In the wide world of consumer tech, there’s one thing that’s perhaps harder than constantly pushing the envelope to come up with the latest, greatest, most mind-blowing products time and time again, and that’s knowing when to leave well enough alone.
In the case of the second generation of Sonos’ smallest and least-expensive speaker, the $179 Sonos Roam 2 that was released at the end of May, the company has (thankfully) managed to keep its hands to itself with a sequel that’s gotten a slightly refreshed look (and some new colors), a new dedicated Bluetooth button, and little else. And that’s a good thing.
I’ve had a first-gen Sonos Roam since its release in 2021, and it’s still one of my daily drivers. I use it manly as a bedside-table speaker for music in my bedroom, and as a white noise machine to help quell my tinnitus while I sleep. It may be small, but it’s always sounded great, it works as part of my larger Sonos networks (at home and at the cottage) and as a standalone Bluetooth speaker, and its excellently compact, so I can take it with me when I travel.
The Sonos Roam checks all kinds of boxes for me and what I need a small speaker, so yeah, I was eager to get my hands on the Roam 2 to see how it stacks up. I’ve spent the last few weeks with the mighty little speaker and, TL;DR, it’s almost exactly the same (which is why this isn’t a full review). Here’s what I liked and what I didn’t.
Some of these things are just like the other
If you’re familiar with the first-generation Sonos Roam, then you may want to skip this little roundup of what the Roam 2 is all about because, as we’ve mentioned, it’s pretty much identical in price and features. If not, you can read our full review of the original Roam for all the details.
Sonos’ smallest speaker maintains its oblong, 6.6-inch by 2.4-inch by 2.3-inch shape and weight that’s just shy of a pound. It can stand both horizontally (with four rubber feet along its longest side) and upright, with its rubberized physical controls (volume up/down, play/pause, and mic mute/unmute) unchanged and still on top of the device. Pool partiers and beach bums will still enjoy the Roam 2’s IP67 dust and waterproof rating, too,
Charging is still handled a couple of ways: from its included USB-C cable (you’ll need your own brick, though) and port, and via wireless charging with the $49 Sonos Roam Wireless Charger accessory or a Qi-certified wireless charger.
Battery life holds steady at 10 hours, which isn’t great by today’s standards, especially when you consider that the new Beats Pill ($150) boasts up to 24 hours. It would have been nice for Sonos to bump this up a bit at least. Another thing that would have been nice to see Sonos do is add speakerphone functionality to the Roam 2. We’re starting to see this more and more in comparable Bluetooth speakers such as the Beats Pill and Sony’s ULT Field 1, and their compact size makes them great speakers for workstations, too.
Connectivity-wise, the Roam 2’s upgraded Bluetooth 5.2 standard still only supports SBC and AAC codecs, but its Wi-Fi connectivity is compatible with both 2.5 and 5 GHz bands, as well as AirPlay 2. While Sonos continues to recover from its mess of an app redesign, connecting the Roam 2 to the app and your Sonos network is still more or less a simple process — the app still allows for control of volume, basic bass and treble EQ, battery management features, speaker grouping, and stereo pairing.
Sounds familiar
Since the Roam 2 has the same power and amplification, single midwoofer, and single tweeter as the original, I wasn’t surprised to not hear a marked difference in audio quality compared to my first gen Roam. Save for maybe a slightly crisper sound that you could chalk up to its newness, the Roam 2 sounds almost identical to the Roam.
The Roam 2 still punches above its weight with a clear, balanced sound signature, punchy low-end frequency response, supportive mids, and crisp, clean highs. Sure, if you drive it to the limit, things can get a bit sloppy and the digital signal processing (DSP) will take effect to keep it in check, but if it’s bass you’re after, you might want to set your sights a bit higher, like with the Sonos Move 2 ($449).
Alternately, you could create a stereo pair with another Roam (first- or second-generation) to widen the soundstage and add a decent volume boost. I did this with the Roam 2 and my older first-gen Roam, and it sounded great, with obviously better sound separation and height, regardless of me using two different generations of the speaker (you don’t need two of the same generation to do this to have it sound good). Plus, even if one of the Roams you’re using is older, with the Sonos app’s EQ sliders, you can do a little tweaking to get them to match better, if need be.
What’s neat is that you can also get creative with Sonos’ multi-speaker connectivity. Out of curiosity, I grouped my Era 300 to a stereo pair of a Roam and Roam 2 placed about six feet apart on either side and balanced the volumes and EQs so the Era 3 acted as sort of a subwoofer and supporting boost. It sounded big and full, while the Roams provided a physical stereo separation.
The Sonos Roam 2 is an excellent-sounding speaker that doesn’t improve on the sound of its predecessor, but that’s not a bad thing. Again, for our full impressions of how the Roam 2 sounds, refer to our original Roam review — it all holds true.
It’s the little differences
There are only a couple of things you’ll find different on the Sonos Roam 2, and depending on how you use the speaker, they may or may not matter.
The first and main difference is the addition of a dedicated Bluetooth button on the back of the speaker. Previously, the main power button was the only way to turn the speaker on and off and put it in Bluetooth pairing mode. It required you to hold the power button down for two seconds, and while this sounds super straightforward, if I had a dollar for every time I forgot how to do it and ended up just shutting the speaker down while trying, I’d have enough to pay for a stereo pair of them. And because the Roam 2 is a dual Bluetooth/Wi-Fi connectable speaker, you may have the need to switch back and forth if, like me, you’re prone to bringing it with you to places where Wi-Fi isn’t available.
The new button is a godsend. All it takes is a single press to turn Bluetooth on, and another single press to put it back in Wi-Fi mode. And you no longer have to setup the Roam 2 with with your Sonos network through the app first — out of the box, you can connect via Bluetooth and off you go. If you like, you can also use the Roam 2 as a pure Bluetooth speaker, meaning you don’t have to use the Sonos app at all.
However, what isn’t a godsend is the Roam 2’s lack of Google Assistant. For those who don’t know, due to a legal battle between Sonos and Google, Sonos stopped including the voice assistant in its speakers — beginning with the Era 300 and Era 100 last year and continuing with the Move 2 and Roam 2 this year.
Again, whether this is a deal breaker for how you use the speaker is your call, but for this particular speaker, it is for me. I use Google Assistant every day in my house, to control lights, air purifiers, my AC, and other IoT devices. And with a Sonos Roam sitting on my bedside table, it’s the first voice assistant hub I interact with when I wake up and the last I talk to when I go to bed. Sure, Alexa and Sonos Voice are still present, but adding another voice assistant to my mix is a hassle I just don’t want to deal with.
Not broken, please don’t fix
With the Sonos Roam 2, it’s nice to see Sonos practiing some restraint when it comes to updating one of its best portable speakers. And considering the mess that it’s still recovering from with the overhaul of the Sonos app, restraint is a valuable commodity.
Apart from some minor upgrades, including a welcome dedicated Bluetooth button for easier pairing, a slightly updated Bluetooth version (5.2 from 5.0), and some new color options and styling, the Roam 2 remains unchanged and is still the cheapest ($179) and best way to expand your Sonos network of speakers, inside and outside.
Its sound is still great for its size, especially when made into a stereo pair, and while we were hoping for extended battery life, its 10 hours of playback is likely fine for most people.
But should you buy one? For me personally, because of my need for Google Assistant, I’d be apt to hunting around online for another original Roam first. But if not for that, the Roam 2 is an excellent move (slightly) forward for the small, but mighty Roam.
