Wait! Before You Buy That Sonos Roam 2 Deal, Read Our Audio Expert's Review and Comparison to Other Portable Speakers on the Market

Sonos is a company probably best known for its superb multi-room speakers, which isn't all that surprising given that's what it has been excellent at offering for the last two decades. However, it's Roam range, most recently the Sonos Roam 2, showcases the more casual, 'lifestyle' side of the brand.

It wasn't until 2019 that Sonos added Bluetooth to its speakers, first in the Move that launched in September 2019 and later in the Roam that arrived in March 2021.

The company has since added Bluetooth to its non-portable speakers in the Era 100 and Era 300, as well as the Arc Ultra soundbar, but it was the Move and Roam that really put Sonos on the Bluetooth map. Both those speakers are now in their second generation, but while the Move 2 is a superb speaker, it's nowhere near as lightweight and portable as the Roam 2.

I've been reviewing consumer technology for over a decade, and I've reviewed every Sonos speaker and soundbar to launch since the Play:5 (Gen 2) in 2015. If you're looking for a Sonos speaker you can take out and about, as well as part of a Sonos multi-room setup at home, the Roam 2 is the one you'll want, but is there anything you should consider before investing? I'm giving it a thorough review, while also comparing Sonos vs Bose, as well as other portable heavyweights, like JBL.

Style

The Sonos Roam 2 is the smallest speaker in the Sonos line-up, but that's far from a criticism. Its compact build, around the same size as a 500ml bottle of water, makes it incredibly portable, so it's perfect for moving around your home, bringing to a picnic in the park, or popping in a suitcase for a holiday.

Comparing the Sonos Roam vs Move, it's significantly smaller, and it comes in more color options, too. Despite Sonos predominantly sticking to white or black only for most of its speakers — the only exceptions in the last decade being the Sonos One and HAY collaboration in 2018, the three extra colors added to the original Roam in May 2022 and the Green option of the Move 2 in 2023 — the Sonos Roam 2 arrived in five colors from launch.

All five have a matte finish that's very pleasing to the touch and the eye, along with a color-matched logo on the front. The logo element might seem like a small detail to mention, but the original Roam speaker had a white Sonos logo no matter what main color you picked, and the color-coordinated logo is much nicer from a design point of view.

The prism shape stands out from other Bluetooth speakers too, like the cylindrical JBL models and rectangular Bose options. The Roam 2 can also be positioned vertically or horizontally, featuring small silicone feet for stability when horizontal, and a silicone bottom when vertical. The top, when vertical, is also finished in silicone with physical controls that are nice and easy to operate, even when your hands are wet.

Sound Quality

Sonos didn't change the sound architecture when it updated the Roam speaker. The Roam 2, therefore, offers the same configuration as the original, but don't mistake that for a bad thing. The original was an excellent Bluetooth speaker, and this upgrade is worthy of the same attribution.

It handles the mid-range very well while still offering clear and detailed vocals, along with decent bass at the low-end, and the result is a great overall audio performance. This is a Bluetooth speaker that punches well above its weight, considering its size.

As with all Sonos speakers, you can adjust the EQ in the Sonos app when in Wi-Fi mode if you want to change the balance to your preference, and there is automatic Trueplay tuning on board to allow the Roam 2 to adapt to its environment and deliver the best possible sound without you having to do anything. For those familiar with Sonos, its traditional speakers have manual Trueplay tuning, enabling you to use your phone to tune them specifically to the room they have been placed in, but with the Roam 2 designed to move around more, the automatic element of this feature is welcomed.

The Roam 2 is surprisingly better at higher volumes than lower ones, so if you want plenty of detail inside, you might consider the Era 100 instead, which shines at lower volumes. For outside use, though, whether a garden party, BBQ, or day at the beach, the Roam 2 will hold its own. I mentioned you can opt for a horizontal or vertical orientation with the sound adapting accordingly, and while I think horizontal offers a wider soundstage, the Roam 2 is a great speaker, whatever and however you choose to listen.

Ease of Use

It's very simple to use, too, much more so than the original Roam. For the original, there was only one button on the rear of the speaker that powered it on and off, as well as allowed you to put it into Bluetooth mode. That was fine, but for the Roam 2, Sonos split that button into two, making it much more user-friendly.

It also means you can use the Roam 2 straight out of the box as a Bluetooth speaker, connecting it to your phone, tablet, or laptop as you choose, rather than having to set it up via the Sonos app. If you do use the app and set up the Roam 2 on your Wi-Fi network, however, you get a number of extra features, like Apple AirPlay support. You can add it to an existing Sonos system for multi-room audio, too, and that also means it benefits from many of the same features as a traditional Sonos speaker, such as support for over 100 music streaming services and seamless music playback via multiple speakers.

The physical controls on the Sonos Roam 2 are lovely and simple to use, with volume up and down, as well as a play/pause button. The play/pause button does a lot more than it suggests, however, not only allowing you to play and pause audio, but also skip tracks with a double press and go back a track with a triple press. If you press and hold it for five seconds (and you have other Sonos speakers), a feature called Sound Swap kicks in, which is exclusive to the Roam and Roam 2. This feature will send whatever you are listening to on the Roam 2 to the nearest Sonos speaker when you come inside.

There's also Sonos Voice Control for easy control of the Roam 2 using your voice, and this works when on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, while Alexa is also available, but you'll need to be on Wi-Fi for that.

Battery Life

Battery life is probably the main area where the Sonos Roam 2 falls down a little compared to its rivals. It offers 10 hours of charge before it needs plugging in, which is a couple of hours less than the similarly-sized Bose SoundLink Flex and around a third of the JBL Charge 6's 28-hour battery offering.

Charging is simple through USB-C, and there is a dedicated wireless charging dock you can buy separately if you want to keep the battery of the Roam 2 topped up when it's inside your home, for example. It means you will be able to pick the Roam 2 and take it wherever you want without having to worry if it has charge in it.

Unlike the Bose SoundLink Max, you can't charge your phone via the Roam 2, and there's no indication or warning on the Roam 2 itself to tell you what percentage the battery is at. You can use Sonos Voice Control to find out, or if you have used the Sonos app for setup, you will be able to see the battery level through the app when you are at home on your Wi-Fi network. The Sonos app doesn't work when you're not, annoyingly.

Value

The Sonos Roam 2 is the cheapest Sonos speaker available, priced at £179. That makes it around £20 less than the excellent (but not portable) Sonos Era 100 and around £10 more expensive than the highly-acclaimed JBL Charge 6, so in terms of value, it's in a decent position on the whole.

You not only get a great traditional Sonos speaker with the Roam 2 when connected to Wi-Fi, but a superb-sounding portable Bluetooth speaker when you're out and about. It doesn't float, and it doesn't come with any accessories or included handles to help carry it around, but they are minor grievances in an otherwise brilliant package.

The Sonos Roam 2's sound performance is excellent for its size, it's jam-packed with features (especially when connected to Wi-Fi), and if you already have a Sonos system, it's a great, versatile addition that allows you to bring your music wherever you go.