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Sonos Unveils Era 100 & Era 300 Wireless Speakers With Support For Dolby Atmos

The Sonos Era 300 offers support for Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio, while the smaller Era 100 offers stereo imaging from a single speaker.

Sonos Era 100 (left) and Era 300 (right) Wireless Loudspeakers in White

After a period of rumors and speculation (as reported in our article: The Sonos Era: What We Know So Far, Sonos is indeed expanding its lineup of wireless speakers with the Era 100 ($249 USD) and Era 300 ($449 USD). Although Apple’s new HomePod is priced between at $299, Sonos appears to have more to offer.

“The Era family is the next generation of smart speakers, epitomizing our commitment to sound innovation, responsible design and a deep connection to the creator community,” said Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos.

Era 300

Sonos Era 300 Wireless Speaker White on Cabinet
Sonos Era 300

Priced at $449, the Sonos Era 300 emphasizes spatial audio with speaker drivers that direct sound left, right, forward, and upward, delivering an immersive audio listening experience that includes support for Dolby Atmos.

Tip: Spatial audio music playback support on the Era 300 is currently enabled from Apple Music and Amazon Music.

Innovative Design: The Era 300 has a distinct hourglass shape that supports the direction and dispersion of sound to truly surround you.

Surround Sound: The Era 300 is the first Sonos speaker that delivers multi-channel surround sound when used as a home theater rear channel speaker. Users can pair two Era 300 speakers with a Sonos Arc (for a total of up to 7.1.4 channels) or Beam 2 (for a total of 5.1.2 channels) to create a Dolby Atmos home theater listening experience.

Tip: The Era 300 can reproduce both rear and height channels when used with the Sonos Arc or Beam with Dolby Atmos content.

Sonos Era 300 Wireless Speaker Black Rear Surround Speakers
Two Sonos Era 300 used as rear surround speakers with Sonos Arc Soundbar

Amplifiers: The Era 300 incorporates six class D digital amplifiers precision-tuned for the speaker’s unique acoustic architecture. 

Woofers: Two woofers are included to maximize low-frequency audio output. They are also angled left and right to support stereo playback. 

Tweeters: The Era 300 includes four unique midrange-tweeter drivers; A forward-firing mid-tweeter provides a smooth center image while two side-firing mid-tweeters support stereo separation. An upward-firing tweeter/horn combination is designed to reflect sound off the ceiling to support Dolby Atmos playback

Era 100

Sonos Era 100 Wireless Speaker White
Sonos Era 100

Priced at $249, the Era 100 is a redesign of the popular Sonos One that has been available for some time, with new acoustic technology and design that delivers true stereo sound with deep bass.

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Speaker Complement: Two angled tweeters direct high frequencies left and right for stereo listening, while a larger mid-woofer provides the bass.

Compact: The Era 100 incorporates several audio and tech enhancements while its slim, modern design looks great on a bookshelf, kitchen counter, desk, or nightstand.

Sonos Era 100 Wireless Speaker White Rear Surround Speakers
Two Sonos Era 100 used as wireless rear speakers

Expandable: You can set up two Era 100 speakers as rear surrounds with a Sonos soundbar for a 5.1 channel surround sound system (minus Dolby Atmos or Spatial Audio), or pair two Era 100 speakers together for expanded room-filling stereo sound. 

Comparison

Era 100Era 300
MSRP$249$449
AmplifiersThree class-D digital amplifiers precision-tuned for the speaker’s unique acoustic architecture power your sound experience. Six class-D digital amplifiers precision-tuned for the speaker’s unique acoustic architecture power your sound experience. 
Tweeters Two angled tweeters create a crisp and accurate high frequency response and stereo separation. Four tweeters ensure faithful playback of high and mid-range frequencies.

The forward-firing mid tweeter provides a smooth center image while two side-firing mid tweeters create stereo separation.

Loaded into a directional horn, the upward-firing tweeter reflects sound off the ceiling when playing Dolby Atmos content. 
Woofers One midwoofer ensures the faithful playback of mid-range vocal frequencies and deep bass. Two woofers maximize low-end output and are angled left and right to support stereo playback
Dimensions
(H x W x D) 
7.18 x 4.72 x 5.14 in
(182.5 x 120 x 130.5 mm)
6.30 x 10..24 x 7.28 in
(160 x 260 x 185 mm)
Weight 4.44 lb
(2.02 kg) 
9.85 lb
(4.47 kg) 

Features in Common

In addition to their distinct differences, here are the capabilities that both the Era 300 and 100 have in common. 

