Sonos Roam 2 arrives with a better Bluetooth setup
Same sound, same basic design, but some important ease-of-use changes...
Sonos has announced the second generation of its portable speaker family, the Sonos Roam 2.
What’s new? It’s not the usual stuff you might expect. The sound is largely the same, as is the core design, but Sonos has fixed the single most annoying part of the original Roam.
Back with the Sonos Roam V1, you had to fully setup the speaker through Wi-Fi to use it, integrating it into the Sonos ecosystem, even though it was also a Bluetooth speaker.
That’s all changed. Fresh out of the box, you can treat the Sonos Roam 2 like any old Bluetooth speaker. Just pair it up and you're away.
There’s also a new button on the side. In the first generation, we got a power button hidden away on one rounded corner. The Sonos Roam 2 keeps that power button, and adds a discrete Bluetooth button.
Is this the stuff of a portable speaker nerd’s daydreams? No, but it does make the Sonos Roam 2 far more intuitive, and less frustrating, particularly if you intend to use this speaker to its fullest by flicking between its roles as a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth unit.
If you want to read about something more exciting, check out the Sonos Ace, the company's first headphones.
When in Roam
All the good stuff we loved about the original Sonos Roam is present and correct. We get serious sonic punch in a small box, Sonos’s neat Trueplay to let the sound output match the room, 10-hour battery life and IP67 water resistance.
Hoping for new colours too? You’re out of luck. At launch the Sonos Roam 2 comes in the same "Olive, Sunset and Wave” finishes, as well as white and black.
That’s green, orange and blue, for those not yet fluent in marketing-speak.
Sonos hasn’t changed the price either, which is good to hear given the state of inflation over the last few years. A Sonos Roam 2 will set you back £179/$179, and is available to order now.
