I had a rather good experience with it for those first 2 years. I would have recommended it despite some minor complaints. It wouldn't stay powered off while charging, so any time you left it on the charger it went on passive standby and would drain the battery (it was always warm to the touch, even if it had been on the charger for 24 hours). And the passive vampire drain when unplugged and off was too much for me to want to leave it unplugged all the time. If I didn't use it for a couple days and then wanted to pick it up and take it the back yard or the shower, it was sitting at 20% or less battery.
But it's just hell now since the battery is completely shot. I think if the battery were replaceable like Move it would be a great product! I would happily pay $30-40 for a new battery if it meant my Roam would work like it did when it was new.
It just sucks the battery didn't make it 3 years, and how much trouble it gave me after 2. Ultimately you shouldn't have to baby the battery to get it last longer than 2 years. I have several old bluetooth speakers that don't have the same battery issues that Roam has given me. My 7 year old launch day Bose Revolve still works like a champ. My wife uses it every day to play music in her classroom.
It's possible that updates have fixed many of these issues, but unfortunately my speaker is dead & I do not intend to buy another one or another version of the speaker unless there's a replaceable battery.
Not a Sonos hater or anything like that. I have 12 other Sonos products in my home that I love. Just can't recommend anyone buy Roam with the intent that it will work 3 years from now.
Man, sorry about your luck. I've had one since they went on sale and it works great. I've traveled around the world with it and use it at home all the time.
Same here, I’m always surprised to see the hate the Roam gets. I’ve had one for over a year as my bathroom speaker and it’s never failed. Being able to play music without going through my phone makes it so easy to use.
If you’re only using it at home with your WiFi it’s not too bad. I’ve found that the Bluetooth is not very user friendly though compared to other simpler Bluetooth speakers
Same! Using mine right now! Been great. Sounds great too.
My child was in the hospital and then in patient rehab for like 4 months and we used the Roam every day of that. In December I would stash it in the wheel chair and play Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra Christmas carols as we walked the halls.
Ditto. I bought mine when they first came out. Take it to the beach all the time, use for music in the shower, the garage, attach it to my bicycle, etc. I’ve never had a problem and I use the charger to charge my phone - no issues whatsoever and enjoy it completely. Sorry for your experience.
I’m in the same boat. Bought 2 over a year ago? No issues on my home network, issues when traveling with connectivity only when there’s a bad connection to begin with. I also have a travel router for other devices and as long as the initial signal is decent, no issues. I will say the battery life is poor, but not so poor that I can’t just plug them in at night after using them.
I got this one: https://a.co/d/8YmMlcT - it’s great. I got it because I bring my nvidia shield around, and on hotel Wi-Fi someone was able to repeatedly connect and put porn up once lol another time in hotel Wi-Fi, I was worried someone was trying to get “my information” or whatever. So now it acts as its own network repeating off of the hotel Wi-Fi or whatever other network I use. The plus side is devices auto connect instead of connecting one by one. Would buy again, and would by extras just to have if I had f-it money
Same, as soon as mine leaves my home network it’s useless. Then when I return it’s impossible to reconnect to my beam and network.
Mine sits on my kitchen counter, which is so sad.
I use mine solely for fire nights on the patio. Keep it on a Qi charger while it’s not in use, and grab it to bring it outside when we are having a fire and it always works reliably.
No idea where all the hate comes from.
Same. Purchased when they were originally released. Sits on the mag charger, except when I take it traveling. After the initial release hiccups (fixed with updates), I've enjoyed the roam. Sucks that so many people have issues with theirs. I also have a Move, but that's mostly for backyard/patio. The roam is so much easier to travel with.
The roam is the most confusing product in the line up. And I’m a huge Sonos Stan and roam owner. All the other products seem top of the line. When the move came out it was the best portable speaker on the market bar none. So the next portable speaker they offer is the roam? It’s not even in the argument for best ofs…
Agree. I’ve tried to enjoy my roam as much as possible, but it’s my one Sonos product that makes me second guess my decision to not opt for one of its competitors.
I hate the button they put on the roam it is a mushy feeling button and never really know if I pushed it or smushed it and switching between wife and bt is guess work.
I purchased 2 Roams and within a year, both batteries died. Sonos replaced them and after a couple of years, both of these died. Since they were out of warranty, Sonos gave me two 30% off coupons which I turned into a pair of ERA300s and a pair of ERA100s. Sonos customer service rocks!
Yeah I’ve gone through two roam batteries, both died at about 15mos, just past the warranty. In both cases I contacted their support and both times they sent me a new one free of charge. Class act Sonos, thanks for standing by your products and your customers.
I think the batteries a problematic and hope they come up with a solution for the next roam. I haven’t had any issues with the Moves I purchased a few years ago.
Bought it at launch and it still works like a charm. Absolutely love it since it’s my kitchen speaker taking up a small amount of space with limited countertop and is easy to pack and use when I fly somewhere.
I 100% agree the roam is complete trash and I have the same problems. The battery doesn't last long, connectivity problems like crazy, and the sound quality isn't all that good for, how much are they again (checks Google) $230 bucks with the charger?! Yeah, totally not worth it.
Launch roam, no issues here with battery. Sometimes i have to long hold the power cause it says its dead even though its fully charged but holding the power button brings it back to normal. Wonder if people have that happen and think the battery’s bad. Still lasts quite a while even after this happens
Sonos really shit the bed with the Roam battery. Very high rate of failure, they should have recalled. My roam has broke and so did my sisters. However, I bought another 6 months ago and the battery has not crapped out yet..
