![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() It feels like this speaker is slightly ahead of its time or that it's built for such a limited audience that it's not going to be flying off the shelves in the way that the Era 100 will be. Everyone thinks they're an audiophile, but few are actually well-attuned to using Dolby Atmos in their everyday life-those who are already tapped into spatial audio will love the Era 300 those who just want to get the most out of their regular-old content will not let the speaker do what it was primed for. Despite the limited catalogue of content that is optimized for this speaker, it is a damn good one if you're super into Dolby Atmos and use those two streaming services it's built for. If you're already super into your Spotify and you have no desire to switch to a different music streaming service, you just aren't going to get the most out of your Era 300 (and we'd recommend you stick to the Sonos Five). Sonos Era 300: The Verdictįirst: Do you have Amazon Music Unlimited or Apple Music? If the answer is “no” to either of those services, then you do not need the Sonos Era 300. That's not to say the Era 300 can't do stereo well, because it can, but being Sonos' push into spatial audio, it doesn't make sense to get this speaker and not use it to its fullest potential. It’s totally worth the extra $100 in exchange for beefier bass and clearer tones. If you don't plan on partaking in that whole Dolby Atmos shtick, then the Five is probably the way to go. The most comparable speaker to the Era 300 within the Sonos family is the Five, which costs $100 and is way better than the newer speaker at playing stereo music, which is what most folks are accustomed to listening to. That's not to say it isn't an excellent mix for most people, but some argue it's not how Rush would've intended its music to sound-if they didn’t record for spatial audio, are we sure we should be mixing the song for it? Then there are songs like Billie Eilish's “Happier Than Ever,” a tune recorded with spatial audio in mind, which excels on the Era 300 regardless of the format (but definitely crushes in Dolby Atmos). As original Rush fans and music lovers have pointed out online, there is a jarring effect to hearing a song like “Tom Sawyer,” which wasn't recorded for spatial audio, sounding a different way because of how it was re-mixed for this new format. Hearing Neil Peart's souped-up drum kit, you might be tricked into thinking you’ve beamed in to a live show from the ‘80s. Thanks to the Era 300's well-placed drivers, the song gives off the impression that the band is actually in your midst. Rush's “Tom Sawyer,” which was re-mixed for the Dolby Atmos format, has never felt more trippy. you'll want to put this thing somewhere where there’s a generous amount of open space around and above it (because of those upward firing drivers). To make the most of the Era 300, follow Sonos' recommended guidelines for speaker placement-i.e. It’s not the sexiest speaker the brand makes, but after a few weeks testing the Era 300, we easily adjusted to its unique curves. Instead, its shape is meant to maximize the power of the interval drivers so that they can optimize that immersive listening experience better than any other speaker in Sonos’ lineup. ![]() But the brand didn't entirely break from its typical design principles. This new speaker almost resembles a bloated hourglass on its side, or the Dolby logo. The Era 300, however, is a departure from what we usually expect its wares to look like. Sonos speakers are easy to identify: Strong, hard lines, a matte finish, and an overall minimalist aesthetic are all common calling cards for the brand. Woofers: Two woofers (angled left and right).Tweeters: Four tweeters (two forward-firing mid tweeters and two side-firing mid tweeters).Amplifiers: Six class-D digital amplifiers.We've been listening to the Sonos Era 300 for the past few weeks now, and here are our initial thoughts. It’s a major boon for enhancing the experience of a movie or head-banger of a song, but the only issue is that there's just not enough content that's primed for Dolby Atmos. If you're watching a film in which an airplane soars overhead, say, the Dolby Atmos-optimized speaker will make it feel like you’re physically present, about to hold on to your hat. But unless you’re a big audio geek, you might not realize how specific the use cases are for that Dolby Atmos functionality.įor the uninitiated, Dolby Atmos offers something called spatial audio that’s designed to fully immerse listeners in whatever sounds or music they’re tuning into. The biggest new feature setting apart the Era 300 from its peers is that it’s the brand’s first and only Dolby Atmos-enhanced speaker that’s not a soundbar. When the release of the Sonos Era 300 speaker, the audio and tech world collectively perked up. ![]()
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