Sonos Era 300 Review: Stunning Spatial, Superior Sound

Sonos, the American audio products company, has launched two new wireless speakers – the Era 100 and Era 300 – with spatial audio for use in Dolby Atmos environments. Both speakers are the first Sonos products to offer spatial audio, which attempts to create a multidimensional sound experience similar to that which cinema-goers experience at the cinema. The Era 300 uses six speaker drivers and individual blocks of Class D amplification to create a more realistic and immersive sound than previous Sonos speakers. Both speakers support Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa, and also offer some EQ adjustment and the latest version of Sonos’ Trueplay room calibration software. The Era 300 also supports Apple AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth streaming. Neither speaker supports Tidal’s catalog of Dolby Atmos content; however, both support spatial audio offerings from Amazon and Apple.

Spatial audio has been gaining significant traction for use outside cinemas, thanks to the support of Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited and Tidal music streaming services. Spatial audio is based on Dolby’s Atmos format and uses more than two channels to create an immersive and three-dimensional sound experience. While Apple, with its Homepod smart speaker, is a full-service provider of spatial audio music, users can also experience spatial audio with Sonos’ Era 300 at a higher price point.

Sonos has typically been highly regarded by users for its seamless and easy-to-use multi-room audio ecosystem, with the quality of the sound often taking a back seat, making the company’s ubiquitous prestige highly dependent on its ease of use. But with the Era 300 and Era 100, Sonos aims to retain its ease of use and add audio performance capabilities that equal those of similarly priced, size-adjacent alternative products. The Era 300 represents the end of an era for Sonos in more ways than one. It is the first speaker from the company to usher in a new era of product classification, with a pecking order that is far less straightforward to comprehend than its previous nomenclature.

The new Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 wireless speakers adhere to Sonos’ commitment to ease of use and seamless connectivity, with more focus on the quality of the sound being presented. By offering spatial audio and Bluetooth streaming in their new speakers, the company is expanding the way users can listen to their music, while retaining their user-friendly and appealing design. Although a little more expensive than most of their range, the Era 300 offers an exceptional sound experience for users who are looking for an immersive, multidimensional atmosphere while listening to their music.



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