The Sonos Era 100 May Look Familiar, But This Is One Huge Update – SlashGear

The result looks at first glance much like its predecessor, but the Era 100 is actually entirely new inside and out. About an inch taller than the old Sonos One, the biggest improvement is probably its embrace of stereo. Where the old speaker was mono, two angled tweeters have been squeezed into the top of the Era 100, and a larger midwoofer delivers deeper bass.

A full assessment of that will have to wait until we can test the speaker side-by-side with its predecessor, but first impressions at a Sonos preview event that SlashGear was invited to are promising. Like the Sonos One, the Era 100 is louder and boasts more clarity than you would expect from its scale.

Chris Davies/SlashGear

Sonos has replaced the old ethernet port with a USB-C on the rear. That’ll work with two accessories initially, including a 3.5mm line-in adapter, and a second dongle that has line-in and ethernet. As well as Wi-Fi 6 and AirPlay 2, there’s Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless line-in, with support for then distributing that external source to other Sonos speakers in the network.

Along with the increase in volume, there’s also a bump in price, with the Era 100 launching at $249. Like before, two can be paired for broader stereo separation, or as the rear channel speakers for a surround sound system with one of Sonos’ soundbars. It also gets an updated top panel interface, with a touch-sensitive groove for controlling volume, along with Sonos Voice Assistant and Amazon Alexa support at launch.