Sonos (Nasdaq: SONO) today introduced Sonos Roam ultra-portable smart speaker. It fully connects to your Sonos system on WiFi and automatically switching to Bluetooth on the go. Weighing less than a pound, Roam is available starting April 20 for $169. Customers can pre-order today on sonos.com.
With an all-new feature called Sound Swap, you can hold the play/pause button on the speaker to switch the music to the nearest speaker on your system, making it easy to move music from room to room. Seamless connectivity also unlocks Bluetooth streaming for your entire system, with the Sonos app allowing you to group any of your Sonos speakers to Roam when streaming with Bluetooth. Roam works with more than 100 streaming services, including Sonos Radio, and is controlled with the Sonos app, your voice with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, Apple AirPlay 2, or directly from your favorite music service app.
Automatic Trueplay is now available when streaming via Bluetooth as well as Wi-Fi, and means Roam is always tuned for the best listening experience in any environment. Sonos says that the this feature will also be coming to the Move portable speaker shortly (right now, the Move’s Trueplay only works when connected to Wi-Fi).
Available in shadow black or lunar white, Roam’s tactile triangular shape and soft profile is comfortable to pick up. Roam is dust proof and fully waterproof with a tested IP67 rating, and features silicone end caps and physical buttons to protect against drops or bumps. Roam provides up to 10 hours of continuous playback on a single charge and up to 10 days of battery life when not in use. To recharge, Roam connects to a custom magnetic wireless charger from Sonos that is sold separately, any Qi wireless charger, or with the USB-C cable included in the box.
Roam is available starting April 20 for $169 on sonos.com and through participating retailers.
Here some of what the tech press is saying, starting with a good overview from Ars Technica:
The Sonos Roam is the smallest and least expensive Sonos speaker to date (Jeff, Dunn, Ars Technica)
Sonos Roam officially announced for $169, preorders start now (Chris Welch, The Verge)
Sonos Roam is the company’s most affordable speaker yet at $169 (David Carnoy, CNET)
Here’s what Sonos said in their press release today:
“We built Roam to give customers a way to bring the Sonos experience with them wherever they go,” said Patrick Spence, Sonos CEO. “It’s not only our smartest and most versatile speaker, it’s also our most affordable. Roam provides the opportunity for millions of new customers to get started with Sonos, and is the right product at the right time as we begin to gather again with friends and family.”
Get to know Sonos Roam
A simultaneous connection to both WiFi and Bluetooth makes streaming wherever you are seamless. When you’re listening at home Roam connects to your system and streams on WiFi, and when you leave it intuitively switches to Bluetooth and automatically re-pairs with your mobile device. With an all-new feature called Sound Swap, you can hold the play/pause button on the speaker to switch the music to the nearest speaker on your system, making it easy to move music from room to room. Seamless connectivity also unlocks Bluetooth streaming for your entire system, with the Sonos app allowing you to group any of your Sonos speakers to Roam when streaming with Bluetooth. Roam works with more than 100 streaming services, including Sonos Radio, and is easily controlled with the Sonos app, your voice with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, Apple AirPlay 2, or directly from your favorite music service app.
Roam was created to deliver an incredible sound experience no matter where you are. Like all Sonos products, Roam was tuned by industry leaders across music and film to ensure the speaker reproduces content exactly how the creator intended. A carefully designed acoustic architecture delivers rich, detailed sound with the clarity, depth, and fullness you’d expect from a larger speaker. Automatic Trueplay is now available when streaming via Bluetooth as well as WiFi, and means Roam is always tuned for the best listening experience in any environment.
“For a small, portable speaker, Roam sounds big and genuine. It doesn’t sound forced or artificial and that’s a testament to its technical design. It’s unique in its class because it actually performs like a finely tuned speaker as opposed to a megaphone,” said Emily Lazar, Grammy award-winning mastering engineer and member of the Sonos sound board.
Available in shadow black or lunar white, Roam’s tactile triangular shape and soft profile is comfortable to pick up and looks great inside the home. Combining elegance and durability, Roam is dust proof and fully waterproof with a rigorously tested IP67 rating, and features silicone end caps and physical buttons to protect against drops or bumps. Roam is ready for any adventure with up to 10 hours of continuous playback on a single charge and up to 10 days of battery life when not in use. To recharge, Roam connects to a custom magnetic wireless charger from Sonos sold separately, any Qi wireless charger, or with the USB-C cable included in the box.
Roam’s compact size will fit into any bag or the smallest corner of your living space. Listeners can place Roam vertically for a smaller footprint or horizontally to provide added stability on uneven surfaces outdoors. Even the packaging leaves a light footprint, with a structure that is made of 100% sustainably sourced paper, minimizes the use of inks, and includes no single-use plastics.
Representing a new versatile addition to the Sonos lineup, Roam is available starting April 20 for $169 on sonos.com and through participating retailers.
About Sonos
Sonos (Nasdaq: SONO) is the world’s leading sound experience company. As the inventor of multi-room wireless home audio, Sonos innovation helps the world listen better by giving people access to the content they love and allowing them to control it however and wherever they choose. Known for delivering an unparalleled sound experience, thoughtful design aesthetic, simplicity of use, and an open platform, Sonos makes the breadth of audio content available to anyone. Sonos is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California. Learn more at www.sonos.com.
