Sonos Era 300 Review: One Month On...

One Month With The Sonos Era 300

It’s been a month since we finally got our hands on Sonos’ first ever upwards-firing Dolby Atmos Smart Speaker: the Sonos Era 300 and we have a lot of thoughts to share in this review.

The storm that was the Sonos Era 100 & Era 300 release has finally died down, the dust has settled and I'm sure by now you will have heard everyone’s initial thoughts. But the question is, is the Sonos Era 300 really worth buying one month on and is it living up to the hype?

In our initial Sonos Era 300 review, we tested it as a standalone speaker, in a stereo pair, as rears to a Dolby Atmos Sonos soundbar and grouped with other Sonos speakers for an extensive multi-room home audio system in our showroom.

Watch our Full Sonos Era 300 Review on YouTube below

But, nothing can really compare with real-life experience living alongside this speaker over a prolonged period of time. So, I took one home, lived with it for a month and think it’s time to finally share my first-hand experiences with you guys. 

Sonos have a stellar reputation for producing top quality audio products and whether it’s their Dolby Atmos soundbars, portables or wireless speakers, expectations are always high and the Era 300 is no exception. 

As a brand new entry into the Sonos lineup, built with 6 speakers firing sound to the front, sides and upwards, this Dolby Atmos speaker delivers a wide soundstage with a truly immersive and room-filling 3D audio that we haven’t seen before from a Sonos Speaker. 

Of course, with a whole host of extended connectivity features including Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, Voice control with Amazon Alexa or Sonos Voice, Airplay 2 and a USB-C line-in for external audio sources too. Not to mention the brand new aesthetic and spatial audio functionality, we’ve had plenty to get our teeth into over the last month.

1 DAY IN

Who Are You and What Have You Done With My Sonos Speaker?

Unbelievably clever packaging aside, this one took some getting used to. The overall design is… unique to say the least and some of you will love it others will loathe it. 

It’s a little bigger than I expected and needs about 2 feet of clearance above the speaker and 8 inches on the sides for optimum performance which is something worth bearing in mind. Maybe I should have pre-planned where I was going to position it beforehand. 

Setup’s been a piece of cake as always with the Sonos S2 app and I'm a big fan of the new top panel controls - especially that volume slider! (honourable mention to that rear mic mute toggle too) 

I can’t wait to have a play around with all the enhanced functionality, that USB-C port is looking tempting. I might have to get that turntable back out again.  

There’s plenty of music streaming services to choose from. Airplay 2 and Spotify Connect make playback really easy, but I genuinely can’t believe it's taken this long to get Bluetooth connectivity from a Sonos home speaker. Little tip, you can use the Era 300’s Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity to act as a bridge for the rest of your system so you can stream Bluetooth throughout your entire multi-room system which is a nice little plus too.  

I’m not too sure how I feel about spatial audio just yet though. I’ve found the Spatial Audio Playlists on Apple Music and Amazon Music but some tracks sound great and others aren’t as impressive. Am I even doing this right? I think I need to do some research on that one.

1 Week In

It’s Turntable Time, Baby!

I’ve loved listening to the Era 300 as a standalone speaker over the past week. The experience definitely felt different to something like the Sonos Era 100 or Sonos One (Gen 2). It’s not quite as powerful as a Sonos Five but the multi-directionality of the Era 300 makes this feel like a completely unique listening experience which I'm slowly falling in love with. 

I think it’s time to bite the bullet though and get my hands on a Sonos Line-In Adapter (even if it is an extra £19). I wasted a couple of days trying to find a cheaper 3rd party adapter on Amazon and none of them worked. I should’ve just gone for the Era 300 and Line-In Adapter bundle. 

I’m not a huge vinyl enthusiast but it’s a nice addition to get some proper use out of my Audio Technica AT-LPW50PB by connecting it up with my Sonos system. I’ve added some more vinyl to the collection too, so I'm not complaining. 

I’m a sucker for voice assistance but the absence of Google Assistant is definitely a miss. Sonos Voice is an OK voice assistant in comparison and I think if you want the best, you’re going to have to go for Amazon Alexa.

Advanced Trueplay Tuning has helped kick things up a gear and it's nice to see Android users can finally join in too with the new Quick Tuning feature. I’m hoping this is something they update across the board so i don’t have to keep going to my parents house and Tune their other Sonos speakers.

2 Weeks In

Spatial Audio IS the Future

I'm finally getting to grips with the whole spatial audio concept. Despite regular stereo listening being enjoyable with the Era 300, Spatial Audio is something else.

I’ve figured, a lot of what makes a great spatial audio track comes down to the creative interpretation of the producers back in the studio. Hence, why some mixes sound great and others are a little less impressive.

