1. Sonos Roam 2: The Enhanced Smart Speaker with Refined Elegance

Those in need of a super-smart portable speaker can now purchase the Sonos Roam 2. It’s a fairly minor upgrade from the original Roam, but it addresses several of our complaints and can more readily compete with other Bluetooth speakers.

Sonos has carved a niche in the audio market by selling speakers with combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth streaming functionality. The Sonos Roam 2 follows this blueprint, but it’s the only truly portable device in Sonos’ catalog. So, while you can use the Roam as a regular-old Bluetooth speaker, you can also cast lossless audio to it over Wi-Fi streaming solutions like AirPlay 2 or Sonos Radio. (Naturally, these Wi-Fi features require a Wi-Fi connection.)

We loved the original Roam speaker —it sounded great, the connectivity options were solid, and it carried an IP67 weather resistance rating (it could handle a camping trip or beach day). Some of our complaints about the original Roam are resolved in this upgrade. It adds a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button, and it offers Bluetooth connectivity straight out the box. Previously, Wi-Fi setup was required before using Bluetooth.

Sonos

The Roam 2 also retains its wired and wireless charging functionality. Though I’d like to point out that this model actually comes with a charging cable. The original version did not.

But even with these improvements, the Roam 2 isn’t perfect. It lacks a user-replaceable battery and cannot be paired to a Sonos soundbar for use as a rear or surround speaker. Its USB-C port is only for charging and lacks the line-in functionality of Sonos’ Move 2 speaker . And, oddly, the battery life is unchanged—you’ll get about 10 hours of playback at “moderate” volume levels. While 10 hours isn’t “bad” for a speaker of this size, it isn’t amazing either.

Sonos is also sticking with the driver array of the original Roam speaker. So, there are no sound quality improvements. Most customers and reviewers agree that the original Roam still sounds great, so I don’t consider this a problem.

Now’s a good time to point out that Sonos customers are currently going bananas over a recent S2 app redesign . The refreshed app aimed to resolve some bugs and streamline Sonos device setup, but it lobbed off a bunch of old features and introduced new bugs. Sonos set up an AMA to collect feedback from customers and says its working to resolve S2 app problems.

You can purchase the Sonos Roam 2 speaker today for $180. Sonos also offers a wireless charger and OtterBox carrying case for the Roam 2 speaker (accessories made for the original Roam will work, too). And, in case you missed it, Sonos just launched its first pair of wireless headphones .

Source: Sonos

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