According to a report that appeared yesterday (February, 20) by The Verge, it looks as though the Sonos Era 300 and Era 100 smart speaker rumors are true, and that they are set to be unveiled imminently.
Earlier this month, we reported on the suggestion that Sonos could be getting ready to launch the Era 300 and 100 smart speakers in the coming months, but it looks as though these will actually be launched in late March and that the flagship of the series will be more affordable than the Sonos Five.
The Verge has revealed that Era 300 is expected to cost $450, while the Era 100 is expected to cost $250. There are no pricing details for the Era launches in the U.K. or Australia, but the dollar prices work out to be around £375 / £210, and AU$655 / AU$365 for the Era 300 and Era 100 respectively, based on today's exchange rates.
The feature-set looks to rival some of the best smart speakers out there, including the new Apple HomePod 2. The Era 300's headline feature is spatial audio and Dolby Atmos support, which promises immersive, room-filling sound thanks to six speaker drivers that direct sound around the room.
As you'd imagine, the Era 300 speakers can be paired in stereo and partnered with the company's Beam (Gen 2) or Arc soundbars to act as rear surrounds with support for upward-firing soundtracks in a multi-channel theater setup playing Dolby Atmos content.
Spatial audio music content is expected to be available via Amazon Music Unlimited, but there's no information about whether Apple Music's Dolby Atmos content will be supported at this time.
As the newest models in Sonos' multi-room speaker range, its been confirmed that both new models will support USB-C line-in (making it compatible with line-level turntables) and Bluetooth connectivity. This makes the Era 100 far more versatile in terms of wired and wireless connectivity than many of its immediate rivals, as well as the long-running Sonos One.
The Era 100 is said to sport a second tweeter to deliver true stereo sound from a single speaker unit, and has a larger mid/bass driver, which should help to give a boost to lower frequencies greater than the Sonos One. For reasons unknown, Sonos doesn't typically give details about the power output rating for any of its speakers.
It is also expected that both models will have built-in mics for Sonos Voice Assistant and Amazon Alexa, and a new control feature is said to allow the mics to be muted. Sonos' effective Trueplay room tuning optimization facility is also expected to be on board.
For information on the official Sonos speaker line up for 2023, look out for more news once these speakers are confirmed and our full review next month.
Next: Discover how Sonos works and the best Sonos speakers you can buy right now.
