STEREO GUIDE verdict
Retro design, color display, and up to 24 hours of battery life: The Philips The Roller TAMS60B impressed in our test with its rich sound, but loses a significant amount of bass at high volumes.
Pros
- Rich, deep bass at room volume
- Natural Voice Reproduction
- Customizable Lighting Effects
- Color Display
Cons
- Limited bass above the midrange
- No cover image
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Tonal balance / transparency8
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Bass / Dynamics7.8
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Usability / Connectivity9
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Price/Performance9.3
There are products that you can recognize at a glance, even decades later. The Philips The Roller—also known as the MS60, officially the TAMS60—falls squarely into this category. Anyone who grew up with music in the 1980s or early 1990s will likely still remember the eye-catching Moving Sound devices, which stood out from the crowd of portable cassette recorders with their bold colors, distinctive speaker grilles, and their unmistakable design. With the new The Roller, Philips is reviving this product line and combining the nostalgic look with modern technology.
But retro design alone isn’t enough these days. A modern Bluetooth speaker must not only look good, but also deliver great sound, offer long battery life, and be easy to use. In our test, the Philips The Roller therefore had to prove itself not only as a design piece, but above all as a speaker.
Design: Nostalgia Without a Layer of Dust
As soon as you unpack it, it’s clear that Philips is deliberately banking on nostalgia. The Roller is unmistakably inspired by the classic boomboxes of the Moving Sound series. The two large speaker grilles on the left and right, the centrally placed carrying handle, and the overall silhouette immediately bring to mind the originals from the ’80s.
Yet the device by no means looks like a cheap retro knockoff. Rather, Philips has given the historic design a contemporary twist. The housing feels sturdy and offers sufficient stability for mobile use. With its built-in carrying handle, the speaker is easy to transport, while its IP67 certification ensures that neither dust nor a rain shower will be a problem.
The round “extensions” on both sides of the enclosure resemble the wheels of a Light Cycle from the sci-fi classic “Tron.” Each houses a two-way system consisting of a 3.5-inch (8.89 cm) low-midrange driver and a 1-inch (2.54 cm) tweeter. In the coaxial arrangement, the tweeter dome is mounted on a ring in the center of the low-midrange driver’s cone. This design approximates the ideal of a point source, where all frequencies are emitted from approximately the same location—a key factor for accurate and natural sound reproduction. Two passive radiators on the back of the round enclosure elements support low-frequency reproduction. The amplifier section delivers a continuous power output of 60 watts and up to 120 watts during peak transients.
The LED light rings around the speakers are particularly well-designed. They give the device a modern touch and highlight the speaker’s party-friendly nature without being obtrusive. Depending on the selected mode, the lighting effects react to the music and create an extra special atmosphere, especially in the evening.
The color display as the main highlight
One of the unique features of The Roller is its built-in color display. While many Bluetooth speakers offer only status LEDs or simple text displays, Philips goes a step further here.
The display consistently embraces the retro theme and displays various animations. Particularly charming are the virtual Compact Cassettes that spin on the screen while music is playing. Vinyl record animations and classic equalizer displays are also available. These small details play a significant role in giving the speaker more character than most of its competitors.
You can customize the speaker using the Philips Entertainment app. There, you can select different designs and apply them to the display. This feature is surprisingly fun to use in everyday life because you can change the speaker’s appearance at any time.
However, Philips is also failing to capitalize on its potential here. Despite the color display, album covers are not shown. Instead, only track and artist information appear against a colored background image. Given the available hardware, displaying album covers would have been technically feasible without any issues. Streaming users, in particular, would have benefited significantly from this. As it stands, the display remains a real eye-catcher, but it doesn’t fully exploit its potential.
Philips Entertainment App: Light and Shadow
Philips offers its own Entertainment app to control the speaker. Overall, the app works reliably and provides access to various additional features.
In addition to adjusting the display, you can install firmware updates, configure lighting modes, and manage Auracast connections here. The menu navigation is generally straightforward, and even users who aren’t very tech-savvy should be able to find their way around quickly.
The German localization, on the other hand, seems less successful. For example, the “Philips Entertainment App” is simply translated as the “Philips Unterhaltung App.” This translation comes across as a bit clunky and leaves an impression of being unfinished. While this doesn’t affect the app’s functionality, it’s immediately noticeable and doesn’t quite fit with the otherwise high-quality overall impression.
Under “Sound” and “Music,” the app offers—let’s call them—meditative sounds and ambient noises. These can be played on a loop. After trying them out for a short while, however, we ended the loop early and switched to music—this time without quotation marks.
