Following a lot of rumors and chatter online, Sonos has officially announced the successor to its One compact speaker, which adds Bluetooth but loses Google Assistant.In addition, the company is also launching the 6-driver Era 300. We are also betting on spatial audio due to
According to Sonos, both new smart speakers are “tuned by award-winning artists and engineers,” and use “long-term serviceability, energy-efficient technology, and post-consumer recycled materials. “
The Era 100 model replaces the One smart speaker and packs two angled tweeters that transmit high frequencies left and right, with a mid-woofer handling the mids and lows. Each is driven by its own Class D amplifier. Playback is controlled with a capacitive touch-up top, and acoustic parameters can be fine-tuned to your liking via the Sonos mobile app.
It’s slightly larger than its predecessor at 7.18 x 4.72 x 5.14 inches (182.5 x 120 x 130.5 mm) and tips the scales at 4.44 pounds (2.02 kg). It’s also compact enough to carry from room to room, but listeners will need to find a nearby wall outlet to power it up.
Sonos
This smart speaker features a 1.4 GHz quad-core processing brain supported by 1 GB of SDRAM and 8 GB of storage. A far-field mic array with “advanced beamforming and multi-channel echo cancellation” supports Sonos voice control and Alexa interaction.
Wi-Fi 6 Joining dual-band Wi-Fi is Bluetooth 5.0. That means the 100 can now pair with almost any BT-enabled music source. It also works well with AirPlay 2 for streaming audio from Apple devices to speakers, and there’s an AUX input for cabled-in music players.
The Era 100 is priced at US$249 and will be available worldwide from March 28th.
If you want to immerse yourself in the joy of spatial audio, you need the beautiful Era 300 with Dolby Atmos. Giles Martin of Sonos said: “With both the creator and major streaming his platforms embracing spatial audio in their music, it’s the right time to create a loud listening experience that defies expectations for this thrilling and creative format.”
The nearly hourglass shape is designed to angle each driver for optimal all-around dispersion. The six-speaker setup consists of his four tweeters for highs and mids, and a pair of angled woofers for lows, each driven by its own Class-D amplifier.
Sonos
Like the Era 100, this unit utilizes Trueplay tuning technology via the Sonos app to adjust the EQ to match your room’s acoustic profile, and features Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth for wireless streaming from your source device. 5.0 included and also supports AirPlay 2. The onboard beamforming mic allows voice control as well as chatting with Alexa. Capacitive touch playback controls and more fine-tuning possibilities are available via the Sonos app.
The Era 300 boasts 1.9 GHz quad-core processing, 8 GB of DDR4 RAM, and 8 GB of NAND storage, making it the first from Sonos capable of multi-channel surround sound when incorporated into a home theater audio setup. is reported. For example Era 300s with Arc or 2nd generation Beam soundbars.
The 6.3 x 10.24 x 7.28 inch (160 x 260 x 185 mm), 9.85 lb (4.47 kg), mains-powered Era 300 is also available March 28, but it carries a $449 price tag.
Product Page: Era 100, Era 300
