Summary of Sonos Era 100 Reviews
1. What Hi-Fi?
- Summary: Enhances the qualities of the Sonos One, offering a bigger, more spacious, and detailed sound with deeper bass. Maintains good timing, dynamics, and even tonal balance.
2. PCMag
- Summary: A commendable entry in Sonos’ lineup, featuring powerful stereo audio, seamless integration with other Sonos speakers, and an excellent app experience.
3. RTINGS.com
- Summary: A wired-only speaker, superior for in-home use compared to the Sonos Move 2, with better low-frequency extension suitable for bass reproduction. Less portable and lacks dust or water resistance.
4. Digital Trends
- Summary: Offers an expansive soundstage compared to the Sonos One. It is excellent as a single-speaker solution for most rooms, with significant improvements in design and connectivity, though lacks Google Assistant support.
- Pros: Big, expansive sound; Built-in Bluetooth; Optional analog line-in; Easy room tuning.
- Cons: No Google Assistant option.
5. Trusted Reviews
- Summary: A powerful speaker with better handling of low frequencies than the Sonos One, but sacrifices subtlety in midrange and brightness in treble.
Product Attribute Table
| Attribute | What Hi-Fi? | PCMag | RTINGS.com | Digital Trends | Trusted Reviews |
| Sound Quality | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Bass Performance | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Design & Build Quality | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Connectivity Options | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Ease of Use | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Integration with Ecosystem | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Portability | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Value for Money | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
Overall Product Summary
The Sonos Era 100 emerges as a formidable successor to the Sonos One, encapsulating the best of its predecessor and elevating it further. The consensus across five reputable sources — What Hi-Fi?, PCMag, RTINGS.com, Digital Trends, and Trusted Reviews — is that the Era 100 is a leap forward in terms of sound quality, design, and connectivity.
Sound Quality
The Era 100 has been universally praised for its sound quality. What Hi-Fi? and Digital Trends particularly emphasize its ability to deliver a more expansive, detailed sound with a deeper bass than the Sonos One. The soundstage’s airiness and expansiveness make it an ideal single-speaker solution for most rooms. Trusted Reviews, while appreciative of its low-end handling, notes a compromise in the midrange and treble’s subtlety and brightness.
Design and Build
In design, the Era 100 retains the familiar aesthetic of the Sonos line but introduces a more cylindrical shape and an all-plastic construction, making it more suitable for various environments like kitchens and bathrooms. Its compact form factor allows it to fit into the same spaces as the Sonos One, albeit with a slightly taller stature. The reworked top control panel, noted by Digital Trends, offers improved functionality, although there’s a desire for better visibility of controls in low light.
Connectivity and Integration
Connectivity is a strong suit of the Era 100. It introduces built-in Bluetooth, a long-awaited feature that allows greater flexibility in streaming and connecting external audio sources. This aspect is particularly highlighted by Digital Trends and PCMag, noting the ease of use and seamless integration with other Sonos speakers. However, the speaker’s current lack of support for Google Assistant, due to a dispute between Sonos and Google, is a notable downside, especially for users upgrading from the Sonos One.
Portability and Ease of Use
While the Era 100 is not designed for portability, given its wired nature and lack of dust or water resistance (a point RTINGS.com stresses), it excels in ease of use. The setup process, facilitated by the Sonos app, is straightforward and quick, making it accessible even to those new to the Sonos ecosystem.
Value for Money
In terms of value, the Era 100 is priced slightly higher than the Sonos One it replaces ($249 vs. $219). However, the improvements in sound quality, connectivity options, and ease of use justify the price increase. It’s seen as an excellent entry point into wireless home audio and a valuable addition to an existing Sonos setup.
Competition
Comparing the Era 100 to its competitors, Digital Trends points out alternatives like the Bluesound Pulse Flex 2i, Denon Home 150, and Bose’s Smart Speaker 500. While each of these offers certain advantages, the Era 100 stands out for its combination of sound quality, connectivity, and integration with the Sonos ecosystem.
In conclusion, the Sonos Era 100 is a significant advancement over the Sonos One, offering superior sound quality, enhanced connectivity features, and an easy-to-use interface. Its design is both aesthetic and functional, fitting well in various environments. While the absence of Google Assistant might be a drawback for some, the overall package presented by the Era 100 makes it an attractive option for both new and existing users of the Sonos ecosystem. The speaker’s versatility in handling different genres of music, coupled with its integration capabilities, positions it as a top contender in its category. The Sonos Era 100 thus represents a well-rounded, high-quality audio solution that aligns with the evolving needs of modern home audio enthusiasts.
Source Link:
- What Hi-Fi?: www.whathifi.com/reviews/sonos-era-100
- PCMag: www.pcmag.com/reviews/sonos-era-100
- RTINGS.com: www.rtings.com/speaker/reviews/sonos/era-100
- Digital Trends: www.digitaltrends.com/reviews/sonos-era-100
- Trusted Reviews: www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/sonos-era-100