Sonos is not very good at keeping its upcoming news a secret and the latest leak is proof of that. The Verge Has obtained images, features and price of the Sonos Era 100 and Era 300, the new family of speakers that has not yet been officially presented. In the past, in fact, we had already advanced some details about them.
We go in order. The Sonos Era 100 is shaping up to be one of the most important products for the brand in the following years. Because? According to the aforementioned media, will end up replacing the Sonos One, one of their most popular speakers. In fact, you yourself can appreciate that its design is somewhat similar.
The Sonos Era 300, for now, will remain the most premium of the family. He is called to be a direct competitor to the HomePodto the newly revamped Apple speaker.
According to the leaked features, the Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 will share quite a few connectivity features. The sound section will be, then, what will keep them apart.
For example, both speakers will support the audio playback via Bluetooth 5.0. They also presume compatibility with Wi-Fi 6 and AirPlay 2as well as a system of integrated microphones that will allow you to adapt the equalizer automatically depending on the environment.
Sonos believes that users should have the freedom to choose between wireless and wired audio transmission. The Sonos Era 100 and Era 300, unlike their main rivals in the market, They have a USB-C input to connect it to other devices. If you prefer to connect via an Ethernet cable, the company will sell an adapter separately.
Now, the big surprise is in the offer of intelligent assistants. Because Sonos is facing a legal battle with Google over alleged patent infringement, this time there would be no support for Google Assistant. Consequently, the Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 would be limited to Alexa.
Moving on to the subject of sound, this is where the Sonos Era 300 distances itself from its younger brother. This model has Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos support. Therefore, it will become the ideal option to connect it to the television and pair it with other products of the brand, such as the Sonos Arc or Sonos Beam sound bars.
The Sonos Era 300 was specifically designed to deliver high-quality surround sound. Dispose of 6 internal speakers pointing forward, left, right and up. It is for this reason that it has a looks quite quirky. Away from other manufacturers, but also from the other proposals of Sonos itself.
With support for spatial audio, the Sonos Era 300 will be able to take advantage of Amazon Music Unlimited. Another service that offers the same technology is Apple Music, however, there is still no indication that Sonos has closed an agreement with those of Cupertino. Apple may decide to limit its vast music library with spatial audio to the HomePod, but nothing is written yet.
Regarding prices, do not expect cheap options. The Sonos Era 100 would hit the market for $250 dollarswhile the Era 300 would cost $450 dollars. If all goes according to plan, the company will announce the two speakers in the coming weeks. They would be available for purchase at the end of March.