With an approachable design and capable sound profile, portable speakers are some of the most helpful and fun audio devices on the market. And while you may immediately think of household names likeJBLorUltimate Ears, don’t forget that Sonos has now entered the portable market. Traditionally known for its Wi-Fi enabled home speakers, portable Bluetooth audio seemed like a natural next step. First came the Sonos Move (then its2nd generation), and now, we have the marvelous Sonos Roam.
With its ability to dynamically switch between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections, Sonos' trademark easy setup and other software tricks make it one of thebest portable speakersyou can get.
Sonos Roam
The Sonos Roam is the smaller of the two portable speakers offered by Sonos, delivering great sound in a small package and plenty of features, including automatic switching between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and Sound Swap.
How to put the Sonos Roam into Bluetooth pairing mode
With all the great features like stereo pairing and portability, the design features a few drawbacks. And perhaps the most confusing one in daily use is the disappearance of the Bluetooth pairing button, which can make the pairing process a bit more involved than on other portable speakers.
7 features every Sonos Roam user needs to try
The Sonos Roam supports voice controls, alarms, its own radio, and more. Here are the features that add up to its price tag.
Connecting your Sonos Roam to your phone is still pretty simple, just like the general setup of the device is when you’re connecting it to your Sonos system.
Follow the steps below to put your Sonos Roam into pairing mode:
The Sonos Roam will then be listed on your phone’s Bluetooth devices, available to be connected to whenever you need it.
Sonos Roam is an excellent portable speaker with cool features
Sonos is well-known for making quality audio gear, from excellent room speakers to thequirky table lamp in collaboration with IKEA. It comes down to two things that the company has mastered – excellent sound profiles that fit well with the purpose of their speakers, and second-to-none software support.
When the competition hides more advanced features, Sonos lets you play with them, set up your gear just the way you like, and feel connected to your music.
Sonos' focus on these two areas helps them make speakers that sound excellent, but even more importantly, are extremely easy to use, connect, and make the most out of. When the competition hides more advanced features, Sonos lets you play with them, set up your gear just the way you like, and feel connected to your music.
Sonos and IKEA’s Symfonisk table lamp is the 2-in-1 device I didn’t know I needed
IKEA’s Symfonisk Table Lamp Speaker fills my living room with light and music in epic style. And I still love it two years later.
The same goes for the Sonos Roam and its slew of excellent features that make it a great entry point into the Sonos ecosystem. It works well as a standalone unit, but it can also really spread its wings when you fiddle in the software a bit, creating custom audio setups for separate rooms in your house, connecting it to other Sonos gear, or even creating Stereo Pairs. Speaking of rooms, it even supportsAutomatic Trueplay, so it adjusts its sound to the place it’s in, so it can sound its best wherever you put it down.
You can even useSound Swapto send your music from your Roam to any other Sonos speaker on your system, which pairs very well with the built-in smart assistant.
Do you need to manually switch between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth?
One of the coolest things about the Sonos Roam is the ability to connect it to both your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It makes it even more universal, allowing for a stable connection when at home, and a much quicker, more convenient way to pair it with your phone when out and about.
Sonos Roam vs Sonos Roam SL: Do you really need microphones?
Sonos sells two versions of its portable Bluetooth speaker, but only one of them supports voice assistants like Amazon Alexa.
However, you might worry that having both of these options will require you to manually switch every time you move the Roam out of the house or back inside again. Fortunately, Sonos thought about it and made the speaker automatically switch between the correct type of connection.
When the Sonos Roam goes inside the range of the Wi-Fi network it’s connected to, it’ll automatically switch to Wi-Fi. On the other hand, when it loses Wi-Fi connection, it’ll go into Bluetooth mode and automatically connect to a paired device that’s in range. This automatic switching makes sure that you’re always ready to play your favorite tunes, whether you’re out and about, or chilling on the couch at home.
