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We have a very large open plan kitchen/living area (800 square feet, probably), set up like a + with a small sitting area and small dining area (side arms of +) coming off a large vaulted living room (top of +) connected to the kitchen (bottom of the +), with a sliding glass door to a patio at the top right angle of the +. There are pairs of in-wall speakers in the small sitting and dining areas, and flanking the sliding glass door. 
 

we currently have a Play:3 on a kitchen counter, in a corner with a cabinet above it. Although the wall speakers can be grouped for parties we often just listen to the kitchen alone. 
 

Should I replace the play:3 with

1. an era 300, (or will the “in a corner, underneath a cabinet” placement screw up the acoustics)

2. an era 100.

  1. 2 era 100s, with the second going on top of a cabinet or the fridge or something (or will having them at different heights again mess things up?)

@Amy2002 

Why not just keep the Play3 as long as it’s still compatible with S2 system?

Imho it‘s a great speaker with very natural, linear sound. I think a single Era100 can’t do the same good job. A stereo Era100 setup seems to be somewhat difficult in placement. An Era300 might be an alternative… but difficult to say how it will do the job in your room. A Sonos Five won’t be an option? Because THIS would be an upgrade of course. 😎

I’d go for a Five if you want more sound, the 100 will be better but not a lot.

Look carefully at the 300 mounting position requirements to be sure you can meet them or at least come close.

Consider putting the Five on top of your cabinets too, gets you the counter space back but does make the controls harder to reach.

Thanks for the quick and helpful replies. If it helps to clarify: The motivation to replace is that the 3 is a decade old and having technical issues (will randomly stop playing for 20 seconds in the middle of a song, for instance). If it was still being made we’d happily replace it with another 3, but that doesn’t look to be an option. 

@Amy2002 

Ok, if the Play3 has some hardware issues, it would be better to replace it. To be sure that it’s not just a problem of network connection I would test the Play3 at another place out of the kitchen.

If a new speaker will be the solution I recommend you send a picture of your room here. So we can judge better about possible positions. 

Thanks for the quick and helpful replies. If it helps to clarify: The motivation to replace is that the 3 is a decade old and having technical issues (will randomly stop playing for 20 seconds in the middle of a song, for instance). If it was still being made we’d happily replace it with another 3, but that doesn’t look to be an option. 

Are you sure it’s a hardware issue rather than wifi? WiFi environments change - new or failing electronics in your home or a neighbour’s.
 

Before buying anything it might be worth submitting a Diagnostics. Generate it within 10 minutes of a pause, then contact Sonos support and see what they can tell you about the cause. 

Thanks for the quick and helpful replies. If it helps to clarify: The motivation to replace is that the 3 is a decade old and having technical issues (will randomly stop playing for 20 seconds in the middle of a song, for instance). If it was still being made we’d happily replace it with another 3, but that doesn’t look to be an option. 

It is possible that the stop playing issue you describe is the same one experienced in the linked thread below. The thread is about a different player but apparently some play3 owners have been having similar issues. 
 

It would be a good ideas to contact support as @nik9669a suggests, hopefully they can help you  

 

 

My understanding,  for what that's worth,  is that the 300s work best in the open, not stuffed into a corner or a cubby.   

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