Sonos acknowledges instances of Roam speakers excessively heating up and igniting
In recent news, Sonos, the popular audio company, has addressed a concerning issue affecting the USB-C charging connection on first-generation Sonos Roam speakers. The company has taken several proactive steps to prevent the issue from occurring, according to its statements.
Reports of overheating, melted USB-C connectors, burning plastic smells, and noises while the Roam was plugged in for extended periods have been shared by users across social media and Sonos community threads. These reports date back to earlier years and have resurfaced in 2025.
Sonos has closely tracked a limited number of reports and acknowledged the issue. The company states that the overall incidence rate is very low, and environmental conditions appear to play a role. Sonos has implemented software updates (firmware) and made hardware improvements to address the issue, offering replacements to affected customers in some cases.
The company recommends that owners of first-generation Roam speakers update their speaker firmware to the latest Sonos software, avoid leaving the speaker unattended while charging, and ensure the speaker is running the latest software. If owners observe overheating, burning smells, melted connectors, or other failures, they are advised to document with photos and contact Sonos support.
However, Sonos has not published a public technical root-cause analysis or a full list of the specific hardware changes made. As a result, precise failure mechanisms and which serial/date ranges may be affected are not confirmed in the company's statements.
It's worth noting that the Sonos Roam 2, released last year, does not seem to have this charging problem. However, the Sonos Move 2, while excellent, is twice as expensive.
Sonos, under new leadership with Tom Conrad as the official head of the company since July, experienced a period of relative quiet in 2024. This was marked by a busted version of the Sonos app that upset customers and led to the resignation of former-CEO Patrick Spence.
Tom's Guide has reached out to Sonos for more information on the Roam speakers and how it is addressing the overheating problem. As this is an ongoing issue, we will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as more information becomes available.
Sources: Sonos statements and reporting from Bloomberg aggregated in news coverage and technology sites documenting user reports and Sonos’ response.
- Sonos owners of the first-generation Roam speakers should update their speaker's firmware to the latest Sonos software to help prevent overheating and other charging problems, as these issues have been reported by users over the past years and have resurfaced in 2025.
- While the Sonos Roam 2 does not seem to have the charging problem that affected the first-generation model, the Sonos Move 2, despite being excellent, is twice as expensive.
