Sonos has launched an all-new speaker, the Era 300, which comes with sound and connectivity improvements, and Dolby Atmos support. Not only does it meet expectations, but it sets a very high new bar.
The new Era 300 arrives from Sonos with the intention of being “the speaker that offers the best spatial sound experience” on its own. A whole statement of intent that demonstrates Sonos’ huge aspirations with this speaker, orA model located between the Sonos Era 100, which we tested a few days ago, and the Sonos Play:5a speaker that is already several years old but continues to shine for its quality and power, despite the fact that it lacks certain features such as the voice assistant.
Related article:
Analysis of the new Sonos Era 100: better in everything
Features
- Dimensions 160mm (height) x 260mm (width) x 185mm (depth)
- Weight 4.47Kg
- black and white colors
- Touch controls, Bluetooth button and microphone on/off switch
- 6x Class-D amplifiers
- 4x tweeters (1x front, 2x side, 1x top)
- 2x side woofers
- adjustable equalization
- Automatic (iOs and Android) and manual (iOS only) Trueplay
- Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity
- USB-C connection for auxiliary cable (adapter purchased separately)
- Sonos and Alexa voice control
- AirPlay 2 (iOS 11.4 and later)
- Price 499$
Sonos has placed the Era 300 at the top of the smart speaker range, being considerably more expensive than the 2nd-gen HomePod ($349). It’s a very risky bet as they share many of their characteristics, including the star feature of both: Dolby Atmos. However there are points in favor of the Era 300 which puts it above the HomePodas we will see in this article.
The speaker design is “hourglass” shaped as Sonos itself describes it, it’s very different from what we usually see in these devices, but it doesn’t clash at all where you want to place it , although given its size, you should place it in a wide area. Accompanying the front grille is another grille that runs along the top and side of the enclosure, clarifying the layout of this enclosure’s tweeters and woofers for project sound in all directions and get real spatial sound, without the need for simulations
For controls, Sonos is maintaining the changes it already started with the Era 100, with separate touch controls for playback and volume, and physical buttons for mute/unmute microphones and Bluetooth, both on the inside. back of the enclosure. As we said with the Era 100, These new controls seem to us to be a success, especially when we want to increase and decrease the volumea much more precise task now with this surface over which we slide our finger.
Two of the novelties of these new models are the possibility of connecting to it via Bluetooth or auxiliary input. I have a very particular vision of bluetooth in speakers of this range and these prices, but I understand that there are users who may find this connectivity useful. Even so, if with the Era 100 it seemed a shame to use Bluetooth to listen to music, with the Era 300 it seems to me a real capital sin. But there’s the option, you don’t have to power it and so I applaud Sonos’ decision. Adding the auxiliary input via USB-C is a whole different matter as it allows you to connect other devices, like a turntable, which previously could only be done by adding another Sonos product to our network, which was a costly expense. significant money. Of course, the necessary adapter is not included in the box, which does not seem normal to me for a speaker of this price.
As for the rest of the features, we don’t miss any of the ones that Sonos usually offers. The ability to send sound via AirPlay 2 allows us to combine it with other compatible speakers, regardless of brand, so we can combine a Sonos Era 300 with a HomePod, for example, for perfectly sound synchronized in our living room, or in different rooms. . We can also use Alexa as a virtual assistant to tell you to play music from Apple Music, Spotify or Amazon Music, all compatible with the Amazon assistant. And let’s not forget the ability to pair two Era 300s for stereo listening or use them as rear speakers for our home theater system, alongside a Sonos Arc or Sonos Beam 2, pulling Dolby Atmos to the max. if we choose this option.
Setup and application
For the Sonos Era 300 setup, like any Sonos speaker, you need to use the official app. The procedure is very simple, very intuitive and very well guided by the application, which is also translated into Spanish, so it will only take a few minutes to have your speaker ready for use. In this application, you can activate the virtual assistant (Sonos Voice Control or Alexa), and You can add your Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. accounts.
Stereo sound and Dolby Atmos
The distribution of tweeters and woofers allows you to enjoy true stereo sound with a single speaker, and above all, true Dolby Atmos. Don’t be fooled by the speaker size or only have one speaker, this Era 300 delivers room-filling sound and you’ll feel it coming from different places. Sonos takes advantage of walls to send sounds back to your ears, and the fact that there is a top speaker that projects to the ceiling delivers truly amazing spatial sound. With this Era 300 they managed to convince me for the first time with Spatial Sound (or Dolby Atmos, whatever you want to call it) for the first time.
To enjoy a Dolby Atmos that really surprises you, you have to listen to a song that was really recorded for this type of sound, and above all, you will still need to do this from the Sonos app as the speaker must connect directly to the compatible music serviceCurrently only Apple Music and Amazon Music. Tidal has Dolby Atmos but it’s not compatible, and with Spotify that kind of sound isn’t there or expected at the moment. Thanks to AirPlay it is not possible to enjoy Dolby Atmos, we don’t know if this is a limitation that can be solved in the near future or if it is something impossible to fix , so for now we’ll have to get used to using the Sonos app . And it’s definitely worth it, because the difference is substantial.
If we compare the Dolby Atmos offered by an Era 300 and that offered by a HomePod, it’s radically different. While on the Apple speaker it looks like a mere marketing gimmick, on the Sonos speaker it’s a whole new experience when it comes to listening to music. Without having to look in the Sonos app if the Dolby Atmos label is there, you will be able to differentiate which song has this quality and which does not. But not only does the Era 300 win in this section, but also in power and clarity. It’s a superior speaker to the HomePod in all sound sections, which is to be expected given the price difference. The bass is very strong, the reproduction of voices has a very high level of detail and the differentiation of instruments is very clear. Sound seems even better than the Sonos Play:5a speaker that I’ve been using for years and that I’m very used to, and which only beats the Era 300 in bass power, volume and maybe better defined stereo, which makes a lot of sense given the difference in size.
Editor’s review
Sonos has done a masterstroke with the new Era 300. On the one hand, it has added functions that many users have been asking for for a long time, such as Bluetooth or the auxiliary input, while it has managed to keep all the good things he already had. More importantly, however, it has succeeded in convincing that Dolby Atmos makes sense in music and that it could replace stereo sound in the not too distant future. And all that with just one speaker, I don’t even want to imagine how you can enjoy music with a pair of Era 300s, or with a complete set that includes a Sonos Arc and a Sonos Sub. Of course, to take advantage you will have to pay the 499$ that you have on Amazon (link).
- Editor’s note
- 4.5 star rating
- Exceptional
$499
- Period 300
- Review by: louis padille
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Posted on:
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Last modification:
Benefits
- high quality sound
- Real Dolby Atmos
- Precise touch controls
- Bluetooth connection and auxiliary input
- Ability to pair or use as home theater rear speakers
Against
- Does not include USB-C adapter for auxiliary input
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