![]() ![]() It responds to its wake word (“Hey Sonos”) and natural speech well during testing. Meanwhile, Sonos’s own voice control is focused just on music playback commands, rather than controlling smart home or automation features. There’s no Google Assistant – Sonos cites a change in technical requirements for third-party devices that would need a “heavy engineering lift” for the Era, so it seems they’re at an impasse. The Era speakers are the first to host Sonos’s own voice control (available in English and French only), alongside Amazon’s Alexa. If you’re brand new to the Sonos ecosystem, don’t worry – every bit of the app is easy to navigate for tech pros and novices alike. You can also control every element of the speaker: its name, which room it’s in, playback, multi-room grouping, voice control, EQ settings and more. The app lets you integrate a huge amount of music sources, from all the major streaming services ( Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal and more) to various internet radio stations. The current Sonos S2 platform makes the whole experience that much smoother and more sophisticated. The Sonos control app is where the speaker’s multitude of functions and features are unlocked. ![]() There’s no support for spatial audio like big brother Era 300 (the Era 100’s small form factor wouldn’t do justice to the spatial audio effect, says Sonos), but 24-bit audio streaming is supported for local files and through Qobuz and Amazon Music Unlimited. Pairing is pleasingly swift with our iPhone 12, while the connection remains stable throughout. It uses Bluetooth 5.0 and the standard AAC and SBC codecs are supported. The Era range marks the first time Sonos has included Bluetooth in its wi-fi-based home speakers and the flexibility is more than welcome. It does sell the line-in adapter (USB-C to 3.5mm aux) on its website for £19 / $19 – which feels like a rather steep price to pay for a small dongle. The downside is that you’ll need an adapter to complete the wired connection, but Sonos doesn’t include it in the box. You’ll also find a USB-C line-in connection for hard-wiring sources like a turntable or music player. While you can tap the speech bubble icon on/off to enable/disable voice control, Sonos has added this extra physical switch for full privacy and peace of mind if you never, ever want any voice assistant listening in. Sliding our finger along this ‘trough’ changes the volume smoothly and at satisfying increments (albeit a bit too keenly at times).Īround the back, you’ll find the Bluetooth pairing button and a switch that turns the speaker’s mic on or off. Touch capacitive buttons return for music playback and voice control, and there’s a new volume slider in the form of a ‘trough’ in the top panel. The speaker’s interface and on-unit controls have been updated, too. Sonos is typically tight-lipped about power ratings, but even a quick listen confirms the new Era 100 sounds louder and more powerful than the old model.įeatures Stereo pairing, Sonos voice control, Amazon Alexa voice control, Trueplay tuning, Adjustable EQĬonnections USB-C line-in (separate adapter required) All three drivers are powered by their own Class D amplifier. Sonos says this should deliver "detailed stereo separation" and deeper bass. To that end, inside are two angled tweeters with custom waveguides, alongside a woofer that’s 25 per cent bigger than before. One of the biggest changes for the new Era 100 is that it delivers stereo sound. Why the change to the shape? This isn’t done just for aesthetics it’s also to accommodate the new drivers inside the Era 100. The Era 100 comes in a matte black or matte white finish, and the wraparound grille now stretches to the edges more than before for a seamless look. We found it easy to fit onto any shelf, desk, table or corner in the home – that’s near a mains socket, of course. The Era 100 is one inch (about 2cm) taller) and a tad heavier too (2.02kg vs 1.85kg) but it’s still a compact wireless speaker. The rounded square design of the One is gone the new Era 100 is a more oval shape. ![]() The Era 100 has been refreshed from the ground up, with Sonos stating that there isn’t a single bit of the old One in the new Era 100.īoth models are in keeping with Sonos’s clean, minimal design and are built to a high standard, but the new speaker’s shape is fairly different. ![]()
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