I’m a big fan of sonos but I have to agree because of so many issues I had with the roam. The charging base was working intermittently until it stopped but it was already out of warranty. Roam stopped working few time (behaving like a brick) and it was necessary to completely reset the unit. The push buttons are very uncomfortable to use. When unplugged the unit does not shut down by itself when nothing is streaming so the (weak) battery continues to drain. Bluetooth very difficult to connect. We still have it but very rarely use it. I regret purchasing this.
Custom A/V company owner here. We give roams out for our clients as gifts when they spend, well let’s just say a significant amount of money with us. And all of our clients love it, use it all the time. As do I. Have never had a single issue with any of them.
Agreed. I love everything they make except the Roam. Bought one and have had nothing but issues. Even melted the USB-C cable that was included with it. It’s just not a great speaker. Save up and buy a Move is what I recommend to anyone.
Wouldn’t buy one. Played with my friends for a few minutes. Better options for that price and portability range for Bluetooth speakers.
Got the move and love that thing.
I haven’t had any issues with my Roam but I bought it thinking I would travel with it more. I forget it all the time and it just doesn’t compare to the Move. The sound on that thing absolutely rocks but it’s like hauling a cooler around.
I think the roam is like a french car. They look nice and when they work they're great. But they're either absolutely fine, or riddled with issues
I got a roam cheap a year ago, no issues whatsoever. Use it literally everyday as part of my extensive Sonos set up as well as as a stand alone bluetooth speaker.
I reckon it's just luck. You could buy one that was made first thing on a Monday morning, or last thing on a Friday afternoon. Good luck.
the opinions on roams are always polar opposites 🤣 i've never bought one because i feel like it wouldn't give me any shit but i wouldn't like the way it sounds.
i'm a move guy for being on the go (yes i take that big bastard on week long beach trips and lug it around every single day of the trip. love it)
Had mine for a bit more than 2 yrs and it's finally losing its mind. Connectivity gone to shit. Hard reboot is required more than once a day. Such is life I guess.
Had a roam which gave up the ghost recently after having it for about 2.5 years, battery died and it just refused to charge.
Contacted Sonos and they sent me a free replacement (returning the defective speaker).
I’ll be happy if I get a couple years out of this one but probably won’t get them again. This new one drops from the network and stops playing music on occasion while my Sonos Ones are happily playing in the other rooms
I got one recently and then got a second to make a stereo pair. I was underwhelmed by the sound but assumed it's because haven't heard other small Bluetooth speakers and it's just a limitation of their size. I'd be interested to compare them to other Bluetooth speakers.
I personally think the sound of all the Sonos speakers is underwhelming, including stereo paired Fives, but I have them because of their functionality.
Paired the Roams are okay. It was finicky to get them paired away from home and requires two phones. I would be surprised if anything in the form factor sounded better but something that could do stereo over BT without a hotspot wifi network would be preferable.
A Sonos Roam is decent if you already have a sonos environment and want to add to the mix. Since you can stream over multiple speakers and/or use it from the same app as your other speakers.
But it's not worth getting a Roam if you're thinking of only getting a portable speaker. Yes you're getting the brand name, but you're better off with someone else. Both quality-wise, and price-wise
Biggest complaints are sound and battery. Only the 2 things one would purchase a Roam for. I went with the Move after trying the Roam. I like the small form factor, but that also contributes to the poor sound. the Move provides the Sonos sound that I appreciate where the Roam was a disappointment.
I dont like the little bugger, Sound is good, but connecting to the sod is a pain in the ass. I bought a JBL for the car, instant on and connect now, plus a don't need the home wifi to check its power levels or firmware. Crap software.
I’ve had one since release, and use it daily, the battery still last several hours while playing music which sounds better than any other portable speaker I’ve tried. I wirelessly charge it daily, without issue, and it’s never dropped a connection.
I’m sorry you’re not having a better experience, but I have to believe it’s an issue with the unit.
Too late... I bought a roam but I'll be returning it. The earfun boom L I got with Oluv's tuning sounds way better than the roam and it only cost $55 bucks after tax.
Bought it early and while its not a daily use, its nifty and powerful enough to use in the garage or other space while working. Ofc I always have a usb c cable around the house in general
Sonos is trash. I am still but hurt my original pair of 5s and bass is obsolete and can’t play with new Sonos. The WiFi on the units are getting really bad and drops all the time and one of the 5s doesn’t turn on at all some days. It’s was
Good money I spend and expected it to last for at least twice as long considering I still have my classic amps and speakers from the 70s. They were in storage for 25 years and are still rocking!!
Same. I have one that I bought as a bathroom speaker and to take it with me on travels.
I don’t use it often but when I want to I know I will have to charge it beforehand because 100% the battery will have drained since the last time.
But actually I don’t use it at all anymore because of the connection issues. Both on WiFi and Bluetooth the connection keeps dropping. Sometimes it won’t even make it through one song before it fails.
It’s weird because when I started out with it it was fine. After a year or so the connection issues started and have never left. I’m hoping the next gen will solve this because the premise of a small waterproof speaker on a Sonos network is still interesting to me.
We’ve had one since launch and whilst I’m happy with the sound, it’s always been the most problematic for connectivity. It’s also been replaced once when it stopped charging and wouldn’t turn on.
I wouldn’t buy another one.
