Update: Sonos confirmed the problem to Tom's Guide and provided some answers on why. Read on to find out.
Sonos can't seem to catch a break. In the last few days, a number of first-gen Sonos Roam owners have reported the Bluetooth speakers are overheating and, in some cases, partially melting or setting on fire.
The company acknowledged the problem in a statement to Bloomberg while saying that there are a "very low" number of complaints that the company has "closely tracked." The company is not issuing a recall at this time.
Sonos Roam: Melted and charred
The recent Reddit posts showed photos of the Roam USB-C charging port partially melted and charred. There are some older posts from a few months ago reporting similar problems. Some Redditors claimed that Sonos replaced their speakers which had similar problems.
This may be a known problem. A search on the official Sonos Community forums reveals a number of posts concerning melted, burned or smoking charging ports and cables from up to a year ago. Other indicate overheating in that area.
What Sonos is saying...
A spokesperson went on to say that environmental conditions may play a role but it wasn't elaborated on. Additionally, they said that the company has taken "several proactive steps" to prevent the issue from occurring via software updates and hardware improvements.
According to Sonos, the problem "appears to be related to external contaminants making contact with the first-generation Roam charging cable components." They said the port and cable could be affect by things like rain, salt water and sand.
To help prevent future incidents, Sonos says that it has issued a software update for the first-gen Roam that refines the "charging behavior under certain environmental conditions."
The company also updated some of its Roam support articles with new charging guidance. Currently, it recommends inspecting the cable and port to ensure they are dry and free of dirt and debris before using them to charge the Roam.
There are suggestions for cleaning the cable including air drying or using a dry cloth to remove excess water and debris. They strongly recommend that you never use a hair dryer or "other forced hot air" to dry your speaker.
The page also notes that the USB-C cable is weather resistant and "should only be used indoors."
What about the Roam 2?
From what we can tell the Sonos Roam 2, released last year, does not seem to have this charging problem.
A Sonos spokesperson told Tom's Guide that there were design improvements between the Roam and Roam 2 that "further reduce the risk" of overheating including an improved USB-C to USB-C cable. Plus, the software updates to help with battery charging.
It appears that the reports Sonos has received "suggest that a limited number of first-generation Sonos Roam charging cables are experiencing this issue."
The company says it is monitoring feedback and exploring refinements.
Sonos Turmoil
This all all comes after a period of relative quiet for the beleaguered audio company which couldn't stop stepping on rakes in 2024, thanks to the release of a busted version of the Sonos app that outraged customers and eventually cost former-CEO Patrick Spence his job and delayed or halted a number of projects at the company.
Sonos only recently named interim CEO Tom Conrad as the official new head of Sonos in July.
Meanwhile, the Sonos Move 2 is excellent, and as far as we're aware doesn't suffer from overheating. It is twice as expensive though.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
More from Tom's Guide
- I've spent 300 hours testing the best portable Bluetooth speakers — these are the 11 that are worth your money
- I test Bluetooth speakers for a living — and this is my go-to compared to everything else
- I just tested this new portable CD player with built-in Bluetooth — and it's my favorite retro gadget of the year
