Dolby Atmos can be heard on the new Sonos speaker

Dolby stereo, ProLogic, Surround, Atmos… Sound has been enriched over generations with listening solutions that are in tune with acoustic innovations. With its new Era 300 speaker, Sonos is now embracing Dolby Atmos (or “Spatial Audio”), the latest innovation from Dolby Laboratories for a much more immersive sound, which currently seems to want to impose itself in music, after having already conquered the world of home cinema. 20 minutes tested it and listened to it… almost religiously.

Six speakers in every direction

It’s a strange loudspeaker, the Era 300. In white or black, its shape challenges, destabilizes, surprises, but can quickly seduce. By breaking aesthetic codes, the American manufacturer first adapts the container to the content. Because with this new model, Sonos is launching its first speaker capable of broadcasting sound in Dolby Atmos, a spatialized sound coming from all sides of the device, or almost.

Sonos Era 300 speaker, exploded view. – His bone

On board the fairly massive enclosure (26 cm wide by 18.5 cm deep, 16 cm high and 4.5 kg), six speakers: a central tweeter, two woofers and two side tweeters, as well as a an upward-facing tweeter. Without forgetting waveguides to increase sound dispersion. Nothing at the back, hence the name Era 300 to evoke 300° sound. When is an Era 360?

Apple Music and Amazon Music Listening

Testing the new rival of Amazon’s Echo Studio and Apple’s new HomePod is an experience. Because indeed, if the Era 300 can play all the musical files of the different music streaming platforms in Wifi (and now in Bluetooth 5.0), it is also compatible with titles in Dolby Atmos (only in Wifi). To take advantage of it, you must update the Sonos S2 application and subscribe to Apple Music or Amazon Music. These platforms offer wagons of titles “mixed” in Spatial Audio (another name for Atmos): old albums ironed in the studio, but also new ones. To listen to them, the passage through the application is essential, a Bluetooth listening binding to a simple stereo.

Dolby Atmos, from Dutronc to U2

Enjoying titles in Dolby Atmos, as we did, on the Era 300 testifies that with this speaker we are entering a new era. No miracle to be expected from a It’s five o’clock, Paris is waking up by Jacques Dutronc in Dolby Atmos, although the flute emblematic of this 1968 title seems, on the Sonos speaker, to offer real flights around the device.

The Sonos Era 300 speaker is compatible with Dolby Atmos music tracks.
The Sonos Era 300 speaker is compatible with Dolby Atmos music tracks. – His bone

Revelation (against all expectations!) with the unmissable bossa-nova hit that is The Girl from Ipanemaby Stan Getz and João Gilberto: while the saxophone pours out its sweet melody at the front of the enclosure, the singer’s voice fills the entire space, as in a cathedral.

And what about listening to Songs of Surrender, the new cover album from U2? In addition to the affect that one can have for the group, the voice of the singer Bono finds a powerful, singular, almost dark presence on Ordinary Loveseeming to stand out on the front of the enclosure, while acoustic guitar and piano rise, them, in the heights of the room…

Quick, a box!

Although it is possible to modulate the bass and treble level of the Sonos Era 300, to activate a virtual “Loudness” button in the application to give more depth to listening, the desire to Adding a subwoofer to the new speaker is however quickly felt. The sound of the device, which can calibrate itself according to the layout of the walls and objects in the room where it will be installed (Trueplay function), still lacks, to our taste, a little flesh, density and depth, but the experience is rather convincing.

For it to be complete, a Sonos Sub Mini box (499 euros) or a Sonos Sub Gen 3 (899 euros) will probably eventually be a purchase to consider. As usual, the Sonos ecosystem may change over time. It will also be possible to use two Era 300s in a home cinema configuration, to add to them – or not – a sound bar, surround speakers, etc.

In the state, the Era 300 is sold 499 euros (948 euros per pair), which is quite a budget (knowing that the Echo Studio from Amazon is offered at the unbeatable price of 199 euros, and the HomePod from Apple at 349 euros). It will also be necessary to find him a place of choice. No question of putting it on a library shelf between books, comics and trinkets without constraining it. It is better to give it a clear, airy space, so that it offers the best of itself.

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