Sonos Era 300 Review: The Ultimate Dolby Atmos Speaker?

Sonos Era 300 Review - is this the future of audio?

Following the announcement of the first ever Sonos Dolby Atmos Speaker, we have been eagerly waiting to get our hands on the all-new Sonos Era 300. Over the past few months, we’ve been testing this speaker out, putting it through its paces to create this Sonos Era 300 review and comparing it with the current Sonos Wireless Speaker lineup to see how it stands out. For our full list of our Sonos speaker recommendations, check out our Best Sonos Speakers to Buy guide. 

The Sonos Era 300 is a brand new entry into the Sonos lineup and one of their most premium smart speaker options. With 6 speakers firing sound to the front, sides and upwards, Era 300 delivers impressive Dolby Atmos sound and a wide soundstage for a room-filling performance. 

It offers extended connectivity including WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, Voice control with Amazon Alexa or Sonos Voice, AirPlay 2 and a USB-C line-in for external audio sources. Use standalone, as a stereo pair, as rears to a Dolby Atmos Sonos soundbar or group with other Sonos speakers for an extensive multi-room home audio system.

Not much of a reader? Watch our Sonos Era 300 Review on YouTube instead.

There is a lot to cover in this review so if you’re looking for a specific answer, use the links below to skip ahead!

Sonos Era 300

RRP £449 (see latest pricing)

View Sonos Era 300

Sonos Era 300 Pros & Cons

Sonos Era 300 Price & Release Date

The Sonos Era 300 released on the 28th March 2023, retails for £449 putting it at the top end of the Sonos wireless speaker range, sitting just below their premium Sonos Five speaker.

Sonos Era 300 Design

The Era 300 is definitely a unique looking speaker and unlike anything we’ve tested before. Initially, the shape is unusual but after a day or two we've warmed to the appearance.

For size context, the Era 300 is smaller than the Sonos Five and larger than the Sonos One (Gen 2), sitting roughly in the middle. From the front, the rounded shape helps it blend into your space and you can opt for a black or white version to suit your home’s aesthetics. 

One thing worth highlighting is that these will look more prominent when on floor stands behind a sofa if you opt to use a pair of Era 300s as rears in a home cinema setup. The Sonos Floor Stands for Era 300 place the speakers at the optimum listening height which is slightly higher than the Sonos One (Gen 2).

On the top, there are handy touch controls and a new intuitive volume slider which works well. It’s quick to select a certain volume and if you swipe from left to right, you get a 30% increase in volume. 

Sonos Era 300 Internals

Inside the Era 300, we’ve got a pretty unique speaker makeup. There are a total of 6 class-d amplifiers powering 4 tweeters and 2 woofers. We’ve got one mid tweeter at the front that provides the centre image and covers the vocals and lead instruments. On the sides, there are two sideways firing mid tweeters and two woofers for the bass and these all work to improve the stereo separation. 

Finally, there’s one upwards-firing tweeter on the top which is angled around 10 degrees forward and that bounces the sound off your ceiling to deliver those height channels in Dolby Atmos content. This means that this speaker can deliver atmos effects from a standalone unit which I think is a first.

Where should you place the Sonos Era 300?

One thing to take into consideration is the placement of the Era 300. Sonos are recommending you allow at least 2 foot of clearance above the speaker and 8 inches on the sides. Avoid placing the Era 300 within a bookshelf as this will impact the performance.

If you plan on wall mounting the Sonos Era 300 close to your ceiling, turn the speaker upside down to avoid impacting performance.

How have Sonos improved the energy efficiency of the Sonos Era 300?

The Sonos Era 300 has been designed with sustainability in mind. Sonos have used less virgin plastics, more screws instead of glue and the packaging is 100% recyclable.

Sonos have also claimed to reduce the energy efficiency of both the Sonos Era 100 and the Era 300 speakers both when playing and when idle so of course, we wanted to test that out. 

Using smart plugs, we compared the energy efficiency of the Era 100 vs the Sonos One (Gen 2) first and found that while they were pretty similar when playing, when idle the Era 100 is twice as efficient as the Sonos One (Gen 2).

The Era 300 by comparison pulls 1.75 watts when idle and the Sonos Five pulls 2.74 watts. So for comparison, at 34wph, the Era 300 will cost on average 1 pence per day idle compared with 2p for the Five.

Sonos Era 300 Connectivity

When it comes to connections, the Sonos Era 300 is ticking a lot of boxes and giving us the versatility we’ve been asking for. We’ve got WiFi 6 which is what I’d consider the best method for connectivity and gives us the most reliable connection.

We’ve also still got the usual options such as Airplay 2, Spotify Connect and voice control with Sonos voice or Amazon Alexa. No Google Assistant on this speaker which will be disappointing for some of you. It seems Sonos and Google are having one of those ongoing “relationship problems” but it could be added later via a software update.

