When Sonos revealed the Era 100 speaker at the beginning of 2023, it was a bold move. The multi-room speaker company was introducing a redesigned – and more expensive – replacement to its legendary Sonos One entry-level speaker that many of its fans knew and loved, and that was always going to be risky.
The Era 100 is a superb speaker however, bettering the One not just in terms of design, but features and sound quality too. It’s been in my home since launch and here’s my review having lived with it and used it daily.
The Disconnekt Downlow
Pros
+ Sleek design
+ Good set of features
+ Excellent sound quality
Cons
– No Google Assistant
– No Dolby Atmos support
– Can’t use Sonos app offline
The Sonos Era 100 is an excellent speaker and the perfect entry point into the Sonos range. It delivers a lovely modern design, a significantly more intuitive user interface than the legendary Sonos One and some additional features that make it a very worthy upgrade – or a starting point to Sonos. There are plenty of other speakers on the market, but the Sonos Era 100 won’t disappoint. The design is great (and eco-friendly), the features are plentiful and the sound performance is superb. There really is very little to complain about – it’s an excellent speaker.
The reasons you should choose Sonos Era 100
The Sonos Era 100 marked a significant evolution in Sonos speakers when it launched – a new era you could say (chuckling quietly to myself). Moving away from the boxy look of the Sonos One, the Era 100 adopts a sleek, cylindrical shape and it makes a switch to an eco-friendly polycarbonate grille – the same offered by the smaller and more portable Sonos Roam.
I’m still a fan of the Sonos One’s design even though it’s now several years old (it launched in 2015), but there’s no denying it looks dated compared to the Era 100, which is significantly more modern and cleaner. The Era 100 is more sophisticated too, with top controls including a volume trough for a more intuitive user experience compared to older Sonos models, a USB-C line-in port and a physical microphone switch for privacy.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
There’s also a Bluetooth button too, which is perhaps the most notable addition. The Era 100 marked the first time – along with the Era 300 – that Sonos added Bluetooth to a wired speaker and while it might not be a feature you use all the time, especially not for Apple users as AirPlay 2 is also supported, it’s still a nice-to-have, particularly if you’re using the Era 100 as a solo speaker rather than as part of a larger Sonos system.
Beyond its sleek design, the Era 100 offers all the features expected of a Sonos speaker, and apart from the audio quality – which I will get to in a second – it’s here where this speaker shines.
The Sonos system is one of the best out there in terms of delivering an excellent multi-room experience, with an easy-to-use app, support for over 100 music streaming services and the ability to adjust EQ – the latter of which is an advantage over competitors like the Apple HomePod.
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It’s the audio quality where this small speaker excels however. The Era 100 introduces a revamped architecture compared to the Sonos One, with a 25 per cent larger woofer for more powerful and deeper bass, and an extra tweeter for stereo sound and a superior soundstage.
You can also easily group and ungroup speakers if you have other Sonos speakers, playing music simultaneously or independently, and if the Era 100 is the first Sonos speaker to add tunes to your home, there are handy features like Sonos Voice Control for controlling the Era 100 itself, as well as Amazon Alexa for controlling smart home devices, adding things to your shopping list or finding out the weather.
It’s the audio quality where this small speaker excels however. The Era 100 introduces a revamped architecture compared to the Sonos One, with a 25 per cent larger woofer for more powerful and deeper bass, and an extra tweeter for stereo sound and a superior soundstage. Anything you play through the Era 100 sounds excellent, and while you don’t get as immersive an experience as the larger Era 300 and its spatial audio support, the Era 100 is still very impressive and a superb small speaker.
What the Sonos Era 100 could do better
While the Sonos Era 100 delivers a great design, mix of new and existing Sonos features and excellent audio quality, there are a couple of areas it could improve on.
