Sonos Era 100 Review: A Smart Speaker That Hits All the Right Notes

The Sonos Era 100 is more than just a sequel to the Sonos One—it’s a bold leap forward in sound quality, connectivity, and smart features. Designed as an all-in-one wireless speaker for music lovers, audiophiles, and smart home enthusiasts, the Era 100 aims to be the go-to speaker for modern living spaces.

But does it live up to the hype? In this in-depth review, we’ll explore the Era 100’s design, sound performance, features, voice assistant integration, connectivity, and how it stacks up against competitors. Whether you’re a longtime Sonos fan or new to the ecosystem, read on to see if the Era 100 is worth your investment.

Quick Overview

• Product name: Sonos Era 100
• Release date: March 2023
• Price: $199
• Best for: High-quality home audio, voice control, multi-room setups

Design and Build Quality

Right out of the box, the Sonos Era 100 feels premium. It’s slightly larger than its predecessor, the Sonos One, measuring 7.18 x 4.72 x 5.14 inches, but the added size is put to good use. The rounded edges, matte finish, and seamless speaker grille give it a sleek and modern aesthetic that blends into almost any room decor.

The new touch controls on the top are more intuitive. Instead of the simple tap interface of the Sonos One, the Era 100 features a capacitive volume slider, playback buttons, and a microphone mute switch, offering more tactile precision.

What’s improved:

• Recycled materials and sustainable packaging
• More responsive touch controls
• Available in black and white finishes

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Sound Quality: A Huge Step Up

Powerful, Balanced Audio

This is where the Era 100 truly shines. With a completely re-engineered acoustic architecture, the speaker now includes dual angled tweeters for stereo separation and a 25% larger mid-woofer for deeper bass. The result is room-filling, immersive sound that punches far above its weight class.

Whether you’re streaming jazz, hip-hop, podcasts, or classical symphonies, the Era 100 delivers crisp highs, smooth mids, and surprisingly rich bass for its size. Unlike many small smart speakers, it doesn’t rely on fake spatial effects—the stereo imaging is genuinely convincing, especially for near-field listening.

Trueplay Tuning

Sonos also offers Trueplay, its proprietary tuning technology. On iOS devices, Trueplay uses your phone’s microphone to measure your room and adapt the sound. For Android users, the Era 100 includes Quick Tuning, which uses built-in mics to achieve similar room-optimized audio.

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Connectivity and Compatibility

Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth

For the first time in a non-portable Sonos speaker, the Era 100 includes Bluetooth 5.0, which is a game-changer. This makes it easier than ever to quickly pair a phone or tablet, especially when guests want to play music without Wi-Fi.

It also supports Wi-Fi 6, ensuring more robust and future-proof wireless performance, especially in crowded networks.

USB-C Line-In Support

Another welcome addition is the USB-C line-in port, which allows you to connect external sources like a turntable, CD player, or even an older iPod. You’ll need a separate Sonos Line-In Adapter (sold separately), but the flexibility it offers is notable.

Multi-room Audio

As with all Sonos speakers, the Era 100 integrates seamlessly into a multi-room setup. You can group it with other Sonos devices, like the Beam or Sub Mini, or use two Era 100s as a stereo pair or rear surrounds in a home theater system.

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Smart Features and Voice Control

The Era 100 supports Amazon Alexa and Sonos Voice Control, but notably does not include Google Assistant, due to ongoing legal and partnership issues. This may be a dealbreaker for users deeply embedded in the Google ecosystem.

Sonos Voice Control

Sonos’s own voice assistant is fast, private (voice data is not stored or sent to the cloud), and focused purely on music control. While it lacks broader smart home control, it’s perfect for playback and volume management.

Alexa Integration

Amazon Alexa works well with the Era 100, allowing you to control smart home devices, set timers, and ask questions. It’s responsive and fully integrated into the Sonos app.

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Ease of Use and Setup

Setting up the Sonos Era 100 takes less than 10 minutes using the Sonos S2 app. The app walks you through connecting to Wi-Fi, logging into streaming services, setting up voice assistants, and tuning your speaker with Trueplay.

The app itself is clean and intuitive, supporting a wide range of services including:

• Spotify
• Apple Music
• Amazon Music
• Tidal
• Deezer
• Pandora

You can also control playback from within your streaming app thanks to Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect support.

Comparison: Sonos Era 100 vs Sonos One

Feature	Sonos Era 100	Sonos One
Released	2023	2017
Price	$199	$219
Bluetooth	✅ Yes	❌ No
USB-C Line-In	✅ Yes (via adapter)	❌ No
Voice Assistant	Alexa, Sonos Voice	Alexa, Google, Sonos Voice
Stereo Sound	✅ Yes (dual tweeters)	❌ Mono
Wi-Fi Standard	Wi-Fi 6	Wi-Fi 5

In short: The Era 100 is a clear upgrade in almost every way — better sound, more connectivity, and broader compatibility.

Is the Sonos Era 100 Worth It?

If you’re in the market for a premium smart speaker that sounds fantastic, plays well with multiple platforms, and fits beautifully into your home decor, the Sonos Era 100 is one of the best choices available in 2025.

Its combination of stereo sound, Bluetooth, voice control, and future-proof wireless technology makes it a great standalone speaker—and an even better one as part of a larger Sonos system.

Unless you specifically need Google Assistant or want something portable, the Era 100 is hard to beat at $199.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Can I use the Sonos Era 100 as rear surrounds?

Yes. You can pair two Era 100s with a Sonos soundbar (like Beam or Arc) for surround sound in a home theater setup.

Q2: Does the Era 100 support Apple AirPlay?

Yes. The speaker supports Apple AirPlay 2, allowing you to stream directly from iOS devices or use it in HomeKit setups.

Q3: Can I use the Era 100 with Google Assistant?

No. Due to legal and partnership limitations, Google Assistant is not supported on the Era 100.

Q4: Is there a battery in the Era 100?

No. The Sonos Era 100 is a stationary, plug-in speaker without a built-in battery. It’s not designed for portability.

Q5: Do I need to use the Sonos app?

Mostly yes. You need it for setup, Trueplay tuning, and grouping speakers, but after setup you can stream using AirPlay or Spotify Connect.

Final Verdict

The Sonos Era 100 successfully redefines what a compact smart speaker can do. It’s smarter, louder, and more versatile than the Sonos One ever was. With richer stereo sound, new connectivity options like Bluetooth and line-in, and Sonos’s robust multi-room audio platform, it’s a compelling choice for anyone looking to upgrade their audio setup.

If sound quality and ecosystem flexibility matter to you, the Sonos Era 100 is not just an upgrade—it’s a no-brainer.