What is new on this speaker is Sonos have finally added Bluetooth 5.0 to the Sonos Era range. Sonos have previously taken the stance that WiFi is the better solution but it looks like so many people have requested bluetooth that they’ve finally given in. While I don’t see myself using bluetooth at home, I can see it being a handy addition for when people come over.

One thing missing from this speaker and the Era 100 is Sonosnet. With the addition of WiFi 6 and better connectivity, I don’t see this being a big problem and I’m guessing this is why Sonos haven’t included Sonosnet on this speaker.

With the rise of Matter too, I imagine that’s another factor and while there's been no confirmation yet, Sonos are registered with Matter and I wouldn’t be surprised if this speaker will be able to be a Matter Thread Radio at some point which will be like Sonosnet on steroids but we’ll have to wait and see on that for now.

Can you connect a Sonos Era 300 to a turntable?

Yes! Another connectivity option with the Sonos Era 300 is connecting an external audio source via the USB-C port. Now you do need to purchase a separate Sonos dongle either the Sonos Line-In Adapter or Sonos Line-In + Ethernet Adapter.

I have tried a few 3rd party adapters from Amazon but so far, haven’t had any luck getting it to work.

Can you connect the Sonos Era 300 to your desktop computer?

Yes, you can connect a Sonos Era 300 to your computer via Bluetooth. In our Sonos Era 300 review testing, there was no lag with this connection when watching videos or on a call but you do have to use the microphone on your computer as it wouldn’t work with the microphones on the speaker itself.

How to use Trueplay Tuning on the Sonos Era 300

From our testing, I would highly recommend performing Sonos’ Trueplay Tuning with the Sonos Era 300. Given how the speaker has been designed to bounce sound around your room, it’s more important than normal to optimise performance for your space. 

There are now two options for Trueplay Tuning. If you’re an iOS user, you still have the usual method of using the microphone in a supported iOS device and walking around your space. This is now called Advanced Tuning and it’s still the most effective method. But, not to be left out anymore, Android users can now use Quick Tuning, which uses the microphones in the speaker itself to analyse the space and make any tweaks needed.

How to get Spatial Audio on Sonos

Sonos recently announced support for Apple Music Spatial Audio will be live from the 28th March which is great news and means we’ll have support as soon as the new Sonos speakers launch. The other option currently available for Dolby Atmos tracks on Sonos is Amazon Music which we’ve been testing with the Era 300. Unfortunately, there is no Dolby Atmos content on the like of Spotify right now but we can’t see it being too long before they jump on board.  

Many believe that Dolby Atmos music is the future with around 90 of the top 100 billboard albums being mixed in Atmos. Giles Martin the Head of Sound experience at Sonos & and Grammy award winning producer has also said that adapted versions of the Sonos Era 300s are being used as reference monitors in studios for mixing Atmos tracks which just shows how relevant & capable this product is.

While regular music is also impressive on this speaker, I've found myself hoping that all my favourite tracks show up with that Atmos logo as the experience is just like nothing I’ve heard before. Now you can’t get Atmos audio via Bluetooth or Airplay 2 as you need a direct connection to the music server.

Beyond Apple themselves, no one else has a dedicated link to the Apple Music server apart from Sonos, making this Era 300 the only other way to experience Apple Music Spatial Audio from a single speaker right now.

Sonos Era 300 Sound Performance

In our testing of the Sonos Era 300, we found this speaker does a brilliant job of placing elements of a track around the room. You almost can’t believe the audio is coming from one speaker. The Era 300 offers a wide soundstage and the sound performance definitely feels 3D.

Vocals are really impressive and the overall performance feels super realistic and we got that cliche feeling of the artist being in the room with us. The bass is also more than we were expecting from this speaker. It’s not quite at the Sonos Five level as it just hasn’t got the size but it does pack a punch.

Again, while Dolby Atmos content sounds better, I also enjoyed the sound performance for regular music as you get all the benefits of a spacious, detailed sound, great bass and impressive vocals.

Sonos Era 300 vs Sonos Five

The Sonos Five and Sonos Era 300 offer a very different listening experience and it’s difficult to compare the performances. However, we have found in testing that the Sonos Five is a louder, bigger and bassier speaker. In comparison, the Sonos Era 300 gives a unique experience and shines with Atmos content, something the Sonos Five cannot offer. 

If you want to sit down and listen to every detail in your music and will make use of Dolby Atmos tracks, then the Sonos Era 300 would be our recommendation. But if you’re looking for the most powerful speaker Sonos offer for room filling sound and impressive bass then the Sonos Five is a better solution.

Will Sonos bring out a Sonos Era 500? We can definitely see that coming along with a whole range of Era products. But, I don’t think it will be soon. 

View Sonos Five

Sonos Era 300 Stereo Pair Review

Personally, my favourite experience from the Sonos Era 300 speakers was as a stereo pair. The overall performance in testing was incredible. The separation provided gave a different feeling to tracks we’ve tested a hundred times over and the stereo imaging gives a great experience so you really feel like the music is coming from all around you and not from two separate speakers.

