After weeks of leaks, Sonos has officially announced its first new wireless speakers of 2023. First, there’s the Era 100 ($249), which is essentially an improved and slightly more expensive version of the One, which will soon replace it in the company’s lineup. Then, there’s the Era 300 ($449), the first wireless, non-soundbar Sonos speaker to have dedicated upward-firing drivers and optimization for Dolby Atmos and spatial audio.
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The Era 100 and Era 300 represent a new “era” for Sonos not just in name, but because both speakers can play audio over Bluetooth or a line-in connection (via USB-C adapters) and stream over Wi-Fi. The Bluetooth support is a big deal because it means guests can more easily play music over the Era speakers without connecting to your home’s Wi-Fi. And the line-in connection means you easily hardwire a turntable to the Era 100 or Era 300, which previously required the pricey Five or Play:5. (You’ll be able to buy necessary adapters separately from Sonos.)
Additionally, these are the first Sonos speakers that Android users will be able to tune to a specific room. Where iOS-based “TruePlay” traditionally works using the built-in microphones on an iPhone or iPad for its tuning, the new Android-friendly “Quick Tuning” feature uses the speakers’ own built-in microphones.
Both of Sonos’s Era speakers can function as smart speakers with Amazon Alexa (but not Google Assistant), just like the Sonos One, so you’ll be able to request songs, set timers and ask questions about the weather with your voice. On the physical side, one neat thing is that the Era 100 and Era 300 have a new capacitive touch strip on their top, which you can swipe with your figure to adjust volume.
Both speakers are up for preorder now and will be available starting March 28th.
