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Sonos Transfer 2
The larger-sounding one
The Sonos Transfer 2 greater than doubles the battery lifetime of the unique Transfer, whereas including a second tweeter to ship a much bigger and bolder sound.
Execs- Glorious sound high quality
- As much as 24 hours of battery life
- Works with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Alexa, and Sonos
Cons- Costly
- Not as light-weight because the Sonos Roam
- No Google Assistant assist
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Sonos Roam Moveable Speaker
The ultra-portable one
The Sonos Roam could not pack the identical general punch because the revamped Sonos Transfer 2, however in case you’re on the lookout for an inexpensive Bluetooth speaker that additionally helps Wi-Fi and voice assistants and simply so occurs to have nice sound high quality, the Roam must be on the high of your checklist.
Execs- Nice value
- Spectacular sound
- Wi-Fi, Alexa, Google Assistant, and AirPlay 2 assist
Cons- Not as highly effective because the Transfer 2
- No speakerphone functionality
Relating to wi-fi audio, Sonos is without doubt one of the finest audio corporations you should buy audio system from. Through the years, the model’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth peripherals have solely gotten louder and stronger, and as soon as battery energy was launched to the unique Sonos Transfer, we might begin taking our favourite Sonos gear tenting, too. However now there’s a brand new Sonos Transfer on the town, billed because the Sonos Transfer 2, and it’s presupposed to rock even more durable and final even longer than its predecessor. Does this imply there’s no place on this planet for Sonos’ smaller battery-powered speaker, the Sonos Roam? Completely not.
That being mentioned, the Sonos Transfer 2 and Sonos Roam share some similarities but additionally have distinctive variations, with the quantity of dough you will need to fork over being one of many largest (subsequent to the scale). Selecting between any two Sonos units may be powerful, which is why we have put collectively this side-by-side comparability of each merchandise.
Worth, availability, and specs
The Sonos Transfer 2 presently sells for $450 and may be bought at Greatest Purchase, B&H Photograph-Video, and instantly by means of Sonos. As for the $180 Sonos Roam (and the $160 Roam SL), you should purchase both model of the transportable speaker by means of Amazon and Sonos, in addition to retailers like Greatest Purchase and Walmart.
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Sonos Transfer 2 Sonos Roam Moveable Speaker Dimensions 9.53 x 6.29 x 4.96 inches 6.61 x 2.32 x 2.44 inches (168mm x 62mm x 59mm) Weight 6.61 kilos 0.93 kilos (0.42kg) Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Worth $449 $180 Colours Black, White, Olive Black, White Microphone Sure Sure Microphone swap Sure Sure Energy supply Constructed-in battery, USB-C 18Wh battery Battery life As much as 24 hours As much as 10 hours
The Sonos Transfer 2 stands 9.53 inches tall, 6.29 inches extensive, and 4.96 inches from entrance to again. At 6.61 kilos, it isn’t probably the most light-weight speaker on this planet, however when you think about that its housing holds a fair-sized mid-woofer, two side-firing tweeters, and three class-D digital amplifiers, the additional kilos are definitely forgivable. Accessible in matte Black, White, and Olive finishes, the Transfer 2 additionally features a built-in carrying deal with for straightforward grab-and-go listening.
As for buttons and ports, the Transfer 2’s capacitive contact controls are positioned on the high of the speaker, with choices together with play/pause, replay, skip, quantity up/down, voice assistant mute, and group/un-group Sonos units. That is additionally the place you will discover the speaker’s LED standing gentle, which displays the cost standing, connection sort, mute standing, mic standby, and any inner errors.
On the again of the Transfer 2 is its far-field kill swap. When activated, it cuts all energy to something microphone-related; this implies no voice help or Computerized Trueplay calibrations. As well as, there is a Bluetooth pairing button on the rear, together with an influence button and the Transfer 2’s USB-C port, which will also be used as a line-in with the acquisition of a separate 3.5mm audio adapter. Moreover, the 2 metallic pinpoints on the again of the speaker allow the Transfer 2 to connect with the included wi-fi charging base that comes with a 45W energy adapter.
Being the extra bite-sized possibility of the bunch, the Sonos Roam measures 6.61 inches tall, 2.44 inches extensive, 2.36 inches from entrance to again, and weighs a mere 0.95 kilos. Accessible in 5 matte finishes — Shadow Black, Lunar White, Sundown, Wave, and Olive — the Roam speaker can lay horizontally or stand vertically.
When positioned upright, capacitive contact controls are positioned on the high of the speaker, with controls and the LED indicator mirroring that of the Transfer 2. The Roam additionally features a button for manually switching over to Bluetooth, plus a USB-C port for charging. Whilst you’ll get a USB-A to USB-C charging cable within the field, you will want to provide your personal 7.5W or increased energy adapter (the USB-C port handles as much as 15W). And in contrast to the Transfer 2, the Roam helps line-in audio.
All types of wi-fi capabilities
When it comes to wi-fi profiles, each the Transfer 2 and Roam work over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0, with the previous supporting the most recent Wi-Fi 6 normal and the latter being capped at Wi-Fi 5. Each audio system may also hook up with 2.4GHz and 5GHz community bands. So far as sound high quality is anxious (extra on this in a bit), the Transfer 2’s Wi-Fi 6 capabilities ought to imply higher audio and quicker connectivity when streaming music over Wi-Fi.
Conveniently, each the Transfer 2 and Roam are two of a number of current-generation Sonos audio system that may share Bluetooth audio to different Sonos units with out Wi-Fi. You may have to first set the audio system up in your Wi-Fi community, however as soon as every thing is configured, the Transfer 2 and Roam will have the ability to group with different Sonos {hardware} when Wi-Fi is disabled.