The biggest thing I’d like to see from the Era 100 is the re-addition of Google Assistant as a smart assistant option. The Sonos One was one of the first smart speakers to offer a choice of Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant. The Era 100 and Era 300 both lose the option for Google Assistant however, leaving Alexa to run the show. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as Alexa is excellent – and arguably the most advanced in terms of smart home control – but options are still good.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
I’d also like to have seen Dolby Atmos and spatial audio support on the Era 100 like the Era 300 and while I do understand why it isn’t offered – it’s a much smaller speaker – the Apple HomePod does support those formats and it isn’t too much larger or too much more expensive so it’s interesting that Sonos chose not to do it.
The only other complaint I have for the Era 100 – and it goes for all Sonos speakers – is that you can’t access your system through the Sonos app unless you are at home and on the same Wi-Fi network as your Sonos speakers. It means that you can’t start a playlist when you’re not home unless you set an alarm through the app before you leave your home, for example. And sure, accessing it while you aren’t there is not a common thing you will need to do, but dogs and cats like Taylor Swift too.
Multi-room audio has changed a lot
Sonos has a multitude of speaker options to choose from in its portfolio, but it isn’t the only speaker company out there. Sonos has been in the multi-room speaker field for a long time – over two decades – and with that used to come experience other companies weren’t able to rival.
In my opinion, Sonos still offers one of the best platforms for delivering a seamless multi-room experience, but other companies are catching up. Amazon, Google and Apple all offer great a multi-room experience from their own speakers and they might be the right setup for you.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
A Sonos multi-room setup will deliver excellent audio quality, superb access to music services, smart features through Alexa and extra functions like USB-C line-in and Bluetooth, depending on what speaker models you select.
Apple’s HomePod and HomePod mini sound superb, but they don’t offer the same features you get from Google, Amazon or Sonos. Google and Amazon meanwhile offer some great smart assistant features and great value for money, but the audio quality from their smaller speakers – and even the bigger ones – isn’t as good as the likes of Sonos or Apple.
If you’ve done your research and Sonos is the route you’re taking, make sure you also look at the various speakers and soundbars in the line up. The Roam is portable and offers Bluetooth, as does the Move 2, while the Era 300 has Dolby Atmos and spatial audio so think about how you want to use your speaker and what you’re planning on playing. If your budget can stretch, the Era 300 might be a better option to consider for a larger room for example, or if you want a portable speaker, consider the Roam or Move 2.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
Should you buy the Sonos Era 100?
The short answer to this is very much yes. The Sonos Era 100 is an excellent speaker and the perfect entry point into the Sonos range. It delivers a lovely modern design, a significantly more intuitive user interface than the Sonos One and some additional features that make it a very worthy upgrade.
I would love to have seen Google Assistant on board too, and Dolby Atmos support would have been a nice extra, but for its size, the sound quality of the Era 100 is superb and it packs a punch with its features too, from USB-C line in to Bluetooth.
There are plenty of other speakers on the market, but the Sonos Era 100 won’t disappoint. The design is great (and eco-friendly), the features are plentiful and the sound performance is superb. Ultimately, there really is very little to complain about – it’s an excellent speaker.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
FAQs
Unlike the Sonos Roam, the Era 100 is very easy to put into Bluetooth mode. All you have to do is press the Bluetooth button on the back of the speaker and wait for the LED light on the front to flash blue. The Sonos Era 100 should then appear under available Bluetooth devices on your phone or tablet.
Pretty much everything is different between the Era 100 and the Sonos One, certainly in terms of design and sound architecture anyway. All of the Sonos features are available across both speakers, but the Era 100 adds Bluetooth and USB-C line in capabilities, while the Sonos One has Google Assistant as an option alongside Alexa. The Era 100 has stereo sound, while the Sonos One is mono and you’ll get bigger and better sound from the Era 100 overall, even if the One still does a great job.
The Era 100 and Era 300 launched at the same time and so their designs are similar in some respects, mainly in terms of the finishes used, user controls and features like a microphone hardware switch and USB-C line in. The biggest difference between the Era 100 and Era 300 aside from their designs is the Era 300 supports Dolby Atmos and spatial audio, delivering a more immersive sound experience to the smaller Era 100.
