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Sonos is a leading American audio technology company that is best known for pioneering wireless multi-room audio systems, which make it easy for listeners to stream music and other content throughout their homes. The company continues to innovate, creating wireless speakers, home theatre systems, headphones, architectural components, and integrated home audio solutions that revolutionise how people listen and connect to sound.

Global Head of Editorial

Huddle up. We want your pre-party to sound just as good as the main event, so we’re sharing five tips for throwing a winning tailgate—including advice from grilling/smoking extraordinaire Jimmy Ho on how to uplevel your outdoor cooking game. Ready, set, hut!

Whether you love, hate, or are indifferent to sports, there’s one aspect of game day we can all enjoy: the well-executed tailgate. While a game is usually the reason (or excuse), a tailgate seamlessly blends all the elements of a great party—food, drinks, games, the outdoors, and a shared cause. What’s not to love? Just don’t forget to bring 

 along to get your guests hyped for kickoff.

As the air turns cool and we start tuning in to ESPN2’s game coverage, we wanted to share some of our best tips for throwing a tailgate to cheer for. And remember, even if you’re planning on watching the game with the new 

 in your living room, there’s no reason why you can’t throw a pre-game tailgate in your driveway. In fact, we encourage it.

Imagine heading out to the field without a play in mind. It’s not going to go well. “I know this is very adult-ey, but you gotta plan,” said Austin-based grill/smoke master Jimmy Ho. “Have a checklist. And the reason why you want a checklist is because you should always over-prepare.” And he should know. Scroll through 

 and you can tell that Ho does a lot of thoughtful pre-planning in order to create his photo-worthy outdoor feasts.

Make a game plan.

Ho shared a few more things to consider for your pre-planning: “You want to have extra fuel, whether that’s charcoal, wood, or pulping. You don’t want to be caught needing extra fuel in the middle of cooking and then have to leave your food unattended while you go find more.”

As you’re planning your meals, consider how long things take to cook and your balance of high-maintenance food (which needs to be kept cool or hot) and low-maintenance food (which keeps well at room temperature.) “And always bring extra,” Ho said. “When you’re cooking things that take a lot of time to cook, like brisket, you need a plan B in case you run out. But if you run out of brisket, you won’t have time to cook another one, so bring easier meats to cook, like sausage.”

Bonus Tip: If you slept through cooler-packing 101, here’s a refresher: Drinks at the bottom, then a layer of ice, and finally: food. Pack it with as little air at the top as possible. And if you want to get drinks cold quickly, remember these three elements: ice, water, salt. Then swirl, wait, and enjoy.

Depending on where you live and in what part of the season you’re tailgating, the weather can vary widely. When it’s hot, make sure to create oases of shade with easy-to-assemble tents, water spritz bottles, and hand-held or battery-powered fans. For colder games, bring extra blankets and sweatshirts. And regardless of the weather, bring plenty of water to keep everyone fully hydrated.

Make it comfortable.

While most people stand at a tailgate, provide lots of seating options for eating and relaxation. Because, really, no one wants to have to ask Grandma to get up in order to get a drink from the cooler.

Is it even a tailgate if it’s not drenched in your team’s colors? Everything is in play—cups, plates, napkins, silverware, table cloths, streamers, banners, and more. Raise everyone's spirits with a dessert featuring a healthy dose of food coloring. Cupcakes designed to look like mini footballs? That's a win for everyone.

Make it festive.

To offer more drink options (beyond those that come in cans and bottles), you don’t have to bring your full home bar. Pre-mix drinks in jars and add them to the selection of other alcoholic beverages. You can do this with mocktails too. Just make sure that you clearly label what’s what. Note: this is also your moment to shine with a signature cocktail. Name it after your mascot, or take it as an opportunity for some good-natured ribbing of your opponent.

