Why No Bluetooth Stereo on Move and Roam?

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109 replies

W
Userlevel 2

Please add BT stereo pairing to the roam.  It should not be difficult to do. 

P

Sorry I'm late to the party.  Just wanted to add my voice in favor of the roam's stereo pairing over bluetooth.

My usecase:  I use a pair of roams in my bedroom at home using wifi.  (With two other rooms equiped with play one's and a play bar).  Half my days are spent away from home in a camper with no wifi.  (Hotspot + additional device as control not an option).  Would be nice to listen in stereo in the field as well as home.

My wireless earbuds do it.  Don't see why this is difficult for such an established audio company already pushing the technological boundaries.

G
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Hello all,

 

Just wanted to add in here that I would also like to see stereo pairing of my roams or moves in Bluetooth mode, I’d even be fine with just dual mono, but rather than starting a new thread figured I’d jump on this band wagon. 
Currently use the roams around the campfire and when more people arrive I switch to the move. It’s not just for the overall sound being louder but for the fullness of the sound. 
 

From what I understand the Samsung phones can split the Bluetooth signal into two devices(mono), sadly iPhones seem to be lacking in that option (hoping the iPhone 13 or whatever they name it will be offering that option)

Anyways, hoping it comes sooner than later!
 

G 

N

I’m glad I’m not the only one disappointed that Bluetooth stereo pairing is not possible with two Roams. My main use case for my Roam is watching tv and movies at the inlaws on my laptop. The sound on the Roam is a good improvement from laptop speakers, but it is at the expense of stereo separation. I’d buy a second Roam immediately if they added this feature. I agree, it really seems like a missed opportunity and a blemish on an otherwise great portable speaker.

R
Badge

Ouh! right in time I see this thread! I was JUST about to order one more SONOS Roam, to use in the garden as a stereo pair 😱 my WIFI doesn’t reach my garden at all, so I was planning on just using Bluetooth for this, but quite shocked to find out that this would not be possible. I guess i will have to live with mono sound in the garden then.

melvimbe

 

I would be curious to see some information that shows how hardware that was built and designed to work as a mono speaker via bluetooth can easily be converted over to work as a stereo pair via a software update.  I’m not saying it’s not possible, just don’t think I can assume that it’s an easy code fix scenario.  And I certainly don’t know enough about bluetooth transmission/receiving.

I said ‘presumably’ because if Sonos released this product without the possibility of this while simultaneously trying to win the category of mobile speakers where the other top competitors do offer stereo pairing via Bluetooth...well then that’s even worse.

 

 

In a way, yes.  You could make a similar argument for other speakers though.  A bluetooth speaker that can’t be used as a WiFi speaker doesn’t compare to Sonos.    It really comes down to what features are more important to you, being part of the Sonos system or bluetooth stereo pairing...if both isn’t a viable option.  Again though, I don’t want to assume anything either way. I have thought about some of the technical and functional complications that would need to be worked around, that I don’t think exists with normal bluetooth speakers, but it’s really neither here or there.

 

Eitherway, the engineers facing the challenge should be more transparent with customers so we know eitherway because clearly a lot of non-technical customers are purchasing it on the assumption this is the case, wouldn’t you agree? 

 

I’m sure you mean the marketing department, as the engineers don’t decide how to communicate with customers.  But anyway, I see two locations on the Roam product page (currently) where it states it does not do stereo pairing.  One in the FAQ and once in a link labeled “WiFi and Bluetooth Features”.  How hard Sonos needs to try to dispel assumptions is a debatable topic.  It should be mentioned for sure, but it also shouldn’t be part of the main marketing slogan either. Highlighting all that a product  won’t do doesn’t sell products very well, and neither does customers who feel mislead.  .

Danny
P
Userlevel 1

This is an incredible product that lets itself down shockingly on this one point. I bought two speakers to put on our boat and on holiday home garden where there is no wifi. So disappointed to discover no stereo bluetooth pairing. What’s so annoying is that this is a simple software update presumably. It really coloured my relationship with the brand after me being blown away by how good the product was. Get on with it Sonos! Write some code, test it, push it out! 

