It isn’t the biggest or the loudest and doesn’t have thumping bass or super-long battery life. But the Roam produces quality, well-rounded sound with a clarity unmatched by rivals. Outdoors it functions just like any rugged, water-resistant Bluetooth speaker. Inside it works like Sonos’s other excellent wifi speakers, compatible with practically every music service available and with a choice of voice assistants too. It even looks great as a sleek piece of premium electronics, and like other Sonos speakers will be supported for a very long time.

The roam can connect via wifi to a Sonos system, allowing them to play in sync with other speakers, given one owns supporting Sonos equipment. So it should be possible to have a subwoofer fill in the low range that these speakers are missing, greatly improving their presence, especially at low volumes.For existing Sonos users after a portable speaker, the Roam is a no-brainer. For others what you get is far more than a simple Bluetooth speaker for much the same price as top competitors. For many it might be the only personal music speaker you need. Trueplay is a Sonos technology that has been around for a while, allowing its speakers to tweak EQ settings automatically depending on where they’re placed –in open space or near to a wall, for example. Clarity is an area in which Sonos often excels, but we’re talking about a noticeable step behind its rivals here. Superior high-end articulation is one thing, but comparisons reveal textures and timbres can be greatly more insightful throughout the frequency range. The Roam works with Qi-certified wireless chargers, or with Sonos' own custom wireless charger to maintain its low profile. Wireless chargers are optional and sold separately.

The Roam can stand upright on its end or lay down with little silicon feet on one side to keep it from vibrating against a table. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian The IP67 rating means the Roam is watertight enough to deal with rain or snow, and Sonos promises it’ll operate in more extreme high and low temperatures as well. Sonos' Roam is the portable smart speaker for listening adventures, letting you take superb Sonos sound with you. Enjoy music, voice control and the ability for multi-room listening with other Sonos speakers over your Wi-Fi at home. Plus you get Bluetooth streaming, all day battery life and waterproof durability when it's on the go. Sonos’s new smaller and cheaper Roam portable speaker is one that won’t end up relegated to a drawer collecting dust as it sounds great at home too. That’s not necessarily a bad thing when you consider how the Roam might be used. There’s nothing worse than coarse hi-hats cutting through the chatter at a party when the speaker is turned up too loud. A clear high-end would be even better, but sometimes we can understand playing things a bit safe.That said, if you are determined to add some extra protection, long-time Sonos-collaborator Flexson has just launched a case for the Roam and we're sure more must be on the way. Can Sonos Roam play while charging? On that note, the Roam comes with a USB-C charging cable – though not a power adaptor –and is compatible with standard Qi wireless chargers. Sonos is also launching its own charging base, to which the speaker snaps magnetically.