Sonos renews the Roam with the new version called Roam SL

One of the portable speakers we were able to test last year at I’m on Mac was the new Sonos Roam. On that occasion, we highlighted the many features of the speaker that it offered in terms of sound quality, power, small size and compatibility with the rest of the firm’s speakers.

In this case, the new Sonos Roam SL officially presented by the brand a few days ago is available from today March 15, 2022 in the company’s online store and in other specialized stores, it shows a few new features compared to the previous model. At I’m from Mac we have had the pleasure of being able to test this speaker for a few days and we really think spectacular in terms of sound quality, small size, autonomy and power.

That is why on the day of its launch we wanted to be present with this new model of Roam SL and we are going to see it in depth. This ultra-portable speaker that sounds great at home and on the go is now available to order today.

Main differences between the Roam and the Roam SL

In this case we can say that the new Roam SL model comes without a microphone. The rest of the speaker is aesthetically the same, it has the button on the back to turn it on or off, at the top we find the volume buttons to raise and lower the music, play and pause. The one we did not find is the microphone (which the original Roam does add) which, as we said above, is not included in this speaker.

Aesthetically they are the same, with the firm’s logo in white on the front. The lower part is made of rubber just like the other model to adapt to any surface, even the same rubber points are added to leave the speaker flat and prevent it from falling. In any case the new Sonos Roam SL has a really spectacular shock resistance the same as its first version, so you will not have problems in that regard.

Like all other Sonos speakers, the Roam SL is set up with the Sonos app over a Wi-Fi connection before you can connect directly via Bluetooth. The main difference from the previous year’s model in this Roam SL is that now the price goes from 199 euros that the first version costs to 179 euros of this new Roam.

What we find inside the box and what accessories we can buy

As was the case with the previous Sonos model, this speaker adds a charging cable with USB C to USB A port so you can charge the speaker, what it does not add is the power adapter that is purchased separately on the Sonos 10W website or you can use one that you have at home.

This is happening with most speakers and electronic devices, that companies no longer add chargers to avoid the population of these. what if They add inside the box is the USB C cable which has an “L” shape so you can place it even with the speaker placed horizontally on a table. And it is that at the time of charging this speaker, the charging cable is on the back near the base, and if the USB C connector is straight and not in the shape of an “L” like the one added in the box, the speaker is somewhat “misplaced” although it is true that it does not affect the load at all. This does not happen using the charging cable that is added in the box.

Wireless charging pad for Roam and Roam SL

Best of all, the accessories we used for the original Roam speaker are totally useful for this new speaker released by the company. This means that we can use the wireless charging base to charge the speaker without any problem. This charging base has a power of 10 W just like the charger of almost any device.

This wireless charging base does add the USB C connector for the wall, the cable with USB A termination to connect the speaker to the wall and charge it. In this case, any connector that we have at home or the Sonos speaker’s own can also be used.

If you are one of those who already have a wireless charging base, you can use it to charge this Roam SL as long as it is Qi certified. In this sense it is really easy to charge the speaker since you only have to place it on the base and see how the orange LED lights up.

The full load of this speaker offers about 10 hours of autonomy according to the manufacturer itself. In our case, the autonomy was quite close to that indicated by the manufacturer and on some occasions I exceed it, always taking into account the power in terms of music volume and whether the connectivity is via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. What is clear is that autonomy is really spectacular considering the size of the team.

Roam SL sound quality

When we look for or try to look for differences between the first generation speakers and this new Roam SL we can say that they are almost non-existent. The sound quality and its power are really spectacular considering the small size of this speaker. And it is evident that Sonos has not modified the interior of this speaker with respect to the first version.

We already said it in the analysis of the previous model that we were able to analyze on the web last year, and that is that the size is not at all in sync with the power of the Sonos Roam SL. This speaker sounds really loud for its dimensions (height 168mm, width 62mm, depth 60mm) with good bass and spectacular highs.

Logically, this speaker is designed to be heard outdoors and obviously it won’t have the power or quality of a Sonos One or a Move, but really surprised by how small it is and how good it sounds.

Water and shock resistance

Like the previous model, this speaker is designed to resist outside the home and therefore it has an IP67 certification that make it resistant to water and dust (it can be submerged to a depth of one meter for a maximum of 30 minutes) so don’t worry if you want to take it to the beach or pool, the Roam SL will withstand your outings.

The only bad thing about resistance or tolerance to bumps and scratches is that it will be marked on the outside since They are made of plastic and it shows when it has a dent or is scratched. on the outside. Personally I think they are more noticeable in the Shadow Black color than in the Lunar White, but that will depend on the impact or scratch that the speaker takes.

Editor’s opinion

• Publisher Rating
• Score 5 stars
• Spectacular

^€179

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• Sonos Roam SL
• Review of: Jordi Gimenez

• Posted on: March 15, 2022

• Last modification: March 15, 2022

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