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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Yamaha MusicCast 50 vs Sonos Roam/Roam SL
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Yamaha MusicCast 50
Sonos Roam/Roam SL
Tested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Feb 26, 2024 02:34 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-FiYes
SpeakerphoneNo
Voice AssistantNo
Battery PoweredNo
BluetoothYes
Wi-FiYes
SpeakerphoneNo
Voice AssistantYes
Battery PoweredYes
Variants
- MusicCast 50 (Birch)
- MusicCast 50 (Black)
- MusicCast 50 (White)
- Roam (Lunar White)
- Roam SL (Lunar White)
- Roam (Olive)
- Roam (Shadow Black)
- Roam SL (Shadow Black)
- Roam (Sunset)
- Roam (Wave)
Our Verdict
Yamaha MusicCast 50
Sonos Roam/Roam SL
The Yamaha MusicCast 50 is a better speaker than the Sonos Roam/Roam SL overall, though you may prefer one over the other, depending on your listening habits. With its default 'Bass Booster' sound program enabled, the Yamaha can produce a more extended low bass than the Sonos. It can get louder than the Sonos with fewer compression artifacts at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio during louder listening sessions. It can also play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, which is more immersive. The Sonos is smaller and battery-powered, making it more portable than the Yamaha. It also offers fantastic voice assistant support with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in as long as you get the right variant.
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Birch
MusicCast 50
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Amazon.comLunar White
Roam
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Amazon.comBlack
MusicCast 50
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Amazon.comLunar White
Roam SL
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Amazon.comWhite
MusicCast 50
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Amazon.comOlive
Roam
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Amazon.comShadow Black
Roam
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Amazon.comShadow Black
Roam SL
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Amazon.comSunset
Roam
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Amazon.comWave
Roam
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Amazon.comMain Differences forMusic
Music
Threshold
Music
7.0
6.3
Dynamics
8.1
5.4
Soundstage
6.8
6.1
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
RGB Lights
No
No
Portability
3.8
9.4
Dimensions Photo
Volume
586 in³ (9,600 cm³)
39 in³ (632 cm³)
Weight
9.8 lbs (4.5 kg)
0.9 lbs (0.4 kg)
Power Source
AC Only
Battery & USB
One-Hand Carry
No
Yes
Build Quality
6.4
8.5
Build Quality Photo
Material Quality
Good
Good
Water Resistance
No
Submersible (IPx7)
Dust Resistance
No
Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Impact Resistance
Unspecified
Yes (IK rating unspecified)
Floats In Water
No
Unspecified
Controls
4.8
8.0
Controls Photo
Controls Photo 2
Ease Of Use
Good
Great
Feedback
Good
Great
Music Play/Pause
No
Yes (Physical)
Call Answer/End
No
No
Volume Up/Down
Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)
Track Next/Previous
No
Yes (Physical)
Microphone On/Off
No
Yes (Physical)
Additional Controls
Yes
Yes
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Sound
Frequency Response Accuracy
6.8
6.7
Frequency Response Graph
Slope
-0.51
-0.06
Std. Err.
3.29 dB
3.58 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
55.8 Hz
62.6 Hz
High-Frequency Extension
14.5 kHz
18.0 kHz
Raw Frequency Response
Raw Frequency Response Graph
Binaural Recording @ 1m
Binaural Recording @ 2m
Soundstage
6.8
6.1
Directivity Graph
Directivity Index
6.02 dB
3.49 dB
Stereo
Yes
No (mono)
Dynamics
8.1
5.4
Dynamic Range Compression
SPL @ Max Volume
95.2 dB SPL
83.8 dB SPL
DRC @ Max Volume
1.35 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
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 Assistant
Excellent
Ambient Noise Performance
No Assistant
Great
App
9.6
9.3
App Picture
App Name
MusicCast
Sonos S2
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
EQ
Graphic + Presets
Bass/Treble
Stereo Pair Mode
Yes
Yes
Party Mode
Yes
Yes
Multi-Room
Yes
Yes
Connectivity
Wired
Aux Input
Yes
No
USB Audio
No
No
Other Ports
Yes
No
Bluetooth
6.6
7.3
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth Version
4.2
5.0
Bluetooth iOS Latency
-250 ms
117 ms
Bluetooth Android Latency
-290 ms
201 ms
Bluetooth Range
315.0 ft (96.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
Wi-Fi
8.3
8.3
Wi-Fi Version
Wi-Fi 5
Wi-Fi 5
Wi-Fi Frequency Band
2.4GHz & 5GHz
2.4GHz & 5GHz
Wi-Fi
Yes
Yes
Apple AirPlay
Yes
Yes
AirPlay Latency
5 ms
-2 ms
Google Chromecast
No
No
Chromecast Latency
N/A
N/A
Check Price
Birch
MusicCast 50
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Amazon.comLunar White
Roam
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Amazon.comBlack
MusicCast 50
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Amazon.comLunar White
Roam SL
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Amazon.comWhite
MusicCast 50
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Amazon.comOlive
Roam
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Amazon.comShadow Black
Roam
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Amazon.comShadow Black
Roam SL
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Amazon.comSunset
Roam
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Amazon.comWave
Roam
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Amazon.com
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Yamaha MusicCast 50
Sonos Roam/Roam SL
Comments
Yamaha MusicCast 50 vs Sonos Roam/Roam SL: Main Discussion
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