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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Bose Home Speaker 500 vs Sonos Roam/Roam SL
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Bose Home Speaker 500
Sonos Roam/Roam SL
Tested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Nov 28, 2024 07:50 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Nov 11, 2024 07:27 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
BluetoothYes
Wi-FiYes
SpeakerphoneNo
Voice AssistantYes
Battery PoweredNo
BluetoothYes
Wi-FiYes
SpeakerphoneNo
Voice AssistantYes
Battery PoweredYes
Variants
- Home Speaker 500 (Luxe Silver)
- Home Speaker 500 (Triple Black)
- Roam (Lunar White)
- Roam SL (Lunar White)
- Roam (Olive)
- Roam (Shadow Black)
- Roam SL (Shadow Black)
- Roam (Sunset)
- Roam (Wave)
Our Verdict
Bose Home Speaker 500
Sonos Roam/Roam SL
The Bose Home Speaker 500 is better than the Sonos Roam/Roam SL, though they're designed for different uses. The Bose is a stereo speaker designed for use at home and needs to remain plugged into a power source to work. It has a more spacious sounding soundstage and can produce a more extended low bass than the Sonos. It can also get louder with less compression at max volume. The Sonos is smaller, battery-powered, and designed to be taken with you when you're out and about. It's better built, with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, so you don't have to worry about it getting a bit wet or dusty while outdoors.
Check Price
Luxe Silver
Home Speaker 500
Searching
Finding storeLunar White
Roam
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Finding storeTriple Black
Home Speaker 500
Searching
Finding storeLunar White
Roam SL
Searching
Finding storeOlive
Roam
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Finding storeShadow Black
Roam
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Finding storeShadow Black
Roam SL
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Finding storeSunset
Roam
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Finding storeWave
Roam
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Finding storeMain Differences forMusic
Music
Threshold
Music
7.3
6.3
Soundstage
8.7
6.1
Dynamics
7.2
5.4
Frequency Response Accuracy
6.9
6.7
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
RGB Lights
No
No
Portability
4.3
9.4
Dimensions Photo
Volume
226 in³ (3,702 cm³)
39 in³ (632 cm³)
Weight
4.9 lbs (2.2 kg)
0.9 lbs (0.4 kg)
Power Source
AC Only
Battery & USB
One-Hand Carry
No
Yes
Build Quality
6.7
8.5
Build Quality Photo
Material Quality
Great
Good
Water Resistance
No
Submersible (IPx7)
Dust Resistance
Unspecified
Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Impact Resistance
Unspecified
Yes (IK rating unspecified)
Floats In Water
No
Unspecified
Controls
8.0
8.0
Controls Photo
Controls Photo 2
Ease Of Use
Great
Great
Feedback
Great
Great
Music Play/Pause
Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)
Call Answer/End
No
No
Volume Up/Down
Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)
Track Next/Previous
Yes
Yes (Physical)
Microphone On/Off
Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)
Additional Controls
Yes
Yes
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Sound
Frequency Response Accuracy
6.9
6.7
Frequency Response Graph
Slope
-0.62
-0.06
Std. Err.
3.50 dB
3.58 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
55.0 Hz
62.6 Hz
High-Frequency Extension
17.0 kHz
18.0 kHz
Raw Frequency Response
Raw Frequency Response Graph
Binaural Recording @ 1m
Binaural Recording @ 2m
Soundstage
8.7
6.1
Directivity Graph
Directivity Index
2.41 dB
3.49 dB
Stereo
Yes
No (mono)
Dynamics
7.2
5.4
Dynamic Range Compression
SPL @ Max Volume
90.5 dB SPL
83.8 dB SPL
DRC @ Max Volume
2.19 dB
4.26 dB
Active Features
Battery
0.0
5.4
Battery Life
N/A
5.1 hrs
Charge Time
N/A
3.4 hrs
Power Saving
No
Yes
Charging Port
No Battery
USB-C
Battery Powered
No
Yes
Voice Assistant
10
9.4
Alexa
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)
Google Assistant
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)
Speakerphone
No
No
Siri
No
No
Voice Assistant
Yes
Yes
Voice Activation
Yes
Yes
Microphone Mute
Yes
Yes
Far-Field Performance
Excellent
Excellent
Ambient Noise Performance
Excellent
Great
App
7.7
9.3
App Picture
App Name
Bose Music
Sonos S2
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
EQ
Bass/Treble
Bass/Treble
Stereo Pair Mode
No
Yes
Party Mode
Yes
Yes
Multi-Room
Yes
Yes
Connectivity
Wired
Aux Input
Yes
No
USB Audio
No
No
Other Ports
Yes
No
Bluetooth
8.2
7.3
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth Version
4.2
5.0
Bluetooth iOS Latency
57 ms
117 ms
Bluetooth Android Latency
88 ms
201 ms
Bluetooth Range
195.2 ft (59.5 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
Wi-Fi
8.1
8.3
Wi-Fi Version
Unspecified
Wi-Fi 5
Wi-Fi Frequency Band
2.4GHz & 5GHz
2.4GHz & 5GHz
Wi-Fi
Yes
Yes
Apple AirPlay
Yes
Yes
AirPlay Latency
45 ms
-2 ms
Google Chromecast
Yes
No
Chromecast Latency
N/A
N/A
Check Price
Luxe Silver
Home Speaker 500
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Finding storeLunar White
Roam
Searching
Finding storeTriple Black
Home Speaker 500
Searching
Finding storeLunar White
Roam SL
Searching
Finding storeOlive
Roam
Searching
Finding storeShadow Black
Roam
Searching
Finding storeShadow Black
Roam SL
Searching
Finding storeSunset
Roam
Searching
Finding storeWave
Roam
Searching
Finding store
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Bose Home Speaker 500
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Comments
Bose Home Speaker 500 vs Sonos Roam/Roam SL: Main Discussion
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