Is the Sonos Era 300 Better Than the Sonos Five?
| Strengths | Strengths |
| ✓ Immersive, Dolby Atmos sound | ✓ Impressive bass performance |
| ✓ Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity | ✓ Powerful sound performance. |
| ✓ Can be used as upwards firing rears | ✓ Direct 3.5mm Line-In |
| Weaknesses | Weaknesses |
| ✖ Can't be placed in a media unit | ✖ Overkill in certain spaces |
| ✖ Divisive design | ✖ No Bluetooth connectivity |
Sonos has a history of delivering impressive wireless speakers to suit almost any situation and budget. However, with just £100 between Sonos' most premium offerings, is the Sonos Era 300 or the Sonos Five right for your home?
The Sonos Five has been around for a while now, and it sits at the top of the Sonos lineup as their most premium wireless speaker option. With a dedicated 3.5mm line-in and by far the biggest and most room-filling sound out of the Sonos collection, this more traditional speaker has definitely asserted itself as the powerhouse in the Sonos lineup. For more information about our other Sonos speaker recommendations, check out our complete Best Sonos Speakers to Buy guide.
The Sonos Era 300, on the other hand, specialises in delivering Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio. This smart speaker offers a unique listening experience with drivers custom-built to fire sound to the front, sides, and upwards. Sitting just below the Sonos Five in the lineup, what it doesn’t offer in power, it makes up for in immersion. Check out our full Sonos Era 300 Review on YouTube if you'd like to go further in-depth.
Both of these speakers can be used standalone, as a stereo pair, or as rears to a Sonos soundbar, and of course, they can be grouped with any other Sonos speakers you have around your home to form part of a wider ecosystem or multi-room setup.
A little pushed for time? Watch our Sonos Five Vs Era 300: Clash of the Titans video over on YouTube instead!
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Sonos Era 300 vs. Sonos Five: Design
Side by side, you don’t need to be a genius to figure out that these two speakers don’t just sound different, but they look very different too.
Both speakers are available in black or white, but the Sonos Era 300 is a completely new take on the wireless speakers we’ve seen from Sonos in the past. Although the design might be a little divisive, it's definitely grown on us since its release earlier this year.
There are some really nice design features that Sonos has brought to the table with this next-gen Sonos design, like an enhanced volume slider and a modified power cable for ease of use, but it hasn’t moved too far away from the signature Sonos styling of recent years.
The Sonos Five has a little less flair than the Era 300. But, considering it still features a similar design to the original Play:5 which was released back in 2009, you could say it’s a design that’s aged extremely well.
The Five is considerably bigger than the Era 300, so you will need to think about the space needed to accommodate one of these (or two if you’re thinking about getting a stereo pair).
The Sonos Five isn’t quite the feature piece that the Era 300 is, but it’s a more traditional take on a Sonos speaker, and for some people, this will definitely have appeal.
One thing to bear in mind is the placement of these speakers. The Era 300 has drivers that fire sound in multiple directions, so you do need to leave space around the speaker to make sure you’re not blocking any of the drivers.
For example, you would sacrifice performance by placing an Era 300 in a bookshelf. The Five, while larger and possibly less practical, could be placed inside a bookshelf without impacting performance, so again, something else to consider.
Sonos Era 300 vs. Sonos Five: Internals
Sonos Era 300:
Featuring a total of six drivers made up of two sideways firing woofers, two sideways firing tweeters, one up firing tweeter, and one front facing tweeter, all powered by six Class-D amplifiers, the Sonos Era 300 has been designed to deliver a truly room-filling audio experience that fully immerses its listeners.
Sonos Five:
Consisting of six drivers, with three mid/bass units, two angled tweeters facing outwards, and a front facing tweeter too. The Sonos Five is primed for stereo listening, delivering a balanced sound signature with impressive weight and impact
Sonos Era 300 Vs Sonos Five: Features
| Sonos Era 300 | Sonos Five |
|
Bluetooth: 5.0 Connections: Wi-Fi 6, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C Port Line-In (via Sonos Line-In Adaptor) Voice Enabled: Yes (Sonos Voice & Amazon Alexa) Spatial Audio: Yes Best For: Spatial Audio and ultimate versatility and immersion |
Bluetooth: N/A Connections: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, 3.5mm line-in Voice Enabled: No Spatial Audio: No Best For: Pure Hi-Fi audio quality without any of the fuss |
As Sonos’ premium wireless speaker options, both the Era 300 and the Sonos Five have a lot to live up to when it comes to features. However, looking at both side by side, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Sonos Five struggles to compete when it comes to connectivity.
