Indeed, alongside the much-anticipated reveal of the Sonos Ace, the audio brand quietly dropped the second-generation Roam. The Sonos Roam 2 sticks with a compact, ultra-portable design that doesn’t take many big swings. Moreover, the price is still $179 / £179 / AU$299.
I’ve had the opportunity to spend a few days with one – and no, that isn’t enough time for a full review yet. So, for now, I’m not going to go deep into the sound quality or battery life, but these are my early first impressions of the Roam 2. Sonos made one big change that really makes a good wireless speaker even better.
Finally, a Bluetooth button
As I alluded to above, Sonos added a button here. You may recall that the first generation Roam only had a single button at the back, which was used for powering up the speaker and swapping to a Bluetooth connection. It was easy to cause fumbles in that you couldn’t just get set up with a simple press right out of the box but rather needed to add it to the broader Sonos wireless ecosystem. Remember, the Roam, and now Roam 2, doubles as a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speaker.
The fix? Sonos added a dedicated Bluetooth button on the back, and folks, it gets the job done. I simply powered on the Roam 2, in this lovely shade of blue named “Wave,” and was off to the races. I then held the Bluetooth button for a second or two and connected to the device from my iPhone. Within seconds, I was able to stream Ghosts by Bruce Springsteen and So American by Olivia Rodrigo. It was as easy as that; the Roam 2 really does the job of being just a Bluetooth speaker much better and more succinctly than its predecessor.
Of course, when it comes time to add the speaker to the Sonos ecosystem, the app – yes, the new one – will guide you through that process. For me, I had to hold the volume up and volume down buttons on the top of the Roam for a few seconds, and then it was added to my Sonos ecosystem.
Aesthetically, the Bluetooth button is the only major change to the Roam 2. There is still a USB-C port on the back, which is still fit for only charging, and the power button. The top is also home to the same four physical buttons as the original: microphone on or off, volume down, play or pause, and volume up. The front grille still features a Sonos logo, but it doesn’t stick out as much since it’s painted to match the color of your speaker.
The Roam 2 can still rock, and the battery is rated at the same 10 hours
The original Roam wasn’t shy about producing vibrant, loud sound, and from listening to a few songs on the Roam 2, it still meets that level. TechRadar actually called the original “the best Bluetooth speaker on the planet,” and while there are more competitors, the Roam 2 is setting itself up for high performance.
While playing Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen, the speaker mimics the wall of sound effect quite nicely, letting you hear the various elements of the mix. “Racing in the Street” sounds powerful, highlighting the piano, Springtseen’s vocals, and the clash of the rest of the band kicking in – saxophone, bass, backing guitars, and drums all at once.
It also handles pop music well, like bad idea right? by Olivia Rodrigo and I Can Do It With a Broken Heart by Taylor Swift. Both vocals come through clearly, regardless of where they fall in the range. The Roam 2 also does an excellent job of producing the rest of the mix with fairly clear separation.
Again, these are not final thoughts, but the Sonos Roam 2 sounds great, and I look forward to testing it in the elements as I journey down to the Jersey Shore. It’s IPX67-rated and can handle dirt, sand, and water.
What I haven’t been able to test fully or all that much as of yet is the battery life. Sonos promises it still meets 10 hours of playback, but in the world of Bluetooth speakers, that really isn’t all that long. I’m hopeful that maybe there are some under-the-hood improvements, but at the minimum, I hope it meets the full promise for playback. Again, volume and Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi connection will impact this.
The outlook
From a selection of new shades to keeping with the audio quality we’ve come to expect, the Sonos Roam 2 is making an excellent first impression. I especially like the “Wave” blue option and appreciate that it’s not a hassle to set up if I’m only looking for Bluetooth. I also think that makes it more appealing to folks outside the Sonos ecosystem.
So, while it’s not a redesign, adding more audio hardware, or even a bigger battery, it’s a solid quality of life improvement that may encourage you to get a Roam 2 if you’ve been waiting or might make you give a Sonos speaker a chance.
If you’re already sold, Sonos is already taking orders and shipping the Roam 2 in five shades: Black, White, Olive, Sunset, or Wave.
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jacob.krol@futurenet.com (Jacob Krol)
