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
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.
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
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.
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.
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 100 | Era 300 | |
| MSRP | $249 | $449 |
| Amplifiers | Three 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
- Era 300:
- Era 100:
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.
Wall Mounts and Stands (Optional)
- Era 300 Wall Mount: $129/pair | $79 each
- Era 300 Stands: $279/pair | $149 each
- Era 100 Wall Mount: $119/pair | $69 each
- Era 100 Stands: $269/pair | $139 each
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.
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.
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