This 100%. I really wanted something like this, but Apple doesn’t allow for more than stereo pair. I ended up going with a Sony Ht-A9 instead. I also wish the larger HomePods were more like the Sonos move 2 where it has a dock for use as a home theater staple, but easily portable to take outside or around the house when entertaining. If Apple did this with HomePod, I’d buy 4. But because they don’t, I’d pass on it.
@@coralreef909I don’t disagree, but they’re also much cheaper than era 300s. Full size HomePod 2s offer more competitive performance at decent value proposition vs era 300s though. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t support beyond stereo pairing currently. If they did, I’d probably try out 4 HomePod 2s for my main setup (especially if they offered a dedicated sub to pair with), and for my bedroom potentially a more budget setup with HomePod minis.
Great question, 2 HomePods are louder and offer a better soundstage than the Era, but there is something about the Era 300 with a good Dolby Atmos track that add another layer of immersion and keeps us wanting more so for that I would go Era 300.
Hearing the performance i'd love the era 300 but I don't have enough space for that kind od speaker😭 I will go for a single era 100 first and later I will add another one
id love to see 2 100's vs a 300 as they can be had for the exact same money. in my personal use case I feel like id never get the value out of a 300 as no one seems to want to mention the added costs of atoms services
Hey! Didn’t Sonos release Dolby atmos support for Apple Music on the beam gen 2 and Arc too? So if that is true those are options too, or have I misheard this and it’s only true for the Era 300? 🤔
Some comparison of software reliability might be appropriate. I had two OG Homepods hooked up to my appleTV, but the TV kept reverting to its own speakers despite having the homepods selected as the defaults in the appleTV settings. It was so frustrating that I moved them to the kitchen as a stereo pair. Now they regularly get out of sync or one just refuses to play. And they frequently stop showing up in the Airplay menu on my phone. I'm constantly unplugging and plugging them back in to temporarily fix these problems. They're so frustrating that my husband just gave on them and won't use them anymore, and just grabs his portable JBL Charge when he wants ro listen to something, so now I'm researching which Sonos speakers would be good for both the kitchen and the TV. Also, a question: you mention using the Sonos via bluetooth with an appleTV, but they're Airplay compatible, so can they be selected as an Airplay stereo pair in the appleTV settings?
Did you not notice, this video was about Home Pod 2? If you're having syncing problems with your speakers, I would look at your Wi-Fi network, before complaining about software reliability. I have never had these issues with either the OG home pod's or my current Home Pod's 2 😏
I was hell-bent that I was going to buy the new Apple HomePod… I have a complete sauna set up for my movie room, but I wanted to speaker in the kitchen and I am heavily invested in to Apple as well I’m trying not to make this too long blah blah blah, but I bought the Sonus 300 because of your video Thank you very much I’m very happy with my purchase, and I know that I would’ve regretted buying the HomePod I was looking for the biggest sound with the smallest footprint
If you have a beam Gen 2 and 2x Era100’s plus sub, if you play Spatial Audio, it will only be the beam that produces it whilst the Era’s cannot so won’t that sound weird with very little Spatial Audio effect at all? I like how Spatial Audio sounds but to replace the Era 100’2 with 2x300’s is a costly option, especially if it is currently in a small room, seems overkill to me?
I just bought a pair of the 300s but the wall mounts were not available, I would like to see you guys do a ceiling mounted review video for the 300s. That’s the only was I can get them as surrounds. Hopefully you guys do that vid.
Sonos really messed up by not making the 100 Atmos compatible as they would have made them great for Atmos surrounds. The 30's are just massively overkill for rears and would effectively be wasted.
Would you know how either of these would work on gaming? I know for the homepod you need Apple TV, and sonos u need the arc for the home theater setup, but how would I play my PlayStation with either of these setups?
