I have a bedroom on the larger size. My bed sits against a wall with a slope above it. Opposite is a chair and ottoman, adjacent to that a chaise lounge. I like to listen both while in bed, and reading in bed, and would prefer stereo sound. I have two era 300, but am now rethinking. My options would be utilizing the two era 300’s, one by the bed, one across( doesn’t seem optimal) and either two era 100’s beside the bed or opposite, or four, two beside, and two opposite. I love even just the single era 300 I have, but two I think is overkill and won’t give me the stereo sound I’d like. Would love the communities thoughts!
Question
type and number of speakers
If it isn’t a home theater room, the most you can put in the software in a ‘room’ is 2.1 (the rules change in home theater rooms). That being said, you can group rooms together so they play in sync, so that’s a minor bump to you.
Do you want to listen to Atmos based music? Or is it just stereo? Both the Era 300 and Era 100 can play stereo content, but I always prefer separated speakers to get the best separation.
It ultimately boils down to your music, and your ears. Any of these solutions would be fine.
I have a pair of 300s that I really like, you get stereo sound in a much larger area than a pair of 100s. Due to the side-firing speakers. I'd consider putting a pair across from the and seating.
In another room I have a Play sitting on a chair-side table and find tne sound quite impressive.
if you post a floorplan, a rough sketch is fine, you might get better suggestions. Posting a picture from your phone works well.
As a follow on question- I have a small listening room where I typically listen to vinyl. Measurements are 15’ long speakers facing out at back of room by 11’ wide.
i have a pair of Era 300, as well as a pair of play 5’s- what’s the better choice? Seems overkill for 300’s,?
Play 5’s and Era 300’s are designed for different purposes. Play 5’s as dedicated stereo speakers and Era 300’s as Dolby Atmos speakers that also do stereo. However, IMO the Play 5’s are a better choice for pure stereo and especially vinyl.
Calling the Era 300’s overkill really depends upon why you purchased them. If the purchase was made for future proofing meaning you want to listen to Dolby Atmos and Stereo then they’re not overkill. Also if budget requires one or the other and you’re not certain if Dolby Atmos is out of the question then the Era 300;s are the better choice.
If budget is not an issue then Play 5 (now the Five’s ) and Era 300’s serve specific use cases. However, to your question as I said earlier (IMO) the Play 5’s are the best choice for vinyl.
P.S.
A diagram (as requested) of the bedroom would help to suggest the proper speakers and positioning.
If stereo only, and critical listening, then the Play 5s are the way to go without question.
If you also can get Atmos there and listen to much of it I'd say the 300s would be my choice.
For stereo listening, properly positioned and seated in the sweet-spot the Plays narrow dispersion compared to the 300s gives a superior stereo image. However if not well positioned or listening out of the sweet-spot the 300s provide a room filling sound that to me is quite nice even with the reduced localization of sounds.
I have tried both options, but Era-100s and not the Play 5s, and find I greatly prefer the 300s, even just for stereo as I am rarely able to be in the sweet-spot while doing anything but sitting at my table eating.
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