Raat or Sonos // Jbl charge or Sonos roam 2

Audio Gear Talk
1

I need your help, I just can’t decide.

I’m looking for a small portable speaker that can also be controlled via Roon in my garden.

I currently have a JBL Charge 5 Wi-Fi and a Sonos Roam 2 here for testing.

Generally, I find the Roam’s sound more pleasant. Not as loud, less bass, but somehow clearer and higher resolution.

The JBL, on the other hand, seems more mainstream to me in terms of tuning, not bad… just what you’d expect for the masses.

Specs-wise, the JBL would win hands down… battery, bass, Roon tested, etc.

One thing is certain, Roon will continue to be the center of my music… (lifetime license).

That’s where my problem begins: the JBL natively supports RAAT and is officially tested, whereas the Roam only supports the Sonos protocol!

And who knows how long this will last until Sonos decides to change something.

Multiroom also seems to be a problem with mixed protocols; I don’t think it’s even possible.

Now it’s your turn. What would you do, or rather, which ones would you keep?

P.S.: I’m not talking about super-audiophilic listening, which I can do on my system at home.

2

I’d say pick JBL. I’ve had a 1st gen Sonos 5, constantly drop-out or just a pain to deal with. So my experience literally has been switching out Sonos for Wiim. And I have no more problem. JBL got my vote :slight_smile: :grinning:

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I have been using Sonos devices with Roon for years. Except for multiroom there is no recognizable difference compared to other devices using the RAAT protocol.

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Thanks to both of you, I’ve decided to return the Sonos, even though I like the hardware better!

I’ve done a bit of research, and from what I’ve read, Sonos has often changed features with updates in the past.

Roon is the number one choice for me, and I’ll continue to build everything around Roon no matter what, so Roon tested and RAAT are simply more important to me than a somewhat pleasing sound.

Sonos did a lot of things right with the Roam 2: form factor, sound, battery life, etc. However, if, for whatever reason, Sonos decides to update their protocol, I’ll be stuck and won’t be able to use the speaker for a long time, and without Roon, a speaker is worthless to me.

The good thing is, I was also planning on using Sonos for all the other rooms, including the surround setup on my TVs… since I’ve had to do some research into the subject, I’ve scrapped that plan and it looks like I’ll be going with Bluesound.