When we asked Jimmy Ho for his advice on making a great meal on the grill, the first thing he brought up was food safety. In addition to recommending wearing gloves so that you don’t cross-contaminate the food and bringing things to help keep cold food cool and hot food warm, he recommended getting a meat thermometer—but not just for safety reasons. “For the average Joe, getting a meat thermometer is important for both safety and tenderness reasons,” he said. “Pros often know when meat is done by feel or touch. But if you haven’t been doing it long enough, you might not know what the meat should feel like when it’s done. So if you have a thermometer, this will help make sure you’ve cooked the meat long enough, but also, from a tenderness perspective, not too much.”

Make it safe.

He also recommends giving yourself plenty of time to fully cook your meal. “I always think I know how long something will take to cook—and it always winds up taking longer,” he said.

Ho encourages bringing along a source of power, such as a generator or a power inverter for your car, because “At the very least, someone always needs to charge their phone.”

No matter how thoughtful you are about using reusable materials at your tailgate, you’re going to generate some trash. Rather than awkwardly hang a trash bag off the side of the table (which will inevitably end up on the ground, susceptible to bugs), bring two collapsible laundry hampers—one for trash and one for recycling—and line each with a trash bag.

We saved the best for last. Nothing gets everyone more pumped up for a game than music.

Make it fun.

 help create the ultimate mood for a tailgate. Just place them wherever it makes the most sense to get the best sound—and don’t worry if that’s in the direct sun or next to the cooler. They’re designed to hold the line against both heat 

Now, what to play? Create a collaborative playlist and fill it with your team’s fight songs, upbeat classics, tracks that bring you back to high school or college, and Jock Jams. Lots and lots of Jock Jams.

Or, to make it easier, check out ESPN’s collection of 

, featuring the “top hype up music of all time.” Each playlist covers a different genre, from pop, hip hop, and dance to country, rock, and Latin.

When it’s time for kickoff, don’t worry if you weren’t able to score tickets. Stream 

 of the game to your speaker via Bluetooth. If you’re closer to home and within range of your WiFi, you can find local sports coverage on 

, which is especially helpful if you don’t live in the same city as the team you’re rooting for.

And, to get everyone in the competitive spirit (and distract them while the brisket cooks just a little bit longer), bring along yard games like cornhole, ladder toss, and spikeball.

Football has been bringing people together for generations. And a tailgate is a fun, easy way for both casual and hardcore fans to connect. Win or lose, if you show up prepared with food, drinks, and great 

It’s College Football Season. Let’s Tailgate.

When we set out to collaborate with IKEA on the SYMFONISK Picture frame speaker, a flat speaker that’s also a piece of art, they were firm: it couldn’t be any thicker than 60 millimeters (about 2.36 inches). Find out how we created a panel speaker with sound that’s anything but flat.

At Sonos, we thoughtfully design each one of our speakers to look like a work of art. With the most recent addition to the SYMFONISK product range as part of our 

, we took our design philosophy to a new, more literal level. Of course, that’s the thrill in our collaboration with IKEA—finding innovative ways to create incredible-sounding speakers under the guise of traditional home furnishings.

After the success of the debut of SYMFONISK in 2019, which launched with table lamp and bookshelf speakers, we were enthusiastic to find even more unexpected ways of bringing sound into the home. We started by reviewing customer research, which told us that there are certain spaces in a home where some people feel that a traditional speaker just doesn’t “fit.” A variety of reasons were given for this, from not having enough counter space or wall outlets to technology not being a part of a particular space’s intended design aesthetic. With this in mind, the acoustic engineers at Sonos and the product designers at IKEA set out to answer a question: how do we hide a speaker in plain sight? During the joint ideation, the concept of a speaker that could be hung on the wall like a picture surfaced. And with that came a number of challenges, including, how to design a speaker with a thin enough profile to be hung on a wall. IKEA ran the numbers and came up with the maximum depth for such a product: 60 millimeters.

“The challenge with creating such a thin speaker is that it requires space to make sound,” said Sara Morris, Principal Product Manager at Sonos. “Because ultimately, a speaker creates sound by moving air. And the less space you have to move air, the more expensive it gets. So, we had to get creative.” Rather than daunting the engineers at Sonos, the space constraints only served to invigorate them.

