Sonos Era 300 review: unmatched sound

The Sonos Era 300 stands out as one of the most advanced speakers from the brand yet. It boasts spatial audio, which is said to immerse listeners, along with support for Dolby Atmos and a range of connectivity features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and line-in. Moreover, the device features Alexa voice control, touch controls, Sonos app support, and the Apple AirPlay 2, which allows for seamless audio sharing from Apple devices. But does this comprehensive set of features make the Sonos Era 300 the best wireless smart speaker for its price? Read on to discover.

Design

The Sonos Era 300 boasts a slightly unconventional design, setting it apart from other smart speakers in the market. However, this design choice serves practical purposes, which we’ll delve into later. For now, it’s worth noting that the Era 300 features a cinched form factor, with an oval-shaped front as well as back panel. The speaker is bulky and will stand out wherever it is placed. You can mount the Era 300 atop a table or get the stand, with the latter costing an additional Rs 17,999.

The Sonos speaker is fashioned out of plastic and comes in two colour variants: white and black. We received the black variant for review, which looks well built. The front end of the speaker has a slightly curved grille with the Sonos branding, covering ‘Custom waveguides’, which promise to deliver an expansive soundstage and a centre-aligned tweeter. There is another grille around the edges, which houses two high-performance woofers, a pair of tweeters, and an upward-firing tweeter. Class-D digital amplifiers power the setup to amplify the sound experience. 

The top edge of the Era 300 boasts touch controls to pause/ play music and change tracks, and are fairly responsive. Additionally, there’s a beautifully carved indentation for adjusting volume levels, along with integrated microphones for voice control. The back panel features a Bluetooth pairing button and a toggle for voice commands, as well as a couple of ports for power and a Type-C connector.

Features

The Sonos Era 300 will not sway you with its features, but that doesn’t mean it skimps on essentials. This smart speaker effortlessly pairs with any device wirelessly via Bluetooth v5, boasting a decent range. Alternatively, it can be connected using the Type-C Line-in port, although the adaptor needs to be purchased separately. The Sonos Line-in Type-C to aux adaptor is available for Rs 2,200 on the official website. For Apple iPhone, Mac, and iPad users, the Era 300 also supports AirPlay 2 to stream hi-res audio from supported platforms without interruptions from calls and notifications. This is accessible through a shared network, facilitated by Sonos Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

The Wi-Fi connectivity also allows users to experience spatial audio with Dolby Atmos tracks. However, the feature seems to be limited to only iPhone users with Amazon Prime Music and Apple Music, which is a bummer. Furthermore, while the Era 300 is a multi-channel speaker, it requires another speaker of its class or an Arc/ Beam (gen2) to provide a surround sound experience, which could be a significant requirement for some.

Nevertheless, the Sonos Era 300 doesn’t disappoint when it comes to audio quality, which we have discussed at length below. For now, it is worth noting that the speaker supports voice controls through Amazon Alexa and Sonos’ in-house voice assistance. The latter offers limited functionality and is only available in two languages: English and French. Alexa offers a more comprehensive solution for all your smart home needs. It works quite seamlessly and can accurately capture commands even from a distance. There is a toggle to turn the feature off when not required.

App support

The Era 300 can easily be managed using the Sonos app, available for download on both Android mobile phones and iPhones. While the app v16.1 was slow to load and initiate commands, it was super easy to use and offered a host of features. The app provides access to Sonos Radio, as well as your favourite streaming platforms such as YouTube Music, Apple Music, Amazon Prime Music, and Spotify. You can also customise the speaker’s audio output adjusting its EQ settings within the app. Moreover, the Era 300’s audio can be optimised for the room it is placed in using Trueplay, which is not exclusive to just iPhones anymore. Both Android and iOS users can leverage the Trueplay feature of the app, which analyses its ambience using the phone’s microphone for superior sound quality.

Besides this, the Sonos app can also be used to set compatible stereo pair grouping, connect a sub, and enable/ disable touch controls, among other things.

Audio

Sonos recommends placing the Era 300 at least 1 inch away from the wall and ensuring there is an 8-inch clearance on all sides. This is to ensure there is no immediate obstruction to the sound emitting from the speaker. After this, the speaker can be finely tuned to its surroundings using the Trueplay technology for an optimum experience. There is a noticeable improvement in audio quality with Trueplay, rendering Era 300 fuller and clearer in sound.

I primarily streamed songs through the YouTube Music app. No matter which song I threw at it, the Era 300 handled it beautifully. The default EQ settings were accustomed to my taste, keeping things nice and balanced. Whether it was listening to ‘Waiting on the World to Change’ by John Mayer or ‘It’s the Time to Disco’ by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, the speaker flawlessly managed the dynamics of the songs, making every instrument discernible and the vocals incredibly clear. 

Even though the Era 300 is not your typical party speaker, it can get surprisingly loud for its size and delivers bass-heavy songs such as ‘Unbothered’ by Navaan Sandhu and ‘Levitating’ by Dua Lipa with a thump that will make you groove. I experimented with Apple Music’s spatial audio featuring Dolby Atmos songs, and the difference it makes in an average-sized room is remarkable. ‘Challa’ by Rabbi, which I have been listening to for years now, has never sounded as breathtaking and mesmerising as it does with Era 300. The speaker truly immerses you in the music, offering a captivating experience. Since the collection of Dolby Atmos songs is not expansive, it didn’t give me a major FOMO switching back to my go-to music streaming app YouTube Music.

Verdict

Apple HomePod (2nd generation) and Amazon Echo Studio are among the most popular spatial audio speakers with Dolby Atmos in India, priced at Rs 32,900 and Rs 22,999 respectively. The Sonos Era 300, on the other hand, is selling at Rs 54,990, making it quite an expensive buy. However, the Sonos speaker justifies its price with its advanced features and solid audio performance. It is among the best-sounding speakers I have experienced to date.

While its slightly bulky design may not suit everyone’s taste, its sound quality, especially with Trueplay tuning, is simply outstanding. The Era 300 delivers clear vocals, discernible instruments, and impressive bass, making it suitable for various music genres. Additionally, its seamless connectivity options for both Android and iOS devices enhance its versatility as a smart speaker. Despite some limitations, such as the need for additional speakers for certain features, a sluggish app, and spatial audio restrictions, the Era 300 comes across as a strong contender in the wireless smart speaker market and should be a no-brainer for those who don’t mind the outlay.

Editor’s rating: 8 / 10

Pros

• Clear sound signature, with balanced performance.
• Spatial audio, Dolby Atmos support.
• Practical cinched form factor.
• Convenient controls.

Cons

• Pricey.
• Sonos App needs improvement.
• Limited Spatial Audio playback. 

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