Sonos App

New UI: There is a new intuitive new user interface that includes a new volume slider for simple control that complements quick and private control of your music with Sonos Voice Control, the Sonos app, Apple AirPlay 2, and Bluetooth.

Tip: Alexa voice control is also supported, but Google Assistant is not supported directly upon launch. To use Google Assistant to control Era speakers, you must relay commands through another Sonos speaker with Google Assistant capability.

Upgraded Connectivity: Stream audio from several online music sources using the Sonos WiFi platform or Bluetooth. You can also connect other audio sources such as a turntable (or turntable/phono preamp combination) via an auxiliary cable and the Sonos Line-In Adapter.

Sonos Era 300 Black with Turntable
Sonos Era 300 (Black) with Turntable

Adjustable EQ: You can adjust bass, treble, and loudness via the Sonos app.

Microphones: Both speakers incorporate a far-field microphone array with advanced beamforming and multichannel echo cancellation for quick and accurate voice control and Trueplay tuning. If you desire, you can turn off the microphones by using the mic on/off toggle switch. 

Trueplay: This feature (available for both iOS and Android) uses installed software that determines room acoustics and fine-tunes the EQ based on the result. 

Sonos Era 100 Wireless Speaker White Top Touch Control
Touch controls on Sonos Era 100

Capacitive Touch Controls: Play, pause, skip, replay, adjust volume, mute voice assistant, and group or ungroup Sonos products.

Bluetooth Button: Pair the Era 300 and 100 with any compatible Bluetooth source devices for Bluetooth-source music listening. 

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LED: An LED status confirms the connection, microphone activity, and mute status. 

WiFi: Compatible with WiFi 6 for increased reliability. Connect to WiFi with any 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4 GHz/5 GHz broadcast-capable router. 

Bluetooth 5.0: Supports audio streaming from any Bluetooth-enabled device. 

Sonos USB-C Adapters

USB-C: Connect an audio source using an auxiliary cable and the USB-C Sonos Line-In Adapter. Or connect a router with an ethernet cable and the Sonos Combo Adapter. All accessories are sold separately. 

Apple AirPlay 2: Era speakers work with AirPlay 2 on Apple devices iOS 11.4 and higher.

Sturdy Build: Both Era speakers are designed to provide years of enjoyment and also accommodate easier servicing by reducing the use of adhesives and transitioning to screws for easy disassembly and repair.

Sustainability: The Era 100 and 300 are made with post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic and packaged in 100% sustainably sourced paper. They are also designed to reduce power consumption (under 2 watts in standby mode). 

Sonos Era 100 Wireless Speakers in Stereo with Turntable
Sonos Era 100 used as stereo pair with turntable.

Price & Availability

The Sonos Era 300 and Era 100 will both be available for purchase in either black or white finish via the Sonos website and other authorized dealers starting on March 28th, 2023.

Tip: You can also buy a package that includes the Sonos ARC or Beam (Gen 2), Sonos Sub or Sub Mini, and either the Era 300 or 100 as surrounds. Check the Sonos website for package pricing

Sansus Wall Mount for Sonos Era 300 Speaker Black
Optional Wall Mount for Sonos Era 300

Wall Mounts and Stands (Optional)

Sansus Speaker Stands for Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 Speakers in Black or White

Tip: Additional stand (fixed and adjustable height) and adjustable wall mount options for the Era 300 and Era 100, are available through Sanus Systems.

Which One Should You Buy?

Era 300 has a few key advantages. It’s larger, with more speaker drivers which means it should deliver a richer, fuller sound. Although its support for Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio looks promising, whether it actually sounds immersive may depend on the size/shape of your room and whether one or two are used together.

Era 100 is the more affordable option to add sound to any room. It’s slightly larger than the outgoing model (Sonos One) it replaces, and should provide a sonic upgrade thanks to its new capability of producing stereo imaging from a single speaker.

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If you’re already a Sonos soundbar owner, both models can be used as wireless rear speakers. In this configuration, we’re not yet sure how well the Era 300 decodes rear channel audio information and/or if its upward-firing driver adds noticeable Dolby Atmos height effects to warrant the extra cost.

Sonos Product Family 2023 in black
2023 Sonos line-up
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