The new Sonos Era 100 arrives with the difficult role of improving the popular Sonos One, and it shows that Sonos has put all its interest in it because it succeeds in each and every one of its aspectsmore than making up for its small price increase.
Four years have passed since Sonos launched its Sonos One, one of its most popular speakers for its excellent balance between quality and price, and for all the features such as being able to create a stereo pair or be used as rear speakers for your home theater system. home, the integration with Alexa or the compatibility with AirPlay 2. Sonos has launched what will be its successor, the Era 100, a loudspeaker with many similarities but with better features in all its sections, which justifies the extra €50 that you will have to pay for the new model: auxiliary input, Bluetooth connection, WiFi 6, automatic TruePlay, stereo sound and better sound in general. We break it all down below.
Sonos Era 100 (left) and Sonos One (right)
Specifications
- Dimensions 182mm (height) x 120mm (width) x 130mm (depth)
- Weight 2Kg
- black and white colors
- Touch controls, Bluetooth button and microphone on/off switch
- 3x class D amplifiers
- 2x tilted tweeters for stereo sound
- 1x midwoofer
- adjustable equalization
- Automatic (iOs and Android) and manual (iOS only) Trueplay
- Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity
- USB-C connection for auxiliary cable (adapter purchased separately)
- Sonos Voice Control and Alexa
- AirPlay 2 (iOS 11.4 and later)
- Price €279
If we compare it with the Sonos One, the design is quite different. Sonos has chosen to a somewhat taller and completely cylindrical speaker, and that, like the rest of Sonos products, includes the embossed logo superimposed on the speaker grill. The Sonos One, despite having been renewed over the years, has maintained the original design and had already become somewhat outdated compared to the rest of the brand’s speakers.
The physical controls of the speaker have also been improved, and now we not only have playback controls to start or pause, or to change the song, but we also have a touch surface with which we can control the volume. If we slide our finger through the central channel we will modify the volume by 30% using the entire surface. To the right we increase the volume, to the left we lower it. The control is quite precise and very comfortable to use, a success.
We also found a physical switch to control the speaker microphones. If we activate it, they will be listening to be used with the Sonos or Amazon Alexa assistants. We don’t have Siri, obviously because Apple doesn’t allow it, and we don’t have Google Assistant because Sonos has removed its integration into the speakers. With the assistants we can do the usual things like control playback or volume. I use it with Amazon Alexa and by integrating with Apple Music (also Spotify) I don’t need to use the mobile to start the music I like. And we leave for last two additions that deserve their own section.
Auxiliary input and Bluetooth
When we review Sonos speakers, there’s always a fairly common complaint: they don’t have an auxiliary input or Bluetooth connectivity. Well, Sonos has listened to users and has added these two options to its Era 100. Now we have a USB-C at the bottom that allows us to connect any audio input to the speaker, yes, you will need to purchase an additional adapter from Sonos (€25) that is not included in the box (link). It is a solution for those who use other types of audio sources, such as a vinyl turntable.
The other addition is Bluetooth (5.0) as an option to play content. Until now only portable speakers (Sonos Move and Sonos Roam) had this option, but none of the “fixed” speakers. Until now to send music from our phone to the speaker we had to use AirPlay 2 with higher sound quality, multiroom and control via Siri, but limited to Apple devices. We could also use the Sonos app on any platform, or the Spotify app itself also on iOS and Android. Now we also have the speed of the Bluetooth connection without having to connect to any WiFi network, although it is at the cost of losing sound quality.
Configuration and App
For the configuration of the speaker it is necessary to use the Sonos application, both for iOS and Android. The procedure is very simple, since since the speaker is connected to the current and we have our iPhone connected to WiFi, we only have to open the app and let it detect your device automatically. After that, just follow the steps indicated in the app and everything will be ready to start using it.
As options we can add the virtual assistant (Sonos or Alexa), equalize the sound of the speaker or opt for TruePlay that adapts the sound to the room and the location in which the speaker has been placed. This procedure can be done as usual, moving with our iPhone around the room as indicated by the app, or automatically, letting the speaker microphones pick up the sound for it. If you move the speaker, the app itself will ask you to allow TruePlay to recalibrate it to adapt it to the app itself.
The application allows us to add the main streaming music services, including Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music. From it we can directly use all the lists and albums added to our services, as if we were using the native apps, although with a slightly different interface. I personally prefer to use Apple Music and AirPlay, or give Alexa voice commands. By the way, the microphones do their job very well and you can give them orders with the music playing without having to raise your voice.
Sound quality
The new Era 100 has not only been redesigned outside and new connections have been added, it has also been improved internally to achieve a higher quality sound. It is a perfect speaker to be used as the only speaker in small roomssuch as bedrooms or living rooms. For larger rooms it’s best to use a pair of Sonos Era 100s and link them via the app to work as a single unit.
Using it as a single speaker and if we compare it with the Sonos One, the sound improvement is more than evident. First we have a better stereo, thanks to the two tweeters that are oriented to the left and right sending the sound at an angle of 260 degrees. The larger midwoofer (25%) also enhances the bass. The sound is very balanced, and you can clearly perceive the different instruments, voices and nuances. It is a higher quality sound than the Sonos One, for me it does not reach the quality of the HomePod, but it has come quite close.
Stereo Pair and Home Cinema
The Era 100 allows use a pair of speakers to create a stereo pair, or use that pair to position as rear speakers for your home theater set next to one of the Sonos sound bars, to which you can also add one of their subwoofers. We have only been able to test one unit, so we cannot tell you how they perform these tasks, but we cannot forget these possibilities.
Editor’s Opinion
The new Era 100 is the successor to the Sonos One, one of the most popular speakers and a benchmark in its category, and that’s saying a lot. The Era 100 does not disappoint in the slightest, and Sonos has not limited itself to a redesign and adding a couple of connections, it has also improved its sound, and although this new speaker is somewhat more expensive than its predecessor, the extra €50 there is to pay are more than justified. You can buy it on Amazon for €279 (link).
- Publisher’s rating
- Rating 4.5 stars
- Exceptional
€€279
- was 100
- Review by: louis padilla
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Pros
- Bluetooth connection and auxiliary input
- New touch controls
- Better stereo sound
- Possibility to match
cons
- Does not include USB-C adapter for auxiliary input