Use sonos app to pair arc and rear speakers, the rear speakers play wirelessly so you just need to connect the soundbar to the TV as you normally do. You can't use only the 300s unfortunately, even with a sonos amplifier. Or, at least you couldn't. I haven't bought them due to already having dedicated front speakers 😅
Since there is a good discussion here, can anyone recommend something to me? I have a Sonos Arc, and I would like to edit some surrounding sounds. I have a limited budget, so that’s why I am thinking of getting a Sonos One Gen 2. But, at the same time, I don’t want to compromise on the quality of the sound around me. Is it worth it to have the Era 300 instead of the Sonos One Gen 2, or does the Sonos One also provide good sound? Thank you, everyone
The sound quality between the Sonos One SL vs Gen 1 vs Gen 2 is negligible, as they all feature the same enclosure and drivers. Biggest difference is that SL is cheaper because it doesn’t have a built in microphone. So keep that in mind when comparing price and sound quality between the “One series” vs the “Era Series”. A pair of One SL + Floor Stands/Wall Mounts can be as cheap as $350 total. A pair of Era 300 + stands/mounts would cost roughly $1k. The difference in quality is probably worth the price, but you’ll be getting great sound either way and all along the spectrum of Sonos products. Is 100% full surround Spatial Audio worth an extra $1k? It’s really up to you to decide.
@@MindfulProgramming than you for the replay . I already bought 2 era 300 and they are amazing and worth and now I am planning to buy 2 era 100 to have full surrounding sound at home
@sky078 I went the opposite got the 100s now gonna grab the 300's but I jist got them last week. Sooooo..... it's gonna be some time. Plus gonna grab another sub. I'm in the android universe. I hope didnt regret my purchase
Sonos Era 300 is twice the price, therefore it should be much better than Home Pod 2. For me Home Pod 2 is brilliant for music and better than the ERA 100, the hand off is brilliant on the home pod and it has lossless audio. Having said that, if the ERA 300 was around when the Home Pod 2 launched, it might have been hard not to get the ERA 300
Listened to the 2 HomePods in the electronics store, was kinda disappointed tbf. HomePod Mini ist just too little for 100 bucks, the best purchase now would be the Sonos One (SL) at the Moment
Hi good video i have a question sonos amp kef +kef r3 (gen 1) +sonos sub (gen 1) + 2 play one or sonos arc +sub (gen1) + 2 era 300? for 90% home Theater use witch one you phink i will take ?
As much as I’d LOVE to have two Era 300s, I recently bought a pair of HomePod 2s and they’ve been amazing. The price here in Canada is crazy for the 300s, so two HomePods are the more economical choice for Dolby Atmos tracks and movies (I have the AppleTV 4K so it’s been brilliant so far!). But I won’t count out the possibility of owning a pair of 300s (or whatever Sonos throws at us) down the road, especially if I want a full on multi-speaker home theatre setup. Thanks for the comparison video!
I switched to Era 100 from original HomePod and couldn’t be happier. Sound is way better, metal casing is easier to clean and I can finaly use any music service. Apple Music never again! 😃
Can we get a review against some of the bose smart speakers please? I feel like sonos and bose have always gone toe-to-toe and have similar price points
Looking to hear how the era300’s work with the beam gen2 and sub mini replacing the ones. Two era300’s are same price as an arc here in Canada, which is bit pricey.
I bought two HomePods and have them as tv speakers in two separate rooms. I don’t think they get as loud for music sometimes and ended up trying the Sonos ARC with a woofer in the same room and bought a era 300. I have a hard time telling which is better. The era 300 is nice, but so are a pair of HomePod 2s. But then the price of two arcs and two subwoofers is well at 3500. 1200 vs 3500. That’s a huge price difference. I don’t know if they sound THAT much better honestly. And I really like the integrations with the HomePod that just aren’t there for Sonos. I’m not a fan of Alexa’s voice assistant so that’s not a plus for me. Still undecided….
