I appreciated the unique Sonos Roam sufficient to offer it a 9/10, WIRED Recommends. And now, I fall on my sword in entrance of everybody who purchased one based mostly on my recommendation. I had one grievance, which was that my evaluate unit’s battery—together with the batteries of many different items belonging to individuals I do know and work with—had bizarre drain points long-term. My first-gen mannequin was unusable by the point I got here again to check it to this new mannequin.
With the Roam 2, quietly launched alongside Sonos’ new Ace over-ear headphones (8/10, WIRED Recommends), Sonos has remedied these battery issues. The corporate additionally added a button to make Bluetooth pairing simpler and extra on the spot if you’re not at residence.
It is not exactly an engineering triumph, however I do prefer to see manufacturers replace merchandise to repair what’s damaged reasonably than reinvent the wheel. Functionally, the Roam 2 seems to be and acts identically to the primary mannequin. This one simply goals to last more than a pair years, and it comes with a neater Bluetooth pairing button. I nonetheless prefer it, and I am going to prefer it much more if long-term testing exhibits that the battery (and the gadget itself) will final.
{Photograph}: Amazon
Roam on the Vary
Sonos’ entire deal was once that you simply could not get Bluetooth in its merchandise, however that has modified over the previous a number of years.
The Roam was the primary devoted transportable gadget that Sonos determined ought to get Bluetooth (there not being a lot Wi-Fi in the course of the woods or at a lake) in order that listeners may snag a single Sonos product for each their kitchen and knapsack.
At residence, it connects to Wi-Fi and exhibits up within the Sonos app in your cellphone. If you’re on the go—or a pal desires to play some music actual fast—simply pair to Bluetooth and play. It’s a wonderful occasion trick for these of us with different Sonos audio system.
I maintain my Roam 2 in my rest room or bed room after I’m not taking it with me outdoors. At residence, it acts like one other speaker in my Sonos ecosystem. After I need to come out for some seashore time, or deliver a few of my favourite tunes outdoors, I simply seize the speaker and go, then pair it to my cellphone (or reconnect it, normally) for straightforward listening the place it in any other case doesn’t have an web connection.
{Photograph}: Amazon
Nonetheless The Finest
Utilizing the Roam 2 (which seems to be equivalent to the primary Roam, save a much-needed Bluetooth pairing button and some totally different colorways) is so simple as it will get. Join cellphone, choose music, play mentioned music. At residence, through Wi-Fi, issues can get a bit extra difficult, due to a much-maligned new Sonos app and its woes with establishing (or typically even seeing) new audio system.
I’ve managed to attach mine to my residence system with relative ease, connecting it to the opposite Sonos speaker I’ve paired in my workplace in a indifferent storage, in case I need to play the identical music inside and outside. It really works flawlessly for this objective, and if I had a bigger Sonos system at residence I’m positive that I’d get pleasure from it much more.
Functionally, it really works nice, with good beefy bass and balanced treble and midrange that makes the speaker good for each podcasts and pop music. It’s not loud or massive sufficient to gasoline a full-on dance occasion within the woods, nevertheless it does get surprisingly loud for its dimension.