The biggest difference between these two speakers is their ability (or lack thereof) to support Spatial Audio. The Era 300 has been designed specifically for this purpose, with a multi-directional driver array that supports Dolby Atmos and other audio codecs to provide all-encompassing audio for music, movies, and TV.
The Era 300 is also the first non-Apple device capable of supporting Apple’s Spatial Audio technology. Delivering an immersive audio profile that offers a completely unique experience to what we’ve seen from a Sonos speaker before.
It's worth noting that we’re still early in the spatial audio lifecycle, meaning available content is a limiting factor. So, while you can enjoy spatial audio tracks on a few music streaming services like Apple Music, Amazon Music, or Tidal, to name a few, the list is still missing some big names like Spotify, for example.
Still unsure on Spatial Audio? Watch our Spatial Audio: Explained (Simply) video over on YouTube.
We do expect more services to join the bandwagon as time goes on, but if you’re a Spotify-only user right now or not subscribed to any streaming services with spatial audio support, it may be worth reconsidering if the Sonos Era 300 is right for you.
Along with that, the Era 300 also supports TruePlay Tuning, which has been updated for this model (and the Sonos Era 100). This enables Android users to get in on the act by using the new Quick Tuning feature to optimise the speakers for their space.
Naturally, advanced TruePlay Tuning is still the best method to get the most from your home audio, but like always, you will need an iOS device to get that done with the Era 300.
When it comes to the Sonos Five, there’s no Spatial Audio support, and internally, this speaker has a much more traditional makeup. The Five is primed for stereo listening, and features a direct 3.5mm line-in meaning you can hook up an external source device like a turntable with ease, without having to faff around with buying an additional Sonos line-in or combo adapter, which is a plus.
There’s support for Apple AirPlay 2 and TruePlay Tuning for iOS devices, but no Bluetooth, Quick Tuning, or any built-in mics for voice control.
| SHS TOP TIP 💡: If you’ve got this speaker paired up with another voice-enabled Sonos speaker, like a Sonos Arc Ultra, for example, you will be able to access that functionality. |
The Era 300 is the more versatile choice of the two. But, the Five still ticks a lot of boxes and, for most people, will be everything you could possibly need from a wireless speaker. The Era 300 does support Bluetooth, so if versatility is important to you, then that is the better option for sure.
Sonos Era 300 vs. Sonos Five: Sound Performance
As standalone speakers, there’s no doubt that the Five is punchier and bassier than the Era 300. The Era isn't a slouch in this department and offers more immersion, but the Sonos Five is bigger and handles higher volume listening much more effectively than the Era 300.
The Five doesn’t benefit from the multi-directionality of spatial audio like the Era 300 and doesn’t quite compete when it comes to spaciousness, or layering of sound. But, this speaker is the powerhouse of the Sonos lineup, and you can tell.
It's got power in abundance, and this is most obvious in bass heavy music. These types of tracks feel more precise and accurate, with more intent behind them, due to the traditional placement of sound.
On the other hand, the Era 300 stands out when it comes to the breadth and expansive nature of its performance. The multi-directionality of audio is the standout feature, which only gets better when you’re listening to Dolby Atmos tracks.
We’ve had the Era 300 since its release, and although the 360º soundscape was novel at first, it hasn’t lost any of its impact the longer we’ve been listening to it.
'Breathe' by Pink Floyd was a great example of the totally engrossing nature of the music presentation, which allows you to feel as if you’re watching a performance live. We can’t see ourselves getting tired of it, and as far as Spatial Audio goes, this is one of the best presentations we’ve seen of it to date.
Dolby Atmos tracks, especially, feel like they’ve got more depth, and the separation between the vocals and instruments helps to take things to another level too.
But it’s not just the broadness of the soundstage that’s impressive, either. Standard music from the Era 300 is dynamic, textured, and unlike anything we’ve ever heard from a Sonos wireless speaker.
If you're torn between the two, as a general rule of thumb, we suggest the Era 300 as the better option if you’re looking for a really unique and hands on listening experience. The Five though, is a better option if you’re the type of person who prefers a more traditional stereo listening experience.
Watch: Sonos Era 300: The Final Verdict >>
Stereo Pairing
Both of these speakers form a formidable partnership when stereo paired with a second Sonos Five or Sonos Era 300, and this is the setup where they really excel.