The question that i have and what i think it will make a great comparison video is wich one of these two setups has a bigger & fuller sound, spatial audio aside. 2 Sonos Era 300 vs 2 Era 100 + the sub mini; please make this comparison happen.. 🤞🤞
Great video. To connect to a TV, you said Homepod just takes Apple TV, but Sonos needs the Beam or ARC. Can't Sonos connected to Apple TV via Airplay just like a Homepod??
I am also interested in this. In my understanding you just stream the audio from Apple TV to pair or Sonos Era via AirPlay and that's it, but maybe I am missing something
I took my hompepod 2 back to Apple after 24h. Why? Simple - Forced keychain & forced two factor security. I have many apple devices, ipod, ipad, iphone, airpods and love them all. I noticed the first unnecessary and invasive “obligation” as soon as I turned the Homepod on when a message appeared on my screen “two factor security is obligatory” - I refused. The homepod also requires the “Home” app and that app requires you turn on icloud keychain. If you don’t a full screen block message states “turn on keychain to continue” (Apples stealthy data logging, sensitive history and password hoarding software). Super invasive and unacceptable for a speaker. This is a wireless home speaker Apple, quit the control trip or you’ll lose users/buyers like you did with me. If I am “forced” to adopt your ludicrous attempts of securitization on another device then that will go to and be replaced by android. Keep doing it and I will rid myself of each apple device you do it on.
Listening to this on my ERA 300 😂. years ago, I originally planned to go for all HomePods, but we know Apple discontinued the original HomePod with no plans to release a new one, leaving me no choice but to look elsewhere for a reliable speaker ecosystem. I've been with Sonos for about 2 years and I won't be turning back. Although I have a few HomePod minis around the house, I primarily use them for controlling my smart home and the intercom feature (for my kids). Sonos has cracked the code for me with the combination of reliability, features, great sound, and flexibility for upgrading the system over time!
Yeah. This is what I'm thinking. I want the HomePod minis for the Smart Home integrations...but I'm curious how the sound is. It seems like Sonos is the move is it if I'm prioritizing sound.
We have Original Home Pods (Stereo pair for TV sound) and minis in several other rooms for audio. The minis sound great for their size, but the full-size HomePods do have a much bigger sound. We used them to replace our older Sony Soundbar and woofer, and it was a huge upgrade in TV sound. Best TV sound we’ve ever had. Crisp dialogue and, depending on content, really good surround effects. It’s also nice to be able to ask Siri to turn on and off subtitles or repeat a section of mumbled dialogue. @@KyleBowe
You forgot to add the cost of the Apple Tv for TV usage. I have the Era 100. Just the fact that my daughters can access it easily with their cheap android phones thru Bluetooth us a game changer. Apple makes great products but their closed ecosystem is a no go. Apple Music cost a minimum of $11/month with no free option.
Why no complaints about the high price of era 300 ? Just love to bash Apple pile on. And Apple forced to remove components making for reduced performance.
We had a 1st gen Echo in our master bathroom for listening to music in the morning ru-vid.comUgkxABghAEkaIDGZfHRBH3D3rBrlraNmnC71 and while in the shower. I didn't realize how tinny and awful the sound output on the original Echo was until we replaced it with the Studio. It was a sonic upgrade far beyond what I was expecting. Just wow. I love it because it's like having speakers IN the shower. My friend likes it because the music is so loud that she can no longer hear me singing. So that's a win-win.
I have my TCL Q800 QLED 65" TV, thinking about getting an arc soundbar at the front and 2 of the era 100 in the back while also having one sonos sub 3 gen by the side of the tv bench. Still unsure whether go for 1 or 2 subs. But we'll see till that time comes..
I’ve got the 100, I think the 300 is a lot of placebo effect spending more money on it. The 100 has overall the best sound imho The Apple is good but still the 100 wins for me
Dear, I have 2 Sub mini and 4 One SL, all in the same room. I need to add a speaker in my entrance, which is in the same room as the 2 Sub mini and 4 One SL. Do you recommend the ERA 100 or ERA 300? Thank you.