At the beginning of development, the team had to acknowledge a seemingly obvious fact: people would place the picture frame speaker where they wanted a piece of art in their home, which is not necessarily where they would normally place a speaker. Chris Davies, Senior Director, Audio Engineering at Sonos explains, “With a conventional speaker, it's not too hard to envision where somebody will set it up. But when you've got something that's hanging on the wall, it's not the same decision process. It's like, there is a spot on the wall and I'm going to hang it there. And what you get out of it will be what you get out of it. So our need was to think about how we could make this product as flexible and functional as possible.”

Davies elaborates: “If you have a speaker on the wall in a dining room, someone who is sitting right in front of it is going to have a very different experience than someone who is sitting much farther away. So our challenge was to create a speaker with coverage that was as wide and consistent as possible for everyone in a given room. That way, the person who is sitting right in front of it isn’t hearing excess high frequency content and the person who is sitting on the other side of the room isn’t hearing something that sounds dull.”

To address this, one of the biggest things the team tackled was the “hot” high frequency sounds made by a tweeter. Morris steps in with a vivid, all-too-relatable explanation, “The way sound works is that low frequencies are omnidirectional and high frequencies are extremely directional. The way to think about this is when your neighbors are having a party. From your home, you can probably hear the bassline easily. But you probably can’t make out what specific song they’re playing because you can’t hear the singing or any of the other high frequency elements of the song. If you’re at the party though and close to the speaker, you know exactly where the sound is coming from because the high frequency sounds are coming directly at you.”

So, to ensure that the picture frame speaker would not be uncomfortable for someone sitting right in front of it, the team did two things to the tweeter. First they created a unique geometric shape around it, then they placed a star-shaped "lens" directly over it. Both of these things serve to help diffuse the high-frequency sounds throughout the room, creating a more consistent experience for everyone listening—regardless of how close or far they are from the actual speaker. Morris comes through with another vivid analogy to explain: “It’s like putting your thumb over water coming out of a garden hose. It’s going to force the water to spread out—or in this case, the high frequency sound—which will more evenly distribute it throughout the space. That way, everyone in the room gets a nice mist rather than just one person getting soaking wet.”

Unexpected Advantages and Big, Flat Complications

While the limited depth of the picture frame created constraints elsewhere, the overall volume of the speaker actually allowed for quite a bit of bass. But what seems like an advantage also came with its own set of challenges. As with all Sonos speakers, having well-balanced, natural sound was crucial for this product. Therefore, the team was careful to use a woofer that would provide the perfect amount of bass, something that wouldn’t overpower the mid- and high-range frequencies.

The large overall area of the speaker created another complication. “The flip side is that because you've got something that is big and flat, big and flat things tend to bend,” said Davies. “So we did a lot of work with the construction on the inside of the speaker, adding in ribbing and a bunch of mounting points so that you get something that holds together really well and doesn't deform or buckle as it’s making sound.”

While it was important for the picture frame’s physical structure to not be too flexible, Sonos and IKEA wanted the ways that people could place and enjoy the speaker to be as flexible as possible.

With exchangeable cover art and multiple ways to place it (horizontally, vertically, on the wall, on a piece of furniture, or even on the floor), the SYMFONISK Picture frame speaker was designed to give a plethora of options for any home. Each orientation is supported with subtle but useful touches, like a custom power cord guide and adjustable feet.

You can also easily integrate it into your existing Sonos system. Group it with other speakers throughout your home, pair two together for stereo sound, or use two as rears for a home theater setup when you don’t have a ton of space behind the couch. Combine this with (dozens of streaming services, Apple AirPlay 2, direct control from your favorite apps, and Trueplay tuning for unique room configurations, and you have one of our most versatile speakers yet.

Complementing the extensive thought and effort that went into ensuring incredible sound from a flat panel speaker, is the care and expertise IKEA brought to the aesthetics and overall look of the SYMFONISK Picture frame speaker. To learn more about how IKEA and Sonos created something beautiful enough to hang on your wall, read more on IKEA Today 

If These Walls Could Play Music

Guest Writer

The packaging for Sonos Roam sets new standards in environmental sustainability without compromising on a premium aesthetic. Find out how Sonos prioritized the planet—and the unboxing experience—at the same time.

