![]() ![]() While we were impressed with the balanced sound quality of the Roam, it doesn’t get as loud as other speakers its size. ![]() However, it’s not the best small Bluetooth speaker on its own. It’s also a decent option for if you just want something with better sound quality than the standard Google Home or Amazon Alexa speakers. If you already have a Sonos system the Roam is definitely worth considering because it can be used on the go and at home with your existing speakers and soundbars for multi-room listening and it can switch between Bluetooth and your Wi-Fi network as you come and go. Like the Move, the Roam is a voice-enabled smart speaker and it was easy to connect it to our home’s Google Assistant. It also has a visually appealing minimalist design available in a handful of pretty colors. It’s compact, dustproof, sandproof, and more waterproof than the Move (the Roam has an IP67 waterproof rating, like the JBL Xtreme 3 and UE Wonderboom 2). The Sonos Roam is the smallest Bluetooth speaker Sonos makes. That said, we were able to use the app to pair the Charge 5 with the Xtreme 3 for Party Boost and stereo pairing, so if you already have other JBL speakers, you have a good reason to buy this one. Given the price ($150 to $180 depending on the retailer at the time of publication) you’re better off buying two Wonderboom 2 speakers instead of one JBL Charge 5. Unfortunately, the directionality is more obvious with a smaller speaker. It was slightly less impressive when we turned on symphonic music or played anything with a full band at top volume, and like with the Xtreme 3, directionality really matters with this style of speaker. Though it’s not as powerful as the bigger JBL, it’s still a great-sounding, powerful speaker, especially when cranked up for hip hop, guitar, and vocals. Going by looks, the JBL Charge 5 is basically a smaller version of our top pick, the JBL Xtreme 3, but it’s not quite small enough to be considered a compact portable Bluetooth speaker and it doesn’t have any kind of hoop or handle for easy transport. The Move has a rating of IP56, which means it can handle dust, sand, and "high-pressure water streams,” so it shouldn't die if you accidentally leave it out in the rain after a wild dinner party on the patio. Still, it can hold a single charge for about 10 hours (the official Sonos battery life claim is “up to 11 hours of continuous playback at moderate volumes”) and while not truly a waterproof speaker, it is weatherproof. This is a big speaker-much bulkier and two pounds heavier than the JBL-and it definitely feels like more of a home speaker than a portable speaker. Looking strictly at sound, it’s definitely the best Bluetooth speaker we tested (though maybe not $100 better than the JBL Xtreme 3), and if it were more portable, it might have been our top pick. The Sonos Move delivered clear, powerful sound across the board and didn’t distort high-pitched vocals or horns, even at the maximum volume. It wasn’t until we lugged this speaker outside and cranked it all the way up that we realized its true capabilities. We’d mostly been using it to control the lights and listen to music at very reasonable indoor levels-volumes that wouldn’t wake the kids at 10 p.m. Before that, the Move had been perched in our living room, where it was connected to our Google Assistant. This was on the first of two nights we spent methodically evaluating audio quality, after we’d casually used each speaker at home for a couple of weeks. That’s what my husband said as we made our way through our testing playlist on the Sonos Move in our cavernous garage. You can expect to get 12 or 13 hours of battery life from a single charge but less time if you’re pairing speakers. A reinforced fabric hang loop makes it easy to suspend this speaker from a small hook, or you can use a carabiner to attach it to a backpack or bike. Like the Xtreme 3 it’s got an IP67 rating so it’s waterproof, dustproof, and sandproof. My toddler dropped it and threw it more times than we could count (he even tossed it down the stairs once) and it’s fine. The Wonderboom 2 is also incredibly durable. ![]() This is especially true if you plan to use it for outdoor group activities because you can have them on separate kayaks or canoes or clipped to different bikes or coolers, but you can also have one inside and one on the patio if you’re hosting a party. In fact, after testing so many speakers, I highly recommend two Wonderboom 2s over any $200 speakers on the market. When we paired two Wonderboom 2s and stood between them, the sound was completely immersive. If you want even bigger sound, it’s easy to pair two with just a button (no app necessary) to get a true surround listening experience. ![]()
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