The bass performance from the Sonos Era 300 is very accurate and deep and I don’t think most people will feel the need to add a Sonos Sub to this setup. Having tested Spatial Audio on the Sonos Arc before which is roughly the same price for me there is no comparison. A pair of Sonos Era 300s wins hands down for Spatial Audio.

View 2X Sonos Era 300 Bundle

Recommended Sonos Era 300 Soundbar Pairings

Two Sonos Era 300 speakers can be used upwards-firing, Dolby Atmos surround sound rears to a Dolby Atmos enabled Sonos soundbar. 

With a Sonos Arc, adding two Sonos Era 300 speakers provides a 7.0.4 setup with the Sonos Arc and Sonos Era 300’s upwards-firing speakers working together to create an immersive, 3D sound performance. With sound bouncing off the ceiling and walls, you’re placed in the centre of the soundstage for a more immersive experience. 

With a Sonos Beam (Gen 2), adding two Sonos Era 300 speakers delivers a 5.0.4 setup with 2 of the height channels coming from rear surrounds and 2 of the height channels coming virtually from the soundbar.  

Want to get more from your Dolby Atmos soundbar? Read Our Sonos Soundbar Top Tips blog

Sonos Arc, Sonos Sub Gen 3 & 2 x Sonos Era 300 upwards-firing rears review

Now my initial thoughts having tested a pair of Sonos Era 300s as a stereo pair is that they are almost too good for rears. They are also an expensive addition and is it actually worth it? 

For a lot of spaces and setups, adding 2 Era 300s will be overkill but, as there are many people with 2 x Sonos Five speakers as rears there is clearly a market for this setup.

Coming in at £2,500 minus any stands or mounts, this is an expensive setup. But we think movie lovers are going to love this. The Sonos Arc, Sonos Sub (Gen 3) and 2 x Sonos Era 300 bundle is a 7.1.4 setup and the upwards firing capabilities of the Arc and Era 300 work together to create a full 3D effect, putting you right at the centre of the action. 

In testing, it does sound like audio is coming from all around and above you and if I closed my eyes, I’d struggle to point out where the speakers were positioned.

The overall immersion of this setup is truly impressive, it reminds me of when you’re watching a film in the cinema and you’re glued to the screen for 2 hours. You really do struggle to look away from the action, you’re locked in. The addition of the Era 300s makes scenes feel more dramatic and it adds extra tension with background effects and the immersion of the soundtrack.

Yes this setup does a great job in films like Top Gun: Maverick where there are missiles flying everywhere but we’ve actually appreciated the effects in more subtle, ambient scenes like in Dune where it feels like you’re in the middle of the desert with sand flying past you.

Quiet Place has been a great film for testing and the scene where she’s in the house hiding from a death angel is brilliant. The clock ticking in the background sounds like it comes from the far corner of the room and you really follow the action around the screen with all the different noises and breaths moving around you.

View Sonos Arc + 2X Sonos Era 300 Bundle

Sonos Beam (Gen 2) & 2 x Sonos Era 300 upwards-firing rears review

When we tested a pair of Sonos Era 300s as upwards-firing rears with the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), we were surprised by how much the rears added to the overall performance. The Dolby Atmos rears add another dimension to the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and the extra bass from the Era 300s delivers a more balanced and immersive sound performance for your movies and music.

Overall, these definitely aren’t cheap rears and for a lot of people’s setups, this will be overkill. But in the right space, if you’ve got the budget and you love movies, this is one hell of a setup.

View Sonos Beam + 2X Sonos Era 300 Bundle

Can you use a pair of Sonos Era 300 speakers with your TV?

Sadly you are unable to use two Era 300 speakers for your TV audio. This is rather disappointing for many of use as the wide soundstage and support for Dolby Atmos would make this a fantastic setup for TV audio. We hope this is something Sonos will enable in the future but for now, you have to use a Sonos soundbar to upgrade your TV audio and add two Era 300s as upwards-firing rears for a more immersive experience. 

Verdict

Overall, this is a pretty versatile speaker. I was initially worried that without a subscription for a streaming service that supports spatial audio and Dolby Atmos tracks, this speaker wouldn’t be a worthwhile purchase. 

Although you absolutely get the most out of this speaker with Dolby Atmos music, it’s still a brilliant option for those looking to experience their music in a more immersive way whether that’s as a standalone speaker, as a stereo pair or with an external audio source. Plus, for those looking to upgrade their Sonos home cinema setup, this is a huge upgrade. 

I think the Era 300 is doing some really clever stuff and honestly, I think the best way we could test this speaker was by forgetting about the tech for a minute and just enjoying the music or movies we were testing. This product might not be for everyone and every setup (and it’s definitely not an impulse addition) but we do see that this is truly a new era of audio from Sonos and hopefully paves the way for more exciting products to come in the future.

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Learn More

Read Sonos Era 100 Review: Truly Immersive Stereo Sound

Read Sonos Arc Review: Is It Worth It In 2023?

Read Sonos Era 100 vs Sonos One (Gen 2): What's The Difference?

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