“Era”, like “new era”. His bone has just unveiled its new Era 100 and Era 300 speakers. Preceded by endless “leaks on the Internet” (“leaks” which are increasingly hard to believe…), the replacements for the Sonos One and Play: 3 had already disclosed on the Web. But we now know everything about the newcomers that 20 minutes was even able to briefly listen.
The Era 100 “remasters the icon”
First there is the small, the classic. Named Era 100, the new Sonos speaker wants to “remaster the icon” Sonos One, the emblematic speaker of the American manufacturer launched 10 years ago. The manufacturer who democratized sound multi-room has, in his words, wanted to maintain the ” feel ” of the product. Hence a tubular speaker (18.2 x 12 x 13 cm for 2 kg) with a familiar air, available in black or white.
On the surface of the device appears a touch strip for adjusting the volume. It replaces the old “-” and “+” keys of the Sonos One. incorporating two Tweeter (for high pitched sounds) and a mid woofer (for midrange and bass) 25% wider than before, the speaker boasts its ability to reproduce stereo. Announcing stereo on a single speaker may seem a bit contradictory with a single piece of equipment, which is more subject to mono sound… Our next test will allow us to find out more. Wifi and AirPlay 2, the Era 100 is also (and finally!) Bluetooth!
Bluetooth… like on competing speakers
Sonos, which had historically opposed the presence of Bluetooth on its living room speakers, had finally integrated it into its portable speaker Move in 2019, then its portable speaker Roam in 2021.
The arrival of Bluetooth on the very sedentary Era 100 now allows it to play on a level playing field with its competitors, such as Sony, in the speaker arena. multi-room. From now on, your visitors will also be able to play their sounds on your Sonos speaker. It still seems that the manufacturer went there a little constrained and forced by the laws of the market, the absence of Bluetooth on most of its devices remaining for the manufacturer its pebble in the shoe and penalizing, without doubt, its sales.
Vinyl at the end of the line
Another welcome novelty: the possibility of adding an auxiliary player, such as a vinyl turntable, to the speaker. For this, it will still be necessary to buy a USB-C / AUX + Ethernet adapter sold separately (price: not communicated).
The True Play function, which makes it possible to adapt the sound of the speaker to its physical environment (in particular according to the presence of walls around it) becomes integrated. Something to get along with Android smartphone users! Because until now, only iPhones could be used to calibrate Sonos speakers with True Play. Owners of Apple terminals can continue to take advantage of this possibility, or calibrate the Era 100 with its two integrated microphones.
Finally, the speaker is natively compatible with Amazon Alexa, but not with Google Home. This is a point that does not change.
It will be launched on March 28 at 279 euros, a price that challenges. Notwithstanding its technical improvements, the Era 100 is respectively 80 euros and 50 euros more expensive than the Sonos One SL and Sonos One (Alexa compatible) that it will replace. Those who want to afford a pair will cringe. If you don’t want to spend too much, it may seem wise to buy a Sonos One SL or Sonos One while there are some in store…
The Era 300 to give voice to Dolby Atmos
And there is the second speaker announced, with its funny shape. With its Era 300 sound, Sonos fills a gap in its range, the one left by the removal of the Sonos Play:3 speaker some time ago. For now, the Play: 5 (sold for 599 euros) remains the manufacturer’s most powerful. With its funny shape, the Era 300 (16 x 26 x 18.5 cm, for 4.7 kg) embraces the spirit of the times and claims its Dolby Atmos compatibility. This should be interesting, not only in a home cinema configuration, but also for listening to music in Dolby Atmos (or Audio Spatial, at 360°), as on Apple Music, Amazon Music or Tidal, the only platforms to offer it. .
The speaker incorporates six Class-D amplifiers that independently drive four tweeters (for treble and midrange) and two woofers (for bass). It can be used alone, as a stereo pair or as a pair surround, by coupling it to a sound bar of the brand (Ray, or Arc). Its other features (integration of Bluetooth, AUX input, on-board True Play calibration and Alexa compatibility) are common with the Era 100. The Era 300 will be launched on March 28 at 499 euros, a high price, but which could be justified if Listening in Dolby Atmos really keeps its promises. A few minutes spent by his side during a demo seem quite encouraging.
It remains to be seen how the brand’s previous speakers will age, what updates they will benefit from and for how long. A real question, if we have invested in a complete Sonos ecosystem. If the manufacturer is renowned for offering products that last over time and are only rarely renewed, the manufacturer had tarnished its reputation in 2020.
The American brand then awkwardly offered its customers a so-called “recycling” program for their old speakers in the form of a 30% reduction on the purchase of a new, latest generation one. Either. But for that, they had to agree to “brick” their old product. The reduction thus implied “killing” the old enclosure, even functional, through an update which would have led it to the recycling center. A real heresy! This duly planned obsolescence had finally been abandoned, following the outcry aroused among consumers.