Sadly the wifi is so flakey its put me off buying any more sonos speakers - my beam 2 after 1 week cant connect to my wi fi despite everything else being ok , loads of posts on the forums and trustpilot about how the hw is great but the software is utter garbage
I feel the arc over powers .y arc.. its shoet term i hope. Gonna grab me 2 300s asap and another 2 eventually for front stereo to replace the 2 100s i have that will go as fronts when i get my 300s
Great video, well written and delivered! My question: if we invest in a Beam or Arc with two Era 300s, when listening to music won’t the sound also come out of the soundbar? If so, don’t we lose some of the benefit of the 300s?
The Beam Gen 2 and the Arc are Atmos compatible so you'll still get Atmos out of the 300s. Only negative is that the front speaker in the 300s is disabled when paired with a soundbar, even when playing music for some reason. Sonos is looking into enabling it for music (customer feature request) since there's been some negative feedback about it.
The era 300 designed doesn't bother me, but I can't see myself getting 2 for that size. That's why I'm trying to decide should I get one era 300, or two era 100s? This would be to act as rear speakers
The Era 300 will sound better if you have some distance from your optimal listening position. I'm going to stick with my One SLs because they sit around 2 feet away inline with my sofa along a wall. I don't think I would get a very good rear Atmos effect bouncing off the ceiling from the Era 300 2 feet away?
@@elcapitan2293 I have a Beam Gen 1, Gen 3 Sub, and just upgraded my rear Symfonisk to One SLs after X-mas. I didn't know the Era 100 release date when I ordered the One SLs during the X-mas sale. I really don't notice or hear the differences between the Symfonisk compared to the One SLs as rear surrounds? The One SLs look better and easier to place with the smaller footprint. I think I will stick with the Symfonisk and One SLs until they are not supported by Sonos.
Unless you have really cramped space. The Era300’s as rear surrounds are the first speakers from Sonos to give a proper integration of sound stage front to back of your room. If you love your movie sound, all other traditional Sonos speakers fall by the way side for movies by comparison.
@@djt6546 I really love my Sonos speakers (17 total). So much Atmos/surround sound depends on speaker type, number of speakers, placement, room configuration/shape, furniture/carpet/curtains, ceiling height, audio source, I.O.S. compared to Android, and I.O.S.trueplay compared to internal mic trueplay. I would purchase and try out the Era 300 and be willing to return if they don't meet your listening needs. I did this with the sub mini with my Beam+surrounds and exchanged for the Gen 3 Sub a few weeks later.
So let me get this right...Sonos released the play1 ten years ago and have only upgraded the processor and the aesthetics for the SONOS ONE. With the Era100, they've increased the size of the cabinet and speaker driver (5") so that it produces more bass than the Sonos ONE, yet it still can't produce as much bass as the smaller HomePod which has a 4" driver? That's very disappointing!
Listening to the 3 just on my iPad mini (via its speakers), so hardly a good assessment, the ERA100 & HomePod sounded very similar. The ERA300 however sounded significantly different.
The sound tests are just to give you guys a taste, as with RU-vid's compression, it will never sound exactly the same, however, we recommend listening to them through headphones to get a better idea.
Question. Currently I have Beam (gen2). I got my pair of Era’s 300. I connected both of the era’s 300 for rears but It seems like the up firing tweeters aren’t trying the best to perform. Not only that the whole speakers aren’t performing correctly. Cause I’m hearing static noises only the up firing tweeters. This only happens when I’m using my ps5 tho!
If you are interested in a cinema setup and unless you are already in the Sonos or apple eco system I would suggest instead buying the Samsung 990 B soundbar as it comes with rear upfiring atmos speakers (and sub obviously) and has multiple hdmi inputs (unlike the Sonos soundbars)...and its a lot cheaper than combined Sonos gear .... and probably sounds better for cinema.