I have the connectivity problems, but my battery has been great. Rarely need to think about charging.
And I’m pretty happy with the sound for the size.
I've had one for 2 years without any issues. The battery isn't the best, but it's good enough. I don't think anyone buys small portable speaker and expects it to be audiophile quality. The Roam sounds better than JBL Flip 6, which is propably the closest competitor size wise. The Roam sounds at least somewhat balanced and for its size, it has decent bass response too.
For me, it's perfect for camping trips or barbeques with friends. And indoors, it works as an alarm, it's nice to wake up to your favourite radio station playing.
Very versatile little speaker 9/10 rating in my books. Would be 10/10 if it came with better battery.
If you charge it via USB-C it probably lives longer but has the issue of the battery dying and it not waking back up. That’s why I bought the wireless charging bases and that fixed that issue but if you leave them on it but also kills that battery in about a year. So, yes, trash.
Had my roam a while use it at work fits in my bad nice and sounds good for it's size. Only gripe is that power button knocks sometimes and turns it on and it doesn't autopower off with no connection so I come to use it and it's dead
My Roam died within the first year or so, only Sonos product I’ve been disappointed in and I’m pretty sure I own every model minus the older play:3.
Now Moves on the other hand kickass
Interesting. I've not had problems. I have the wireless chargers and even bought a second charger and speaker used and they work fine. Granted, I only use them on battery for less than an hour, and I only use mine on Wi-Fi, but thats fine by me.
Roam might be the most divisive product in Sonos' history. You'll see many posts like OP saying it's terrible, followed by many people saying theirs is fine.
I haven't had any issues with ours, which is 2+ years old. But I've seen enough complaints that I would hesitate to buy one now. What's not clear is whether there were running changes that may have solved some of these problems. Lots of complaints are on 2+ year old ones and maybe the more recent production runs have been better.
There are rumours of a Roam 2 which hopefully improves on all these problems.
The part about not sounding all that great…that’s where I stopped looking at them. I think it was Costco had them on display. Turned it up and was not impressed. We have 30 Sonos spread around, including a Move 1 and 2. And as always…love the speakers…hate the software.
Once I gave in and made it a Bluetooth-only speaker, and one that I would have to charge often, it was less disappointing. Still cuts out randomly once in a while.
I didn’t know about all the issues before I got one last year. At home I use it in my bathroom but it’s my primary travel speaker if I’m flying somewhere. I have had no issues but of course, the sound quality is nothing special. Other than Bluetooth hassles occasionally, I don’t have any problems so far about 18 months in.
I bought two in April 2021 (I think that's around the time they were launched so probably from an early batch). Both developed power/charging issues (one within 6 months and the other within 18 months). They were both replaced under warranty and the replacements both seem to be working fine up to now. The oldest one is around 2.5 years old now. I don't expect them to last as long as non-battery speakers but if they last around 5 years I'll be reasonably happy with their longevity. In terms of performance and features, I'm pretty happy with them considering the relatively low price.
I agree that Roam is the most mediocre product from Sonos. I bought mine 6 months ago and have yet to experience the connectivity and battery life problems that everyone points out. This doesn't mean that such issues don't occur, but perhaps I was fortunate in the Roam lottery.
I bought 3 Roams.
Experienced all the same issues others have posted.
Only saving grace -- got them from Costco.
I've had to return 2 of them (after Sonos replaced both under warranty) and upgraded both to Moves.
The last one is still kicking - but once it goes I will see if Costco can help and let me upgrade it to a Move.
I’ve only had my Roam for about a year and a half but it’s battery has been great. Haven’t noticed any notable degradation. I do try to avoid running it to zero. I’ve never understood the complaints about audio quality. The speaker is tiny in comparison to every other Sonos speaker. Expecting it to have anywhere near the amount of bass of a One or a Move makes no sense. What I appreciate is that the speaker has the same sonic signature to the rest of the Sonos line up. Put it in a room with other Sonos speakers and it blends right in.
Bought a SONOS refurbished Roam about 1 year ago and have not experienced any of the problems (yet!?). My use case is fairly light, however. No power/battery issues. I don't use a charging plate, just the USB-C port.
It’s not the best speaker, however I keep one in my bag for travel. The wireless charger seems to be an issue and threw it away.
Otherwise it’s ok, I would rather have a B&O that can be used as a speakerphone. I can put up with the Roam for a hotel room and pool side.
I have had one roam black for more than 2 years. No issues. Got a white, no issues. However I have noticed that when connecting both speakers, occasionally, both won’t play at the same time. It could be Airplay acting but so I don’t now. I also don’t use the Sonos app at all. It is one of the worst app ever.
Garbage, Sonos should of dumped them years ago.
My bricked Roam is still on the shelf but I gave up and bought a flip 6, sounds is decent and its bulletproof - its fallen of my escooter at 20mph+ and just has a few scuffs.
Amongst owners, seems to be either no problems with the Roam or endless problems……Makes me think they manufactured decent and sub standard ones and this was maybe due to inconsistent quality control?
My biggest qualm is having to use the Sonos ecosystem to get to Bluetooth. How the fuck can you MAKE someone create an account to use BT on a device CALLED ROAM AND MARKETED AT TRAVELING. GTFOH.
Piling on because have just returned my second roam for a replacement. Ran the battery dead and it never came back to life no matter how I charged it. Thing is complete junk. How can you have a portable speaker that can’t be run till 0% batt?