 

I would be curious to see some information that shows how hardware that was built and designed to work as a mono speaker via bluetooth can easily be converted over to work as a stereo pair via a software update.  I’m not saying it’s not possible, just don’t think I can assume that it’s an easy code fix scenario.  And I certainly don’t know enough about bluetooth transmission/receiving.

I said ‘presumably’ because if Sonos released this product without the possibility of this while simultaneously trying to win the category of mobile speakers where the other top competitors do offer stereo pairing via Bluetooth...well then that’s even worse. Eitherway, the engineers facing the challenge should be more transparent with customers so we know eitherway because clearly a lot of non-technical customers are purchasing it on the assumption this is the case, wouldn’t you agree? 

melvimbe

This is an incredible product that lets itself down shockingly on this one point. I bought two speakers to put on our boat and on holiday home garden where there is no wifi. So disappointed to discover no stereo bluetooth pairing. What’s so annoying is that this is a simple software update presumably. It really coloured my relationship with the brand after me being blown away by how good the product was. Get on with it Sonos! Write some code, test it, push it out! 

 

I would be curious to see some information that shows how hardware that was built and designed to work as a mono speaker via bluetooth can easily be converted over to work as a stereo pair via a software update.  I’m not saying it’s not possible, just don’t think I can assume that it’s an easy code fix scenario.  And I certainly don’t know enough about bluetooth transmission/receiving.

Danny
P
Userlevel 1

This is an incredible product that lets itself down shockingly on this one point. I bought two speakers to put on our boat and on holiday home garden where there is no wifi. So disappointed to discover no stereo bluetooth pairing. What’s so annoying is that this is a simple software update presumably. It really coloured my relationship with the brand after me being blown away by how good the product was. Get on with it Sonos! Write some code, test it, push it out! 

L

Roam, and Move to a lesser degree, IS advertised as speakers for people “on the move”! Defending Sonos for not supporting stereo “on the move”  is quite appalling and bordering on being fixated in fandom. I am a big Sonos fan and I have a lot of their devices (Arc, Sub, One, Play 1, Play 5 (2nd), Move, Roam etc) and they are great for home usage. When they run videos where you use the Roam in the woods I expect them to be equally good there! I have 1 Roam and its amazing for its size but I would buy a second one in an instant if stereo was supported as the sound is so much improved. The arguments about needing so much development to support bluetooth stereo etc is from people with no technical knowledge/feeling a need to defend Sonos. It is quite frankly a strange oversight by Sonos, no less, no more.

S
Userlevel 2

I was quite upset when realized its missing on Move. And its even bigger fail for Roam, as its concept is even more portable and lack of BT stereo kills whole concept for me....

This is the worst speaker i ever bought….. 

my frist one was the first UE boom i think 2014 and still running and stereo !!

 

What are sonos doing with this S..T !!!  I lost my money with this ridiculous speakers 

Airgetlam

Curious as to how the Wonderbooms achieve this. Is it a single signal to the first one, and then the speaker sends a second Bluetooth signal to the second speaker? Or is there some special software that allows your device to send two disparate Bluetooth channels, one to each speaker?

Bruce
M

I am an idiot. I have bought 2 Sonos Roams and stupidly thought that they would be like my other portables - ieUE Wonderbooms and pair on Bluetooth easily, but no. Very surprised at Sonos for releasing Bluetooth speakers without the capability that every other vendor in this category would not dare to release without. I have gave my Wonderbooms to my daughter, I think I may ask for them back. Come on Sonos - give us an update! 

M

I bought the 2 Roams fully expecting to stereo pair on Blue tooth .

I am very disappointed it can’t be done.

Surley this could be achieved with a software update .

A comment from Sonos would be nice, we are your customers after all.

 

L
Userlevel 3
Badge

My speculation is that this feature is coming. They have built the capability into the Sonos app to view Bluetooth devices, which is new. Stereo devices over bluetooth requires streaming to one device, which then streams one of the two audio channels to the other bluetooth device.

