Spatial Audio Is a Game Changer

We’ve mostly been hearing music the same way ever since the first stereo records began hitting in the late 1950s. That’s set to change with spatial audio, which is catching on in a big way. The Sonos Era 300 is the company’s first attempt at making a speaker meant specifically for spatial audio.

The Era 300 isn’t entirely alone on the market. Both Apple, with its second-generation HomePod, and Amazon, with the Echo Studio, have their own spatial audio offerings. Still, Sonos is an audio company first and foremost, so its decision to go all-in on spatial audio is interesting.

Does the Sonos Era 300 offer the quality that the brand is known for, or is this more of an experiment? If it’s an experiment, it’s definitely an experiment with fantastic results.

A Unique Look for a Unique Speaker

• Dimensions: 10.24 x 6.30 x 7.28in (260 x 160 x 185mm)
• Weight: 9.85lbs (4.47kg)

If you look at previous Sonos designs like the Sub Mini, it’s clear that the company doesn’t always opt for safe, simple designs. The Sonos Era 300 follows suit, shaped like an offset hourglass set on its side. It’s a unique look that won’t be for everyone. The speaker comes in black and white finishes, but this is mostly a matter of personal preference, aside from the fact that dust shows more easily on the black finish.

At just over 10 inches wide, the speaker isn’t as large or bulky as it looks in photos. That said, it isn’t small, and you definitely feel the nearly 10 pounds that the speaker weighs. This gives the speaker a solid feeling but doesn’t make it overly heavy.

The most commonly used buttons sit on top of the speaker, but thanks to the design, you’ll rarely notice them. There are also no buttons—or anything else, aside from a small Sonos logo—on the front of the speaker, giving it a simple, minimalist look.

The Bluetooth button and switch to enable and disable the microphone are located out of sight on the back of the speaker. This is where you’ll also find the power cable, which includes a right-angled plug for an even less intrusive design.

Plenty of Connectivity, With a Catch

• Wi-Fi version: Wi-Fi 6 / 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4GHz/5GHz
• Bluetooth version: 5.0
• Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC

As you’d imagine, the main way you interact with the Sonos Era 300 is via Wi-Fi and the Sonos app. In this case, the Era 300 supports Wi-Fi 6, meaning it isn’t using dated connectivity options directly out of the box.

One area where Sonos deliberately steps away from its past with the Era 300 is the inclusion of Bluetooth. While products like the Sonos Roam have supported Bluetooth, those were portable devices styled similarly to normal Bluetooth speakers. Adding Bluetooth 5.0 to the Era 300 is a big step forward, even if only the basic SBC and AAC codecs are supported. But just know that music will sound better when streamed over Wi-Fi.

As with other Sonos speakers, Apple AirPlay 2 is also supported. This is handy for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users, but you should be aware that, like Bluetooth, you can’t play spatial audio over AirPlay 2.

One final area where Sonos changes things up with the Era 300 is wired connectivity. The Era 300 supports both line-in audio and Ethernet connectivity, but both are supported via the built-in USB-C port. You’ll need separate adapters for either line-in or Ethernet functionality, and while you can buy them for $19 to $39 per adapter from Sonos, they’re not included with the Era 300.

This USB-C port is limited to the above functions as well. You can’t use it to power the Era 300, nor can you use it to power other devices from the Era 300.

Setup Is a Breeze, Mostly

Setting up the Era 300 is similar to setting up any other Sonos speaker. Plug in the speaker, ideally in the room you’re planning to use it in, then open the Sonos app (available for iPhone and iPad as well as Android devices) and follow the prompts to set up the speaker.

If you’ve already got a Sonos system, the app will help you add the speaker to an existing setup. Otherwise, you can set it up standalone or as part of a new system. For using a single Era 300 speaker, this isn’t essential, but it becomes important if you’re using a pair or adding Era 300s as rear surround speakers.

Setting up the Era 300 as a standalone speaker is fairly straightforward. Sonos mentions in the Era 300 user manual that you should give it at least one inch of clearance from walls behind, as well as eight inches of clearance on either side. In a somewhat strange touch, Sonos also suggests placing the Era 300 upside down if you’re placing it within two feet of a ceiling.

If you want to use two Era 300 speakers as rear surround speakers, there are a few requirements. Currently, this only works with the Sonos Arc or the second-generation Sonos Beam, and only when you’re connected to your TV via HDMI eARC.

New Controls and a Reliable App

Another new addition to the Era 300 for Sonos is the volume control. Instead of simple capacitive touch buttons, you get a recessed strip that lets you slide up to increase the volume or down to decrease the volume. Running your finger along the strip, you hear audible feedback, so you can tell how much you’re adjusting the volume level.

The other top-mounted controls include two buttons to skip forward or backward, and a button to pause or resume playback. You’ll also find a button to enable or disable voice services. Separately, as previously mentioned, there is also a switch to disable the mic input on the back, as well as a button for Bluetooth pairing.

