Sonos’ first transportable speaker, the Transfer, positive sounded nice, nevertheless it was as massive and heavy as a bowling ball, and it got here saddled with an appropriately hefty price ticket. For its second transportable, Sonos is trimming the majority and slashing the sticker worth, and the outcome is likely to be Sonos’ most interesting speaker but.
Slated to reach subsequent month for $169, the Roam (which was totally leaked late final week) is far inexpensive than the $399 Transfer, but retains all of the options that make Sonos audio system so interesting. The brand new mannequin is simply 6.6 inches tall and weighs barely lower than a pound, which (based on Sonos) makes it a couple of sixth the scale and heft of the Transfer. Put one other approach, the Roam is barely smaller than a 500ml water bottle.
Sonos unveiled the Roam throughout a digital occasion on Wednesday. We haven’t had the prospect to see or hear the Roam in particular person, however right here’s what we gleaned from Sonos’ on-line briefing.
Computerized Wi-Fi-to-Bluetooth switching, Sound Swap, and music streaming providers
Just like the Transfer, the Sonos Roam connects to each Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, nevertheless it’s additionally been designed to seamlessly transition between the 2. For instance, should you seize the Roam for a street journey whereas it’s linked to your own home’s Wi-Fi community, it’ll swap routinely to your cellphone’s Bluetooth connection as soon as it leaves Wi-Fi vary, and it’ll swap again as quickly as you come back dwelling.
Two Roams could be paired for stereo performances, and you may rapidly group the Roam along with your different Sonos audio system by urgent and holding the play/pause button. Maintain holding play/pause button and also you’ll set off a brand new function known as Sound Swap, which routinely “throws” music from the Roam to the closest Sonos speaker.
SonosThe Sonos Roam can routinely swap between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, whereas its Sound Swap function helps you to “throw” music from the Roam to a different Sonos speaker close by.
As with different Sonos audio system, the Sonos Roam can stream music from greater than 100 streaming music providers, together with Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, Deezer, Pandora, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Google Play Music, and YouTube Music, in addition to the ad-supported Sonos Radio and subscription-based Sonos Radio HD. The Sonos Roam additionally helps audio casting through AirPlay 2, however not Chromecast.
Auto Trueplay: Now on Bluetooth, too
Moreover its seamless community transitions and Sound Swap capabilities, the Roam improves on Auto Trueplay, an EQ function that routinely tunes the speaker to its environment. Trueplay has been obtainable in Sonos audio system for a few years, however this automated model was first launched with the Transfer.
Auto Trueplay makes use of the speaker’s mic array to detect the acoustics of a room and even an out of doors atmosphere, after which optimizes the sound accordingly. Trueplay on non-portable Sonos audio system senses the unit’s environment utilizing the microphone on an iOS gadget.
Whereas Auto Trueplay was a Wi-Fi-only function on the Transfer, it’ll work on each Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on the Roam, that means Auto Trueplay can optimize the speaker’s audio even whenever you’re out and about.
Oh, and don’t fear, Transfer customers; Sonos says that the Transfer a coming firmware replace will convey Auto Trueplay through Bluetooth to the Transfer as properly.
Design and drivers
Out there in shadow black and lunar white, the Roam’s IP67-rated shell is designed to utterly resist mud and survive a 30-minute dunk in as much as a meter (about three toes) of water. You may read all about IP codes here.
SonosThe Sonos Roam’s IP67-certified shell must be utterly immune to mud ingress, and it’s additionally designed to resist being dunked in a meter of water for half-hour.
Contained in the Roam’s shell sit two drivers: a customized racetrack mid-woofer and a tweeter. Every driver is powered by its personal Class H amplifier, a departure from the Class D amps that energy most transportable audio system.
On prime of the speaker are three raised buttons (one other departure for Sonos, which normally favors flat buttons) for play/pause and quantity management, whereas a far-field microphone array helps you to chat with both Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant (you may set up both one or the opposite, however not each on the similar time). By the way, each the highest and backside of the Roam have a concave design, partly to thwart unintentional button pushes if the speaker takes a tumble.
Battery life and charging
Sonos says the Roam can have as much as 10 hours of battery life, and it may retain its cost for as much as 10 days because of a low-power sleep mode that engages as quickly as playback stops. Sonos guarantees that the Roam can wake from its low-power mode in lower than a second.
SonosAn non-obligatory magnetic charging dock for the Sonos Roam will price $49.
You may cost the Roam in considered one of two methods: through its USB-C charging port (a cable is included, however not an AC adapter) or Qi wi-fi charging. Sonos is providing a nifty-looking however dear magnetic charging dock as a $49 accent.
Search for the Sonos Roam to ship on April 20, and you may pre-order now. Stand by for our full overview as soon as we take a look at one out.
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