d anticipate, although this isn’t always the case with the Roam. Don’t get us wrong: while it won’t fill a room with music, it will provide clear, dramatic sound if you’re sitting nearby or using it as a shower speaker.
The Roam’s key selling features are its intelligence and close connectivity with Sonos’ whole-home audio platform. When you’re at home, the Roam broadcasts music over Wi-Fi, which provides higher fidelity than Bluetooth. With the push of a button, you can effortlessly switch music from the Roam to another nearby Sonos speaker, and it’s an inexpensive way to add a turntable to your Sonos system – as long as your turntable supports Bluetooth. It’s also simple to connect it to additional Sonos speakers for multi-room playback. Choose between Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for hands-free voice commands if you wish to use the Roam as a smart speaker.
Sonos has announced a Roam SL that is somewhat less expensive and lacks the built-in microphones. But, unless you’re adamantly opposed to mics in your electronics, I’d avoid the Roam SL. It only saves you $20 but eliminates several features, including automated Trueplay sound quality tweaking, the previously stated Sound Swap option, and (obviously) all voice interactions.
Number 3. JBL Charge 5 ($180)
