The Sonos Era 100 Alexa-enabled smart speaker takes the bookshelf speaker concept and builds on it, offering better stereo performance, voice control, and greater versatility for your streaming needs. This cylindrical speaker will sit neatly on a shelf or desk, taking up minimal space. It has a variety of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB-C line-in support using a line-in adapter. Additionally, the speaker is equipped with Alexa built in, so it should fit well into your setup.
A powerful smart speaker with a wide range of music-enhancing features
The larger mid-woofer and dual tweeters in the Era 100 work together to deliver a full stereo sound field in your room. In addition to filling your room with stereo sound, the speaker delivers bass with greater authority than some competitors. The mid-driver provides a firm foundation for low- and mid-range tones while maintaining drum, piano, and vocal clarity, and each tweeter is aimed at a specific location in the room, creating a wide stereo image even though the speaker is a single cabinet. The processing helps maintain level balance at both low and high volumes, keeping quiet listening detailed while maintaining vocal intelligibility during louder listening sessions.
In addition to providing a rich stereo sound field, the Era 100 lets you stream music directly from major music services in the Sonos app or send audio wirelessly from your smartphone or computer via Bluetooth. If you need to connect an external source, such as a turntable or media player, you can use the Sonos Line-In Adapter, which converts analog audio to digital audio for streaming to your Sonos system. Once connected to your network, the Era 100 automatically integrates with your other Sonos speakers, allowing you to create a multi-room audio experience where multiple rooms can share the same playlist or each room can have a separate playlist.
Once you install the Era 100 and connect it to your network, you can set up and adjust speaker settings using the Sonos app. The app guides you from connecting the power cord to setting up your wireless connection and integrating the speaker with your existing Sonos system. To optimize sound quality in your space, the Era 100 uses Trueplay tuning to analyze your room’s acoustics and adjust the speaker’s EQ based on reflections and room shape.
Voice and control options make the Sonos Era 100 feel like a smart hub as much as a speaker. Using Alexa, you can ask questions about playlists, check the weather, control smart home devices, or start a timer without using your phone. Volume, play/pause, and track skipping are controlled via the top-panel buttons, and you also get a microphone mute button along with app settings to enable or disable listening. At its current sale price of $179, down from $199, the Sonos Era 100 Alexa-enabled smart speaker gives you strong stereo sound, flexible streaming options, and built-in voice control at a lower price than before.