Sonos Era 300 Wireless Speaker Review

The Sonos Era 300 speaker is a groundbreaking audio device with an exceptional experience with its Dolby Atmos compatibility and dedicated speakers. By harnessing spatial audio technology, the Sonos Era 300 immerses listeners in a captivating sonic environment, delivering sound that envelops them from all directions. This post will provide an in-depth review of the Sonos Era 300 wireless speaker with Dolby Atmos, highlighting its remarkable features and performance.

Unboxing

The unboxing experience of the Sonos Era 300 speakers is similar to its predecessor, the Sonos Era 100. These new speakers are thoughtfully packaged in recyclable cardboard, aligning with Sonos’ commitment to sustainability.

Inside the box, the speakers are securely held by cardboard brackets and protected with a fabric covering. Alongside the speakers, the package includes a convenient quick-start guide to help you set up your speakers effortlessly. Additionally, you will find a power cord with an approximate length of 2 meters, ensuring flexibility in positioning the speakers within your space.

Design and Appearance

The Sonos Era 300 is a distinctive addition to the innovative speaker lineup. Contrary to speculation, it does not serve as a direct successor to the Sonos Play:3 or a replacement for the Sonos Five, which remains available in the brand’s product range. Instead, the Sonos Era 300 boldly paves its path, introducing a fresh era characterized by a unique design and innovative acoustic structure.

With its eye-catching aesthetics, the Sonos Era 300 epitomizes its commitment to revolutionizing the music listening experience. Its futuristic silhouette resembles an inverted hourglass or a virtual reality headset, embodying an immersive approach.

Compared to previous offerings from the brand, the Sonos Era 300 features a more pronounced curvature, with an oval front panel and gently inward-curving sides. Unlike the understated design of the Sonos Era 100, this speaker demands a prominent placement to showcase its visual and sonic prowess.

Whether on furniture or a shelf, it ensures sound disperses in all directions, including the ceiling. Moreover, the Sonos Era 300’s minimalist design effortlessly blends into modern and classic room settings.

The Sonos Era 300 defies the rectangular design convention of its predecessors, embracing a sleek and futuristic aesthetic with its elegant curves. The speaker grilles of the Sonos Era 300 are cleverly concealed behind a micro-perforated mesh, extending across the entire front panel and partially covering the back and top of the speaker.

In line with Sonos’ sustainability commitment, the Sonos Era 300 packaging, like the Era 100, is crafted from 48 percent recycled plastic. The brand’s environmental consciousness is further evident through its modular approach. Ingeniously hidden beneath the speaker, a screw system allows for effortless removal, ensuring easy maintenance and enabling long-term usage as promised by the manufacturer.

Connectivity

The Sonos Era 300 smart speaker introduces a redesigned touch interface, enhancing the user experience. While incorporating familiar functionalities from existing Sonos speakers, such as volume controls, play/pause commands, voice assistant activation, and track-changing options, it also brings a new level of convenience.

Notably, the volume adjustment buttons are now recessed, allowing for more intuitive and effortless control. Swipe left to right to increase the volume or vice versa, making adjustments seamless and user-friendly. This design refinement proves especially beneficial in low-light environments or for individuals with impaired vision.

WiFi and Bluetooth Connectivity

With the Sonos Era 100 and 300, Sonos ventures into the realm of dual Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, expanding upon the success of the Sonos Roam and Sonos Move. These speakers are the first Sonos-connected devices to support Bluetooth and WiFi connections. Bluetooth connectivity lets users play music from their smartphones, tablets, or computers without a network connection.

Internet Connectivity

While Bluetooth functionality is convenient, connecting the Sonos Era 300 speaker to the internet is highly recommended to unlock its full potential. By doing so, users can enjoy the same extensive features offered by other devices from this renowned American manufacturer.

The Sonos app, which has played a significant role in the brand’s success, is a comprehensive tool for music management. It enables the playback of music from local network shares. It provides access to popular online music services like Deezer, Spotify, and Apple Music and platforms offering Hi-Res music such as Qobuz, Amazon Music, and Tidal.

Additionally, users can explore countless internet radio stations via TuneIn or Sonos’ proprietary internet radio stations. Apple users can also stream audio from any app to the Sonos Era 300 using the AirPlay 2 protocol.

Multiroom and AirPlay 2 Compatibility

As with all devices from the Sonos brand, the Sonos Era 300 speaker is fully compatible with multiroom functionality. It can function independently, be paired for stereo listening, or be incorporated into a Sonos or AirPlay 2 multiroom group.