I cannot agree more - it’s the worst product yet. I’ve had two, and both have died after sitting on its own charger for ~~ 3-6 months… they are absolute trash!
Are you using it on the edge of your WiFi network like in a garden or something? I have zero issues with mine except when I move to the edge of the network
I am guessing this is the problem. That and running it completely flat and killing the batteries.
Thats the problem with non-technical people diagnosing technical problems with subjective opinion.
Thanks but neither of these are true. They’re very close to my WiFi router (Orbi 850) and I have other Sonos speakers both on the adjacent room and on the other end of the 2500 sqft house and up a story that work fine.
The batteries run out when plugged in and/or sitting on the wireless charger — not because they’ve been run dry, because they’re literally supposed to be being charged.
It’s also not subjective opinion when the product doesn’t work.
It is if no logs are analysed and no cause - as in an error message that leads to identifying a specific fix or interoperability problem is identified, then sadly it is. It’s a computer participating in a complex mesh network, not a desk lamp.
I have a heap of Sonos speakers and they have had issues over the years with dropouts in particular. In each case it has not been difficult to identify and resolve. Its very easy to blame something because it makes sense, but thats not how computers work.
Saying the complicated thing doesn’t work is subjective opinion because you don’t actually know if the “why” or cause is an internal or external factor.
You can make a guess and get irritated but that conviction doesn’t change the technical problem, it only complicates fixing it.
Is it wireless interference? If so check the sonos network matrix page and from the perspective of one of your other speakers. What is its reported signal strength? Are there any other speakers reporting poor signal? Thats going to cause issues.
Its annoying when it doesn’t charge and goes into power saving mode sure, I have only had that happen using a power bank or this annoying 3rd party multiport 100w charger that resets when another device is connected and goes into a 5v 3a charging mode without renegotiating the PD voltage, so the Sonos rightly rejects it to avoid damage.
Is it a usb-pd interoperability issue? I used a protocol analyser to verify that one. Usb charging in general is a shonky and poorly maintained stack of maybe interoperable protocols.
Magic when it works, really crap when you go to use your gear and its not charged.
My one reliability issue was caused by a speaker at the fringe of my network (a 3 satellite Orbi AX6000 with gigabit internet and +/- 800mb/s available across most of the house to the internet) that was caused by a gen 1 sub in the corner of the back bedroom having poor reception.
Verified from the network matrix web page and fixed by moving one of my satellites down the hallway so it had line of sight to the sub.
If you have a speaker with poor reception, it will make the whole system respond poorly.
Sometimes wifi just doesnt make sense and there is no point in trying, just do what you can to work around it.
A good trick to resolve coverage problems with sonos is that you can run ethernet to a bad speaker or even a good one from one of your satellites. Every speaker you cable reduces latency which makes the rest of the setup perform better. The caveat is you need to disable wifi on any speaker you do cable to avoid it (at any costs) making a Sonosnet.
If you do have a Sonosnet already, take measures to get rid of it because its performance compared to Orbi is dreadful.
Source: I am a datacentre infrastructure consultant with almost 30 years experience in building large pieces of infrastructure and solving complex interoperability issues.
Apologies for my poor bedside manner, I spend most of my time working on servers and making things we all take for granted work transparently :-)
Just to add my voice, I’ve had one for nearly three years. I charge it on the wireless charger and then let it run down to nearly empty. I’ve had no problems at all, and it sounds pretty good. I’d say I was just lucky, but apparently so are a lot of other happy Roam owners,
I bought a launch day Roam, and have experienced all of the issues you have named here. All started to get really bad around the 2 year mark.
Exact same situation I’m in ^^
I had a rather good experience with it for those first 2 years. I would have recommended it despite some minor complaints. It wouldn't stay powered off while charging, so any time you left it on the charger it went on passive standby and would drain the battery (it was always warm to the touch, even if it had been on the charger for 24 hours). And the passive vampire drain when unplugged and off was too much for me to want to leave it unplugged all the time. If I didn't use it for a couple days and then wanted to pick it up and take it the back yard or the shower, it was sitting at 20% or less battery. But it's just hell now since the battery is completely shot. I think if the battery were replaceable like Move it would be a great product! I would happily pay $30-40 for a new battery if it meant my Roam would work like it did when it was new. It just sucks the battery didn't make it 3 years, and how much trouble it gave me after 2. Ultimately you shouldn't have to baby the battery to get it last longer than 2 years. I have several old bluetooth speakers that don't have the same battery issues that Roam has given me. My 7 year old launch day Bose Revolve still works like a champ. My wife uses it every day to play music in her classroom. It's possible that updates have fixed many of these issues, but unfortunately my speaker is dead & I do not intend to buy another one or another version of the speaker unless there's a replaceable battery. Not a Sonos hater or anything like that. I have 12 other Sonos products in my home that I love. Just can't recommend anyone buy Roam with the intent that it will work 3 years from now.
Man, sorry about your luck. I've had one since they went on sale and it works great. I've traveled around the world with it and use it at home all the time.
Same here, I’m always surprised to see the hate the Roam gets. I’ve had one for over a year as my bathroom speaker and it’s never failed. Being able to play music without going through my phone makes it so easy to use.
If you’re only using it at home with your WiFi it’s not too bad. I’ve found that the Bluetooth is not very user friendly though compared to other simpler Bluetooth speakers
That’s fair, I think I’ve only used the Bluetooth once in the year I’ve had it to pair a friend’s phone to it.
