Sonoro Troy review

Beware universal speaker docks bearing blank USB ports

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Sonoro Troy
Sonoro Troy

TechRadar Verdict

Reasons to buy

  • +

    Decent audio

  • +

    Dock functionality

  • +

    Design

Reasons to avoid

  • -

    Flat bass

  • -

    A bit fiddly to use

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The Sonoro Troy, as its name implies, is hollow. Pull the top panel off and you'll find a small cubby hole offering two USB ports (one higher powered, for tablets) and a 3.5mm jack. The idea is that you plug in your USB charger cable and an audio cable, and you can use the troy as a dock for any device.

The felt exterior gives the Troy a striking look, and it's really nicely made. The whole thing is solid and well-built, with a smooth volume control on the side and exposed speaker driver on the front.

When it comes to sound quality though, it seems a little odd until you remember its intended use. Basically, the bass is rather flat, but Sonoro suggests that you use the Troy for working with your iPad, popping it on your desk in the stand and using a Bluetooth keyboard to type.

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In that situation, you don't want powerful bass vibrating through your keyboard, so it makes sense for it to be toned down. We get it, but it still means that the balance is off if you do want to turn the volume up and just enjoy your music.

It does its job well enough, but it's a fairly average speaker for the price, and it's on the fiddly side compared to a simple dock.

Matt Bolton
Matt Bolton
Managing Editor, Home Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Home Tech, covering everything from TVs and home theater upgrades, to turntables and headphones, to air fryers and plug-in solar. Matt has over a decade of experience in tech publishing, and previously ran the TV & audio coverage for our colleagues at T3.com, and before that he edited T3 magazine. During his career, he's also contributed to places as varied as Creative Bloq, PC Gamer, PetsRadar, MacLife, and Edge. TV and movie nerdism is his speciality, and he goes to the cinema three times a week. He's always happy to explain the virtues of Dolby Vision over a drink, but he might need to use props, like he's explaining the offside rule.