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Sonos is one of those aspirational speaker companies. It’s got a great reputation for making killer speakers… but in my experience it also has a reputation for a glitchy set up process. So does the new Sonos Era 300 blast away its past troubles and conquer the world like Taylor Swift’s world tour? In this hands-on review in my home I will test out the brand new Sonos era 300 speaker. I'll listen to the sound quality and report back, take you through my experience with set up, and then check out the special premium features that might make this the speaker to get. I'll wrap things up with the pros and cons and let you know if I think this speaker is the one for you.
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Sonos is an audio company that seems to have covered the premium audio market while also laying bait in the mid-tier price category starting with the Sonos Roam SL at $199. As of 2023, the Sonos lineup is far more diverse so you really need to check the product specs especially if you plan on building a Sonos constellation of speakers and sound bars for your household. For instance, the Sonos Era 300 is priced at $449 USD / $559 CAD which is quite close in cost to the legendary Sonos Five.
What is the Sonos Era 300?
The Sonos Era 300 is in a nutshell a wireless dual Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connected speaker which sports a unique, ‘squoval’ design with rounded edges which Sonos refers to as a “cinched hourglass” design. It’s a large and heavy speaker, so chances are you’re going to leave it where you end up placing it.
Since you’re not buying it for the looks, let’s get to the meat; under the housing are six drivers including a quartet of tweeters and a pair of woofers. Being a Sonos product, the speaker plays well in the Sonos sandbox, so it should integrate with any existing Sonos speakers you already have. I currently already on the Sonos beam second generation sound bar so will be integrating it into this set up. Also during my testing. I received a Sonos Move 2 for consideration.
The key features that will make you look to this particular Era 300 speaker are the addition of Spatial Audio and that it’s humidity resistant (great for kitchen and bathrooms) and that you can also add a second Era 300 and create a 3D Dolby Atmos surround sound system if you add a Sonos Beam or Arc sound bar.
(I only have a single Era 300 so I couldn’t test this. Check out support.sonos.... for more information on creating a stereo pair or rear channel.
Controlling Sonos Era 300
The speaker can be controlled using the Sonos app, using touch controls on the device, by adding Google or Alexa voice control, or by adjusting your music on your phone or mobile device.
What is Spatial Audio?
Let's segue for a second and touch on what spatial audio is and why you might want it.
Spatial audio is a sound technology where a single device simulates a fuller, surround sound environment. The surround sound effect creates an illusion where you think the sound is coming from different directions or different places in your room (or around your head if using headphones), even though it’s only coming from a single speaker.
How to Set up Era 300
I've been unlucky enough to have constant trouble setting up pretty much any and every Sonos speaker I've ever tried. At various points I've wondered, "is it me?" For that reason I Googled ‘problems setting up Sonos speaker’. Based on the multitude of responses, answers, and how to videos out there, this is not an isolated problem.
While Sonos does market its devices as “bewilderingly easy to set up” it's been my experience they are simply bewildering. I won't go into detail here as I have covered this off in many recent reviews. I can simply say it's taken me hours and multiple attempts at connectivity to get all Sonos speakers set up on my home networks. Fortunately if you do need more muscle, Sonos customer service is pretty good.
I have found that when trying to set up multiple Sonos speakers, switching among them if one will not connect, somehow seems to jumpstart the process. So too does throwing in the towel after a couple of hours and trying again another day: The Sonos app seems only randomly effective, so keep that in mind if you are also experiencing frustration.
It took me about an hour to get the speaker connected to my home, possibly in part because I was also setting up a brand new Sonos Move 2 (and already have the Sonos Beam connected to my Samsung Frame TV). You can check out the Move 2 review here.