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Hi,

I have a Bluetooth transmitter connected to my turntable and I specifically bought the sonos era 100 to connect it to it. I read another thread regarding customers being able to connect their Bluetooth device to the era 100 but the device doesn’t play any audio (this thread was conveniently closed). I have just had a conversation with customer service and they mentioned that: “the era 100 was not designed for full bluetooth compatibility” ?!!! For whatever that might mean?

Is this really the case? Then all the customers should be informed. If so, this is actually ridiculous for a company claiming to create such high end products  

Here is my conversation with support:

 

Isabel S (23/06/2025, 21:06:13): Thanks! 
Olivier (23/06/2025, 21:06:21): No problem 
Isabel S (23/06/2025, 21:06:41): Let me know the make and model of the device you have connected to Era 100 via bluetooth. 
Olivier (23/06/2025, 21:07:10): Sennheiser bt t100 
Isabel S (23/06/2025, 21:07:26): Is it happening with both Sonos? 
Olivier (23/06/2025, 21:08:16): I haven’t connected it to the kitchen sonos, it is on the other side of the room and mounted on the wall 
Isabel S (23/06/2025, 21:09:03): Noted. Allow me some minutes to check the system, please. 
Isabel S (23/06/2025, 21:11:34): I am still checking, I appreciate your patience. 
Olivier (23/06/2025, 21:11:42): No problem 
Isabel S (23/06/2025, 21:13:08): Thanks! 
Isabel S (23/06/2025, 21:16:36): I appreciate your patience. After double checking the device model I want to let you know that these kind of 3rd party devices are not compatible with Era 100 and Sonos with bluetooth connection. So if you use one with Sonos, can lead to connectivity or audio playback issues. 
Olivier (23/06/2025, 21:18:10): I find it unbelievable that a jbl speaker that costs 20 euros works fine with it and that your speakers are not compatible 
Olivier (23/06/2025, 21:18:32): And it is not stated anywhere when you buy the speakers 
Olivier (23/06/2025, 21:19:50): In the thread I sent someone from sonos also mentions they fixed it for sony turntables. This makes it seem it is a software issue 
Olivier (23/06/2025, 21:22:14): Furthermore, in your message you are stating that “these” 3rd party devices are not compatible. In essence you will always connect a 3rd party device through Bluetooth to a sonos speaker 
Isabel S (23/06/2025, 21:22:25): I understand your point and I know it can be really disappointing when things don’t work as expected... especially when other speakers (JBL speaker) connect without issues. It might seem confusing since this is not clearly stated at the point of your purchase. Now, this isn’t a software issue but rather a design choice as they don’t support Bluetooth transmitters. 
Isabel S (23/06/2025, 21:23:00): Also, the Sony issue might refer to different types of connectivity or specific use cases. 
Olivier (23/06/2025, 21:23:23): You either support bluetooth or you don’t and you guys are faking the bluetooth functionality 
Olivier (23/06/2025, 21:23:50): How will you know when buying the speaker which Bluetooth device works or not 
Olivier (23/06/2025, 21:24:55): I have had a lot of Bluetooth devices and never have I ever came across issues like this. You would expect more from such a renowned brand 
Olivier (23/06/2025, 21:25:56): How can you solve this now for my case? I am not able to use it for what I bought it for 
Isabel S (23/06/2025, 21:27:48): They are primarily designed for streaming audio directly from Bluetooth-enabled devices, not necessarily for use with Bluetooth transmitters or all types of Bluetooth devices. This can cause compatibility issues, which I understand can be very disappointing...
Now, your point about the difficulty in knowing which Bluetooth devices will work is very valid, I got it! We recognize that clearer communication about the specific Bluetooth functionalities and limitations would help prevent confusion and set proper expectations.. I can definitely leave it as a feedback! 
Isabel S (23/06/2025, 21:28:12): But, since they are incompatible, there is no way to use it... 

The Era 100 expects standard audio profiles like A2DP. If the transmitter uses a non-standard or low-latency codec (e.g. aptX LL), the Era 100 may not support that variant, so it might fail to connect.

Many Bluetooth transmitters are designed to pair only to headphones or speaker types they detect automatically. The Era 100 might not “advertise” itself in a way the transmitter recognises - some transmitters look for “headphone-style” device IDs.

I think the information you have received from support is questionable.

I have successfully paired Era 100 with Bluetooth TX such as WiiM Pro Plus and also FiiO BTA30 Pro and listened to audio.

Does your turntable have a built-in pre-amp?

Thank you guys for the quick reply.

 

regarding ​@Rhonny ‘s response:

 

The Bluetooth transmitter does actually use A2DP. However when reading the manual I saw it also supports aptX LL (Sennheiser BT T100). You would expect if a product is released so recently it would have full Bluetooth compatibility. I have had multiple Bluetooth devices since ~2005 and I have never encountered any issues like these. 

 

The transmitter does actually connect fine to the speaker, however no audio is played. Furthermore, when I just got the speaker it worked fine with the transmitter in the beginning for about a week. One day to the next it just stopped working. 
 

​@Mr. T 

Yes my turntable has a built-in phono amp, it is the lpw50pb. As mentioned above, in the beginning it did actually work

​@OlivierT - Are you able to connect the Sennheiser TX to another device and hear audio?

I would contact Sonos Support again to investigate as it worked previously.

When it worked previously, were you just connecting over aptX, rather than aptX LL?

You should be able to change a setting on the Sennheiser to switch between transmission modes.

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