Yes, after countless rumors, Sonos formally announced your entry into the world of headphones this morning. Ace seeks to compete with people like Apple's AirPods Max and Sony WH-1000XM5 at $449, but the audio brand also quietly and coincidentally launched the Sonos Roam 2.
That's right, Sonos' second-generation portable Bluetooth speaker is here, and it maintains a similar look and pretty much the same feature set. However, for the same price, it includes some subtle improvements.
For the price of $179, you can choose from five colors (black, white, olive, wave, or sunset) and the Sonos logo, which sits above the speaker grill and closer to the top of the front, is now colored . They match, which means it won't stand out as much.
The main change here is the addition of a Bluetooth button, which allows you to use it as a Bluetooth speaker right out of the box; You no longer need to connect it to the broader Sonos ecosystem from the start. You will turn it on and press the Bluetooth pairing button instead of having to long press the power button to enable this pairing method.
The playback controls (rewind, play or pause and forward) are still on the top and are physical buttons. You'll be able to recharge the Roam 2 via a USB-C port on the back, and you'll be able to recharge the device wirelessly with an optional proprietary charger, which Sonos sells for $49/£45/AU$73.
However, current Roam owners looking to upgrade may be disappointed with the battery life, as it still maxes out at 10 hours. In the world of ultra-portable Bluetooth speakers, that's not really durable and falls far behind Sonos' larger Move 2 speaker. We'll have to see if there are hidden improvements here, but that will have to wait until we try Roam 2.
However, the Roam 2 should sound just as good as the Roam, with powerful audio performance and excellent bass for its size. In our 2022 review, we called the Roam the “best Bluetooth speaker of 2022.” The only drawback would be the execution time. You can still integrate Roam 2 with the broader Sonos ecosystem and control it from the app.
Lastly, the Roam 2 remains water and dust resistant up to an IP67 rating like the original and is priced the same at $179 / £179 / AU$299. It's now available in five Sonos colors and shipping now. on going.