There is lots to go wrong in this process, and I am assuming that they have been having difficulty making this super reliable. They concluded there is value in the devices being sold without this capability while they iterate on making this feature reliable, and will release it through a software update once they get to that point.

It’s also worth noting where Sonos is coming from: at their roots they’re a software company that only recently shifted their focus to high quality hardware. Just a few years ago, their device tear-downs show how they effectively were reselling low quality audio components in a custom designed casing, and their differentiation was how the devices worked together over wifi. Competition led to them needing to compete in the acoustic space (which is why I am now a fan of them). However, my speculation is that this has led to a focus in acoustics and less in software capabilities.

For background: I work in tech in a leadership position and have been part of this type of decision making for new product releases.

Thanks for your perspective.  This is one of the more helpful and seemingly knowledgeable posts I’ve seen on this forum.  

I sure hope you’re correct that the feature is coming soon! 

ollieoftheuk
Badge

My speculation is that this feature is coming. They have built the capability into the Sonos app to view Bluetooth devices, which is new. Stereo devices over bluetooth requires streaming to one device, which then streams one of the two audio channels to the other bluetooth device.

There is lots to go wrong in this process, and I am assuming that they have been having difficulty making this super reliable. They concluded there is value in the devices being sold without this capability while they iterate on making this feature reliable, and will release it through a software update once they get to that point.

It’s also worth noting where Sonos is coming from: at their roots they’re a software company that only recently shifted their focus to high quality hardware. Just a few years ago, their device tear-downs show how they effectively were reselling low quality audio components in a custom designed casing, and their differentiation was how the devices worked together over wifi. Competition led to them needing to compete in the acoustic space (which is why I am now a fan of them). However, my speculation is that this has led to a focus in acoustics and less in software capabilities.

For background: I work in tech in a leadership position and have been part of this type of decision making for new product releases.

W
Userlevel 2

I just received my pair of Roams. I excitedly opened them, realized I need to upgrade to Sonos 2 to use them, which means begrudgingly sending my Play 5 to an early retirement. I reluctantly proceed. After getting one Roam added to my system, I was neutral in my reaction to the sound. I opened and setup the second Roam, set it up as a stereo pair on my home SONOS wifi system and was mildly impressed - until the right channel kept dropping. I need to turn it off then on then setup as a stereo again, then again get about three minutes of stereo listening before it does it again. Figuring maybe it would work better as a stereo over Bluetooth (which was the main reason I bought them) I quickly learned that wasn’t even an available feature? WTH..??!! If I want to use this Roam as a portable Bluetooth speaker, I’m stuck using just one, in mono? As others have mentioned, there are cheaper options that offer this feature. Hell, my single first gen Jambox has stereo sound on its own. I am utterly shocked that SONOS didn’t make stereo pairing over Bluetooth an option. I’m probably going to return these, and revert back to the SONOS 1 system so I can keep using my expensive Play 5. I am so disappointed by this who experience.

Yep, you’re preaching to the choir on the lack of stereo pair in Bluetooth.  Or even pair in Bluetooth, and each of them play in mono.   Can’t imagine it was an oversight, just not sure why they would decide to not include it as a premier feature. 

Let’s see… we’re going to market and release a portable Bluetooth speaker that has the ability to stereo pair with another speaker… but not when you are using it as a portable Bluetooth speaker…  


Yep. It’s truly shocking that the brand that seems to be leading the space would fail on such an important and expected feature.
 

And I find it even more shocking that after months of countless devoted customers expressing frustration over this issue, that SONOS hasn’t even shown the consideration of acknowledging and addressing the big question – Will this EVER be a feature. I find it insulting and inconsiderate frankly.