We all know the old saying about never judging a book by its cover, but in today’s world that sentiment feels less and less relevant. Whether we realize it or not, packaging plays a vital role in all of our lives: shaping global commerce, influencing how we use our products, and prompting difficult questions about the legacy we’re leaving for future generations.

Sonos thoughtfully considers how it packages its products—from crafting a simple, joyous unboxing experience to ensuring that its packaging prioritizes ecological sustainability. The groundbreaking packaging system it developed and introduced with Roam, offers a fascinating glimpse into how all of these complex threads weave together.

Michelle Enright, Head of Packaging Experience, has led Sonos’s packaging team since 2012. Roam’s launch represents the culmination of years of tireless work to refine the design, materials, and manufacturing processes involved. For Michelle, creating beautiful and tactile packaging goes hand in hand with reducing Sonos’s environmental footprint. “We wanted the unboxing to feel like it’s your birthday,” she says. “But the beauty of Roam’s packaging is that we didn’t need to sacrifice other priorities to achieve that. By making a few strategic trade-offs, we were able to get what we’d always dreamed of.”

“We always design with sustainability in mind,” she explains. “When I joined Sonos, we had one product which was packaged in paper pulp rather than less sustainable materials. But that created a precedent. We’d done it once, and it worked, so we knew we could do more.”

“For Roam, we wanted to set the bar higher and have as much of the packaging made from paper as possible. Our development focused on uncoated paper as a material driver during conceptualization, progressing to sketches exploring surface treatments, then CGI mockups, and finally, working with our suppliers to bring it all to fruition.”

That conceptual phase included thinking not only about what Sonos’s packaging was made of, but also about what it said. “We looked at other packaging across the tech industry and saw a sea of samey black-and-white palettes,” Michelle explains. “We decided with Roam that we wanted a visual design system that moved away from that. Something we could distinctly own. But we always think about our packaging as part of a family,” she continues, “which means that Roam’s packaging also needed to live alongside our existing products.”

Michelle and her team aimed to create a design which would set Sonos apart, but also felt like a natural evolution from earlier branding, something which embodied the premium quality Sonos is known for and significantly reduced environmental impact. Part of what makes Roam’s packaging so special is the harmony the team found between those potentially conflicting goals.

“From the beginning, we wanted to find a paper that we didn’t have to laminate,” explains Michelle. “Most packaging that you’ll see in stores will have a plastic coating to prevent scuffs and fingerprints. It also makes those materials far less recyclable. We tested a number of off-the-shelf papers, but we ultimately created our own, working directly with a paper mill: we developed everything from the color and smoothness to the way the paper wraps around corners.”

That process included understanding how the physical qualities of this bespoke paper impacted other aspects of the design process. “One of the challenges with uncoated papers is that they all react differently to ink,” Michelle continues, “so the visual system we created had to cater to the specific qualities of this new paper.” She shows off a huge A1 sheet printed with varying designs, ink colors, font types, and logos, underlining the exhaustive process undertaken by her team to align Roam’s visual identity with the materials.

“Uncoated kraft paper isn’t generally considered premium, but we wanted to change that paradigm and create a tactile experience for our customers, so we used a foil stamp to create debossed and embossed areas around the box,” explains Michelle. “It’s things like that, combined with the feeling of the paper, the color, the finish, the treatments, and the graphics, which make the finished product feel premium. If one of those things hadn’t come together for us, it wouldn’t have worked.”

That sense of quality is a huge part of Michelle’s work. She explains how her team devotes hours to thinking about where a customer will first make contact with the box as they lift it from a shelf, or the order in which they’ll unpack the contents.

Nowhere is this attention to detail more evident than in the question of environmental impact. Michelle’s team were able to use 100% sustainably sourced paper for Roam’s box—even the hanging loop on the top is made from paper fibers—completely negating the need for plastic foam, a far less environmentally friendly substance. “Foam was never an option for us on Roam,” says Michelle. Even factoring in smaller elements inside the box for which plastic was the only viable option, like the product bag, the overall total for the packaging system is still 96.5% paper. A stunning achievement against an initial target of 85%.

