Design and build:

Comparing Sonos Roam vs Move, the Move is bigger and heavier. You can still carry it outdoors but not everywhere like during hiking or climbing. It has a hollow shape at the back of the speaker that acts as a handle, so you can it with your hand. Being lightweight and smaller in size, the Sonos Roam is highly portable. Sonos Roam has a triangular shape with curved edges whereas the Move has a oval type design.  It is available in more color options.

They differ in terms of build quality as well. The Sonos Roam has an IP67 rating but the Move has IP56 rating which means the Move is only dust protected and waterproof. This rating indicates the Roam is more durable and has rugged build. Unlike the Roam, you cannot submerge it into water. You can use the Move in the rain, in washroom or kitchen.

They both have impact resistivity which means the speaker will work fine even if you accidentally drop it. While you can place the Roam horizontally or vertically, you need to place the Move in horizontal position only.

Performance:

Sonos Roam has one tweeter, one mid-woofer driven by two Class-H amplifiers. The Move has a tweeter and mid-woofer with two Class-D amplifiers. Comparing Sonos Roam vs Move, with larger speaker size the Move is more powerful. It has more impactful bass and with high SPL, it can get quite loud. It has crisp and clear highs along with balanced sound profile.

Both these speakers use Auto Trueplay that analyzes room layout to adjust the sound.

You can improve the performance of Roam by pairing another Roam speaker. This will give you better stereo separation and powerful sound compared to one. Sonos Roam can produce room filling sound, it is suitable for small to medium sized outdoor spaces.  

Features:

Comparing Sonos Roam vs Move, the Roam has Sound Swap with which you can transfer song between Sonos Roam and other Sonos products. Sonos Roam and Move offer several smart features over Wi-Fi. You can stream from several music streaming services like Spotify, Deezer,Tidal, use voice assistants and more. They both take part in creating expansive multiroom audio. While the Move works with both new S2 OS and the older S1 OS, the Roam works only with the S2 OS.

With Sonos Move, you need to toggle the switch between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Sonos Roam shifts between the two connection automatically. These speakers have Airplay 2 that works with Siri. Apple users can stream content from Apple or Mac devices to the Sonos speakers. You can talk to Siri and use different commands. They both have far-field microphone array that allows Sonos, Google Assistant and Alexa to pick up your voice no matter where you are in the room.

Sonos Voice Control is present in these speakers as well. They are ready to be a part of Sonos ecosystem and Apple users can get the most out of these speakers.

Connectivity:

While both speakers support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the Roam has the update 5.0 version. It also has lower latency compared to the Move which means you can use it for watching videos and movies.

Multiple speaker pairing:

Sonos Roam can connect with Sonos Move, Sonos One and Sonos Five. While you can connect one or more speaker with both Roam and Move, they cannot be used as surround speaker or be connected to subwoofers. Stereo pairing will only work over Wi-Fi.

Use case:

The Move is ready to move outdoors but maybe from one friend’s house to another or during camping. It is ideal for indoors where you can place it in the house, garden, patio, etc. You can use the Sonos Roam outdoors and take it mostly anywhere you go. Even if it accidentally falls into water, the speaker will work.

Battery life:

Comparing Sonos Roam vs Move, the Move has a longer battery life of 10 hours. Sonos Roam lasts around 7 to 10 hours depending on whether you are using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. You can easily charge these speakers by placing them on charging base that you need to purchase separately.

Control options:

Sonos Roam has play/pause, volume up/down and microphone controls. Sonos Move is better and easier with touch-sensitive controls. It has play/pause, microphone and two four dots controls. These four dot controls can be used for volume up/down and another one for Next/previous track functions. Both these speakers have Join button and a Bluetooth/Wi-Fi toggle switch.

Cost:

Comparing Sonos Roam vs Move, the Move is costlier. It is almost double the price of that of Sonos Roam. Its pristine sound quality along with smart features compensates the high price.

FAQ:

What can you do with Sonos S2 app?

You can stream contents online in internet radio, music streaming services, etc. It can be used voice assistant to command instead of using physical buttons. You can stream content in multiple rooms. Here, you can group rooms to play the same audio in all room or different audio in different rooms.

Can I connect Sonos Roam to Sonos Move?

While you can connect Roam and Move together, it is wise to pair two Roam for powerful sound. It is compatible with Sonos S2 speakers.