L
Userlevel 3
Badge

I just received my pair of Roams. I excitedly opened them, realized I need to upgrade to Sonos 2 to use them, which means begrudgingly sending my Play 5 to an early retirement. I reluctantly proceed. After getting one Roam added to my system, I was neutral in my reaction to the sound. I opened and setup the second Roam, set it up as a stereo pair on my home SONOS wifi system and was mildly impressed - until the right channel kept dropping. I need to turn it off then on then setup as a stereo again, then again get about three minutes of stereo listening before it does it again. Figuring maybe it would work better as a stereo over Bluetooth (which was the main reason I bought them) I quickly learned that wasn’t even an available feature? WTH..??!! If I want to use this Roam as a portable Bluetooth speaker, I’m stuck using just one, in mono? As others have mentioned, there are cheaper options that offer this feature. Hell, my single first gen Jambox has stereo sound on its own. I am utterly shocked that SONOS didn’t make stereo pairing over Bluetooth an option. I’m probably going to return these, and revert back to the SONOS 1 system so I can keep using my expensive Play 5. I am so disappointed by this who experience.

Yep, you’re preaching to the choir on the lack of stereo pair in Bluetooth.  Or even pair in Bluetooth, and each of them play in mono.   Can’t imagine it was an oversight, just not sure why they would decide to not include it as a premier feature. 

Let’s see… we’re going to market and release a portable Bluetooth speaker that has the ability to stereo pair with another speaker… but not when you are using it as a portable Bluetooth speaker…  

W
Userlevel 2

I just received my pair of Roams. I excitedly opened them, realized I need to upgrade to Sonos 2 to use them, which means begrudgingly sending my Play 5 to an early retirement. I reluctantly proceed. After getting one Roam added to my system, I was neutral in my reaction to the sound. I opened and setup the second Roam, set it up as a stereo pair on my home SONOS wifi system and was mildly impressed - until the right channel kept dropping. I need to turn it off then on then setup as a stereo again, then again get about three minutes of stereo listening before it does it again. Figuring maybe it would work better as a stereo over Bluetooth (which was the main reason I bought them) I quickly learned that wasn’t even an available feature? WTH..??!! If I want to use this Roam as a portable Bluetooth speaker, I’m stuck using just one, in mono? As others have mentioned, there are cheaper options that offer this feature. Hell, my single first gen Jambox has stereo sound on its own. I am utterly shocked that SONOS didn’t make stereo pairing over Bluetooth an option. I’m probably going to return these, and revert back to the SONOS 1 system so I can keep using my expensive Play 5. I am so disappointed by this who experience.

T
Userlevel 2

Why isn't stereo pairing via Bluetooth available on either the Move or Roam?

I have Bluetooth speakers from 2015 that cost $50 each that have stereo pairing capability.  I spent over $850 on a pair of Move's and was shocked to find they didn't have this capability.  It's a little mind boggling of an audio tech leader (and premium priced) Sonos product.
 
I'd be interested in purchasing a pair of the new Roam's, but without Bluetooth stereo pairing capability, I'm going to pass.  My primary use for these would be the beach, which obviously doesn't have Wi-Fi.
 
Are there any plans to add Bluetooth stereo pairing capability to the Roam or Move?  If not, why?
 
 

Me too

A
Userlevel 3
Badge +2

I agree that the Roam is at the level of personal sound.  I don’t listen to them from any distance.  It is asking too much of small speakers. If I remember my physics correctly, for a point source like a speaker the power will drop off at an inverse of the square of the distance.  So smaller, less powerful speakers just can’t push sound out as far.

Mine are mostly sitting on either corner of my computer work area, no more than a few feet away from me.  When I take a speaker to go out to the BBQ I am still fairly close.  And obviously very close when I am in the shower. And the small enclosed space is perfect for the Roam.

For the kitchen a pair of Play:1s replaced my kitchen stereo a while ago.  They have the power to fill that space at levels I listen at. 

I haven’t turned on any of my stereos since I have been able to stream the local radio stations to my Beam, Playbar & Play Ones, my Play:1s, and now my Roams via Wi-Fi.  And being able to sync up the same music whatever room I am in is great.

But it would be nice to augment the sound from my laptop in stereo using the Bluetooth.  The Roam speakers are close and the sound would be awesome, much the same as the way I can enjoy the Roam Wi-Fi stereo right now.  Not enabling stereo for such great sounding personal speakers is a crying shame.

