Sonos has officially launched its all-new flagship speakers that we’ve been hearing about over the last few months. The Era 300 and 100 arrive with what the company calls “next-level audio” and an impressive array of connectivity like WiFi 6, Bluetooth, USB-C line-in, AirPlay 2, and spatial audio for the larger Era. Read on for all the details including some early hands-on thoughts.
Following a lot of anticipation for new Sonos speakers – plus Apple jumping back into the full-size speaker space with its HomePod 2 earlier this year – the Era 300 and 100 smart speakers are here.
The Sonos Era 300 comes with a fresh dual-angled design and a focus on spatial audio. The smaller Era 100 has a more traditional design similar to the Sonos Move and comes with some nice upgrades over the Sonos One. And both feature plentiful connectivity options.
Sonos Era 300
The Sonos Era 300 is a mid-size speaker that’s bigger than the new Era 100 (and Sonos One) and a bit smaller than the Sonos Five.
Here’s a look at it beside the iPhone 13 for context:
Era 300 specs
- Six powerful class-D amplifiers configured to push sound left, right, forward, and upward for “breakthrough audio” and an “electrifying Dolby Atmos experience”
- Features four tweeters and two woofers
- Stereo playback support as well as spatial audio
- Capacitive touch controls
- WiFi 6
- Bluetooth 5.0
- USB-C line in (3.5mm adapter and 3.5mm + Ethernet adapter sold separately)
- AirPlay 2
- Far-field microphone for built-in Sonos Voice Control and Alexa/Amazon Music support (use AirPlay 2/HomeKit for Siri support)
- Work as surround sound rear speakers with the Sonos Arc (7.1.4) or Beam gen 2 (5.1.4)
- Trueplay tuning (auto EQ for both iOS and Android users) plus Advanced Tuning for iOS users
- Price: $449 – preorders now
While Apple Music spatial audio support was up in the air ahead of the launch, Sonos has announced that it will indeed offer support for the service’s Dolby Atmos library for the Era 300 debut.
Sonos Era 300 comes in matte black and matte white. The company has opened preorders and the new speaker and will ship to the first customers on March 28.
As for official accessories, Sonos has the line-in adapter for $19, the combo line-in adapter for $39, Era 300 wall mount for $79, and speaker stand for $149. And you can save a bit of money if you opt for the x2 mount or stand bundles.
Sonos Era 100
While the Era 100 doesn’t feature spatial audio support like its bigger brother, it does feature a number of upgrades over the Sonos One. That includes stereo sound, the same connectivity options as the Era 300, and more.
Era 100 specs
- Three “precision-tuned” class-D amplifiers
- Features two tweeters for stereo separation and one midwoofer
- Stereo playback support with a single Era 100 (no spatial audio) and two Era 100 speakers can be paired for a wider stereo soundstage
- Capacitive touch controls
- WiFi 6
- Bluetooth 5.0
- USB-C line in (3.5mm and 3.5mm + Ethernet adapters sold separately)
- AirPlay 2
- Far-field microphone for built-in Sonos Voice Control and Alexa/Amazon Music support (use AirPlay 2/HomeKit for Siri support)
- Work as surround sound rear speakers with the Sonos Arc or Beam gen 2
- Trueplay tuning (auto EQ for both iOS and Android users) plus Advanced Tuning for iOS users
- Price: $249 – preorders available now
Sonos Era 100 is also available to preorder now in matte black and matte white and will arrive for the first customers on March 28.
Like for the Era 300, the Era 100 works with the official line-in adapter for $19, the combo line-in adapter for $39.
Sonos offers an Era 100 wall mount for $69 and speaker stand for $139. And you can also save if you opt for the x2 mount or stand bundles.
Here’s a better idea of the Era 100’s size next to an iPhone 13:
Early hands-on thoughts
My colleague Fernando was able to check out the new Era speakers ahead of the launch today. He’ll be back with a full-on review soon but in the meantime, here was his initial experience:
Sonos Era 100
- If you own a Sonos One speaker then you will be extremely familiar with the form factor and sound that comes out of the Era 100. For the price and size, it packs a nice punch
- If you are looking to fill a small space with a lot of sound then this is perfect
- Having two Era 100s setup as stereo speakers also provides nice sound for a smaller living room or bedroom TV setup
Sonos Era 300
- Now this thing was impressive
- First off, the design was MUCH MUCH nicer in person than in the images. The white colorway had an elegance to it and the new design gives it a unique silhouette that can be placed and matched with any piece of furniture
- When hearing the sound from the 100 vs the 300, I could really tell the difference, not just in volume but in depth of sound and bass
- The new spatial audio tech in the 300 really makes it feel immersive when listening to music
- They used a live concert song as a demo and it felt as if the crowd was behind you but the artist was in front of you performing.
- I will caveat this by saying we were in a very small room and conditions were near perfect for a demo
- The final demo included 2 Era 300s behind you, a Sonos Arc and 2 subwoofers while showing off some movie scenes, and of course, I was floored. It seemed extremely easy to set up and the sound was outstanding. It felt like a true 7.1.4 channel surround sound with different sounds coming from different sections of the room
- Its loud and bassy, doesn’t distort at high volumes, and it’s extremely easy to use with the addition of a capacitive volume rocker which is a nice touch
- At $450 for one Era 300, I think it’s worth the price if you are looking for a single-speaker solution to fill an entire room
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