Sonos has acknowledged an issue causing its portable Roam speakers to overheat and melt when plugged in to charge. If you have one, maybe consider unplugging it when it isn’t in use.
As spotted by Bloomberg, several Reddit users have reported that their Sonos Roam speakers have been overheating, creating an apparent fire hazard by melting the charging cable and area around the USB-C charging port. The issue appears to primarily impact the first generation Sonos Roam, which was initially released in 2021. (Sonos subsequently launched the updated Roam 2 in 2024, and no longer offers the original model for purchase.)
While not a new issue, the Roam’s overheating problem was recently brought to attention by a post on the r/sonos subreddit by user u/jssumm. Sharing three photographs of their speaker’s melted and blackened USB-C port and charging cable, u/jssumm noted that the Roam had only been two years old and hadn’t been used for at least a month.
“It was plugged in using the included Sonos usb cable and plugged into an Apple usb block in the wall, so there’s no cheap knockoff products to blame here,” wrote u/jssumm.
Several other Roam users subsequently chimed in to share that they had also encountered this issue. Previous complaints on r/sonos and the Sonos community forum indicate the problem has persisted for a while, with some posts dating back two or three years.
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Responses these users received from Sonos’ customer support have reportedly varied, with some given a replacement device while others were offered a discount on their next purchase. At least one customer claimed they were told that there aren’t any issues with the Roam, and that the damage was caused by their own user error.
Sonos has now acknowledged the Roam’s overheating issue, and has noted that it is taking steps to address it.
“We care deeply about product quality and safety and are extremely proud of our record,” Sonos said in a statement to Mashable. “We’ve closely tracked a limited number of reports in which certain USB-C charging cables included with the first-generation Sonos Roam speakers have overheated and caused damage to the charging port.
“While the overall incidence rate is very low, and environmental conditions appear to play a role, we’ve taken several proactive steps to even further reduce the likelihood of this issue, including software updates and accessory improvements.”
Sonos has been fighting to regain users’ trust after the disastrous launch of its buggy new app last year, which dramatically damaged its reputation for delivering quality audio products. The company has since laid off approximately 300 employees, with former CEO Patrick Spence stepping down in January.
Though the Roam’s overheating issue existed long before the current turmoil, the new spotlight on it will no doubt be an unwelcome obstacle amidst Sonos’ efforts to course-correct. Even so, Sonos users appear optimistic about new CEO Tom Conrad taking the helm, particularly as he seems aware that the company has significant work ahead of it to win back consumers.
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