Concerning voice assistants, the Roam truly comes out on high, with the smaller speaker supporting Alexa, Google Assistant, and Sonos Voice Management. Nonetheless, the Transfer 2 nixes Google Assistant assist completely due to troubled legalities between Sonos and Google. On one other be aware, iPhone and iPad homeowners may also be happy to know that Sonos’ inclusion of AirPlay 2 continues with the second-gen Transfer, and will also be discovered on the Roam.
Larger design, higher sound
Let’s not beat across the bush right here: The Sonos Transfer 2 delivers a greater general audio expertise than the Sonos Roam. The Transfer 2 boasts a much bigger chassis, which should be huge to be able to comprise three class-D amps, two tweeters, and one big mid-woofer. This speaker is designed to entry the deeper particulars of your music, and it is also meant to venture these particulars into no matter listening area you are in, due to Computerized Trueplay (for iOS units solely) and the Transfer’s bigger structure.
After testing the Sonos Transfer 2, one among our largest takeaways was the large increase in audio high quality, simply in comparison with the earlier technology. The brand new Transfer delivers clear and highly effective mids, wealthy however not overwhelming lows, and clear and crisp treble. Sure, it is a bit heavy to maneuver round, however a lot of the Transfer 2’s superb audio is due to its heavy-duty inner parts.
This is not to say Roam would not ship some phenomenal sound. In truth, we might say it is nonetheless the most effective Bluetooth audio system on the market, even with all of the competitors from manufacturers like Final Ears and JBL. Though there’s solely a single tweeter and a smaller mid-woofer than the one constructed into the Transfer 2, the Roam sounds crisp and clear at low to reasonable quantity and does an distinctive job projecting sound into mid-sized indoor and outside areas. Nonetheless, being the smaller of the 2, the Roam does have its limitations. For instance, in case you attempt cranking the amount all the way in which up whereas listening to some Metallica or heavy-duty R&B, it would sound cranky and distorted.
On the pool occasion
When evaluating the 2 audio system, think about a pool occasion state of affairs. At this shindig, the Roam is the smaller speaker that you simply’d place proper by the pool as a result of sitting it out on the patio (which is often distant from the pool) would imply you’d miss out on a few of the sound. Alternatively, the Transfer 2 was delivered to your occasion by knowledgeable DJ who would not assume twice about establishing his workstation distant from the pool just because he is aware of the Transfer 2 can hit arduous.
{Hardware}: The tried and true Sonos controller
As with all present Sonos {hardware}, one of the best ways to hearken to all of your favourite artists and playlists with the Transfer 2 and Roam is over Wi-Fi by means of the Sonos S2 app (accessible for Apple and Android units). Appearing as a music-streaming command heart — and an intuitive dashboard for controls and customizations, the S2 app will get you entry to all one of the best platforms, together with Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, Audible, and Sonos’ personal Radio HD and its many offshoots.
You may additionally have the ability to use the S2 app to group a number of Sonos units, select which audio supply performs on what speaker(s), and alter numerous parts of every speaker’s EQ.
A battle in opposition to the weather
Supply: Sonos
Each the Transfer 2 and Roam audio system are designed with portability in thoughts. Whether or not you need to use them indoors or outdoor, there’s explicit consideration paid to the latter setting within the type of some top-notch IP scores for every gadget. The Transfer 2 is IP56-rated, which suggests it is shielded from mud and high-pressure water streams. Nonetheless, since it’s one level away from full mud safety, you will need to be somewhat cautious when rocking out with it round sandy and gravel-laden areas.
So far as shielding goes, the Roam truly comes out on high with its IP67 ranking. The “six” means the speaker is completely dustproof, and the “seven” means you need to have the ability to submerge the Roam in three toes of water for as much as half-hour. Whereas each audio system are unbelievable for on-the-go utilization, the Roam’s improved mud and water safety make it further secure to make use of on the seaside, by the pool, and even as a bathe speaker.
The battery laurel goes to the brand new man
Being the larger speaker of the 2, the Sonos Transfer 2 additionally rocks the heftier 44Wh battery, which the corporate claims will last as long as 24 hours when performed at a reasonable quantity. This can be a main enchancment over the eight to 10 hours dished out by the unique Transfer, which put the O.G. mannequin in the identical battery camp because the far smaller Roam.
Talking of the little brother, Sonos claims the Roam ought to last as long as 10 hours on a single cost, and we discovered this determine to be fairly spot-on in our personal testing of the speaker. Generally, the battery by no means obtained low sufficient to necessitate a full re-juicing, and our reviewer discovered it extraordinarily handy to toss the Roam on the wi-fi charger at any time when it wasn’t getting used.
Which is best for you?
That each one relies on the kind of audio expertise you are on the lookout for. For those who care about general sound staging, quantity, and sound high quality, the Sonos Transfer 2 goes to be the higher possibility. The Transfer 2 can be the higher of the 2 for battery life, but it surely’s positively not as simple to tout round because the Sonos Roam.
![Sonos Move 2 smart speaker in Olive](https://static1.anpoimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/sonos-move-2-olive-1.jpg)
Sonos Transfer 2
Editor’s alternative
The larger-sounding one
The Sonos Transfer 2 delivers distinctive sound at riveting volumes and is constructed to final nearly a whole day with out being charged.
Would you like a super-lightweight Bluetooth companion that sounds fairly nice and lasts for a reasonably lengthy time period? If that’s the case, the Sonos Roam often is the higher match for you and yours. Plus, it may be submerged in as much as three toes of water for as much as half-hour.
![sonos-roam](https://static1.anpoimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/sonos-roam.jpeg)
Supply:Sonos
Sonos Roam
Good different
Despite the fact that it would not venture as a lot because the Sonos Transfer 2, the Sonos Roam remains to be a superb Wi-Fi/Bluetooth speaker.