Sonos Era 300

[mike9009]

Quite tempted with one of these Sono Era 300 speakers. Professional reviews are pretty glowing about it, but there are some quite negative user reviews. Most negatives seem to be about certain content rather than the speaker itself.....

Anyone have some experiences with one??

[belleair302]

I have looked at one of these to replace a Naim QB, version 1. The sound and usability are excellent, networking to other speakers is simple with to the Sonos universe. However these are expensive, the shape is challenging, the speaker has a large footprint and I have gone with a Muso QB version 2 which is not daft money in the sales and is a step above. Listen to both and decide which suits your space best.

[mike9009]

belleair302 said:

I have looked at one of these to replace a Naim QB, version 1. The sound and usability are excellent, networking to other speakers is simple with to the Sonos universe. However these are expensive, the shape is challenging, the speaker has a large footprint and I have gone with a Muso QB version 2 which is not daft money in the sales and is a step above. Listen to both and decide which suits your space best.

Thank you. I think that is out of my price bracket. (£400 versus £700) I am using Amazon music which does not seem supported on the Muso QB and I am intrigued by Dolby Atmos on the Sonos........

There is nowhere local (without a ferry journey) to experience back to back......

I think I am talking myself into the Sonos.....

[YorkshireStu]

The Sonos System is phenomenal. I have the Arc Soundbar and a Sub with two Era 300’s on the way.

The build quality is excellent, sound quality excellent and Support excellent. Hard to go wrong, really.

Yes, you can go all uber Audiophile and spend more and get even better but for most the Sonos system is plenty and it’s easy plug & play.

I’ve heard the Era 300’s playing spatial audio tracks via Apple Music and they do exactly what they claim.

[funinhounslow]

YorkshireStu said:

I’ve heard the Era 300’s playing spatial audio tracks via Apple Music and they do exactly what they claim.

Definitely

I have an Era 300 and Atmos music sounds just remarkable. It has to be experienced to be believed really, the sense of “space” coming from this relatively small box.

I think only Atmos content from Amazon and Apple is currently supported and has to be played from within the Sonos app rather than airplay. Annoyingly the app doesn’t flag Atmos tracks before they play so it can be a bit of trial and error before you get the correct version of an album.

In short if you’re buying it for spacial audio you’re unlikely to be disappointed. If you’re not bothered about this then there are probably better options around

ETA just noticed this

mike900 said:

Most negatives seem to be about certain content rather than the speaker itself.....

Yes there is the odd “duff” Atmos track where I think the producer is trying to be too “clever”/show off - this often results in the vocals being lost in the mix. But for a taste of what it can do try Rumours or the Beatles Blue album as good starting points…

Edited by funinhounslow on Wednesday 13th December 09:41

[the prescotts]

I recently replaced my pair of Sonos One's to a pair of ERA 300's as the rear speakers for the surround (with Arc & Sub) Although it is certainly a step up from the One's I had to sacrifice them being placed a little lower than I would like as they are about the size of a toaster. They certainly come into their own when used with Apple Music via the app for tracks that support Dolby Atmos (Bohemiam Rhapsody is mental, it's as though the four of them are stood in the four corners of your room yet the music is placed in the middle of the room)

[mike9009]

Excellent - I have pressed the button on one now.

My biggest frustration will be finding Dolby Atmos tracks of stuff I like - I suspect? How widespread have tracks been remastered? My particular niches are Industrial Metal (so think stuff like NIN, Tool etc.) I can imagine that (if remastsred for Atmos) sounding amazing.....

Once opened on xmas day I will report back after a few weeks.....

[funinhounslow]

mike9009 said:

Excellent - I have pressed the button on one now.

My biggest frustration will be finding Dolby Atmos tracks of stuff I like - I suspect? How widespread have tracks been remastered? My particular niches are Industrial Metal (so think stuff like NIN, Tool etc.) I can imagine that (if remastsred for Atmos) sounding amazing.....

Once opened on xmas day I will report back after a few weeks.....

Plenty of rock and metal is now available in Atmos but more mainstream stuff - new Stones, Metallica albums, RATM etc. Just checked - no NIN I’m afraid.

But new stuff is being added all the time - the Beatles Red and Blue albums quite recently and I’m sure new stuff will increasingly be available in Atmos.

It’s not a gimmick and I don’t think it will crash and burn like 3D TV.

[The Dictator]

I have the Arc, Sub and x2 Play 1's linked to our 65" Sky Glass and am very happy with the sound, but for anyone that has upgraded to the Era 300, was it worthwhile?

We also run multiple other Play 1's around the house, so have bought into the brand and would be reluctant to stray away from the connectivity.

[YorkshireStu]

The Dictator said:

I have the Arc, Sub and x2 Play 1's linked to our 65" Sky Glass and am very happy with the sound, but for anyone that has upgraded to the Era 300, was it worthwhile?

We also run multiple other Play 1's around the house, so have bought into the brand and would be reluctant to stray away from the connectivity.

I'm upgrading from Play 1's too. The 300's arrived this morning but I'm not allowed them until Xmas Eve.

I've heard them though as surrounds as they are much more 'full' to me. There's more presence, a lot more of everything. Plus the Atmos demo I listened to was awesome, much better than anything the 1's can do.

[funinhounslow]

For anyone considering one of these for Atmos music, the only streaming services that are supported at the moment are Apple and Amazon. Just something to bear in mind…

[Sheets Tabuer]

Another with the arc, sub and Era here, simply awesome setup.

They have loads of bass and are great speakers on their own though.

[BobToc]

Is the sub a good addition to the Era 300 if it’s being used to listen to music?

[Sheets Tabuer]

Fine without it, in fact I often have my subwoofer off when watching filums as everything is bassy enough.

[normalbloke]

BobToc said:

Is the sub a good addition to the Era 300 if it’s being used to listen to music?

Unfortunately I don’t have anything to add re the 300s, but I’m following with interest. I have 4x play 5s in my lounge, and while they are good at creating a sound far bigger than their size would belie, the sub definitely adds to the occasion. I also do not use any Sonos speakers for surround sound, but I do have a Connect that is compatible with my AV amp, for seamless whole of house connectivity in party mode.

[funinhounslow]

Agree that a subwoofer not necessary. No complaints with the bass on this thing. If music is your primary use the money might be better put towards a second Era. I imagine that would sound incredible.

[74merc]

I listened to a pair of them with a view to replacing a Connect Amp and a pair of floor standers. For me, the sound was too processed and I much preferred the natural open sound of regular hifi speakers.

[BobToc]

So I have a home automation setup on Alexa that turns on the lights. Does anyone know if the Era 300 functions as a defacto Alexa that will respond to the same command ("Alexa, lights on") to turn on the lights? Cheers!

[mike9009]

I will check when back home that our automation works through the Sonos.

Not really used ithe Sonos yet, as we are travelling the country on our annual Xmas family jaunt......

My initial impression is somewhat mixed and suspect I need to reposition the Sonos to get the true benefit......but only used on Xmas day, for a couple of hours.....

[BobToc]

Hi Mike, any luck with this? Thanks a lot!