Sonos Roam Portable Speaker

Sonos Roam is a portable Bluetooth speaker that also connects to your home WiFi network. Dual connectivity is the feature that separates it from every other portable speaker because it means the Roam functions as a member of your Sonos home system when you are inside and as a standalone Bluetooth speaker when you take it outside. Sound quality for a speaker this small, about the size of a water bottle. Is impressive because Sonos tunes it with the same Trueplay calibration available on their larger speakers, analyzing the room acoustics through the microphone and adjusting the EQ to compensate. Battery life runs about 10 hours on a full charge, and IP67 waterproof rating means it survives rain, pool splashes, and being left in the bathroom during a shower. It charges via USB-C or a wireless Qi pad, and the magnetic base means it sits neatly on the optional wireless charger without sliding around. At $179, it sits above most Bluetooth speakers of similar size — JBL and Ultimate Ears make comparable speakers for $100 to $130. Sonos integration is the premium you are paying for because no other portable speaker can hand off audio to a home system as seamlessly. A rounded triangular prism in black or white with a matte finish that doesn't show fingerprints, the physical design is clean and simple. Its single button interface on top handles play, pause, skip, and voice assistant with different tap patterns. I carry mine to the park and to friends' apartments, and the sound fills a small room convincingly without distortion at high volume. The one limitation is that the bass response is necessarily limited by the speaker's size, and if you want the floor to vibrate you need a bigger driver. For casual listening the Roam sounds better than I've any right to expect from something I can hold in one hand.