Sonos is known as a brand of premium audio products. They focus a lot on soundbars, audio systems for home theater and also offer portable speakers. The latest in the Malaysian market are the Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Era 300, which are their two new "era" premium speakers.
In this article I will share my experience of using Era 100 for several weeks. Is this speaker worth RM1599 worth having? What are the special features and for whom are cylindrical speakers like this?
SPECIFICATIONS & DESIGN
Sonos Era 100
Types of Home Speakers
Audio Driver 3x class-D digital amplifier with fine tuning
2x tweeters placed in a special angled position
1x mid-woofer
Trueplay
Microphone Beamforming long-range microphone
Multi-channel echo cancellation
4x A55 1.4GHz chips
1 GB SDRAM + 8 GB NV
Operational system -
WiFi tethering 6
Bluetooth 5.0
AirPlay 2
USB-C (special adapter)
Android, iOS app support
Control Panel touch on top
Waterproof ability None
Selling Price RM1599
Sonos speakers are no strangers to the our lab as we are used to testing their soundbars. But for this new speaker it's something different. Era 100 can be said to be a multi-functional smart speaker. First, this speaker supports Bluetooth connection. All this time Sonos mostly uses WiFi connection only.
Also provided is a USB-C port to connect a 3.5mm audio jack adapter, has its own digital assistant with a voice by Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Mod Gideon in The Mandalorian), touch controls and a direct connection to Apple Music.
The Era 100 uses a cylindrical design which isn't as unique or new as the Era 300. But Sonos claims this small speaker packs its own processing chip that's 47% faster and a 25% larger mid-woofer.
Inside this speaker there are 3x class-D digital amplifiers with precise tuning, 2x tweeters placed at a special angled position for accurate and clear high frequencies. Then 1x mid-woofer for mid-range vocal playback, beamforming long-range microphone with multi-channel echo cancellation support for Trueplay support that can perform automatic tuning.
This speaker is also quite heavy at 2.02 kg so it's not meant to be taken anywhere. It also has no battery and needs to be constantly connected to a power source. On the back of the speaker is a USB-C port, a microphone switch and a Bluetooth button. The wire is a detachable type that is located below.
Above is a touch control panel for play/pause, skip/back, scroll for voice adjustments and for Hey Sonos voice commands. Also visible is an LED light for indication. Era 100 also supports WiFi 6 connection where most speakers are still stuck with WiFi 2.4, Bluetooth is version 5.0, the USB-C port can also be connected with an ethernet adapter and it already supports Apple AirPlay 2 connection.
Sonos did not disclose the name of the processing chip used but it is a quad-core 4x A55 1.4GHz type paired with 1 GB SDRAM memory and 8 GB storage for system use. This speaker also requires an Internet connection for a better experience. Otherwise only with Bluetooth and offline audio on the user's device only.
Audio Quality
We are sorry to inform you that the Sonos Ear 100, despite being priced at RM1599, has mediocre audio quality. Era 100 is a premium speaker in a new era where everything needs an ecosystem to complete the user experience. For this speaker if you want the best audio the Era 100 should be paired with another Era 100 in a medium sized room or buy an Era 300.
Bass/Lows
Era 100 is suitable for bass fans who want a booming and lively sound. It's just that the bass output is not good enough because of the loss of detail. The bass on this speaker also eats up the vocals making the singer's voice drown when listening to music. Although the bass has been adjusted in the application through the EQ settings, the profile has remained the same making the listening experience less satisfying. This indirectly makes this speaker less good with acoustic music but fun with many instruments.
Vocals/Mids
The vocals on this speaker are really good. Sonos has enhanced vocals to be heard clearly whether it's a male or female voice and regardless of music or podcasts. This is a good thing if listening to light and relaxing music like acoustic. But if it's a concert or music from a band it will be drowned out because of the bass and make the hearing a little drowned. The melodiousness of the singer's voice also could not be fully enjoyed as it was too soft for my taste.
High Tone/Highs
High notes are also actually good. But unfortunately it doesn't reach a nice loud level. On the other hand, it also sinks because of the strong but unbalanced bass. The high-pitched effects are audible but they just don't seem right for most music. Music that uses a lot of guitars or loud sounds will be "cluttered" because it doesn't stay in one place making most of the music sound erratic.
Applications And Controls
Although the Era 100 is not the best speaker I have ever tested I still make this speaker my daily device. Sonos is still new to offering mid-range audio products compared to their usual products that are many times more expensive. With good applications and software on the Era 100 also makes me not so disappointed with this speaker.
For example this is the first Sonos speaker with Apple Music built in. So there is no problem to stream quality content. Most interesting is the ecosystem offered to match this Sonos speaker with other models such as the more expensive Era 300 or can also be connected with Sonos Roam or Move to make it a stereo speaker that is adaptive according to the situation.
Sonos also gives users the freedom to adjust the audio quality through the built-in EQ feature. But it is limited to bass, treble and strength only. This is great for those who don't want to mess around with this and that but disappointing for those who really care about audio quality. Not only that in Android devices when using Spotify there is an equalizer setting but it cannot be used with Era 100.
Another thing I love about this Sonos is that it's quite smart to calibrate itself via Trueplay. This feature uses the iPhone's microphone and detects the ambient atmosphere for adaptive Era 100 audio according to room size. If it is smaller it will be more controlled and balanced while in a large room like in the office it will probably be more towards sinking.
I also love the voice control feature that uses the voice of my favorite actor in Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and The Mandalorian, Giancarlo Esposito. But Era 100 is still not great enough to catch my voice and understand Malaysian English compared to Google Nest Mini/Nest Hub.
What's In The Box?
Here's what you'll get with every purchase of the Devialet Mania base set;
1x Sonos Era 100.
1x Power cable.
1x Guidebook.
1x Protective fabric.
Conclusion
The Sonos Era 100 is a speaker that's almost completely smart but not quite. For example the Trueplay feature that I like is actually smarter calibration and more or less the same is better on the Devialet Mania. But that speaker costs more than RM4000 and for Sonos which is cheaply priced at RM3000 it's hard for me to complain.
As far as listening to music to cheer up the atmosphere in the office or in the room Era 300 is quite good. It is packed with interesting features and functions and gives a user experience that is not dizzying. So those who bought it with can do the settings continue to use it.
If I'm the one who cares about the audio quality, I won't look at the brand that much. For me, those who buy Sonos value the brand and the level of efficiency in terms of use. Believe me, there are many more quality cylinder speakers at prices over 50% cheaper. For example, the UE Megaboom 3 which is under RM1000, the Sony SRS-XP500 which is RM100 more expensive but more powerful or just buy a few units of Google Nest Hub imports.
Pro
Supports Apple Music.
User-friendly control application.
Easy-to-use touch controls.
Have a good ecosystem.
Various connection methods.
Cons
Average audio quality for the price.
Voice control isn't great enough.
The selling price is quite expensive for this speaker category.