After a year of expanding its product lineup with lower-cost home theater products, Sonos is turning back to its bread and butter: high-end audio equipment.
We received a special look at the just-announced Sonos Era 300 speaker at a media event in late February 2023 in New York. Here are our hands-on impressions.
The author’s trip to the media event was paid for by Sonos. Sonos did not influence coverage in any way.
What Is the Sonos Era 300?
The Era 300 doesn’t look like any Sonos speaker, and that’s a good thing. The smart speaker was specifically designed around the internal architecture of the speaker, with an hourglass-like design. Weighing just under 10 pounds, the speaker is 6.3 inches high, 10.24 inches wide, and 7.28 inches deep.
Inside, it packs quite a substantial punch. Along with six amplifiers, there are two woofers to provide the best bass, and four tweeters to help playback of both high- and mid-range frequencies. A forward-firing tweeter provides audio in the center, while a pair of side-firing tweeters help create stereo separation. But the real highlight is an upward-firing tweeter that reflects the sound of the ceiling when playing Dolby Atmos content and using spatial audio.
Along with Wi-Fi connectivity, there are two new ways to bring music to the Era 300: Bluetooth and line-in with an optional adapter and line-in cord.
Just like other Sonos speakers, you can control music via Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Echo. It also supports Apple’s AirPlay 2.
After the event, we sat down with the Sonos VP of Sound Experience, Giles Martin. If you're a music fan, his name should definitely ring a few bells. He’s the son of legendary Beatles producer George Martin. He won two Grammys in 2007 and an Emmy in 2022 for sound mixing on the documentary The Beatles: Get Back. Martin is also a songwriter, composer, music producer, and mixer. Suffice it to say, Martin knows a lot about sound.
Martin emphasized how the design of the Era 300 was made to match the hardware. Even though the speaker sports spatial audio, the company still wanted to create a focal point for listening.
“In order to create a spatial audio speaker, many companies create a circular object,” he said. “But you really need a strong, front-firing speaker. Spatial audio shouldn’t be throwing sound everywhere. You still need a focal point.”
According to Martin, the Era 300 does an impressive job of making you forget about the speaker and technology and simply provide a natural listening experience.
“It should be about enjoying music,” he said. “The whole reason why I joined Sonos is for people to enjoy the music. I want to give justice to my friends in the industry who spend time mixing music. I want people who use the Era 300 to say that the music sounds good.”
How Does the Sonos Era 300 Sound?
During the event, we were given our first listen to the Era 300 in what can only be described as a dream home theater setup with a plethora of Sonos products. In those optimal conditions, the Era 300 shined in both music and home theater use.
Sonos' representatives played a wide variety of songs from different genres in spatial audio, like Sharks from Imagine Dragons and La Fama from Rosalía and the Weeknd. The spatial audio chops were readily apparent. The room was the size of the living area in a smaller home, but the benefits of the up-firing woofer from the main Era 300 were clear, with natural-sounding lyrics and just the right pop of bass.
Martin told us that he believes spatial audio is the future of the industry, with 90% of music being recorded today being made in that format.
For a home theater showcase, a pair of Era 300s were used as surrounds behind us. The Atmos-capable Sonos Arc led the charge near a TV at the front of the room. We were treated to short clips from movies like A Quiet Place. As you might expect, the overall experience was something close to watching in a movie theater.
To use the Era 300 in a home theater, you’ll also need a compatible TV and a second-generation Sonos Beam or Arc.
The Sonos Era 300 Supports Spatial Audio Tunes from Apple, Amazon
If you’re just interested in music, you can dive right into spatial audio using the Era 300.
At launch, the speaker will support Dolby Atmos music from both Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited.
Supporting Apple Music’s expansive spatial audio catalog is a big plus for the Sonos and the Era 300. As part of the partnership, Apple’s catalog will also be available on the Arc and second-generation Beam soundbar.
The Repairability and the Environmental Impact of the Sonos Era 300
Sonos is focusing on making both the Era 300 and the recently announced Era 100 easier to repair and more environmentally friendly. First impressions count, so the speakers are made with post-consumer recycled plastic and packaged in 100% sustainably supported paper.
Both of the speakers are built for better serviceability. The company has reduced the use of adhesives and using more screws to make both speakers easier to disassemble and repair.
The speakers have also been designed to reduce power consumption and offer a new advanced sleep function.
Sonos Era 300 Price and Availability
The Era 300 will officially hit the market on March 28, 2023 and will retail for $449. You can choose from a black or white version of the speaker.
That’s significantly more than the $299 Apple HomePod and $200 Amazon Echo Studio (read our Echo Studio review), two other popular speakers that can play spatial audio content. But the Era 300 offers several advantages, like Bluetooth capability and the ability to act as part of a larger Sonos audio or home theater setup. Plus, sporting a true up-firing speaker should also unleash better spatial audio.
The bigger question is how will the Era 300 will sound compared to those competitors.
Sonos Era 300: Spatial Audio in an Impressive Package
While our time with the speaker was limited, the Era 300 looks to be another top-notch product from Sonos.
We’re looking forward to getting to test out the speaker in a home environment, but our first impressions are positive, especially with spatial audio support and Apple Music compatibility.