One of the first smart speakers that we tested that worked with Amazon Alexa was Sonos. It was years ago, and a lot has changed since that first review of Sonos One. Today, Sonos announced the launch of two new smart speakers, Era 100 and Era 300, which will replace the Sonos One. And we will break down each of these new smart speakers to help you understand each speaker’s features and why you should or shouldn’t get one. It is important to note GearBrain did get a sneak peek at these two new smart speakers a few weeks ago, and we saw firsthand how they sounded.
Sonos Era 100 Smart Speaker
Sonos
Sonos Era 100 is a new smart speaker that works with Amazon Alexa and Sonos voice platforms. This new smart speaker comes with a slim modern design and is an inch taller than the Sonos One it will replace. It has two angled tweeters that send crisp high frequencies left and right for a rich stereo experience, while a larger mid-woofer creates stunning bass that’s unexpected from a single compact speaker. Era 100 can support Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth. It has a USB-C, a 3mm headphone jack, and an ethernet port. It also uses less power than previous Sonos speakers. And for those music lovers looking for the perfect sound, you can use the “Quick Tune” feature in the Sonos app to find the ideal sound mix for your room.
Sonos Era 300 Smart Speaker
Sonos
Sonos Era 300 is the second new smart speaker that works with Amazon Alexa and Sonos Voice platforms. It has six class-D digital amplifiers, two woofers, four tweeters, and a far-field microphone array. Users can adjust the sound via an adjustable EQ in the Sonos app. The Era 300 also comes with Trueplay which will help you find the perfect sound in the room.
Sonos Era 300 is also the first Sonos smart speaker designed to play spatial audio. Spatial audio songs are mastered with Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio and can deliver multi-channel surround sound when used as a home theater setup. Movie fans can pair two speakers with Arc or Beam (Gen 2) to create a supercharged Dolby Atmos experience that draws them deeper into the action.
For those who don’t know or haven’t heard of spatial audio, it is an immersive, 360-degree sound typically found in headphones and earbuds. It is object-based audio and places “audio objects or sounds” in 3D space, allowing them to move as the listener moves (i.e., head tracking) or as a scene plays out if watching a movie. It’s an advanced form of listening when compared to stereo.
Sonos Era smart speakers come with new touch controls to play spatial audio
Sonos
Spatial audio takes height into account when processing the sound. For instance, stereo sounds are heard from the left and right. Spatial audio sounds with Dolby Atmos mixing, a user will listen to sounds from left, right, center, and height. Think of it as the ultimate surround sound for music or watching TV/Movies, but instead of on your headsets, it’s in speakers.
To get the best sound out of spatial audio is with content that was made with Dolby Atmos. Spatial audio content must be created with Dolby Atmos Audio in the studio. Most artists today, like Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, and Billie Eilish, create content in Dolby Atmos and stereo. Amazon Music Unlimited and Apple Music have big collections of spatial audio recordings, but Spotify does not offer spatial audio content today.
“It’s a thrilling time in music as spatial audio - and the artistic creativity that comes with it - continues to grow,” said Giles Martin, Grammy Award-winning producer, songwriter, composer, and VP of Sound Experience at Sonos. “Sonos continues to put its listeners at the forefront of sound innovation, ensuring they have access through Apple Music to transformative experiences like spatial audio with Dolby Atmos, so they can feel more from the content they love.”
Sonos Era 100 is an inch taller than Sonos One
Sonos
In creating their new smart speakers, Sonos worked with creators, artists, engineers, and the Sonos Soundboard members to get the right sound. Their goal was to meticulously fine-tune Era 300 so listeners could enjoy sounding straight from the studio that’s true to the artist’s intent. And based on what we heard during our preview, they delivered.
Sonos announced it will support spatial audio from Apple Music starting March 28th, 2023. Users can now play spatial audio on the Era 300 and Beam (2nd Gen), and Arc Soundbar.
To control your new Era smart speakers, the speakers have an intuitive new user interface, including a new capacitive volume slider for a simple control that complements quick and private control of your music with Sonos Voice Control, the Sonos app, Apple AirPlay 2, and Bluetooth.
Both Era speakers are made with post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic and packaged in 100% sustainably sourced paper while also engineered to reduce power consumption with under two watts idle power consumption and a new advanced sleep function. They are also designed to live in your home for years. These new smart speakers are built for serviceability by reducing the use of adhesives and transitioning to screws for easy disassembly and repair.
How much do these new Sonos smart speakers cost? Both Era speakers are available for pre-order today on the Sonos site. The Sonos Era 100 has an MSRP of $249, and the Era 300 goes for $449. You can also get these smart speakers in either Matte Black or White.
In the coming weeks, GearBrain will test the Era 100 and Era 300 smart speakers in a real home. We will test these new smart speakers to ensure they deliver on their promises of providing an immersive sound via a multi-channel surround sound experience. Until then, you can learn more about Sonos Era 100 and 300 smart speakers on the Sonos site. You can also visit our product find engine to see if these new smart speakers are compatible with any of your existing smart devices in your homes.
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