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Ever since the Sonos One was first introduced in 2017, it has been my go-to wireless speaker. It’s portable, can fill big spaces with music, and doesn’t break the bank. However, as rivals have emerged one by one, the Sonos One has fallen behind in functionality, particularly Bluetooth connectivity. The $250 Sonos Era 100 is a smart speaker with two voice assistants (but no Google Assistant) with Bluetooth and stereo sound, a little modification of the One’s model.
The One SL, but the Era 100 is a fine successor. The “problem” for Sonos is that their cheaper smart speaker is no longer the only game in town. Dolby Atmos and more seamless connection with Apple and the Echo ecosystems are features of competing single-voice assistant speakers like the $300 Apple HomePod and the $200 Amazon Echo Studio.
Sonos Era 100 Specifictions
| Specification | Description |
|---|---|
| Audio Quality | High-fidelity sound with 8 custom-designed drivers |
| Voice Assistant | Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built-in |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2 |
| Audio Input | 1x 3.5mm line-in jack |
| Power Source | AC power cord |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 10 x 7 x 6 inches |
| Weight | 6.61 pounds |
Build and Design
At first view, the Era 100 looks a lot like the old Sonos One, but there have been a few changes. One difference is that this speaker is a little bit higher and deeper than the old one. This doesn’t change where you can put it in your home, but it did give Sonos room to add a little more sound power. The style has also become more rounded, and the body is now oval instead of a round circle like the last one.
The Era still looks like a Sonos, though. You can choose a black or white finish, and the metal grille that covers most of the body is simple and sleek. The biggest change is that the touch buttons have been moved all around on the top of the speaker. The best improvement is a new groove in the middle that lets you change the volume by sliding your finger along it in either direction. You can buy this speaker from its official website
Sonos Era 100: Audio Quality
You may use the app to stream audio from a Bluetooth source throughout the rest of your Sonos system. However, the Era 100 must remain a member of the speaker group in order for Bluetooth to function properly; if you remove it, the feature will be disabled. The only option available to you if, for whatever reason, you want the Era to receive the Bluetooth signal but only play the audio in another part of the home is to temporarily turn the volume on the Era down all the way to zero.
Final Words
The Sonos Era 100 is good enough for listening to music. As with most high-end speakers on the market, the speaker has some settings that let you change the sound based on how the room sounds. Its sound is clear and well-balanced, so it can be used to listen to many different kinds of music. Since it’s a stereo speaker, it has a bigger sound than models like the Sonos One SL that only have one speaker. It also has a better separation of instruments in the soundstage. Because you can change the bass and frequency, you can also change the way it sounds.
Sonos Era 100 review: The good and The bad
The Good
- Room correction tools.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
The Bad
- Some compression at max volume.
FAQS
Should you get an Era 100 instead of a Sonos One? The Era 100 is definitely a better speaker. It is better in almost every way than our previous best-sounding pick. If you only use one One, it would be worth it to update.
Get the connections you need. For the Era 100 to connect to an outside music source, you need the Sonos Line-In Adapter. You’ll also need either a 3.5mm audio cable or an RCA to 3.5mm audio cable, based on how the source device can send sound.