Retired Sonos Staff

Introducing Era 300

Related content:Hardware

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Hi all,

Today we introduce Era 300: an unmatched spatial audio experience with Dolby Atmos for listeners and creators alike.

Unprecedented for a single compact speaker, Era 300 boasts six powerful drivers that direct sound left, right, forward and upward, delivering a breakthrough audio performance featuring Dolby Atmos that places listeners at the very heart of their movies and music.

Designed for spatial: Era 300 wraps its beautifully complex acoustic architecture in an elegantly cinched hourglass design, with every angle, proportion and perforation enhancing the direction and dispersion of sound to truly surround you.
Surreal surround sound: Era 300 is the brand’s first speaker that delivers multi-channel surround sound when used as home theater rears. Movie fans can pair two speakers with Arc or Beam (Gen 2) to create a supercharged Dolby Atmos experience that draws them deeper into the action.
Deep music industry collaboration: Sonos worked closely with its community of leading artists and creators - including Sonos Soundboard members - to meticulously fine-tune Era 300 so listeners can enjoy sound straight from the studio that’s true to the artist’s intent.

Premium, responsible design that keeps everyone in mind

Building on Sonos’s timeless acoustic-driven design aesthetic, Era 100 and Era 300 are responsive to the challenges facing our environment—and better for everyone who interacts with our designs, featuring a bold new UI and innovations that will help them last longer, use less energy and make use of recycled materials in each product.

More sustainable sound: Era 100 and Era 300 are made with post consumer recycled (PCR) plastic and packaged in 100% sustainably sourced paper, while also engineered to reduce power consumption with under two watts idle power consumption and a new advanced sleep function.
Built to last: Designed to live in your home for years, both speakers are built for serviceability by reducing the use of adhesives and transitioning to screws for easy disassembly and repair.
Bold, new UI: Era 100 and Era 300 feature an intuitive new user interface, including a new capacitive volume slider for simple control that complements quick and private control of your music with Sonos Voice Control, the Sonos app, Apple AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth®.
Upgraded connectivity: Stream all the audio you care about using WiFi or Bluetooth, and directly connect other audio devices such as a turntable using an auxiliary cable and the Sonos Line-In Adapter.
Expanding Trueplay to more listeners: Using the microphone array in Era 100 and Era 300, Trueplay optimizes the sound for the unique acoustics of your space with just a tap in the Sonos app. Available to both Android and iOS users.

Era 300 will be available for pre-order on sonos.com today, and globally starting March 28 2023 for $449USD, £449, €499 and $749 AUS. For more information, please visit Sonos.com

Read the full press release for Era 100 and Era 300 here.

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Show previous replies

melvimbe

So if you have two Era 300’s paired with a sub for a really nice Atmos listening experience and you are streaming the same music to other non spatial audio enabled Sonos zones at the same time does the signal just revert to stereo for the zones that can’t handle it?

Exactly, yes.

Really? So Dolby Atmos continues to play on the Era 300s?

Apologies - I had to seek confirmation on this and there was a misunderstanding.

Playback would continue in stereo for the entire group, including the Era 300s.

So to clarify, it does not matter if the group coordinator (the Sonos room that initiates playback) is atmos capable?

Also if you group two rooms that are atmos capable, will they play in atmos? Or is it a case where you can not play atmos in a group at all?

Also, a much less important question. If a group consists of atmos and non-atmos rooms, playing stereo...and the non-atmos rooms leave the group, will the audio switch to atmos? Or do you need to initiate a new playback stream?

Danny

Corry P

Sonos Staff

So to clarify, it does not matter if the group coordinator (the Sonos room that initiates playback) is atmos capable?

Also if you group two rooms that are atmos capable, will they play in atmos? Or is it a case where you can not play atmos in a group at all?

The Group Coordinator needs to be Atmos-capable for Atmos content to be initiated.

If there is a group, all speakers in the group will play the simplest format compatible with all players in the group. Therefore, if two Atmos-capable rooms are grouped (without any other rooms) then both will play Atmos.

Also, a much less important question. If a group consists of atmos and non-atmos rooms, playing stereo...and the non-atmos rooms leave the group, will the audio switch to atmos? Or do you need to initiate a new playback stream?

Good question - it’s the latter, but the next track (or the same track if on repeat) starting will make the remaining, Atmos-capable group switch back to Atmos - there doesn’t need to be any action taken by the user. This is the same behaviour as if you grouped in a One (for example) with your Arc or Beam (Gen 2) while playing Atmos music.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

melvimbe

So to clarify, it does not matter if the group coordinator (the Sonos room that initiates playback) is atmos capable?