In terms of what that means once Roam is shipping around the world, Michelle’s team have already crunched the numbers and estimate that by the end of 2021, their redesigned packaging, applied across the product portfolio, will have removed 62,000 kilograms of plastic from Sonos’s supply chain.

Deji Olukotun, Director of Policy and Corporate Social Responsibility, is hugely proud of what Michelle and her team have achieved, and sees the reduction of plastic packaging as a crucial part of Sonos’s wider commitment to social impact. “Packaging is an area where we’re seeing a lot of success. It’s great to be able to hold Roam up as an example and celebrate Michelle and her team."

When Michelle’s team finalizes a design, that isn’t the end of the process, but instead sparks a whole new set of possibilities. Deji explains that they will regularly go back and rethink old packaging designs: even something as simple as reducing the size of a box used to package an older product might enable us to fit more of them on a pallet or into a single shipping container, reducing their overall carbon footprint.

The impact of Roam’s packaging extends beyond Sonos too, from sharing recycling data with scientific researchers to applying for a Forest Stewardship Council licensing trademark, with the goal to display an FSC label on Sonos products by the end of 2021. “This is a really important signal that our packaging work isn't just greenwashing,” says Deji. “It's respected within the packaging business and by sustainability advocates, which helps set the bar even higher for the future.”

Ultimately, the future is what matters. The work undertaken by Michelle, Deji, and the team isn’t just about ensuring that products meet the needs of our customers today, but also preserving our collective tomorrow. When asked what motivates her, Michelle muses,“The greatest joy we have in our team is knowing that someone will open that box and love their product. But also as a mom I’m concerned about the future of the planet. In the end, it’s about making sure that we’re putting good things out into the world.”

Roam’s Packaging Represents a Premium Approach to Sustainability

Everything we make is intentionally designed to be easy to set up, control, and enjoy. But the Sonos experience can be as rich and multilayered as you’d like. To make sure you’re getting the most out of your Sonos products, we present the ‘Essential Guide’ series.

When we set out to create our second portable speaker, there was only one thing we 

 want you to do with it: leave it in your bag or a drawer. That meant we had to ensure that the experience was as impressive on the go as we knew it would be at home. The result: 

Whether you’re brand new to Sonos or a long-time owner, the ‘Essential Guide’ series is for you. If Roam is your first Sonos speaker, start from the beginning. We’ll take you through the entire Sonos journey step by step, from setting up Roam to some of the more advanced features possible when you group Roam with other Sonos speakers. If you’re a long-time owner, feel free to look around. Hopefully you’ll learn something new about Roam or rediscover features you haven’t used in a while. Ready? Let’s get into it.

As our smallest and most portable speaker to date, Roam was designed to be enjoyed outside the home. So when it came time to create Roam’s color palette, we naturally drew inspiration from the places you’ll listen and the stunning scenery you’ll see along the way. The result: Olive, Wave, and Sunset.

Influenced by lush landscapes, coastal beaches, and evening skies, Roam’s colors are the perfect addition to any listening on the go. Complement your outdoor style as you chase new experiences close to home or thousands of miles away. And when it’s time to return home, accent the interiors of your space with a shade that blends in or stands out.

If you prefer the simplicity of neutral tones, Roam is also available in Shadow Black and 

. When you’ve decided which color is best for you, it’s time to get set up.

Once you get a hold of Roam, the first thing you’ll need to do is 

. If you’ve already started your system, then you know how easy this is. With Roam, we’ve made it even easier.

The Sonos app automatically detects Roam and connects to WiFi in seconds. Just make sure Roam is turned on (by pressing the power button on the back of the speaker) or plugged in to power via the USB-C cable, and that you’ve downloaded the Sonos S2 app for 

. The app will walk you through a couple of steps, and in a matter of minutes, you'll be ready to play.

