Sonos Era 100 Review: | Trusted Reviews

Verdict

A tremendous improve in a number of methods over the One, the Sonos Period 100 advantages from a sleeker design, reconfigured driver setup and a spate of options that make it a extra accessible possibility for extra customers. However by way of whether or not it sounds higher than its predecessor, the One nonetheless has the sting with readability and element.

Introduction

The Sonos Period 100 is the primary notable replace to the now iconic Sonos One, boasting a revamped driver setup, design and extra options together with very welcome Bluetooth connectivity.

This new period doesn’t mark a change in Sonos’ method to wi-fi multi-room sound as such, but it surely does signify a change in tone, a extra accessible product with an audio efficiency that’s been reconfigured. Is that this new period all it’s cracked as much as be?

Design

• Taller, sleeker look
• Swap for turning mics off
• USB-C port replaces Ethernet

In a straight comparability to the Sonos One, the Period 100 is taller, deeper and across the similar width, however the light curvature of the Period makes it look slimmer. The footprint it takes up is across the similar too, capable of match onto surfaces equivalent to kitchen desktops and into bookshelves.

It nonetheless adheres to Sonos’ ‘Industrial’ design aesthetic that matches up with the remainder of the audio system and soundbars, although the Period 100 has a sleeker look that makes the One look squatter by comparability. The LED gentle that was on high of the speaker has been repositioned to the entrance so the standing of the speaker will be seen wherever you’re seated.

On the highest floor are contact capacitive controls employed for operation (playback/monitor skipping), with a slider within the center to handle quantity (you possibly can simply faucet both finish to extend or lower).

The built-in microphones will be turned off through software program and {hardware} options. There’s a button on high to cease voice assistants from eavesdropping, whereas a swap on the again of the unit disconnects energy from the microphones fully. That ensures each voice operation and Trueplay are disabled. Additionally, relatively hidden on the speaker’s rear is a button for Bluetooth pairing.

The Ethernet port is gone, changed by a USB-C port. The speaker can nonetheless be hardwired right into a router, however an adapter is required, of which Sonos sells two: Sonos Combo Adapter (Ethernet) and Sonos Line-In Adapter (laptop, turntables, and so on). The USB port additionally permits for gadgets to be related equivalent to a USB-C to Lightning cable for older iPhones.

It’s a change that most likely received’t go down properly as some (particularly companies) choose to hardwire to keep away from a wobbly connection. It feels unlucky that not one of many adapters is included. Selections of colors are the usual black and white.

Options

• No Google Assistant integration
• Provides Bluetooth assist
• Sonos Voice Management for hands-free playback

Nearly all the things anticipated from a Sonos speaker is ticked off with Period 100, with a number of new additions and one notable omission. The omission is the shortage of Google Assistant. Google has modified the necessities for its inclusion on third-party gadgets, so the choice as as to whether it’ll come to the Period audio system seems to have been left in Google’s courtroom.

For voice operation it’s Amazon Alexa and Sonos Voice Management, the latter solely for managing music. With the Voice Management, say “Hey Sonos”, and you may ask it to play music, or ask for a music, album, radio station or monitor from a suitable streaming service.

Presently, Sonos Voice Management isn’t arrange for Spotify or Tidal and doesn’t appear to suppose Qobuz exists (or believes I’m asking for one thing else) – but it surely does work with Amazon Music. I’ve discovered that it is advisable to converse loudly for it to listen to (or simply get nearer to the speaker) and in a enjoyable characteristic, Sonos Voice Management is voiced by Mr. El Pollo Hermanos himself, Giancarlo Esposito, in case you select US English or French within the Voice Management settings.

There’s the Sonos app whereby customers management numerous capabilities and entry a wide selection of music streaming providers equivalent to Sonos Radio, Deezer and Qobuz or fiddle with settings. Though there are many settings to wade by, the Sonos app stays an intuitive one, straightforward to navigate, swift by way of response and visually feels extra upmarket than Denon’s HEOS.

With the Period audio system comes a brand new model of Trueplay in Fast Tune. As a substitute of getting to wave an iPhone round a room to calibrate the speaker, the person can faucet a button within the Sonos app and the Period 100’s built-in audio system measure the house round it to create a listening profile that matches the room’s acoustics. It’s fairly a speedy course of, taking as much as 20 seconds.

Fast Tune is obtainable on Android gadgets (with Trueplay having been restricted to iPhone beforehand) and it’s an addition that makes Sonos audio system extra accessible to customers. If in case you have an iPhone, you continue to get the selection of the extra superior model of Trueplay whereby you waft the smartphone about whereas shifting across the room. You possibly can manually regulate bass, treble and loudness ranges within the Sonos app too.

