Sonos Roam isn't just the company's most affordable connected speaker so far, it also introduces a new feature to make managing music playback easier. Sound Swap allows you to bypass the app when you're in a hurry to get going, flipping music from a traditional Sonos speaker over to your Sonos Roam so you can head elsewhere in the house or outside.
![New Sonos and IKEA Symfonisk speaker teased [Update: Art Speaker too]](https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ikea-symfonisk-sonos-speakers-21-1280x720.jpg)
Sonos Roam reviews may have dropped this morning, but the new portable speaker isn't the only thing the company is getting excited about, with the prospect of a new IKEA Symfonisk launch in the pipeline. The collaboration between Sonos and IKEA broke cover back in 2019, with two initial products tapping the multi-room audio tech of one company and the low pricing strategy of the other.
Sonos needs a gateway for new users, and the Sonos Roam is its answer. What looks like a regular Bluetooth speaker actually hides double the functionality: a portable speaker when you're on the go, a full-fledged Sonos speaker around the house, and all wrapped up in a ruggedized housing and the company's lowest price for a new speaker so far.
Sonos has added its first 24-bit Hi-Res audio streaming service, taking advantage of another of the headline improvements from the company's Sonos S2 platform released last year. Qobuz may not be a household name, but its catalog of 70+ million tracks - albeit the vast majority of which are CD quality, not Hi-Res Audio - makes it a solid competitor to more familiar services like Spotify and Apple Music.
Sonos may be best known for its standalone connected speakers, but its built-in speaker range, Sonos Architectural, is gaining traction in a space still fairly unfamiliar to mainstream users. Professional installation isn't new, but there are still preconceptions about just how attainable it is, with assumptions that it's reserved for multi-million dollar mansions with similarly lavish budgets. When I set out to give a home theater system a Sonos Architectural upgrade, though, I discovered some big surprises along the way.
Audi and Sonos have quietly partnered on in-car audio, the connected speaker company's first foray into automotive, with the technology first showing up in the new Q4 e-tron all-electric crossover. Audi previewed the cabin of the new EV earlier this week, along with its augmented reality head-up display, but it was a handful of surreptitious Sonos logos on the speaker grilles that caught the eye.
Sonos has cut the cord on its second portable speaker, with the Sonos Roam promising multi-room integration inside the house, Bluetooth streaming outside it, and a much more affordable price tag. About the size of a water bottle, Roam works as a smart speaker too with support for Amazon and Google's voice assistants, and Sonos is hoping it acts as much a gateway to new users as it appeals to existing ones looking to expand their system.
Sonos may have a new Bluetooth speaker today, but the Sonos Roam is also donating one of its best features to the company's existing premium portable model, the Sonos Move. Launched in late 2019, Move paved the way to cutting the cord for Sonos playback, whether around the house or further afield, and instrumental to that was the introduction of Auto Trueplay.
The next major Sonos speaker (Sonos Roam) was revealed in a leak this week and a price likely set at around $169 USD. This speaker appears to be next in a line of Sonos speakers that expand beyond the confines of the home, complete with Bluetooth for wireless audio out in the wild. This device will likely be ready for release by the end of April 2021.
Sonos will hold its next event on Tuesday, March 9, the company has confirmed, with rumors already circulating about just what the connected speaker company could have in the works. It's the first big product announcement from Sonos since the unveil of the Arc Dolby Atmos speaker bar, though this time around there's chatter of a set of Sonos headphones or another portable speaker.
Sonos has announced a replacement battery kit for the Sonos Move, the wireless speaker it launched back in 2019. Move connects to both a Sonos network of multi-room speakers or to a Bluetooth source directly, with the company suggesting that the battery should last for around three years or 900 charges.
Sonos is adding support for two subwoofers in a home theater setup, allowing those wanting maximum bass to wirelessly connect two Sonos Sub to the system. The update will double up the low-end for those with bigger rooms - or just an unstinting appetite for bass in their action movies - while keeping it all wireless still.