Sound Test: A Surprisingly Mature Sound
The biggest question with any Bluetooth speaker, however, remains the sound quality. In this regard, The Roller delivers a thoroughly impressive performance right from the start.
Even the initial listening tests show that Philips has clearly focused on delivering a rich and full-bodied sound. The bass extends surprisingly deep and has significantly more substance than the size of the enclosure would initially suggest. At the same time, it remains controlled and avoids the rumbling or booming typical of many party speakers.
Especially when it comes to electronic music, hip-hop, or modern pop productions, the speaker benefits from its powerful foundation. Bass lines sound full-bodied and punchy without overshadowing other frequency ranges.
The Roller also makes a positive impression in the midrange. Voices are reproduced with a pleasant neutrality and are clearly defined in the soundstage. Both male and female voices retain their natural quality and are not artificially exaggerated.
The highs come across as crisp and relatively well-defined. Cymbals, guitars, and acoustic instruments are reproduced clearly, lending the soundstage the necessary openness. The result is an overall balanced and thoroughly mature sound that goes well beyond what one would expect from a purely lifestyle product.
When things get loud, the limits become apparent
Unfortunately, this positive impression does not hold true across the entire volume range.
As long as the speaker is used at normal room volume levels or for slightly louder background music, it sounds convincing and well-balanced. However, if the volume is turned up significantly, a protective circuit or electronic tone control apparently kicks in.
Even at volumes just above about fifty percent of the maximum, the bass noticeably loses its fullness. The initially powerful foundation is gradually toned down. While this is presumably intended to prevent distortion and overload, it significantly alters the speaker’s character.
At about two-thirds of the maximum volume, this effect becomes very noticeable. The bass now sounds noticeably thinner and loses its previously impressive presence. At the same time, the mids and highs change. Voices now sound less relaxed and, in some cases, begin to sound strained. The highs become sharper and can even sound slightly harsh in certain pieces of music.
That’s a shame because the speaker impressively demonstrates its potential at moderate volumes. Anyone who uses it mainly in the living room, kitchen, yard, or on the patio will hardly notice this. For users who regularly expect high party volumes, however, this is a limitation.
Equipment for Mobile Use
Beyond its sound quality, the Roller impresses with its modern features. Bluetooth Multipoint allows you to connect to two devices at the same time. This means you can switch between your smartphone and tablet, for example, without having to constantly reconnect via Bluetooth.
In addition, there’s support for Auracast, which allows compatible speakers to be connected to form larger sound systems. This opens up interesting possibilities, especially for garden parties or larger events.
The battery life is also impressive. Philips claims up to 24 hours of playback time. In everyday use, this means that even longer weekend trips or backyard parties can be enjoyed without any problems, even without access to a power outlet. Another handy feature is the built-in power bank function, which lets you charge smartphones or other mobile devices on the go.
Sustainability as a Plus
It’s also encouraging that Philips places greater emphasis on sustainability with The Roller than many of its competitors. The battery is reportedly replaceable, and the product uses recycled plastics and FSC-certified packaging materials.
The ability to replace the battery later on is no longer a given, especially with portable speakers, and could significantly extend the device’s lifespan.
Conclusion and Alternatives to the Philips MS80 The Roller
Up to about room volume, The Roller impresses with an astonishingly rich and deep bass foundation. However, if you turn it up further, its level management apparently kicks in. The low-frequency range is progressively rolled off, causing the speaker to lose some of its sonic character. Even at half volume, the bass loses some volume, and at about two-thirds of the volume range, it sounds significantly muted. At the same time, vocals come more to the forefront, but they sound increasingly strained and lose some of their naturalness. While the achievable volume is certainly sufficient for a garden party, The Roller tends to showcase its more audiophile qualities at moderate volume levels.
For those looking primarily for volume stability and bass punch at a virtually identical MSRP, the Tronsmart Bang Maxoffers a more powerful alternative in this test. This six-kilo behemoth, which looks rather ordinary, can’t hold a candle to the Philips in terms of retro charm, but it leaves it far behind in bass punch and maximum volume.
You can find more alternatives in our best Bluetooth speaker list
Technical Specifications: Philips The Roller MS60
- Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: 180 Euro
- Dimensions (W × H × D): 38 × 19.2 × 11.9 cm
- Weight: 2.3 kg
- Battery life up to 24 hours
- Charging time: 3 hours
- Colors: Black, Yellow
- Special Features: Bluetooth 6.0 with SBC, LC3, water- and dust-resistant per IP67 rating, JBL Auracast Multi Speaker Connection, power bank function
- For more information, visit: philips.de