With Roam, we’ve created a groundbreaking packaging system that sets a new standard for our environmental sustainability. We removed single-use plastics from Roam’s box, document envelope, tear strips, and labels; developed a sustainably-sourced custom kraft paper; and replaced all internal components with paper pulp. According to Michelle Enright, Head of Packaging Experience, “We wanted the unboxing to feel like it’s your birthday.” 

You can learn more about our recent efforts and current progress in reducing the environmental footprint of our products 

Roam can be placed horizontally or vertically. When vertical, it has the smallest footprint of any of our speakers—less than 2.5 inches at its widest. And the shallow depth of Roam’s charging cable allows it to be placed as close as possible to a wall or in a corner.

Horizontally, Roam is designed for stability on uneven surfaces like grass or sand. Plus, the volume buttons are strategically placed to make sure that turning the volume up and down is intuitive, regardless of how it’s oriented.

The Sonos app is like having a control panel for your speaker (and your entire system) in the palm of your hand. Once you’ve learned a few simple icons, you’ll be able to navigate through the app easily. Find a complete tutorial on using the app 

Below are a few of our most popular features that will help you quickly find your favorites or discover something new.

Even with millions of songs, albums, books, and podcasts at our fingertips, we often find ourselves going back to those handful of favorites over and over again. Save them to “My Sonos” as you explore and then just tap the star icon in the toolbar at the bottom of your screen to quickly access all the content you love.

Tap the magnifying glass icon in the toolbar to search by artist, song, album, playlist, station, genre, composer, and more.

When you’re not sure exactly what you want to listen to, tap the music note icon at the bottom of the screen, and let 

 or your favorite music service lead you down a path of music discovery.

Sonos Radio is our free radio service for all Sonos owners. Access thousands of radio stations from around the world, listen to 

, discover new music, and enjoy original content free from the Sonos app. You can also preview stations and 

Tune in to Sonos Sound System, our signature station, to learn stories behind the music, find new artists, and hear the latest releases. Or check out exclusive stations curated by music icons including Thom Yorke, Brittany Howard, and Lorde. Follow 

 on Instagram for the latest, including fascinating deep dives into radio culture.

And if you want to listen in high-definition, ad-free, and with access to even more original content, including stations curated by Ghostface Killah, Björk, FKA twigs, and Blacksmith Radio, check out 

The Sonos system was designed to be flexible and adjust to the way you listen—not the other way around. And as omnipresent as phones are in our lives, sometimes it’s really nice to put them down and forget about them. But that shouldn’t mean the music has to stop too.

All of our speakers have touch controls that allow you to control your system without the use of the app. Here is a quick primer on how to control Roam using just the buttons:

Press once to put Roam to sleep and preserve battery life. Wake Roam by pressing any button when you’re ready to listen again.

Press and hold for two seconds until you hear the chime and the status light turns blue to 

 (Make sure you complete Roam’s setup at home beforehand.)

Press and hold for five seconds to completely power down Roam.

Press three times to replay the last track.

Press and hold until you hear the second tone to group Sonos speakers around your home.

Press and hold until you hear the third tone to use 

. With Sound Swap, you can send sound to and from your nearest Sonos speaker. (Think of it as if sound were a ball. You can throw the ball to a friend. Or, if they already have the ball, ask them to throw it to you.)

Press the + button to turn the volume up.

Press the - button to turn the volume down.

You know those moments when you’re listening to a song or watching a video on your phone and you realize that you want to hear it with great sound...immediately? 

 allows you to stream whatever is playing on your phone out loud on a nearby speaker. Although Bluetooth is incredibly convenient when you’re on the go, in general, it’s best to be connected via WiFi when you’re at home. Roam can automatically switch between the two, prioritizing WiFi when you’re within range of your home network.

But occasionally, there is content on your phone that cannot be played on your Sonos system via WiFi. Until now. Roam unlocks Bluetooth audio for your entire system. Just group Roam with other speakers and start streaming to Roam via Bluetooth. The sound will play on all of the grouped speakers.

Partial to a particular app? If you want to stream to Sonos without leaving your favorite app, you have some options.

Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, Pandora, and other services all let you 

. Just look for the button that allows you to play to an external speaker.

And if you have an iOS device, including iPhone and iPad, or a Mac, you can play sounds from your favorite apps out loud on Sonos 

When you want to skip a song, turn up the volume, or extend your music to more speakers on your Sonos system, the quickest and easiest way is to use your voice. 

 offers you complete control of your system without lifting a finger. Simply say “Hey Sonos” followed by your request.

Plus, because Sonos Voice Control processes all requests locally (meaning that data is transcribed on the speaker itself and never sent to the cloud), you can enjoy limited playback controls while connected to Bluetooth, including pausing, resuming, and volume adjustments. So there’s no need to swim to the edge of the pool and sacrifice soaking your phone just to change the song.

If you want to add an extra layer of hands-free help for setting reminders or getting answers to questions, you can also use 

To make sure your voice control is on and ready to take requests, look for the white light on top of Roam. This signals that the microphone is on and your voice assistant is ready to respond. Not into voice assistants? The microphone light is hardwired, meaning that when you press the microphone button and the light goes off, you can be certain that the microphone is off.

While smart speakers are a convenient addition to any home, we understand that they’re not for everyone. 

 comes microphone-free so you can focus more on the music and worry less about privacy.

Roam is small. Its sound is not. That’s because we engineered it from the inside out to deliver astonishingly rich sound despite its compact size. The custom-designed racetrack woofer maximizes low-end output, while the high-efficiency neodymium motor increases power.

With sound, so much depends on the environment in which you’re listening. If you’re listening in a cozy room with thick carpet and tons of pillows, it’s going to sound a lot different than if you’re listening in a wide-open grassy field. Our auto Trueplay technology dynamically adapts the sound for each unique environment. This ensures that Roam sounds great no matter where you’re listening.

Stereo pairing is one of those terms that can sound really complicated and techy, but in reality, it’s just awesome. Here’s the basic idea: a lot of music is recorded with two channels—left and right. So let’s say a song is mixed with more guitar in the left channel and more bass in the right channel. When you listen to that song through a single speaker, the two channels are combined. You can still hear both the guitar and the bass, but with a bit less detail than you would if they had been kept separate.

But when you play that same song through two 

 (while on WiFi), you give it space and breadth. Ultimately, this allows you to appreciate the song with all the richness and nuance from when it was originally recorded.

Roam comes with a USB-C charger that fits snugly against the back of the speaker, whether vertical or horizontal. Or you can simply drop it on any Qi-compatible charger.

Roam can continuously play for up to 10 hours on a single charge. To get the most out of your battery life, open the Sonos app and make sure the 

 setting is on. This will automatically power off your speaker when it’s been idle for 30 minutes. When you’re ready to play again, just press the power button. (We recommend keeping Roam plugged into power when you’re home so that it’s always charged up and ready to go.)

, a custom-designed charging accessory for Roam, perfectly extends the speaker’s form, enabling charging without increasing footprint.

All charged up? Good, let’s go outside.

Smaller than most water bottles and weighing less than a pound (430 grams), there aren’t many reasons 

 to bring Roam with you when you leave the house. Throw it in a carry-on bag, stash it in a cup holder, or tuck it into a jacket pocket for great sound whenever you need it.

Roam’s concave end-caps serve three functions—preventing accidental button presses, providing a stable base when stood vertically, and increasing drop resistance. When in doubt, bring Roam.

With an IP67 rating, Roam is fully dustproof and waterproof, meaning that it can be submerged in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. (And with tactile buttons, it’s easy to know which one to press—even when it’s wet.)

Leaky water bottles. Dusty trails. An unexpected dip in the pool. Roam plays on.

The Essential Guide to Roam

Once you get a hold of our new portable speaker, 

, you’re going to want to see what it can do. Here are three ideas to get you started—and three reasons why you’ll want to bring Roam along for all of your future outdoor adventures.

The more time we spend inside, the more likely we are to forget how good it feels to be outside. The couch is comfortable. Snacks are plentiful. The air is temperate. And we’ve got every song, movie, show, and book at our fingertips.

