We spent just a few weeks with the Sonos Era 100 to see how simply effectively the newest sensible speaker performs and if it is well worth the value.
Alongside Taylor Swift launching her Era’s Tour earlier this month, Sonos can also be pushing ahead into a brand new Era with the 100 and 300. I’m specializing in the Era 100 right here, the brand new entry level for a sensible speaker inside the Sonos ecosystem.
At $249, it’s dearer than the long-standing One that it’s changing, which supplied daring sound at an inexpensive value level inside the wonderful world of Sonos.
In phrases of reinventing merchandise, or looking for to enhance an virtually universally liked one, Sonos did rather a lot proper with its new product. The Era 100 is a pleasure to make use of with wonderful sound high quality that’s higher than the One in an analogous construct, however with some key additions.
The foremost draw back is a dearer entry level and competitors from different manufacturers with extra choices than ever earlier than. Still, the Sonos Era 100 is well the very best sensible speaker for many.
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Sonos Era 100 Pros and Cons
An Unassuming Build
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Apple’s HomePod boasts a seamless, mesh grill that wraps round a compact oval. Amazon’s Echo opts for a spherical, grapefruit like dimension and Bose gives a spread of various choices. Heck, Sony even has a large sensible speaker that appears like a Norelco shaver up-top.
The Era 100 pushes into a brand new period with a quite unassuming, strikingly easy construct. It’s fairly compact at simply 7.18-inches tall with a depth of round 5-inches. Rather than sporting a sq. form with rounded edges just like the One, the Era 100 presents itself in an oval construct. If something, it may well squeeze right into a tighter area with the elevated depth and decreased width.
In traditional Sonos (SONO) – Get Free Report style, it is available in simply two shades–black or white–with a grille that wraps practically all the way in which round. The Era 100 pushes sound out the entrance and sides. The high and rear of the 100 are flat and principally seamless.
The Era 100 debuts just a few new controls, which the place the most important change from the One arises. For starters, particular person buttons for elevating or decreasing the quantity are changed with a slider line that dips in. You can swipe left to cut back quantity or proper to lift it (after just a few tries, it comes fairly naturally). You can even faucet both facet, to the acute proper or left, to lift or decrease one after the other. Sonos diehards might want to alter to this, and I anticipate we’ll see this on future Sonos merchandise.
You nonetheless have the contact, capacitive buttons for going backwards, forwards, and taking part in or pausing music. There are 4 microphones up high and a button to mute them for companies like Amazon Alexa or Sonos Voice Control. This is akin to muting an Echo or some other sensible speaker.
For of us who actually didn’t need a listening sensible speaker, Sonos beforehand supplied a less expensive model of the One named the One SL that lacked microphones. That’s not the case with the Era 100 as Sonos is providing a one-size-fits-all mannequin. On the rear of the 100 in the direction of the underside, there’s a toggle you could flip all the way down to disconnect the microphones. It is above a vertically positioned USB-C enter, which can be utilized for in-line connectivity with one other gadget.
Sonos additionally gives two dongles–one with an audio jack and one other with an Ethernet port and an audio jack. This is a welcomed addition alongside Bluetooth connectivity because it expands how one can get music in your Sonos apart from the companion utility.
The Bluetooth integration works in a jiffy and is similar as on the Sonos Move or Roam. Just maintain the button, the Era 100 switches to Bluetooth, and you’ll hook up with the speaker from one other gadget. Easy sufficient.
Lastly, Era 100 will get energy through the included cable that attaches on the underside of the speaker. In traditional Sonos style, the model even built-in a spot for straightforward cable wiring. With some rubber on the underside, the Era 100 received’t slide or transfer as you play music.
Terrific Sound
By all elements, it’s a easy design, however the Era 100 kicks issues into a better gear with the audio high quality. There is kind of a bit of recent {hardware} inside that comes collectively for a speaker that will get loads loud, however even at these greater volumes, the sound stays crisp.
Those two tweeters are angled to the perimeters to afford extra space for a monitor and are coupled with a mid-woofer that’s considerably bigger than what was within the One. The Era 100 delivers stereo because of this {hardware} together with two digital amplifiers and a a lot improved processor.
Whether it’s “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen, “Ribs” by Lorde, or “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift the Era 100 sounds downright good. There is ample room for numerous components of a monitor to shine via, and the bass is stronger. It doesn’t overpower the monitor however is unquestionably extra current in every second of playback. Music simply sounds nice, and it really works actually wherever the Era 100 is positioned.
I examined it in just a few spots like on a packed kitchen counter, on an open island, a facet desk, and even on a shelf. Regardless of its location, the Era 100 was capable of produce crisp audio that might attain volumes a lot bigger than what the scale of the unit would depart one to imagine. Much of that is because of the fine-tuning characteristic TruePlay, which now is available in two kinds. The skill to run it from the Sonos app and wave your cellphone across the area continues to be solely accessible for iPhone of us, although. The microphones on the iPhone choose up the tones that the Era 100 produces to get a way of the panorama.
The second method to make use of TruePlay is for the Era 100 to do it by itself, a brand new functionality. It performs the tones and makes use of the built-in far discipline microphones to regulate the combination on your area. Both methods of utilizing this characteristic work effectively, and I didn’t discover a loopy distinction between the 2 for essentially the most half.
As a complete, the Era 100 actually sounds nice, and that’s what actually makes it stand out in such a crowded market. Sonos was capable of take a very good speaker and make it significantly better with a wider soundstage that provides a crisp, vibrant expertise for any monitor. You received’t discover Spatial Audio help right here, nevertheless, as that’s reserved for the Era 300.
Because the Era 100 lives inside the Sonos ecosystem, you’ll be able to simply group this with different Sonos audio system. Additionally, you’ll use the Sonos app for Android or iPhone to manage playback. You can choose from lots of of sources like Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Nugs.web, or SiriusXM. It’s very easy to get music going.
If you’d quite use your voice, you’ve gotten two decisions: Amazon Alexa or Sonos Voice Control. Both work effectively right here however are considerably restricted by way of which companies they help. The Google Assistant can also be fully absent right here, which makes the speaker much less interesting when you’re in that ecosystem, particularly contemplating it was accessible on earlier Sonos.
You can’t use Siri, both, however when you’re an Apple (AAPL) – Get Free Report consumer, AirPlay 2 is supported. There can also be a case to be made that, at $50 extra, the second-gen HomePod is a worthy choice.
Is the Sonos Era 100 Worth It?
The Sonos Era 100 is without doubt one of the greatest devices launched this 12 months and actually vegetation itself as the very best sensible speaker for most folk. If you care in regards to the music, need to construct out your personal ecosystem that isn’t tied to only one service, then the Era 100 suits the invoice.
Yes, it’s dearer than the One and is lacking some options, however when you can dwell with that value improve, it actually hits the mark. The design works in actually any area, the sound high quality is nice, and it’s in the end straightforward to manage.
Bluetooth is a very nice addition right here and the USB-C port seems like a half step. Rather than promoting a dongle, Sonos might have added an audio-jack and ethernet port proper to the Era 100. Maybe that’ll arrive within the subsequent model.
Even so, for most individuals and no matter what your most popular streaming service is, the Era 100 impresses. The Sonos Era 100 is accessible now at $249 in black or white.
Prices are correct and gadgets in inventory at time of publishing.
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