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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
JBL Charge 5 vs Sonos Roam/Roam SL
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
JBL Charge 5
Sonos Roam/Roam SL
Tested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Oct 31, 2024 02:51 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Nov 11, 2024 07:27 PM
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Amazon.com
BluetoothYes
Wi-FiNo
SpeakerphoneNo
Voice AssistantNo
Battery PoweredYes
BluetoothYes
Wi-FiYes
SpeakerphoneNo
Voice AssistantYes
Battery PoweredYes
Variants
- JBL Charge 5 (Black)
- JBL Charge 5 (Blue)
- JBL Charge 5 (Camo)
- JBL Charge 5 (Gray)
- JBL Charge 5 (Green)
- JBL Charge 5 (Pink)
- JBL Charge 5 (Red)
- JBL Charge 5 (Teal)
- JBL Charge 5 (White)
- Roam (Lunar White)
- Roam SL (Lunar White)
- Roam (Olive)
- Roam (Shadow Black)
- Roam SL (Shadow Black)
- Roam (Sunset)
- Roam (Wave)
Our Verdict
JBL Charge 5
Sonos Roam/Roam SL
The Sonos Roam/Roam SL and the JBL Charge 5 are similar speakers, though they have different strengths. The Sonos is smaller and more portable than the JBL. Its Roam variant has an outstanding voice assistant performance. However, the JBL can get louder than the Sonos and has fewer compression artifacts at max volume. It can be paired to two devices at once via Bluetooth and has outstanding battery life, though this can vary depending on your usage habits, so your real-world experience may differ.
Main Differences for
Threshold
Music
6.5
6.3
Dynamics
6.5
5.4
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
RGB Lights
No
No
Portability
9.1
9.4
Dimensions Photo
Volume
121 in³ (1,982 cm³)
39 in³ (632 cm³)
Weight
2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
0.9 lbs (0.4 kg)
Power Source
Battery & USB
Battery & USB
One-Hand Carry
Yes
Yes
Build Quality
8.3
8.5
Build Quality Photo
Material Quality
Great
Good
Water Resistance
Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)
Dust Resistance
Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Impact Resistance
Unspecified
Yes (IK rating unspecified)
Floats In Water
Unspecified
Unspecified
Controls
6.6
8.0
Controls Photo
Controls Photo 2
Ease Of Use
Great
Great
Feedback
Good
Great
Music Play/Pause
Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)
Call Answer/End
No
No
Volume Up/Down
Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)
Track Next/Previous
Forward Only (Physical)
Yes (Physical)
Microphone On/Off
No
Yes (Physical)
Additional Controls
Yes
Yes
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Sound
Frequency Response Accuracy
6.7
6.7
Frequency Response Graph
Slope
0.29
-0.06
Std. Err.
3.90 dB
3.58 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
58.2 Hz
62.6 Hz
High-Frequency Extension
18.5 kHz
18.0 kHz
Raw Frequency Response
Raw Frequency Response Graph
Binaural Recording @ 1m
Binaural Recording @ 2m
Soundstage
5.8
6.1
Directivity Graph
Directivity Index
4.27 dB
3.49 dB
Stereo
No (mono)
No (mono)
Dynamics
6.5
5.4
Dynamic Range Compression
SPL @ Max Volume
88.9 dB SPL
83.8 dB SPL
DRC @ Max Volume
3.16 dB
4.26 dB
Active Features
Battery
8.7
5.4
Battery Life
14.5 hrs
5.1 hrs
Charge Time
3.8 hrs
3.4 hrs
Power Saving
Yes
Yes
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
Battery Powered
Yes
Yes
Voice Assistant
0.0
9.4
Alexa
No
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)
Google Assistant
No
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)
Speakerphone
No
No
Siri
No
No
Voice Assistant
No
Yes
Voice Activation
No
Yes
Microphone Mute
No
Yes
Far-Field Performance
No Microphone
Excellent
Ambient Noise Performance
No Microphone
Great
App
7.9
9.3
App Picture
App Name
JBL Portable
Sonos S2
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
EQ
Graphic
Bass/Treble
Stereo Pair Mode
Yes
Yes
Party Mode
Yes
Yes
Multi-Room
No
Yes
Connectivity
Wired
Aux Input
No
No
USB Audio
No
No
Other Ports
Yes
No
Bluetooth
8.5
7.3
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth Version
5.1
5.0
Bluetooth iOS Latency
125 ms
117 ms
Bluetooth Android Latency
102 ms
201 ms
Bluetooth Range
328.1 ft (100.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
No
Wi-Fi
0.0
8.3
Wi-Fi Version
No Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 5
Wi-Fi Frequency Band
No Wi-Fi
2.4GHz & 5GHz
Wi-Fi
No
Yes
Apple AirPlay
No
Yes
AirPlay Latency
N/A
-2 ms
Google Chromecast
No
No
Chromecast Latency
N/A
N/A
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JBL Charge 5
Sonos Roam/Roam SL
Comments
JBL Charge 5 vs Sonos Roam/Roam SL: Main Discussion
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