 

L
Userlevel 3
Badge

At this point, I would be satisfied being able to simply pair my two Moves to my phone via Bluetooth.  Don’t even really need it to be a stereo pair, just run each individually but simultaneously synced to my iPhone.  To increase the volume and expanded listening area when outdoors away from WiFi (tailgates, bonfires, camping, beach, etc.).   Which is what I’m able to do with my Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 mini speakers.  In fact, I can simultaneously pair as many of those to my phone as a I like and space them out.  They’re not stereo paired, but they don’t need to be in an outdoor setting.   Those little guys just don’t have the quality and strength that the Sonos Move has though.  

melvimbe

I am coming to much the same conclusion as @melvimbe , whilst recognising that everybody’s use of Sonos is unique to them.  I think the Roam’s sound quality is amazing for its size, but stereo is of little value unless you are sitting in the ‘sweet spot’ and listening fairly attentively.  And I don’t think the Roam is quite good enough for that.  I would rather have a single Move, or possibly even a single One playing in the kitchen, than a stereo pair of Roams.  Purely a personal view, and I don’t expect everyone to agree.

 

 

I would agree that Roam isn’t great for a space like a kitchen.   I think it works better in smaller spaces...but it’s difficult to really to have the Roam play double duty as both your portable speaker outside the home and covering a room in your home.  Can be done, but just not ideal.  I think I would rather have a single Move for this, and just to carry to the backyard for that case.

 

On a different point, just as an experiment, I managed to play by Bluetooth to both my Roams simultaneously using ‘Dual Audio’ from my Samsung S9.  I think ‘Dual Audio’ may be a Samsung customisation rather than a core Android function.  But it worked for me and may be of interest to some users, who perhaps want the greater oomph of two speakers more than they want genuine stereo.  (And, possibly, own a recent Samsung device.)

Edit and further thought - I wonder if I can Dual Audio to my Move and one Roam?  Can’t think why I couldn’t.  Can’t think why I would want to, either.

Edit 2.  This thread has more on Samsung dual audio

 

I don’t think the dual audio is for artificially creating a stereo pair, as that wouldn’t be good for some cases.  We are thinking it in terms of two portable speakers, but I imagine many want to connect to two  pairs of headphones instead.  It would be ideal if you had two kids in the backseat, for example.

But I concur, I think it’s a mistake for us to consider the Roam as anything other than a ‘personal’ speaker. Trying to force it in to replacing the functions of a Sonos Move, or Sonos One will likely end in unhappiness. The design is too different. 

I don’t see the Roam as replacing a Move or One, but it is versitle and fits some needs better than a Move or One.  And there are cases where you could use a Move, One, or Roam, but one of them is clearly the best tool for the job….if that makes sense.

Danny
Airgetlam

Curious as to what you find out. Without doing research, I’d assume that the ‘Dual Audio’ function is just two Bluetooth streams that are the same, and not a left/right stereo separation thing. 

But I concur, I think it’s a mistake for us to consider the Roam as anything other than a ‘personal’ speaker. Trying to force it in to replacing the functions of a Sonos Move, or Sonos One will likely end in unhappiness. The design is too different. 

Bruce
J

I am coming to much the same conclusion as @melvimbe , whilst recognising that everybody’s use of Sonos is unique to them.  I think the Roam’s sound quality is amazing for its size, but stereo is of little value unless you are sitting in the ‘sweet spot’ and listening fairly attentively.  And I don’t think the Roam is quite good enough for that.  I would rather have a single Move, or possibly even a single One playing in the kitchen, than a stereo pair of Roams.  Purely a personal view, and I don’t expect everyone to agree.

On a different point, just as an experiment, I managed to play by Bluetooth to both my Roams simultaneously using ‘Dual Audio’ from my Samsung S9.  I think ‘Dual Audio’ may be a Samsung customisation rather than a core Android function.  But it worked for me and may be of interest to some users, who perhaps want the greater oomph of two speakers more than they want genuine stereo.  (And, possibly, own a recent Samsung device.)

Edit and further thought - I wonder if I can Dual Audio to my Move and one Roam?  Can’t think why I couldn’t.  Can’t think why I would want to, either.

Edit 2.  This thread has more on Samsung dual audio

 

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