But getting outdoors is like a reset for mind, body, and spirit. It reminds us that we’re alive and part of a planet that’s full of unexpected sights, sounds, smells, and sensations—all of which we’re walled off from while indoors.

With Roam, spending more time outside doesn’t mean having to give up everything you love about your Sonos system. Our newest portable speaker was intentionally designed to make listening on the go as easy as possible.

Spending time outside is self-care. So is listening to things that make you happy. We’ve come up with three excuses to get you outside and into the fresh air. And, three reasons why you’ll want to bring 

Outing #1: Gain Elevation with Meditation

If you regularly meditate or love getting out into nature, you know the benefits. Connection. Calm. Clarity. (To name a few.) By combining both activities into one adventure, you can take the entire experience to another level.

For your first outing, consider taking Roam with you on a camping trip. (And if that’s not possible, choose a local hike that’s right for your fitness level.) Once out in the wild, find a spot that’s safe and comfortable, and where you won’t disturb plants or wildlife. When you’re settled, play a guided meditation from an app like 

. (You may want to download the meditation in advance in case there’s no service.)

There are many different ways to meditate. To take full advantage of being outdoors, consider doing a meditation that emphasizes mindfulness or paying attention to your surroundings. By listening to the guided meditation through Roam (versus your headphones) you’ll be able to meditate while simultaneously taking in the natural sounds and sensations around you.

Roam seamlessly switches between WiFi and Bluetooth, so it’s easy to send the meditation audio directly from your phone to Roam. And because the speaker weighs less than a pound, it won’t weigh you down if you have to do a bit of hiking to get to your campsite.

Tennis combines skill, fitness, and competition. It also presents a great opportunity to socialize outdoors with someone not in your pod. Now, we know that tennis requires intense focus, but unless you’re a professional player, it’s nice to be reminded that it’s just a game. Music can help loosen the vibes and mellow the competition.

For your next outing, grab a racket, a canister of balls, and Roam (which, side note, conveniently fits into an empty ball canister), and challenge someone to an outdoor match. Choose music that puts everyone on the court at ease. This will create an atmosphere of friendly competition, inspiring appreciation for being able to play a game outdoors. (Our art director swears by upbeat 80s pop and yacht rock to create the best vibe.)

When vertical, Roam takes up very little space. So an out-of-bounds tennis ball is incredibly unlikely to knock it over. On the off chance you manage to hit it, don't worry. The durable design can handle your serve. When Roam is on the ground, the speaker’s triangular shape subtly directs sound upwards towards the listener. And no matter where you place it, automatic Trueplay dynamically adapts the sound for its surroundings, ensuring that Roam will deliver surprisingly rich sound even in an open-air environment.

When it comes to self-care, there are few activities more therapeutic than tending to a garden. Doing so means becoming an active participant in the creation of the fresh air we all depend upon.

For your final outing, consider bringing Roam with you to the community garden for a more mellow and introspective activity. While you plant, water, and prune, you can catch up on some reading with a good audiobook. Nourish your mind with something nature-inspired like Richard Powers’s 

Roam is rated IP67, meaning that it’s waterproof and dustproof, and can easily weather an unexpected shower from a watering can. (Plus, it will prevent you from ever accidentally planting a wireless earbud.) And Roam’s tactile buttons make it easy to play, pause, skip, revisit, and adjust the volume, even when wet.

Roam was made to be the perfect companion when you want to get out of the house—whether it’s for an epic cross-country road trip or a relaxing afternoon at the park. It was also designed to seamlessly integrate into your Sonos system when you get home, ensuring that it won’t spend half its life in a backpack or drawer. Stay tuned for a future blog post in which we’ll share all the ways Roam can make your system even better. In the meantime, we hope Roam inspires you wherever and whenever you choose to listen. 

 is available April 20. Preorder now at sonos.com.

You Need Fresh Air. Bring Roam.

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It’s College Football Season. Let’s Tailgate.

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Categories

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Roam’s Packaging Represents a Premium Approach to Sustainability

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