Era 300, Sonos ushers in a new "era" in home spatial audio [Review]

We recently told you that Sonos had opted to launch two new products designed to fill the rooms of your home with two new alternatives compatible with Dolby Atmos spatial audio, reinventions of well-known products aimed at offering the most sensory experience to date.

We take an in-depth look at the new Sonos Era 300, a high-end product, with multidirectional sound and Dolby Atmos that will leave you speechless. Discover with us the ins and outs of the new Sonos Era 300, and above all how it is capable of integrating into a fully connected home to offer the best possible audio quality. Are you ready for this new Era?

Design: Breaking the rules to favor sound

The first thing that catches the attention of the new Sonos Era 300 is precisely its design, far from the design line that Sonos had maintained to date with its One, Five, Arc and company models. This radical design change, how could it be otherwise, has also been preceded by a change in the nomenclature, we go from numbers to “Era” accompanied by hundreds.

• Remember, available at regular outlets like Amazon.

Has a important dimensions, 160 x 260 x 185 mm that are accompanied, like any good audio product worth its salt, by an imposing weight, almost 4,5 kilograms for each of the speakers.

We did enjoy the two traditional colors of the firm (black and white), with a matte finish and multiperforations on the audio outputs. In this sense, the design line of the rest of the devices has been maintained, in addition to the fact that curves continue to predominate everywhere.

For the lower part, the anti-vibration silicone and the support anchors have remained, while the upper part (practically symmetrical) is crowned with the touch controls, also redesigned for ease of use. It is here where we find the touch switch that turns off the device's microphones, but for the first time in the back, where we have the USB-C port and the power connection, let's find a mechanical switch for the microphone.

Hardware: Global Computing

As you well know, Sonos devices are mainly focused on audio over WiFi to reduce latencies and improve sound, however, the Era 300 integrates Bluetooth 5.0, following the path marked by the latest products of the North American firm.

As for WiFi, we have the WiFi 6 standard, compatible with 2,4GHz and 5GHz networks, expanding the possibilities and improving the overall experience.

If we talk about power, this Sonos Era 300 is powered by a 55 GHz Quad Core A1,9 processor and is accompanied by no less than 8GB of DDR4 RAM and another 8GB of NAND memory.

In this device Sonos debuts 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.

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 300 it has improved over its predecessors, which showed some input-lag via AirPlay.

Sound: Excellence in the technical section

We are going to start talking about hardware, and this peculiar design hides an authentic masterpiece of engineering inside:

• Upper tweeter: This points upwards, its directional cone allows sound to bounce off the ceiling and improve spatial audio perception.
• Side tweeters: These two tweeters disperse sound evenly throughout the room.
• High-performance woofers: Also on the sides, these two woofers minimize vibrations due to their design and generate balanced bass.
• Center tweeter: It is designed to offer the framework sound, focused on voices and instruments, offering great power.

All of it, framed in a series of custom waveguides on the inside, allowing to create a simulated acoustic space. Now we can understand why the Sonos Era 300 is so heavy, right? And it is that all the sound is directed by six digital Class D amplifiers.

How does the Sonos Era 300 sound?

This Sonos Era 300, for those who know the brand, offers a sound halfway between a Sonos Ray and a Sonos Five. It is full-bodied audio, powerful and capable of offering us differentiation between what is playing, Whether we talk about voices or instruments, one does not cover the other, as long as we have it well adjusted and well personalized at the equalization level.

The basses are powerful much more than expected in a product of these characteristics and size, and that makes the overall calculation incredibly favorable.

If we want to use it by itself, it will fill a standard size room with no problem, with great detail and good sound, according to the price it has. With a Sonos Era 300 you will not need more to listen to music, link it with your PC or Mac and have all your needs covered.

If we talk about surround sound, the experience skyrockets. We warn you that later we will analyze two Sonos Era linked to a Sonos Arc and a Sonos Sub Mini to tell you what level of immersion it offers when it comes to enjoying the movies, but in combination with two Sonos One, a Sonos Arc and a Sono Sub Mini already It has left us with our mouths open. It is capable of simulating and complementing the entire Dolby Atmos range, creating a sensation that gives you goosebumps, that which you only feel in a cinema, with the exception that it takes up little space and is easily configured. Two Sonos Era 300 will allow you to forget about any tedious Hi-Fi system you want to set up at home, it's that simple.

Software: The Magic of Speakers

This physical packaging has a soul, and that is when we talk about software. How could it be otherwise, thanks to the true play From Sonos we get the Era 300 to identify the design of the room and adjust its audio patterns according to its needs, something easy to do through the pop-up "Pop-Up" that will appear in the configuration process.

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. Once running you will be able to equalize the sound individually, as well as add it to a surround sound system with other Sonos devices such as its sound bars.

Apart from the above, it goes without saying that the Sonos Era 300 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

We conclude the in-depth analysis of the Sonos Era 300 with the satisfaction of having tried a round product. However, this device is not the first or cheapest option, you have the Sonos Era 100 to fill a room and the Sonos Beam for a good TV, so where do I want to go?

Because the Sonos Era 300 is the perfect complement to have high-end surround sound, or the perfect companion for your room / office, the wings of the plane that you are forming in the search for a connected home, an expensive product, but that gives you absolutely everything it promises, and for this reason the Sonos Era 300 is a « must" for those who already have Sonos sound bars, or who know the brand and seek to have an experience only suitable for the most gourmets.

If this is your first Sonos product, I recommend building the house from the ground up, but If you already know the brand, or are willing to buy a full suite of Sonos products, this Era 300 is one of the most refined and highest quality smart speakers to ever pass our review table. (dare I say the best).

The Sonos Era 300 can be purchased in white and matte black, starting at 499 euros with free shipping, either at the Sonos website: in usual points of sale such as Amazon, or even El Corte Inglés.