Sonos Era 100, everything that is good in a single speaker [Review]

Sonos recently presented its new range of speakers, debuting the Era 100 and the Era 300. In this way, the North American firm wanted to embark on a new course, adapting to the current needs of consumers and, above all, getting on the sound boat. space as the future of audiovisual content.

The new Sonos Era 100 goes through our review table, the successor to the Sonos One arrives with stereo sound, deep bass and a new design. Discover with us this new device that could be a very clear example of everything that is good in a speaker.

Design: Refining an iconic speaker

Right out of the box the Sonos Era brings that memory to the Sonos One. However, this time Sonos has opted for an almost perfect sphere, following the trend of creating round speakers in order to improve audio dispersion and create sound that can be heard clearly from almost anywhere.

In terms of size we are 182 x 120 x 130 millimeters (apprx.), with a weight of 2,02 Kilograms. As you well know, in audio products a high weight is not a negative point, but rather the opposite, it points to quality elements and excellent manufacturing. In this sense, the perceived quality of the Sonos Era 100 is on par with the rest of the brand's devices.

In the upper base we find the typical Sonos touch controls, slightly renewed to be more intuitive, a goal that after several weeks of use we can say that they have achieved. Connectivity is maintained below when we talk about the power port, but eThis time the back now sports a Bluetooth connection button, the mechanical switch to activate or deactivate the microphones and a USB-C port which we will talk about later.

In this sense, the Sonos Era 100 is a fairly refined product, offering a perceived quality at the height of the price, since it is a product available in the main points of sale such as Amazon.

Hardware, what's inside the Sonos Era 100?

To offer us the sound, the Sonos Era 100 has a Quad Core A55 CPU with a power of 1,4 GHz, accompanied by a 4GB SDRAM memory and a total 8GB NV memory. As for WiFi, we have the WiFi 6 standard, compatible with 2,4GHz and 5GHz networks, expanding the possibilities and improving the overall experience.

It goes without saying that WiFi is the favorite option to enjoy a Sonos device in all its splendor, but to continue with the trend set in previous products, the latter has Bluetooth 5.0 to expand its range of options.

At the level of connectivity, we also have AirPlay 2 and integrates seamlessly into the "Home" app on Apple devices, delivering instant, lag-free sound, something this Sonos Era 100 it's improved over its predecessors, which showed some input lag via AirPlay, something we've also experienced with the Sonos Era 300.

On this Sonos device, like on the Era 300, we have a USB-C port Intended for connecting an audio device via a 3,5mm auxiliary cable via the separately purchased Sonos Line-In Adapter (from 25€), or an Ethernet + 3,5mm Jack adapter that is also purchased separately (from 45€). Although we must say that in our tests, we've been able to get it to work with any other third-party USB-C adapter without issue.

Sound: With more directions and better bass

Let's focus on comparing the Sonos Era 100 to its predecessor, the Sonos One, so we can have a more exact benchmark. First let's talk about its interior:

• a woofer 25% larger than that offered in the Sonos One to fill the room with noticeably deeper bass, as we've been able to verify.
• two tweeters inclined, capable of interpreting all kinds of frequencies and sending them in different directions (left and right), guaranteeing full stereo sound.

The Sonos Era 100's processor is almost 50% faster than the Sonos One, and accompanied by custom sound guides, despite having three Class D digital amplifiers like the Sonos One, performance has been proportionally improved, how did your price.

How does the Sonos Era 100 sound?

The overall and unified sound level improvements of the Sonos Era 100 over its predecessor, the Sonos One, are small but easily noticeable.

First of all, there is a greater differentiation of the stereo sound, especially in music like Roadhouse Blues – The Doors, or some well-edited Queen songs. However, this aspect does not look very good when we bet on commercial music with a perennial base, where a woofer that is significantly superior in size and power to the one we had been enjoying with its predecessor comes out to shine.

In this sense, the Sonos Era 100 offers a sound clear, clean and surprisingly powerful considering the size of it.

It shines, although not with its own light but in company, when we set it up in a surround sound system through the application. In our case, accompanying a Sonos Arc and two Sonos One, we have been able to appreciate that this Sonos Era 100 could work as a central speaker and satisfy the needs of users, although two Era 100 would create a complete experience acting as satellites. Stay tuned, because we will soon analyze this question.

Software: Another great protagonist

This physical packaging has a soul, and that is when we talk about software. How could it be otherwise, thanks to true play identify the layout of the room and adjust its audio patterns according to the needs of the room.

On the other hand, both to manage and configure Sonos devices, you always need to download their free software, compatible with iOS, Android, macOS and Windows among others.

Configuration is already a hallmark at Sonos, just plug it in, Come closer, open the application and follow the instructions of the assistant, in less than five minutes you will have your Sonos Era working without performing complex actions.

Like all Sonos devices, is capable of working on its own with a multitude of music streaming services such as Spotify, Deezero Apple Music, as well as synchronizing with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to offer a complete connectivity experience.

Editor's opinion

The Sonos Era 100 has brought an increase in price over its predecessor, and this increase has been accompanied by more bass enhancement, more defined stereo sound and the same quality as always. For all these reasons, Sonos Era 100 is positioned from my point of view as the first option to consider within Sonos, a first contact or the perfect ally for your Sonos sound bar.

The Sonos Era 100 can be purchased in white and matte black, starting at 279 euros with free shipping, either at the Sonos website: in usual points of sale such as Amazon, or even El Corte Inglés.