Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Sonos teases upcoming launch of the Era generation

Phil Nickinson
By

Sonos today sent out an email telling folks to “Get ready for a new era of sound.” Get it? New “era?” Because that’s exactly what’s about to drop with the Era 100 and Era 300 speakers, which already have leaked in pretty good detail.

The countdown on the email points to something happening on Tuesday, March 7, and the email says to expect preorders then, too.

A Sonos email touting an upcoming launch.

The leak from The Verge’s Chris Welch essentially points to replacements for the Sonos One and Sonos Play:3 — the latter of which has been discontinued for some time now. In addition to some visual design changes, the other big differences we’ve been clued into include USB-C for line-in, Ethernet by way of an adapter, and the addition of Bluetooth support — which is a big deal.

Related

According to the previous leak, the Era 100 is expected to retail north of $200, and the Era 300 somewhere around $450. These still are very much Sonos devices, and the sound quality should reflect that. The larger Era 300 also can be used as rear speakers in conjunction with Sonos’ Dolby Atmos-enabled Arc or Beam soundbars.

Both the Era 100 and Era 300 also will be voice-enabled, also according to the leak — you’ll recall that Sonos now has its own “Sonos Voice Control” in addition to being able to work with Amazon Alexa. And Apple’s AirPlay 2 is still in the cards, too.

What don’t we know at this point? Actual price and availability, for one (or two). That’s important. But even more important is something that no leak or marketing teaser can tell you — just how good these things are going to sound. And whether we’re right back in the same boat we’re in with the resurrected Apple HomePod: one is great, but two in a pair is even better.

And one more question we should start asking as we get closer to this new “era” of Sonos: How much longer are the older generations going to be supported? Sonos hasn’t been shy about hamstringing older setups in the name of technological function, which is the sort of thing that’ll happen when you’re trying to keep newer and older hardware working together.

Looks like we’ll find out more next week.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Sonos’ new Era 100 and Era 300 wireless speakers go all-in on spatial audio and Bluetooth
Sonos Era 300 and Era 100 side by side.

Sonos has officially unveiled two new wireless smart speakers -- the $249 Era 100, and the $449 Era 300. While the Era 100 is effectively a new version of the aging Sonos One, which it replaces, the Era 300 is an entirely new type of speaker for the company, with six drivers (including an up-firing tweeter) and compatibility with spatial audio formats like Dolby Atmos.

The leaks pretty much nailed it. Both speakers will be available on March 28 in 26 countries including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, and Australia, with preorders beginning March 7.

Read more
C’mon, Apple — if Sonos can admit it was wrong about Bluetooth, so can you
Handoff between Apple iPhone and Apple HomePod second-gen.

For years, Sonos has relentlessly championed the benefits of Wi-Fi audio. The company even ran a cheeky (and hilarious) campaign showing how annoying it can be to use Bluetooth, featuring pinging notifications and phone calls routinely interrupting what should have otherwise been enjoyable music-listening sessions. Times have changed, however, and not only has Sonos added Bluetooth to its two portable speakers (the Move and the Roam), but recent leaks suggest that it’s considering expanding support for Bluetooth into its main portfolio of powered speakers too, starting with the as-yet-unreleased Sonos Era 100 and 300.

This amounts to a tacit acknowledgment that Sonos may have been too zealous in its past refusal to adopt Bluetooth audio, and I can’t help but think that it might be time for another company to rethink its rejection of Bluetooth: Apple.

Read more
The next generation of Sonos speakers has leaked, again
Sonos Logo on a Sonos One speaker.

If you're waiting on Sonos to announce the next generation of its venerable wireless speakers, wait no longer. The Verge has received lifestyle marketing images of at least part of the new lineup, which has yet to be unveiled by Sonos itself.

The two new speakers that are featured in the leak (and which also have been referenced by an accessories manufacturer) are said to the be Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Era 300. They're meant to replace the aging Sonos One and, presumably, the discontinued Sonos Play:3 and are said to be headed for a late March release.

Read more