As Sonos its first smart speaker that debuted in 2006 in 2006, it’s no surprise that the Sonos One has enjoyed excellent success. Today (March 7) however it appears that it appears that the Era 100 has officially been unveiled as the company’s basic smart speaker successor. It will be joining the Era 300, a spatial audio speaker that was presented on the 7th of March. Both models will go on sale on March 28 and the newer models are ready to compete with the most powerful smart speakers currently out there, such as the latest Apple HomePod 2.
In this article, I will outline my initial impressions of Sonos Era 100. Sonos Era 100 following some recent hands-on sessions allowed me to gain an early impression of how it compares against the top smart speakers of this year. For a comprehensive look at the main distinctions between the Sonos Era 100 and the original Sonos One, check out our Sonos Era 100 vs. Sonos One face-off.
Here are my initial observations of the new Era 100’s look performance, performance, new features, and more.
Sonos Era 100 hands-on: Prices and availability
The Sonos Era 100 will cost $249, $399, and PS249 when it goes on sale on March 28. Pre-orders begin today (March 7) on Sonos’ website. Sonos website(opens in a new tab). Black or white colors are available.
In comparison, the Sonos One costs $219 while the Sonos One SL (which doesn’t come with smart speaker features) is priced at $199. Both the Sonos One and the Sonos One SL will be available for sale until stock lasts. Even though these models are taken off the market but they will still be supplied by Sonos.
Sonos Era 100 hands-on: Design
Era 100 Era 100 doesn’t look too different from its predecessor, the Sonos One, but boasts numerous enhancements, including an additional tweeter to provide stereo sound from one speaker, Wi-Fi 6 along with Bluetooth connectivity. Like Sonos One, the Era 100 can be used as a single speaker. Sonos One, the Era 100 can be used as a standalone music player or as two rear speakers as part of the Sonos Arc, Sonos Beam, and Sonos Ray soundbar setup.
The Era 100 has more of an overall design that is more rounded as compared to Sonos One. Sonos One is a bit bigger. It measures 7.18 4.72 x 4.72 5.14 x 5.14 inches It weighs 4.44 pounds (around 2 kilograms). It’s slightly more heavy than the one’s 4.08 grams (around 1.85kg) however, there’s no significant difference in the footprint.
Touch controls have been improved to the latest version, and they’ve also added a new feature. Era 100 has a small groove that runs through the middle that allows you to slide your finger to either increase or decrease the volume. You can also tap one side for a similar effect. On the Era 100 are buttons for play/pause, reverse, and forward. Era 100 are buttons for play/pause, reverse, as well as forward.
Internally it is Era 100 is equipped with two tweeters that are angled left to right and feature a 25 percent larger woofer driver than that fitted with Sonos One. Sonos One. The new arrangement of drivers allows the stereo sound from one speaker unit, which is said to have an amplitude of 270 degrees however, I’ve also learned that you can connect two Era 100s for the best stereo soundstage, while the larger driver for woofers aims to enhance bass performance.
Sonos Era 100 hands-on: Connectivity and features
Era 100 Era 100 supports Wi-Fi 6 and is Bluetooth connectivity compatible. It also supports AirPlay 2 on Apple devices that run iOS 11.4 or higher. In lieu of having the Ethernet port, however, it is the Era 100 has a USB-C port in the back. Sonos will offer adapters that offer an Ethernet connection and line-in connection to ensure it is suitable for line-level turntables. A Combo Adapter with Ethernet as well as 3.5mm line-in connectivity will cost $39.99 while a USB-C Line In Adapter is priced at $19.99.
The Sonos Era 100 supports Alexa as well as its own personal voice assistant. As of the writing time, it doesn’t support Google Assistant, but this could be added at a later time via an update to the firmware. Users are able to disconnect the microphone of the Era 100 by using an option on the back.
Trueplay and an adjustable EQ are built-in and compatible to iOS as well as Android devices. If you have An Android phone, Trueplay uses microphones built inside Era 100 speakers. Era 100 speaker. Users who have an iOS device can also utilize the method (referred by the name Quick Tuning within Sonos) Sonos App) or the conventional technique (referred by the name Advanced Tuning) which uses the microphones on the device like your iPhone and iPad and requires users to move around in the space.
Sonos Era 100 hands-on: Sound quality
My hands-on time was brief and covered only a few songs, but it was easy to appreciate the advantages from the double tweeter setup, and the stereo audio really stood out. The first track I played was the song “Billions” by Caroline Polachek and it sounded more powerful than I anticipated. I found that there was definitely more volume than Sonos One, although I could not make an accurate comparison at the moment. The second track Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” demonstrated the capabilities of the Era 100s by delivering a beat that was upbeat and had my feet tapping.
Sonos Era 100 hands-on: Outlook
Its Sonos Era 100 might not be a huge change from Sonos One, but it’s not a huge difference. Sonos One, but the increase in connectivity and performance is sure to set the standard for this single-speaker segment. The speaker doesn’t support spatial audio and for that, you’ll have to look into the brand Sonos Era 300. Sonos Era 300 speaker. Google Assistant support is MIA probably because of ongoing disputes among the companies regarding smart speakers and technology for voice control. Although I’m not going to offer an announcement until I have the chance to test the performance of the Era100 in my home, it’s definitely looking like a worthy upgrade and marks the beginning of a new age for entry-level smart speakers all over the world.