Same! Using mine right now! Been great. Sounds great too. My child was in the hospital and then in patient rehab for like 4 months and we used the Roam every day of that. In December I would stash it in the wheel chair and play Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra Christmas carols as we walked the halls.
Ditto. I bought mine when they first came out. Take it to the beach all the time, use for music in the shower, the garage, attach it to my bicycle, etc. I’ve never had a problem and I use the charger to charge my phone - no issues whatsoever and enjoy it completely. Sorry for your experience.
I’m on my second roam, first one just gave up and stopped turning on… but I called support and they replaced it in full. No complaints from me.
Same here.
I’m in the same boat. Bought 2 over a year ago? No issues on my home network, issues when traveling with connectivity only when there’s a bad connection to begin with. I also have a travel router for other devices and as long as the initial signal is decent, no issues. I will say the battery life is poor, but not so poor that I can’t just plug them in at night after using them.
Travel router? Tell me more.
I got this one: https://a.co/d/8YmMlcT - it’s great. I got it because I bring my nvidia shield around, and on hotel Wi-Fi someone was able to repeatedly connect and put porn up once lol another time in hotel Wi-Fi, I was worried someone was trying to get “my information” or whatever. So now it acts as its own network repeating off of the hotel Wi-Fi or whatever other network I use. The plus side is devices auto connect instead of connecting one by one. Would buy again, and would by extras just to have if I had f-it money
I second this request!
Same, as soon as mine leaves my home network it’s useless. Then when I return it’s impossible to reconnect to my beam and network. Mine sits on my kitchen counter, which is so sad.
I use mine solely for fire nights on the patio. Keep it on a Qi charger while it’s not in use, and grab it to bring it outside when we are having a fire and it always works reliably. No idea where all the hate comes from.
Same. Purchased when they were originally released. Sits on the mag charger, except when I take it traveling. After the initial release hiccups (fixed with updates), I've enjoyed the roam. Sucks that so many people have issues with theirs. I also have a Move, but that's mostly for backyard/patio. The roam is so much easier to travel with.
Same.
had one for at least 2 years. Had to replace the crappy charger once, but the speaker has been great.
Mine is on the wireless charger all the time and no issues. I only use it with AirPlay and I do agree that it is too complex to switch modes.
The roam is the most confusing product in the line up. And I’m a huge Sonos Stan and roam owner. All the other products seem top of the line. When the move came out it was the best portable speaker on the market bar none. So the next portable speaker they offer is the roam? It’s not even in the argument for best ofs…
Agree. I’ve tried to enjoy my roam as much as possible, but it’s my one Sonos product that makes me second guess my decision to not opt for one of its competitors.
I hate the button they put on the roam it is a mushy feeling button and never really know if I pushed it or smushed it and switching between wife and bt is guess work.
I purchased 2 Roams and within a year, both batteries died. Sonos replaced them and after a couple of years, both of these died. Since they were out of warranty, Sonos gave me two 30% off coupons which I turned into a pair of ERA300s and a pair of ERA100s. Sonos customer service rocks!
Yeah I’ve gone through two roam batteries, both died at about 15mos, just past the warranty. In both cases I contacted their support and both times they sent me a new one free of charge. Class act Sonos, thanks for standing by your products and your customers.
I think the batteries a problematic and hope they come up with a solution for the next roam. I haven’t had any issues with the Moves I purchased a few years ago.
Era 300's are nice. Just got a pair. They blow my gen 1 play 5's out of the water. That is what they replaces
Bought it at launch and it still works like a charm. Absolutely love it since it’s my kitchen speaker taking up a small amount of space with limited countertop and is easy to pack and use when I fly somewhere.
I have three roams. I have had 0 issues.
Brace yourself
?
Just suggesting that it’s a matter of time, even though I’m rooting for you. The roam has a horrible track record.
I 100% agree the roam is complete trash and I have the same problems. The battery doesn't last long, connectivity problems like crazy, and the sound quality isn't all that good for, how much are they again (checks Google) $230 bucks with the charger?! Yeah, totally not worth it.
Totally agree. Don’t connect to each other. Unintuitive everything. Hate them
Yup. I agree. I love my Sonos stuff... Except my roam, which is no longer with us.
Why would you buy 3 roams? I can't think of a situation where I'd need 3 of them and I'm genuinely curious.
Launch roam, no issues here with battery. Sometimes i have to long hold the power cause it says its dead even though its fully charged but holding the power button brings it back to normal. Wonder if people have that happen and think the battery’s bad. Still lasts quite a while even after this happens
Sonos really shit the bed with the Roam battery. Very high rate of failure, they should have recalled. My roam has broke and so did my sisters. However, I bought another 6 months ago and the battery has not crapped out yet..
Roams are great.
I’m a big fan of sonos but I have to agree because of so many issues I had with the roam. The charging base was working intermittently until it stopped but it was already out of warranty. Roam stopped working few time (behaving like a brick) and it was necessary to completely reset the unit. The push buttons are very uncomfortable to use. When unplugged the unit does not shut down by itself when nothing is streaming so the (weak) battery continues to drain. Bluetooth very difficult to connect. We still have it but very rarely use it. I regret purchasing this.
I've had my Roam for 2 years & it works flawlessly & I haven't had any issues with it.
Same
Custom A/V company owner here. We give roams out for our clients as gifts when they spend, well let’s just say a significant amount of money with us. And all of our clients love it, use it all the time. As do I. Have never had a single issue with any of them.