Still unsure what Spatial Audio is? Watch our Spatial Audio Explained video.

My general rule of thumb for finding the best mixes though is to look out for the Dolby Atmos logo on my chosen streaming platform as these tend to be the better constructed mixes with a more dynamic listening experience that’s overall just more impressive.

Apple Music is probably the best place to listen to spatial audio tracks in my opinion because pretty much all of them are mixed in Dolby Atmos. Beyond Apple themselves, no one else has a dedicated link to the Apple Music server apart from Sonos, making the Era 300 the only other way to experience Apple Music Spatial Audio from a single speaker right now so I'm loving life being a subscriber.

There’s still no support for spatial audio on Spotify which I can see being really frustrating for a lot of people. It feels like this is the direction audio is going though, so surely it can't be too long until they jump on board? Until then we’ll just have to make do with Apple & Amazon Music. 

Spatial Audio aside, the Sonos S2 App is still as good as always. There’s plenty of customisation options to really optimise the listening experience and get great audio even in standard stereo. I feel like I could spend a good couple of days testing out the different EQ settings and height channel adjustments.

3 Weeks IN

All About Marginal Gains

After a lot of thinking, I think it’s time to say goodbye to my original placement of the Sonos Era 300. My media unit has been great but I’m all about optimisation and I want this speaker at optimum listening height so it’s got to be floor stands for me. 

Getting the very best performance is no mean feat though, especially considering a single Sonos Era 300 Floorstand comes in at around £149 RRP (it might be back to the drawing board).

I ended up picking up a cheaper Sanus Floor Stand for £99 that is still custom-made for the Era 300. There were some other options from Mountson & Flexson but I just thought this one suited my space the best.

After all the dithering I’m glad I went for it to be honest. I’m already halfway there if I ever want to add a second Era 300 to my home and have two stand mounted rears in a home cinema setup for example.

ONE MONTH IN

We Want More!

I’m loving spatial audio - I just wish there was more of it. I can’t fault the fun I've had listening to my favourite tracks in a completely new way. But there’s nothing worse than finding a track you’d love to hear in spatial and it not being there (trust me, it’s worse than heartbreak).

Maybe it's a little early to be on the bandwagon just yet, but there’s nothing wrong with being early to a party. Especially when it sounds this good! Plus, there is enough out there to make the most of it right now.

I can see why a lot of you would be worried that without a subscription to a streaming service that supports spatial audio and Dolby Atmos tracks, this speaker wouldn’t be a worthwhile purchase. But it’s still a great option for those of you looking to enjoy a more immersive music experience, even in traditional stereo.

What Does The Future Hold?

I’ve had the pleasure of testing the 2x Sonos Era 300's in a stereo pair as well, and I've got to say that at this rate, I'm going to struggle not to add a second one of these when I get the chance. 

I think the design of this speaker has definitely grown on me and it definitely feels like a next-generation Sonos speaker and I’m pretty chuffed now it's settled in. If I had it my way, I'd already have a second one at home. My partner on the other hand… might need a little more convincing. 

But, that’s the beauty of Sonos, their speakers are versatile, and you can expand later down the line and transform what’s already a great bit of tech into a staple part of your home entertainment system at any rate you want.

Now, I'm not one to succumb to FOMO, but after listening to a friend's 7.1.4ch Sonos home cinema setup, this might be a direction I look to go down too. I’ve already got a Sonos Arc and a Sonos Sub Mini, and I could definitely see myself swapping out my Sonos One SL rears for some Sonos Era 300’s at some point. 

You know that feeling when you're at the cinema, and you're so engrossed in the film that you forget you're even there? That's the kind of experience you get with the Era 300s and I'm all about it. It’s a totally different experience that adds an extra layer of immersion that I didn't know was there.

Is The Era 300 Worth Buying?

Let’s face it we all want the latest and greatest bits of tech, but what sets a good device apart from a great one is how it performs in the real world and as this is a Sonos Era 300 Review, it's only fair we share our thoughts.

Admittedly, it took a little time to get used to but the Sonos Era 300 is a speaker that grows on you. It’s so versatile and unique that other speakers feel a little one dimensional in comparison now.

If we forget about all the technical bits for a second and focus on what's really important: the music. Boy, does the Era 300 deliver. It's immersive, expansive and a joy to listen to. While it may not be for everyone, this speaker is a true testament to Sonos' commitment to pushing the boundaries of audio innovation and it definitely screams next-generation. So, if you're in the market for a new speaker and don't mind splurging a little bit, the Sonos Era 300 is going to be a sound investment (pun intended).

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