Pair two Period 100 audio system collectively and stereo sound is feasible, and there’s multi-room in daisy chaining Sonos audio system collectively, handing audio off from one speaker to a different. As was the case with the One Gen 2, you possibly can wirelessly join two Period 100s to a Beam Gen 2, Ray, or Arc as rear gunners in a house cinema setup. The Period 100 doesn’t characteristic upfiring audio system just like the Period 300, so the audio is extra directional.

Wi-fi choices embrace Bluetooth 5.0, enhancing the Period 100’s accessibility by permitting extra gadgets, and there’s casting over Wi-Fi with Spotify Join and AirPlay 2 (for iOS gadgets).

Sound High quality

• Greater emphasis on bass
• Wider candy spot
• Not as refined because the One

The innards of the Period 100 have undergone a revamp from the One. That speaker’s two Class-D amplifiers powering a tweeter and woofer setup make manner for 3 class-D digital amplifiers that energy two angled tweeters and a woofer. The tuning for the Period 100 has additionally modified as properly, with a much bigger emphasis on the decrease frequencies.

This has the impact of the Period 100’s efficiency being weightier throughout the frequency vary; bass has extra heft, the midrange is offered with extra solidity and treble is thicker in description.

Stranger feat. Mikky Ekko advantages from this meatier bass with a extra explosive presence, and it’s the identical with Jacob Collier’s All I Want and Thundercat’s Them Modifications, all producing extra depth, variation, and extension to bass frequencies than the unique Sonos One might.

And that bass energy isn’t on the expense of vocal readability both, however the change in tone lacks a number of traits that made the One and One SL pretty much as good as they have been. The Period 100 lacks that lightness in describing the midrange; its weightiness signifies that whereas it’s nonetheless unearthing related ranges of element, it does so with out the identical subtlety and deftness of contact.

The Period 100 isn’t as vibrant because the One when coping with treble both. Abba’s Winner Takes it All has superb vocal high quality: a transparent, pretty uncoloured sound that’s within the realm of neutrality, however the piano within the monitor sounds rolled off and dulled, and the identical will be stated for GoGo Penguin’s Erased by Daylight. There’s not a lot chunk or shine to the upper frequencies, resulting in what quantities to a security first, middle-ground method.

I’d encourage enjoying round with the EQ to change bass and treble ranges, although these adjustments don’t current themselves in a sharper or brighter method for top frequencies, simply that it attracts out the treble over and above midrange and bass.

Trueplay might nearly be described as bass administration. Out of the field with no tuning, the Period 100 sounded limp, and after a Fast Tune it was on the races with a punchier, extra fast replica of low frequencies. And having positioned this speaker in 4 totally different positions in two rooms the extent of bass has been constant in every location after every re-tune.

Sonos says to hold out a retune each time the speaker is moved, however I’d say it’s extra essential to do that in case you’re taking the speaker from a freestanding place to at least one the place it’s both enclosed or strengthened by one thing behind it. A retune helps get bass again in step.

Flip the amount up and the DSP (digital sign processing) kicks in, and because of this bass ranges don’t improve in line with total loudness. In reality, it appears to get smaller and hole, however until the Period 100 is getting used for events, I’d wrestle to see why you’d want to show it up over degree 50. At 40 it’s an enormous, room-filling speaker.

In comparison with the similarly-priced Denon Residence 150, the Sonos incurs a much bigger bass efficiency, however the Denon is the richer, extra musical presentation matched in opposition to the Period 100’s neutrality. The Sonos isolates voices higher than the Residence 150, however the richness of the Denon’s midrange and added expression with voices equivalent to Phoebe Bridger’s in her Punisher album, Michael Jackson’s in Ben and Janelle Monae’s in Can’t Stay With out Your Love gives a extra fluid and defter efficiency. That is the place the Sonos’ weightier signature doesn’t play into its advantages.

Nonetheless, the angled tweeters put ahead a wider listening spot than the Sonos One can handle when shuffling throughout a room. The One’s vocals have an outlined level of origin, however the Period 100 comes throughout as extra seamless and constant wherever I sit in a room. Bluetooth requires hammering the amount manner up because the speaker could be very quiet at regular ranges, and by way of streaming it maxes out at AAC high quality.

Is the Period 100 higher sounding than the One? At first, I’d have stated sure, however over time they every have their traits that can attraction to some and fewer so to others. I discover myself preferring the crisper sense of element and readability of the One over the burden and firmness of the Period 100. They’re each superb, and in case you felt the One was in need of bass then that’s made up for in spades with the Period 100.

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