Your channel is sensible..good details but you always seem to push sonos.I love sonos too but I feel your bias or paid.hope I'm wrong.BTW I think your an excellent speaker.
Hi Stewart, thanks for your comment. It’s a tricky one, we prefer to have a mixture of content on our channel but Sonos content is our biggest request (especially around a new product launch) so we also want to offer the content our community is asking for. We’ve got some great content coming in the next few months focusing on a range of brands and products so hopefully we can offer something for everyone 😃
HomePods are so bad with atmos apparently idk if it’s a software bug or what. Also the great thing about Sonos speakers is that you can also pair them with a sub or sub mini and it frees up the speakers to perform even better
Does anyone know if it is possible to connect a stereo pair of Era 100s to a Bluetooth source? Or is Bluetooth connectivity limited to using one standalone speaker?
As an Android user I still can't justify spending money on Sonos products. They don't support Chromecast and now they don't support Google Assistant either. I would rather spend the same or a little less on Bose smart speakers or sound bars or something from Sony or JBL that has Chromecast support. As you said Airplay drains your battery especially if you have more than one speaker playing through AirPlay. Chromecast streams from the internet and your phone just acts like a remote.
I jist got a sonos arc 2 era 100s and gen 3 sub. I was thinking the same but I use for movies so think ill be fine but think I made wrong choice since I'm an android user.
Regarding Apple music, I get spatial audio via Apple TV 4K using my Beam 2nd gen, 2x One SL surround, and gen3 subwoofer. However, via the app (S2), the music sounds completely different (not the same spatial audio I get via Apple TV).
I was thinking of a Sonos 100 for my living room but no google assistant makes it a deal breaker for me, any news of when this is coming to these devices?
I'm planning to keep my Fives a bit longer because of better bass and the Fives sounding a bit better for non-spatial audio. I listen to more music in the car compared to at home. There is also more 5.1 content compared to Atmos on cable TV and streaming sources. I figure, I can wait a few years to see if an Era 500 comes out to replace the Fives. Hopefully, Atmos/spatial audio will be the norm and not short lived like 3D TVs, DVD audio, or curved screens.
Absolutely disagree with the sound conclusions. Listened to them in person. Dislike eta300 the most. Sound: 1. HomePod 2. Era 100 3. Era 300. The era 300 has a bathroom effect. Don’t like that at all. I guess it depends on a music style you’re listening. I like smooth jazz, fusion, r&b and HomePod does this the best including vocals. The Sonos sound signature sounds a bit flat to me. Note, that I have the Sonos set up around the house.
I’m also not a fan of the diffused music effect using a stereo pair of Era300’s. I guess you like the effect or you prefer traditional HiFi. But I bought my pair of Era300’s to replace a pair of Play5’s as rear surrounds in a large living room. OMG they are the missing link for Sonos cinema IMO. My Sonos cinema has been transformed. Sonos cinema has always been a convenience solution for me with less clutter, but now the soundstage is soooo much more convincing front to back of the room. Sonos should have developed something like this years ago to release the same day as the Arc. They would have been much cheaper and with less features, but for Sonos cinema fans they would have been much happier indeed. Maybe they will produce an SL like version for those only wanting to use them for a cinema config like myself. Enjoy your music.
@@djt6546 in other words, the era300 is great for Dolby Atmos tv surround sound applications and I agree 100, but not so great for a music stereo pair. I mean it’s a great speaker by any means but not necessarily the best for a traditional stereo music application, to my taste of course.
I think spatial audio hasn't caught up to the Era 300 capabilities. It reminds me of everyone having a VCR and 19" - 32" 4:3 TVs. Then larger 16:9 flat screens came out and we mostly still had VCRs and the quality look worse compared to the old tube TVs. It wasn't until we changed to DVD players, HD content, and eventually 4K content is when we totally forgot about 4:3 picture tube TVs. We still mostly listen to music in traditional stereo format or 3.1 or 5.1 audio. Weird because we see and listen to the world in spatial audio and 3D.