Also if you group two rooms that are atmos capable, will they play in atmos? Or is it a case where you can not play atmos in a group at all?

If there is a group, all speakers in the group will play the simplest format compatible with all players in the group. Therefore, if two Atmos-capable rooms are grouped (without any other rooms) then both will play Atmos.

Also, a much less important question. If a group consists of atmos and non-atmos rooms, playing stereo...and the non-atmos rooms leave the group, will the audio switch to atmos? Or do you need to initiate a new playback stream?

Good question - it’s the latter, but the next track (or the same track if on repeat) starting will make the remaining, Atmos-capable group switch back to Atmos - there doesn’t need to be any action taken by the user. This is the same behaviour as if you grouped in a One (for example) with your Arc or Beam (Gen 2) while playing Atmos music.

That all makes sense. Thanks Corry.

Danny

S

SteveJ1

Lyricist I

I was in the market for a second Play 5 Gen 2 to make my music set-up stereo and bigger, but now I’m wondering about the Era 300 as an alternative to pair with my Play 5. Does it play nice with a Play 5 to produce a stereo set-up?

jgatie

I was in the market for a second Play 5 Gen 2 to make my music set-up stereo and bigger, but now I’m wondering about the Era 300 as an alternative to pair with my Play 5. Does it play nice with a Play 5 to produce a stereo set-up?

Stereo pairs need to be the same model. You can’t stereo pair a Play:5 and an Era 300.

D

Downl1nk_1

Trending Lyricist II

@Corry P

You stated earlier that the Era 300’s + Arc + Sub = 7.1.4 (fantastic btw) with the two side channels being virtualized. Does that mean the Beam (Gen 2) is also 7.1.4 with 2 height and 2 side channels virtualized, or is the Beam (Gen 2) going to be 5.1.4 with the Era 300’s? Also is the 7.1.4 going to be officially documented on either the product or support pages somewhere? I saw it verge article yesterday, then I just saw you comment on it earlier in this post, but I couldn’t find it “officially” listed anywhere...

I was also wondering, since we are finally getting real 7.1 support, will the Sonos S2 App display Dolby Atmos (5.1) vs Dolby Atmos (7.1) so we know what the audio (movie / tv show / streaming service / music) source is actually outputting at? I know I have seen the app within the “About my system” display things like Dolby TrueHD, PCM 5.1/7.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, etc.. But usually with most streaming services it just displays “Dolby Atmos.” In the past it hasn’t mattered since the Arc + Rear + Sub only technically did 5.1.2, but now with it doing 7.1.4 it would be interesting to see the difference with the source is outputting 7.1 Atmos content vs 5.1 Atmos content. Could also help with troubleshooting? Just curious. :)

Pre-ordered my 300’s! Can’t wait to hear the difference after replacing my current Sonos One SL rears... As good as the Arc height channels are, I always feel like it needs more, so I am hoping this is going to be just what I have been waiting for… I might even get a 2nd sub, and just go full 7.2.4 :)

G

GuitarSuperstar

Lead Maestro

When the Era 300s are used as surrounds with the Arc or Beam (Gen 2), is it considered a 5.1.4 or 7.1.4 setup? What specific channels do the side-firing drivers of the Era 300 play when playing a 7.1 or 5.1 audio track?

7.1.4

Together with Arc’s side-firing speakers, the Era 300’s will virtualise side channels for a 7.1 track.

That makes sense for the outside side-firing drivers. What about the inside side-firing driver of each surround speaker?

Maybe I’m just overthinking it.

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi

SarahN

Local Superstar

When playing normal 5.1 audio (EG Dolby digital +), how will these speakers work as surrounds?

Can you have too many Sonos speakers? 🤔 😆

Corry P

Sonos Staff

When the Era 300s are used as surrounds with the Arc or Beam (Gen 2), is it considered a 5.1.4 or 7.1.4 setup? What specific channels do the side-firing drivers of the Era 300 play when playing a 7.1 or 5.1 audio track?

7.1.4

Together with Arc’s side-firing speakers, the Era 300’s will virtualise side channels for a 7.1 track.

That makes sense for the outside side-firing drivers. What about the inside side-firing driver of each surround speaker?

Maybe I’m just overthinking it.

Possibly 😁

They will operate independently and deliver the standard rear channels.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

Corry P

Sonos Staff

When playing normal 5.1 audio (EG Dolby digital +), how will these speakers work as surrounds?

They will perform exactly the same as previous speakers, i.e. they will deliver the rear left and rear right surround channels.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

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