Moreover, it can serve as a surround sound speaker in a Sonos wireless home theater system when combined with a soundbar. However, it must be noted that only the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and Sonos Arc models support Atmos sound. The Sonos Ray stereo soundbar is capable of reproducing surround sound.

Voice Assistants

Since introducing the first Sonos One in October 2017, the American manufacturer has significantly emphasized voice control for its speakers. The Sonos Era 300, like other Sonos devices, seamlessly integrates microphones for voice control via Amazon Alexa and the recently introduced Sonos Voice Control.

The latter prioritizes privacy and ensures entirely local usage (for more details, refer to the article: “Sonos Voice Control: A Voice Assistant That Respects Privacy”). Unfortunately, the manufacturer no longer supports Google Assistant, which has been widely regarded as the most comprehensive option in French.

Those concerned about privacy can turn off the microphone. The Sonos Era 300 features a dedicated command button on the top of the device that deactivates voice commands while keeping the microphone active for TruePlay calibration. A second command button on the speaker’s back also enables complete microphone deactivation.

Multi-function USB-C Port

The Sonos Era 300 introduces a multi-function USB-C port, signifying the removal of the Ethernet port in Sonos’ new generation of speakers. Nowadays, local networks and internet connectivity primarily rely on WiFi. However, the USB-C port remains highly useful, providing access to a wired network through a USB-C to Ethernet adapter.

Setup

Sonos devices have always prioritized ease of use, and the new Sonos Era 300 smart speaker is no exception. Configuring the speaker is a seamless and intuitive process that can be completed in less than 2 minutes. While the speaker has a Bluetooth controller, an internet connection is required for the initial setup.

The process is conveniently facilitated through the Sonos app, which provides step-by-step guidance for iOS and Android devices. After creating a Sonos account and powering the Sonos Era 300, the app automatically detects the speaker and initiates the configuration process.

The speaker emits an audio PIN code, allowing automatic pairing with the smartphone. The speaker can be connected to a WiFi network and assigned to a specific room. This entire setup process is quick, easy, and a testament to Sonos’ commitment to user-friendly experiences.

Once the Sonos Era 300 speaker is successfully connected and updated, users are greeted with the well-designed interface of the Sonos app. This platform allows users to perform TruePlay calibrations, customize sound settings (including bass, treble, loudness, and vertical channels), connect to various online music services, and activate voice assistants such as Alexa and Sonos Voice Control.

Through the Sonos mobile app, users can quickly initiate TruePlay calibration, adjust the EQ settings for bass and treble, enable loudness, and fine-tune the level of the Atmos channel.

Sound Performance

The Sonos Era 300 sets itself apart as one of the world’s first intelligent speakers with dedicated Atmos-only speakers, showcasing Sonos’ expertise in multiroom audio. This revolutionary acoustic design features an Atmos speaker positioned on top of the speaker, creating a vertical channel in the ceiling through reflection and delivering a captivating three-dimensional listening experience.

The Sonos Era 300 speakers have two mid-woofers and two side-firing tweeters to achieve a fully immersive sound. These components expand the soundstage, ensuring an even music distribution throughout the room.

Additionally, a center tweeter focuses on vocals and central instruments, working with a specialized waveguide to widen the sound dispersion and create a more spacious soundstage. All six speakers, strategically positioned within the Sonos Era 300 enclosure, are powered by dedicated Class D amplifiers.

With its six speakers positioned on various sides, the Sonos Era 300 speaker disperses sound in all directions, enveloping the listener in a captivating musical experience. However, it is essential to note that Dolby Atmos sound effects are currently limited to specific platforms.

Amazon Music or Apple Music subscribers can enjoy tracks supporting Dolby Atmos mixes. While the manufacturer is actively working on bringing spatial audio technology to Tidal, there currently needs to be an official release date for this highly anticipated compatibility.

In addition to Amazon Music and Apple Music, the Sonos Era 300 speaker can be paired with other Atmos-enabled Sonos speakers to enjoy a truly immersive experience with movies, concerts, and games that offer surround sound effects. Furthermore, connecting the speaker to a TV or Apple TV allows users to enjoy tracks mixed in Atmos through Tidal.

Alongside its impressive acoustic design, Atmos compatibility, and unique aesthetics, the Sonos Era 300 speaker introduces the inclusion of TruePlay calibration, just like its sibling, the Sonos Era 100. Notably, this feature brings TruePlay calibration to Android users for the first time, expanding its availability beyond iOS devices.

TruePlay calibration utilizes long-distance microphones on Android devices to measure a room’s acoustic properties and optimize audio reproduction accordingly. For iOS users, the calibration process still relies on using the microphone of an iPhone or iPad.

