Picking between the Sonos Roam and the Sonos One can be tough. If you pick the wrong one, you may get stuck with a Sonos model that may not be compatible with any of your other needs. To avoid the regret of spending your money on the wrong Sonos speaker, our team of experts tested and compared the Sonos Roam vs Sonos.
Sonos Roam or Sonos One?
Features of Sonos Roam and Sonos One
Sonos Roam and Sonos One both have remarkable features like WiFi connectivity, intuitive controls, and the ability to integrate with other Sonos speakers and home theater systems. However, they are different on many fronts. Let’s see what those differences are.
Design
The Sonos Roam has a long and slender design with a 180-degree grille around its body. When placed vertically, you can find buttons that control playback on top and contact points for wireless charging below. The Sonos Roam comes in black and ash colors, as is customary for all Sonos speakers.
With Sonos One, you have a short and thick speaker with touch controls instead of a button. The speaker also has a grille covering most of its surface except for a narrow strip behind where you’ll find the power button and charging ports. The Sonos One also has wireless contact points below.
Weight and Portability
In Sonos Roam vs Sonos One, the Roam wins portability with a slender build and a weight of less than 0.5 kg. Sonos One weighs 4 times as much at 1.85 kg.
The Roam is also easier to carry around. It can fit in a handbag, picnic basket, or even stay in your hand. With the One, you’ll need a lot of space because of its thick dimensions.
Price
The Sonos Roam is cheaper than the Sonos One on the Sonos website. Vendors on Amazon and other platforms will have varying prices, but the One is generally more expensive than the Roam.
Connectivity
When it comes to connectivity, the Roam wins the Sonos One vs Sonos Roam debate by a wide margin. Because it’s built for mobility, it has both WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. You can link it to your home’s network, connect it to your mobile app, or to your phone via Bluetooth. The Sonos One only has WiFi connectivity but no Bluetooth.
To improve your home theater experience, you can check this guide on how to connect Sonos to your TV seamlessly.
Audio Components
Both the Roam and One feature the latest in Sonos’ audio technology. Their sounds are rich, full-bodied, and allow you to experience your music’s full audio range. However, the Sonos One has an advantage, being bigger and louder.
Sound Quality
Sonos One produces a louder and more defined sound. It has both standalone and stereo modes, and both produce rich sounds on both ends of the audio spectrum.
You should know that while the Sonos One distributes sound in almost 360 degrees, the Sonos Roam is the loudest when facing you. The Roam is also surprisingly loud for its size, producing what Sonos [1] calls ‘size defying sound.’
Setup
On the Sonos One vs Sonos Roam debate, both speakers are easy to set up. However, the Sonos One has more steps because of its advanced voice control.
You can connect and setup the Sonos One to your home WiFi via the mobile app or plug in your ethernet cable. You’ll also need to sign in to Alexa on your phone and perform a ‘Trueplay Tuning’ process to help the speaker recognize sounds in the future.
Set up with Sonos Roam is much more straightforward. You can connect to a WiFi network or directly to Bluetooth for instant playback. You can find all other configurations on the mobile app.
Battery Power
Unfortunately, the Sonos One does not have a battery which means it can’t be far from any wall socket in the room. The Sonos Roam gives you much more flexibility, with a 10-hour battery life and three different charging methods.
Voice Control
Sonos One has been dubbed one of the best Alexa and Google Assistant speakers. Our team can attest to this because you command almost anything with Sonos One, including control playback, set alarms, reminders, and other voice control tasks. The Sonos Roam also has voice control, but it has limited range and flexibility.
Additional Features
The Sonos Roam has an IP67 waterproof rating. Our team was able to hold it under three feet of water for quite a long time of up to 30 minutes. On the other hand, the Sonos One can be integrated with other Sonos speakers to form a home theater system.
Overall Winner: Sonos Roam
After a series of tests, our experts crown Sonos Roam as the winner in this Sonos speaker comparison. Our team considers the Sonos Roam as the better choice since it has many of the Sonos One’s features even though it’s more affordable. Some of its perks include powerful battery life, voice control, a waterproof rating, and a portable design.