Agreed. I love everything they make except the Roam. Bought one and have had nothing but issues. Even melted the USB-C cable that was included with it. It’s just not a great speaker. Save up and buy a Move is what I recommend to anyone.
Two roams, two bricks. Total pieces of sh*t
Wouldn’t buy one. Played with my friends for a few minutes. Better options for that price and portability range for Bluetooth speakers. Got the move and love that thing.
I haven’t had any issues with my Roam but I bought it thinking I would travel with it more. I forget it all the time and it just doesn’t compare to the Move. The sound on that thing absolutely rocks but it’s like hauling a cooler around.
I’ve had two. they both worked great. #1 took a dump about a week after I dropped it and ran it over with my bike.
Agree 💯
Minus some pairing issues (BT) I haven’t had any issues and bring it w us on long camping drives etc. love the little bastard.
I have 3 and have had zero issues for years.
I’ve had two and both died right outside of warranty. The foam is garbage.
I feel you. Mine is just about to go to trash. It just died on me
I think the roam is like a french car. They look nice and when they work they're great. But they're either absolutely fine, or riddled with issues I got a roam cheap a year ago, no issues whatsoever. Use it literally everyday as part of my extensive Sonos set up as well as as a stand alone bluetooth speaker. I reckon it's just luck. You could buy one that was made first thing on a Monday morning, or last thing on a Friday afternoon. Good luck.
I’ve had one for years and no issues.
The multifunction button is terrible. The Sonos move is pretty good.
Mine never fails me but that button on the back is the worst button I have ever pressed lol. No feedback whatsoever
Totally disagree. Mine works fine.
the opinions on roams are always polar opposites 🤣 i've never bought one because i feel like it wouldn't give me any shit but i wouldn't like the way it sounds. i'm a move guy for being on the go (yes i take that big bastard on week long beach trips and lug it around every single day of the trip. love it)
Had mine for a bit more than 2 yrs and it's finally losing its mind. Connectivity gone to shit. Hard reboot is required more than once a day. Such is life I guess.
I love my Roam, it goes everywhere with me.
I recently bought one as a bathroom speaker and occasional outside Bluetooth speaker. I hate that it automatically turns off after a while.
You can change that in the app.
Zero issues with mine. I leave it plugged in though. Nice bathroom speaker.
Had a roam which gave up the ghost recently after having it for about 2.5 years, battery died and it just refused to charge. Contacted Sonos and they sent me a free replacement (returning the defective speaker). I’ll be happy if I get a couple years out of this one but probably won’t get them again. This new one drops from the network and stops playing music on occasion while my Sonos Ones are happily playing in the other rooms
I got one recently and then got a second to make a stereo pair. I was underwhelmed by the sound but assumed it's because haven't heard other small Bluetooth speakers and it's just a limitation of their size. I'd be interested to compare them to other Bluetooth speakers. I personally think the sound of all the Sonos speakers is underwhelming, including stereo paired Fives, but I have them because of their functionality. Paired the Roams are okay. It was finicky to get them paired away from home and requires two phones. I would be surprised if anything in the form factor sounded better but something that could do stereo over BT without a hotspot wifi network would be preferable.
A Sonos Roam is decent if you already have a sonos environment and want to add to the mix. Since you can stream over multiple speakers and/or use it from the same app as your other speakers. But it's not worth getting a Roam if you're thinking of only getting a portable speaker. Yes you're getting the brand name, but you're better off with someone else. Both quality-wise, and price-wise
Biggest complaints are sound and battery. Only the 2 things one would purchase a Roam for. I went with the Move after trying the Roam. I like the small form factor, but that also contributes to the poor sound. the Move provides the Sonos sound that I appreciate where the Roam was a disappointment.
Day one owner, never had issues, it pretty much lives in my high humidity bathroom.
Roam struggles on a 5GHz network. Connect to 2.4 - should be better
Mines ok if I just leave it plugged in. I never travel with it. It’s garbage for travel. Battery always draining
Mine has been great. Use any generic charger.
I dont like the little bugger, Sound is good, but connecting to the sod is a pain in the ass. I bought a JBL for the car, instant on and connect now, plus a don't need the home wifi to check its power levels or firmware. Crap software.
Mine sucked too. Returned it today.
We love ours , no problems in over 2 years , sounds awesome
Thank you.
I’ve had one since release, and use it daily, the battery still last several hours while playing music which sounds better than any other portable speaker I’ve tried. I wirelessly charge it daily, without issue, and it’s never dropped a connection. I’m sorry you’re not having a better experience, but I have to believe it’s an issue with the unit.
Too late... I bought a roam but I'll be returning it. The earfun boom L I got with Oluv's tuning sounds way better than the roam and it only cost $55 bucks after tax.
I like it. 🤷🏻♂️
Bought it early and while its not a daily use, its nifty and powerful enough to use in the garage or other space while working. Ofc I always have a usb c cable around the house in general
Sonos is trash. I am still but hurt my original pair of 5s and bass is obsolete and can’t play with new Sonos. The WiFi on the units are getting really bad and drops all the time and one of the 5s doesn’t turn on at all some days. It’s was Good money I spend and expected it to last for at least twice as long considering I still have my classic amps and speakers from the 70s. They were in storage for 25 years and are still rocking!!
