Sonos Reveals the Era 300 Flagship Spatial Audio Speaker

Available March 28th, the Sonos Era 300 brings spatial audio to the forefront of your listening experience. It’s Sonos’ new flagship speaker, clocking in at a cool $450. Additionally, Sonos is introducing the Era 100, a $250 revision of the aging Sonos One speaker.

Note that Apple Music spatial audio support will roll out for the Era 300, Arc soundbar, and Beam Gen 2 soundbar on March 28th. Previously, Apple Music spatial audio required an Apple TV set-top box.

Sonos Era 300: Spatial Audio All the Way

The Sonos Era 300 features a strange “hourglass” design—a byproduct of its spatial audio and Dolby Atmos capabilities. It uses four tweeters, including two that point to the sides and one that reflects sound off the ceiling to mimic a surround sound system. There are also two woofers angled left and right to fill out the stereo environment, plus a beamforming microphone for Sonos’ Trueplay software (which automatically adjusts EQ to your room).

Like other Sonos speakers, the Era 300 can integrate into a home theater system when paired with an Arc or second-gen Beam soundbar. But you can also use this product as a standalone speaker, unlocking a spatial audio experience at a relatively low price. Just think; at $450, the Era 300 is $100 cheaper than Apple’s AirPods Max headphones.

The Era 300 also offers Wi-Fi 6, AirPlay, and Bluetooth connectivity, and it has a USB-C port to connect with the Sonos Line-In Adapter (for 3.5mm wired audio input) or Combo Adapter (for wired internet). There’s also a mounting system at the bottom of the Era 300, so it’s very easy to use as a rear speaker in a home theater.

Again, the Era 300 costs $450 and launches on March 28th. It’s the first Sonos speaker to offer Dolby Atmos support, assuming that you don’t count the Beam Gen 2 or Arc soundbars as “speakers.” I should also note that this speaker uses a “serviceable” design with lots of screws, as opposed to adhesives (it seems that Sonos learned something from the 2020 “recycling” controversy).

Sonos Era 100: A Refreshed Sonos One

Along with the Era 300, we’re getting a replacement for the Sonos One—the Sonos Era 100. It looks almost identical to the Sonos One, but notably, it offers actual stereo sound. (Like many other smart speakers, the old Sonos One combines stereo audio for a mono output. So, this is a genuinely awesome upgrade.)

Under the Era 100’s grille hides two angled tweeters (aimed left and right), plus a larger midwoofer to push those bass frequencies. Interestingly, Sonos is using waveguides in this speaker to help disperse the audio, producing a more convincing stereo soundstage. (And, as you might expect, this speaker uses TruePlay to adapt its audio quality to your room.)

Otherwise, the Sonos 100 does what you’d expect. It features Wi-Fi 6, AirPlay, and Bluetooth connectivity, plus a USB-C port for external accessories (such as the Line-In Adapter). You can also pair two Sonos 100 speakers together for a more traditional stereo system, or combine them with a Beam Gen 2 or Arc soundbar for your home theater.

The Era 100 costs $250 and launches on March 28th, the same day as the Era 300. Like the Era 300, this speaker features a more repairable design with screws, rather than adhesives.

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We plan to review the Era 300 upon release. To catch our review as it’s published, be sure to join our free newsletter.