Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 Owner Review: Sound Everywhere

AI Life / Assistants / Smart Speakers

Sonos is the speaker system I would keep if I had to give up the others. The Era 100 is the compact stereo speaker most people start with. The Era 300 is the bigger spatial audio speaker that fires sound up and to the sides for Dolby Atmos. Both have voice assistants built in, but on Sonos the assistant is the side dish. The sound is the meal.

How to use it: setup, how the AI works and what it works with, in How to use Sonos .

The rating above is mine. The specs and test results below come from the maker and independent reviews, linked under the table. More picks are on the Smart Speakers hub .

Key specs

Sources: Sonos Era 100 , Sonos Era 300 , The Verge , PCMag , Audio Advice .

What reviewers like

• Stereo from one box. The Era 100’s two angled tweeters give real stereo separation, per Sonos.
• Trueplay works on Android now. The Verge reports Sonos added a quick tune mode that uses the speaker’s own mics, with the iPhone mode still a little better.
• A hardware mic switch that cuts power to the mics, not a software toggle.

What to watch for

• No Google Assistant. Sonos told The Verge it is not worth the engineering lift right now.
• Line-in and Ethernet need adapters sold separately.
• Siri works only through AirPlay and the Apple Home app on another device, per Audio Advice.

Who should buy it

Buy Sonos if music in more than one room matters to you and you want the speakers to just group and play. Start with an Era 100 and add more. Get an Era 300 for a room where you want Atmos music or rear surrounds. Skip it if you mainly want an assistant, or you are firmly in Google’s ecosystem and want Google voice control.

Why I rate it a 5

My verdict: it “has it all, sound everywhere.” Of the four speaker families I own, Sonos is the system I would keep. The rest of this page is the research on the current Era models, so you can pick the right one.

Era 100 or Era 300

• Era 100. Kitchens, bedrooms, offices. Pair two for a wider stereo image, or use two as rear surrounds with a Sonos soundbar.
• Era 300. Living rooms and anywhere you play Atmos music. It is wide and heavy at nearly 10 pounds, so measure the shelf.

Both are humidity resistant, which matters in a kitchen or bathroom, per Sonos.

Voice: Sonos Voice Control or Alexa

Sonos Voice Control is fast and focused on music, and Sonos says it does not record your requests, per PCMag. Alexa adds smart home control and general questions but brings Amazon’s cloud along. You pick one per speaker. I compared the two in Sonos Voice Control vs Alexa .

Run Trueplay once

After setup, open the Sonos app and run Trueplay in each room. On an iPhone you walk around waving the phone while tones play. On Android the speaker measures itself. PCMag notes you can reset it if you do not like the result. It takes two minutes and makes a real difference in odd-shaped rooms.

Quick answers

Era 100 or Era 300? The Era 100 is the everyday room speaker. The Era 300 adds spatial audio for Dolby Atmos music and costs more.

Can I use Alexa? Sonos has supported Alexa on its voice-enabled speakers. Check current support for each model, as assistant support has changed over time.

Listening on a smart speaker? Amazon offers an Audible free trial for audiobooks; check Amazon for the current terms.

Is the Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 on sale for Black Friday?

It is one of the products I am watching this season. I do not list sale prices here because they change by the hour and differ by color, bundle and store. Compare against the price you see in the weeks before the sale, and check whether a bundle adds things you will not use.

Our take

Mike’s rating is 5/5: the system he would keep, with sound everywhere. The Era 100 is the place to start.

Check today’s price before you buy: See the Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 on Amazon .

Compare

See Sonos Voice Control vs Alexa , or browse the Black Friday smart home and smart speaker deals .