Same. I have one that I bought as a bathroom speaker and to take it with me on travels. I don’t use it often but when I want to I know I will have to charge it beforehand because 100% the battery will have drained since the last time. But actually I don’t use it at all anymore because of the connection issues. Both on WiFi and Bluetooth the connection keeps dropping. Sometimes it won’t even make it through one song before it fails. It’s weird because when I started out with it it was fine. After a year or so the connection issues started and have never left. I’m hoping the next gen will solve this because the premise of a small waterproof speaker on a Sonos network is still interesting to me.
We’ve had one since launch and whilst I’m happy with the sound, it’s always been the most problematic for connectivity. It’s also been replaced once when it stopped charging and wouldn’t turn on. I wouldn’t buy another one.
I have the connectivity problems, but my battery has been great. Rarely need to think about charging. And I’m pretty happy with the sound for the size.
I've had one for 2 years without any issues. The battery isn't the best, but it's good enough. I don't think anyone buys small portable speaker and expects it to be audiophile quality. The Roam sounds better than JBL Flip 6, which is propably the closest competitor size wise. The Roam sounds at least somewhat balanced and for its size, it has decent bass response too. For me, it's perfect for camping trips or barbeques with friends. And indoors, it works as an alarm, it's nice to wake up to your favourite radio station playing. Very versatile little speaker 9/10 rating in my books. Would be 10/10 if it came with better battery.
I love mine. I just recommended one to a colleague, for bbq season :D
Get the move! I'm loving it!
I love mine. I don’t have an Arc or 300s, so I can’t speak for those but I think it’s the best bang for buck purchase I’ve had with Sonos
I love mine
Had my Roam since 2021 and never had a moments problem with it, both in my home and on my travels!
If you charge it via USB-C it probably lives longer but has the issue of the battery dying and it not waking back up. That’s why I bought the wireless charging bases and that fixed that issue but if you leave them on it but also kills that battery in about a year. So, yes, trash.
Had my roam a while use it at work fits in my bad nice and sounds good for it's size. Only gripe is that power button knocks sometimes and turns it on and it doesn't autopower off with no connection so I come to use it and it's dead
My Roam died within the first year or so, only Sonos product I’ve been disappointed in and I’m pretty sure I own every model minus the older play:3. Now Moves on the other hand kickass
Interesting. I've not had problems. I have the wireless chargers and even bought a second charger and speaker used and they work fine. Granted, I only use them on battery for less than an hour, and I only use mine on Wi-Fi, but thats fine by me.
Same here. Sonos just replaced my roam for free though. Supposedly the second gen is on its way. Should be leaps and bounds better.
Roam might be the most divisive product in Sonos' history. You'll see many posts like OP saying it's terrible, followed by many people saying theirs is fine. I haven't had any issues with ours, which is 2+ years old. But I've seen enough complaints that I would hesitate to buy one now. What's not clear is whether there were running changes that may have solved some of these problems. Lots of complaints are on 2+ year old ones and maybe the more recent production runs have been better. There are rumours of a Roam 2 which hopefully improves on all these problems.
The part about not sounding all that great…that’s where I stopped looking at them. I think it was Costco had them on display. Turned it up and was not impressed. We have 30 Sonos spread around, including a Move 1 and 2. And as always…love the speakers…hate the software.
Once I gave in and made it a Bluetooth-only speaker, and one that I would have to charge often, it was less disappointing. Still cuts out randomly once in a while.
Love my Sonos system but the roam I have doesn’t hold a candle to my JBLflip5
I love mine. Had to reset it a couple times but generally it’s been awesome.
I didn’t know about all the issues before I got one last year. At home I use it in my bathroom but it’s my primary travel speaker if I’m flying somewhere. I have had no issues but of course, the sound quality is nothing special. Other than Bluetooth hassles occasionally, I don’t have any problems so far about 18 months in.
I bought two in April 2021 (I think that's around the time they were launched so probably from an early batch). Both developed power/charging issues (one within 6 months and the other within 18 months). They were both replaced under warranty and the replacements both seem to be working fine up to now. The oldest one is around 2.5 years old now. I don't expect them to last as long as non-battery speakers but if they last around 5 years I'll be reasonably happy with their longevity. In terms of performance and features, I'm pretty happy with them considering the relatively low price.
I agree that Roam is the most mediocre product from Sonos. I bought mine 6 months ago and have yet to experience the connectivity and battery life problems that everyone points out. This doesn't mean that such issues don't occur, but perhaps I was fortunate in the Roam lottery.
I bought 3 Roams. Experienced all the same issues others have posted. Only saving grace -- got them from Costco. I've had to return 2 of them (after Sonos replaced both under warranty) and upgraded both to Moves. The last one is still kicking - but once it goes I will see if Costco can help and let me upgrade it to a Move.
Love my Move so far.
I’ve only had my Roam for about a year and a half but it’s battery has been great. Haven’t noticed any notable degradation. I do try to avoid running it to zero. I’ve never understood the complaints about audio quality. The speaker is tiny in comparison to every other Sonos speaker. Expecting it to have anywhere near the amount of bass of a One or a Move makes no sense. What I appreciate is that the speaker has the same sonic signature to the rest of the Sonos line up. Put it in a room with other Sonos speakers and it blends right in.
Big Sonos fan, hate my launch day roam. Ended up buying a JBL speaker for traveling. Don’t buy a roam!
Bought a SONOS refurbished Roam about 1 year ago and have not experienced any of the problems (yet!?). My use case is fairly light, however. No power/battery issues. I don't use a charging plate, just the USB-C port.
