The subject of Era 300 drivers being silent in a particular use case has been broached in this community many times. Below are a few examples:
- Some users have noted that the inward-facing drivers are not as loud as they expected, while others have found the audio experience to be great.
- There is a desire for more control over the drivers, with some users suggesting an option to activate the front drivers during music playback, especially when the Era 300s are not being used for home theater.
- Some users have also expressed a desire to be able to use both sets of drivers, while others are happy with the current setup.
As you can see the opinions are varied. For the record this author finds no problem with the Era 300 driver configuration(s). However, that’s not to say that you should be of the same opinion. I will add that the question of Era 300 design (IMO) is answered by
Be that as it may…I’d like to throw out an old adage that is “be careful for what you wish for”. The simple meaning is that wanting something will not always provide the results you expect.
Years ago, before Sonos was even an idea the only audio adjustments for music or voice were Treble (high-end) and Bass (low-end). Typically controlled by rotating a knob. There were no visual indicators only one’s ears. The problem that arose (in some instances) is that while one person found the adjustment(s) pleasing another person did not.
Fast forward and manufacturers introduced Mid-Range adjustments. Mid-Range helped compensate for the adjustments to treble and bass which quite honestly were somewhat drastic in relationship to each other.
To further fine tune the adjustments for Treble, Mid-Range and Bass the Graphic Equalizer was introduced at the consumer level.
If you have ever played with a Graphic Equalizer, you know that adjustments to one frequency also impact the others. To make things simple; for the uninitiated, the common setting became the “Smile” wherein low-end (on the left) and high-end (on the right) were at the same level above the mid-range thus the “Smile” setting.
Looping back to the Era 300 with certain drivers being silent or extremely quiet. IMO I’d say we should trust that the engineers thoroughly vetted all possible driver actuations for a given audio transmission to provide the best experience.
Using the adjusts for treble, mid-range and bass as an example we know that adjustments to one frequency influences the others. The Era 300’s are not your ordinary two-channel speakers. There’s a lot of electronic “gimmickry” occurring to produce the immersive effects we experience.
I’d bet a “dollar to a doughnut ” that if the ability to turn drivers on/off at will were granted; other issues would arise, as the intended balance would be altered. Most likely the posts would shift to “why doesn’t the Era 300 make the proper adjust when driver “A” is turned on/off. Let’s makes that a feature request.”
I’m not saying that I’m 100% correct in my assumption. However, given the complexity the Era 300’s an argument can be made that limiting consumer adjustments is design intentional.
To close…continue to make your desires known regarding the Era 300’s, as bugs can arise. However, consider that some design requests for additional control over the speaker; as discussed herein, may not be granted; in order to avoid further complications and/or user dissatisfaction.