For years, iPhone and iPad users had a major advantage over Android owners when it came to Sonos. This advantage was TruePlay, a feature that uses the iPhone or iPad’s microphone to measure the acoustic properties of a room and tune your speaker accordingly.

With the Era 300, Android users can use a version of this known as Quick Tune. This uses the built-in microphone on the Era 300 to measure your room. This isn’t as precise as the iOS TruePlay, and iPhone and iPad users still have access to this “advanced tuning.” Still, it’s nice to see Android owners aren’t left out.

Once you’re done tuning your speaker, you can use the Sonos app to adjust EQ and other settings. This is also where you add music services like Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music, or Spotify to play audio over Wi-Fi with the Sonos app.

Sounds Great in Stereo

• Amplifiers: Six class-D amplifiers
• Drivers: Two woofers, four tweeters

The Era 300 is equipped with a total of six drivers: two woofers and four tweeters. The angled woofers handle the bass and midrange frequencies, while tweeters handle high midrange and the high frequencies. Three tweeters point left, right, and center, while the final tweeter points upward for the height aspect of spatial audio.

When you’re playing using the Sonos app over Wi-Fi, the Era 300 supports 24-bit/48kHz hi-res playback on supported services like Amazon Music and Qobuz. This doesn’t apply when using Bluetooth or if you’re connected via AirPlay 2.

While one of the main selling points of the Era 300 is the spatial audio, it also handles stereo and mono tracks. The speaker plays these tracks as they were originally mixed, meaning it won’t use digital signal processing (DSP) to try to process the tracks and deliver virtual spatial audio.

Sonos emphasizes that because of the nature of the Era 300 and how it fires sound in all directions, it doesn’t have the traditional “sweet spot” that speakers often have. If anything, when listening to stereo tracks, the Era 300 almost had the opposite of a sweet spot. Moving directly in front of the speaker narrowed out the sound, while it sounded great from any other position in the room.

We’ll get to spatial audio in just a bit, but first, I tested stereo performance starting with Red Fang’s “Prehistoric Dog.” The woofers do an impressive job of handling the bass, which drives the entire song. There isn’t much stereo separation here, but the cohesion actually helps this song sound as impactful as it does.

Next up, I tried something more quiet and dynamic with “John McLaughlin” from Miles Davis. Even in stereo, the Era 300 represents the space around the instruments well, shining a light on the reverb tales without making them overstay their welcome. The drums sound crisp and present, while the bass is dynamic enough that at times it’s nearly overpowering, while at others it almost disappears.

In general, stereo tracks sounded as good as I’ve come to expect from Sonos. Every once in a while, I would start to pick apart various sonic aspects, and then I’d remember the size of the speaker. Moving to spatial audio tracks, I learned I’d been missing the real big deal here.

But Spatial Audio Sounds Better

During my testing, I only had access to spatial audio via Amazon Music Unlimited. The Era 300 will also support Apple Music at launch. No other services have been named, but Sonos has indicated that it does plan to support spatial audio via other services later on.

To listen to spatial audio, you’ll need to use the Sonos app. You can’t use spatial audio via Bluetooth or over Apple AirPlay 2. That said, listening in the Sonos app is simple: if the track is available in Dolby Atmos spatial audio, the app will automatically play that mix.

One song that Sonos recommended as a great test track for the Era 300 was The Beatles’ “Come Together (2019 mix),” so I gave it a listen. I’ve never heard the drums on this song sound so big on such a small speaker. The mix is absolutely enveloping, even as you move further away from the speaker. When the guitars kick in after the second chorus, they fill the room.

Next up, I played a song I’m used to testing speakers with: “The Chain (2004 Remaster)” by Fleetwood Mac. I could hear the electric guitar in the first verse coming from off to my right, like there was a speaker over there. Closing my eyes, it was hard to convince myself this wasn’t the case. Mick Fleetwood’s kick drum sounded like it was in the dead center of the room.

I don’t blame Sonos for not loaning out two review units, but hearing the effect of spatial audio on music, I couldn’t help but imagine how two of these would sound as rear surround speakers. This is only supported on the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and the Sonos Arc, and it would be pricey, but I imagine it would sound fantastic.

Should You Buy the Sonos Era 300?

As a new standalone speaker in the company’s lineup, the Sonos Era 300 would have been pretty good, even without spatial audio. That said, spatial audio sets this speaker apart, and that’s just listening on a single speaker. Two of these together must be truly impressive.

Not everything is perfect. At least at launch, there are only two supported music services that support spatial audio, with only vague promises of additional services down the road. The Era 300 also suffers slightly as a smart speaker due to the lack of Google Assistant support.

While the Era 300 isn’t the most expensive standalone Sonos speaker, it isn’t cheap at $449, and paying for two for Atmos-enabled surround sound is even pricier. That said, whether you buy one or two, the sound is impressive enough that you’ll feel good about the purchase.

Be sure to read Review Geek’s review of the Sonos Era 300 for additional insights on Sonos’ spatial audio speaker.