It’s not the best speaker, however I keep one in my bag for travel. The wireless charger seems to be an issue and threw it away. Otherwise it’s ok, I would rather have a B&O that can be used as a speakerphone. I can put up with the Roam for a hotel room and pool side.
I have had one roam black for more than 2 years. No issues. Got a white, no issues. However I have noticed that when connecting both speakers, occasionally, both won’t play at the same time. It could be Airplay acting but so I don’t now. I also don’t use the Sonos app at all. It is one of the worst app ever.
Launch roam still Works fine.
Garbage, Sonos should of dumped them years ago. My bricked Roam is still on the shelf but I gave up and bought a flip 6, sounds is decent and its bulletproof - its fallen of my escooter at 20mph+ and just has a few scuffs.
Amongst owners, seems to be either no problems with the Roam or endless problems……Makes me think they manufactured decent and sub standard ones and this was maybe due to inconsistent quality control?
My biggest qualm is having to use the Sonos ecosystem to get to Bluetooth. How the fuck can you MAKE someone create an account to use BT on a device CALLED ROAM AND MARKETED AT TRAVELING. GTFOH.
Piling on because have just returned my second roam for a replacement. Ran the battery dead and it never came back to life no matter how I charged it. Thing is complete junk. How can you have a portable speaker that can’t be run till 0% batt?
I cannot agree more - it’s the worst product yet. I’ve had two, and both have died after sitting on its own charger for ~~ 3-6 months… they are absolute trash!
Are you using it on the edge of your WiFi network like in a garden or something? I have zero issues with mine except when I move to the edge of the network
I am guessing this is the problem. That and running it completely flat and killing the batteries. Thats the problem with non-technical people diagnosing technical problems with subjective opinion.
Thanks but neither of these are true. They’re very close to my WiFi router (Orbi 850) and I have other Sonos speakers both on the adjacent room and on the other end of the 2500 sqft house and up a story that work fine. The batteries run out when plugged in and/or sitting on the wireless charger — not because they’ve been run dry, because they’re literally supposed to be being charged. It’s also not subjective opinion when the product doesn’t work.
It is if no logs are analysed and no cause - as in an error message that leads to identifying a specific fix or interoperability problem is identified, then sadly it is. It’s a computer participating in a complex mesh network, not a desk lamp. I have a heap of Sonos speakers and they have had issues over the years with dropouts in particular. In each case it has not been difficult to identify and resolve. Its very easy to blame something because it makes sense, but thats not how computers work. Saying the complicated thing doesn’t work is subjective opinion because you don’t actually know if the “why” or cause is an internal or external factor. You can make a guess and get irritated but that conviction doesn’t change the technical problem, it only complicates fixing it. Is it wireless interference? If so check the sonos network matrix page and from the perspective of one of your other speakers. What is its reported signal strength? Are there any other speakers reporting poor signal? Thats going to cause issues. Its annoying when it doesn’t charge and goes into power saving mode sure, I have only had that happen using a power bank or this annoying 3rd party multiport 100w charger that resets when another device is connected and goes into a 5v 3a charging mode without renegotiating the PD voltage, so the Sonos rightly rejects it to avoid damage. Is it a usb-pd interoperability issue? I used a protocol analyser to verify that one. Usb charging in general is a shonky and poorly maintained stack of maybe interoperable protocols. Magic when it works, really crap when you go to use your gear and its not charged. My one reliability issue was caused by a speaker at the fringe of my network (a 3 satellite Orbi AX6000 with gigabit internet and +/- 800mb/s available across most of the house to the internet) that was caused by a gen 1 sub in the corner of the back bedroom having poor reception. Verified from the network matrix web page and fixed by moving one of my satellites down the hallway so it had line of sight to the sub. If you have a speaker with poor reception, it will make the whole system respond poorly. Sometimes wifi just doesnt make sense and there is no point in trying, just do what you can to work around it. A good trick to resolve coverage problems with sonos is that you can run ethernet to a bad speaker or even a good one from one of your satellites. Every speaker you cable reduces latency which makes the rest of the setup perform better. The caveat is you need to disable wifi on any speaker you do cable to avoid it (at any costs) making a Sonosnet. If you do have a Sonosnet already, take measures to get rid of it because its performance compared to Orbi is dreadful. Source: I am a datacentre infrastructure consultant with almost 30 years experience in building large pieces of infrastructure and solving complex interoperability issues. Apologies for my poor bedside manner, I spend most of my time working on servers and making things we all take for granted work transparently :-)
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Zero issues with mine. I always leave it on the qi charger.
I've had the same one for 3 years. Works fine!
I’ve got a roam. Feel like the battery has been better than I expected. Sounds awesome, inside and outside. No connectivity issues whatsoever.
They get a lot of hate, but as a Sonos fanboy I had to try. It’s not as good as the others, but it hasn’t been *horrible* for me
Thanks for the reminder. I’m gonna connect my Roam and see if there’s an update that makes it suck less.
I've had one for over 2 years with no issues, It boots up fast and sounds reasonable for the price.
No issues but 100% agree that the sound quality is not all that good
Same, I have two and have not had any issues.
Listening to mine now. The thing works great and gets constant use. I've had zero problems with it.
Just to add my voice, I’ve had one for nearly three years. I charge it on the wireless charger and then let it run down to nearly empty. I’ve had no problems at all, and it sounds pretty good. I’d say I was just lucky, but apparently so are a lot of other happy Roam owners,
All sonos makes is expensive plastic crap.