As expected, a pair of Era 300’s offer impressively wide and expansive stereo imaging, and the levels of separation were absolutely brilliant throughout our testing.
Using these speakers in a stereo pair definitely helped create an even more immersive experience with sound that truly felt as if it was coming from all around you.
The low-end was more impressive in this setup too, and it stepped up nicely when it came to accuracy and depth. However, as mentioned previously, if you’re the type of person who’s looking to really push the low-end you’re better off going for the Fives here.
Thanks to their bigger and broader approach to music delivery, a stereo pair of Sonos Fives were really impressive on almost any music with a decent bass track.
Admittedly, you do miss out on some of the nuances and details that the Era 300’s pick up on here. But, you can push the Fives further, and if you’re all about volume when it comes to music listening, these will be the better option for you.
Both sets of speakers excel in different areas and deliver music in different ways, but both are worth their premium price tag in our book. The final decision about which stereo pair is right for you will depend on your own specific listening preferences.
As Surround Sound Rears
There’s also the option to hook up these speakers as rears in a Sonos home cinema, and although this might be a little overkill for some people, sometimes you can't help but just want the best.
If you're unsure about your rear surround choice, we've tested both the Sonos Arc and the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) with every Sonos home cinema setup over on YouTube which might simplify things.
Regardless of which rear surround sound speakers you go for, it's going to be a great solution for ramping up the performance of your Sonos soundbar, especially if you’ve got a Sonos Arc or Sonos Arc Ultra. However, as mentioned throughout this blog, you are going to get a slightly different performance from each option.
The Sonos Fives are capable of delivering a more traditional rear performance, making use of more forward and lean sound profile accompanied by impressive power.
Whereas the Era 300’s are in a league of their own when it comes to the immersion of Dolby Atmos movies. If cinematic-level immersion at home is what you’re after, this is the best way to achieve it.
Again, both of these are great surround sound rear choices for a Sonos home cinema, and if you’ve got the budget, by all means, treat yourself. But depending on what you’re actually trying to achieve from your home cinema setup, you might be better off going with one speaker over the other.
It’s also worth remembering that a pair of Sonos Era 100's is also a great option as surround sound rears and will offer more than enough immersion for most spaces. We'd recommend these for the Sonos Arc Ultra, Sonos Arc and the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) but it's worth taking a look at all of the Sonos Home Cinema Bundles on our website before making your final decision.
Should We Expect A Sonos Era 500 Soon?
Disclaimer: Anything mentioned here is purely speculation and doesn’t represent what we’re going to see from Sonos in the future.
The addition of the Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Era 300 in March 2023 naturally sparked rumours of a potential Era 500 being on the horizon. However, at present, there’s been no official announcement of a Sonos Era 500.
As the Sonos Five is already the second generation of its kind following its rebrand from the Sonos Play:5 back in 2020, we could see it being upgraded in the future to complete the Era lineup.
But truthfully, we don’t see this as a speaker in desperate need of an update right now, and although enhanced connectivity would be brilliant, considering the Era 100 and 300 are still early in their life cycles, we can’t see an Era 500 coming anytime soon.
So although, yes, it would make sense for Sonos if they were looking to reinvigorate their lineup, and yes, we can see it happening further down the road, all we know for sure right now is that the Sonos Five is here to stay and is still a worthy option for you to consider.
Our Verdict
When it comes to picking between the Sonos Era 300 and Sonos Five, both offer completely different experiences and tick different boxes, making this a really tough one to call.
You can’t ignore the Era 300 with its support for spatial audio because, when a Dolby Atmos track is mixed right, it really is hard to beat. That being said, if two-channel audio is the way you want to go, or you’re a Spotify-only user with no spatial audio release date on the horizon, then I can see why the Sonos Five would be the better pick hands down.
Either way, as Sonos’ two premium wireless speakers, they are both solid options. It's now a case of taking what we’ve shared throughout this blog and working out what’s most important to you, and of course, deciding whether the Five is worth the extra budget.
Other Useful Content
Video: Sonos Era 300 Review: Game Changer
Video: Which Sonos Era speaker is right for you? Era 300 vs 2 x Era 100
Video: Sonos Five Hands-On Review: What's New?
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Blog: Sonos Era 300 Review: One Month On...
We hope you found this helpful, but of course, we realise that purchasing a new wireless speaker is a big decision, so we are more than happy to assist with any queries you may have.
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