If you’re at all familiar with the more prosumer-grade audio gear, then you’ll probably be aware of Sonos, one of the higher-end audio gear makers for the general consumer market. Not only does it make some of the best soundbars, but it also makes some of the best wireless speakers, and if you’re looking for a great portable speaker, then the Sonos Roam SL is really hard to beat. Unfortunately, Sonos is a very expensive brand akin to Apple, so you are paying quite a premium. Luckily, there are some great early Memorial Day deals on the Sonos Roam SL, such as this one from Best Buy that takes the usual $160 price and brings it down to $128, saving you $32 in the process.
Why you should buy the Sonos Roam SL Portable Bluetooth Speaker
The Sonos Roam SL is pretty much the same exact speaker as the Sonos Roam, with the main difference being that it doesn’t come with a microphone. While that’s not an issue at face value, it does mean that you can’t use it for voice-activated content, such as using Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. For many, that’s probably not a big issue, especially if you’re only looking for a good speaker to take out when you’re at a party or picnic and want some extra music. In fact, removing the microphone means bringing down the price, so it’s actually a pretty smart choice on Sonos’ part.
In terms of audio, the sound is really loud and deep compared to the small body that it’s in, so it can catch you off guard when you first hear it. Of course, it does suffer with some issues of smaller portable speakers, which is that use outdoors leads to some loss of clarity overall, although likely not enough that anybody would notice. Also, it does have an IP67 rating and can stay submerged in water for up to 30 minutes, which you shouldn’t do, but it does show that it can handle the elements quite well. It also has up to 10 hours of battery life, which is solid for its size and cost.
All in all, the Sonos Roam SL is an excellent small little speaker, and with the ability to connect more than one, the discount from Best Buy that brings it down to $128 has us considering grabbing a couple. That said, if it’s not quite what you’re looking for, there are some other great wireless speaker deals you could look into instead.