Whether conducting Calibration directly from the speaker or utilizing an iPhone, users can fine-tune their audio experience by adjusting bass, treble, or stereo balance. Additionally, the Sonos Era 300 speakers incorporate a new vertical channel controller, allowing users to modify the intensity of the Atmos effect by setting the vertical channel adjustment level to +/-10 dB.

The Sonos Era 300 speakers deliver a truly immersive music playback experience thanks to their exceptional wide audio transmission. With a coverage of over 180 degrees around the speaker, the music is evenly distributed, ensuring that every listener in the room can enjoy the music equally.

The sound remains clear, natural, and distinct, facing the speaker directly or positioned to the side. Unlike traditional stereo systems, the sound extends laterally to both sides of the speaker, creating a wider audio field. This surround sound effect envelops the listener, providing a remarkable sense of space and airiness.

The Sonos Era 300 speakers guarantee an immersive and consistent listening experience throughout the entire room, thanks to their over 180-degree audio transmission.

While offering a comprehensive audio scene, the Sonos Era 300 smart speaker also incorporates subtle spatialization effects with Dolby Atmos content. Though restrained compared to the audio experience, these effects enhance immersion and contribute to a more enveloping surround sound experience.

For example, on The Weeknd’s album ‘After Hours,’ the Dolby Atmos version available on Amazon Music showcases increased airiness and openness compared to the stereo version. The music expands freely in the space, creating a heightened sense of depth. While the vocalist’s voice remains solid, the accompanying effects are more accurately separated, although they may not convey a true overhead sensation.

The Sonos Era 300 speakers feature built-in Atmos speakers that contribute to a heightened sense of depth and openness in audio reproduction. This is particularly noticeable when experiencing Era’s live concert albums, where the Atmos speakers effectively recreate the ambiance and acoustics of a recording studio.

The choir gains strength and creates a unique sense of space. Instruments are beautifully spread out and benefit from a subtle yet enchanting echo, expanding the audio scene. The overall effect is akin to being transported into a concert hall. This highlights the significance of providing the Sonos Era 300 speaker with carefully crafted Atmos content to unlock its potential fully.

Compared to its smaller counterpart, the Sonos Era 100, the Era 300 smart speaker delivers a more balanced listening experience with a richer midrange. This range naturally exhibits intricate details, resulting in a sound that stands out for its clarity and sustained readability. The treble frequencies offer excellent smoothness, devoid of harshness or unwanted noise. All these sonic qualities are complemented by powerful and precisely controlled bass, enhancing the overall audio performance.

We incorporated a pair of Sonos Era 300 speakers as surround channels alongside the Sonos Arc soundbar and Sonos Sub (Gen 3) subwoofer to create a 5.1.4-channel home theater system. Placing the Era 300 speakers behind the seating area significantly enhanced immersion and expanded the soundstage for an immersive movie-watching experience. By slightly increasing the volume of each speaker, the surround effects were perceptibly pronounced, adding dynamism and precision to every sonic detail with remarkable efficiency.

Wider Soundstage and Excellent Surround Sound: Paired with the Sonos Arc soundbar, the Sonos Era 300 speakers deliver a more expansive soundstage that elevates the home theater experience. The combination produces exceptional surround sound that envelops the listener.

While the Atmos effect is more restrained in a home theater configuration, even with the vertical channel volume set to maximum, the primary focus remains on the Atmos effect emanating from the audio bar. The sound bubble effect is more prominent at the front of the room rather than at the back. It is important to note that this evaluation was conducted before the official launch of the speaker. Sonos has assured us they are actively working on an upcoming update to enhance the TruePlay calibration specifically for home theater configurations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Sonos Era 300 is a remarkable smart speaker that creates an ambient and immersive listening experience. Its wide and enveloping soundstage allows music to be enjoyed evenly throughout the room, making it ideal for achieving balanced acoustics in a living room setting. The Atmos compatibility adds an extra layer of immersion when paired with appropriate music choices and a subscription to Amazon Music or Apple Music.

However, when used in a home theater configuration, the gains offered by the Sonos Era 300 over its smaller counterpart, the Sonos Era 100, are currently limited. The Atmos speakers expand the soundstage and enhance the sense of space, but the impact of Audio Spatial effects may vary depending on the track being played. Furthermore, Atmos music listening is currently limited to subscribers of specific music streaming services, which can be a drawback.

To fully realize the 3D audio experience in a home theater setup, Sonos may need to reevaluate the power allocation for Atmos and work on refining the TruePlay calibration specifically for home theater configurations. Nevertheless, the Sonos Era 300 remains an excellent choice for those seeking a versatile and immersive listening experience throughout their living space.