Stuff - UK (2021-08)

GROUP TEST PORTABLE SPEAKERS

61

What’s the story?
The Roam is Sonos’s first proper
portable speaker you can sling
a satchel. Sensible proportions,
Bluetooth connectivity and a
reduced reliance on the Sonos
app make it perfect for partying
anywhere, but with Wi-Fi too it’ll
still play nicely with any existing
Sonos kit.
A Toblerone-like mini boomer
that’s designed to stand either
horizontally or vertically, it isn’t
exactly shouty in the design
department, so look elsewhere
if you’re after an injection of
colour; but the robust Roam
does have a lovely metal, plastic
and rubberised finish capable of
taking a bit of a battering.
What sets it apart from the
competition is clever stuff like
Auto Trueplay, meaning it’ll tune

its soundstage to suit the

environment whether you’re

inside or out; and Sound Swap,

which switches audio to the

nearest Sonos speaker in

the vicinity. Press play/pause

and the Roam pings sound

around accordingly – especially

useful if you’re listening to music

indoors but then wish to express

your right to Roam in the garden.

Is it any good?

For a Sonos speaker, the sound

quality is just OK... but for a

speaker of this size and form

factor, it’s impressive.

One thing this boombox

doesn’t lack is bass. You’ll find

anything requiring low-end

oomph to come over with

incredible impact for a speaker

so small – in fact it’s overzealous

on certain tracks, requiring a wee

bit of wrestling with the EQ.

Everything is well balanced in

the midrange, although it does

suffer in the higher frequencies,

lacking a bit of clarity. That

aforementioned low end really

is decidedly thumping, though,

especially if you jump in the

shower with it.

There are better-sounding

rivals, but few offer this

combination of features, and

the fact that it plays nicely with

any existing Sonos system is an

added bonus.

Price £159 / stuff.tv/SonosRoam

Key specs O Mid-woofer,

tweeter O Bluetooth, Wi-Fi,

AirPlay 2 O Up to 10hrs O IP67

O 168x62x60mm, 430g

La Pochette

Sweat Bag

In keeping with the

circular economy, La

Pochette’s water-resistant

stash bags aren’t just

made from recycled

materials – they’re

recyclable themselves.

They’re also designed

to keep contents friskily

fresh with an anti-stain

coating and antibacterial

protection – handy if

you’ve been playing pass

the parcel with your

portable speaker.

£30 / lapochette.co

Sonos Roam

NOW POP IT IN THIS

STUFF SAYS An unbeatable blend of versatility and portability +++++

Glowing my way

Above the Sonos logo

is a tiny LED displaying

speaker status. A

second LED indicates

when mics are active,

and a third glows

orange if it’s thirsty.

Season of the switch

Connectivity was solid

throughout our testing,

as was the switch

between Bluetooth

and Wi-Fi, though the

claimed 10hr battery

life is a stretch.

BEST FOR

MULTI-

ROOM