Skip to main content

Sonos Era 300 and Era 100 Smart Speakers Revealed in Marketing Images

Popular speaker company Sonos is preparing to launch new high-end "Era" smart speakers to compete with Apple's HomePod range, and The Verge has obtained marketing images of the products as well as some rough pricing information ahead of their release next month.


The Era 300, shown in the picture above, will be the new Sonos flagship speaker, designed to highlight music in spatial audio. Other features will include USB-C line-in, Wi-Fi 6 support, Bluetooth playback, and AirPlay 2 support. The Verge's Chris Welch says the Era 300 is expected to be priced "in the ballpark of $450."

The size of the Era 300 is said to fall in between the Sonos One and Sonos Five, and includes a total of six drivers that direct sound forward, left, right, and up. A stereo pair of Era 300s, when used with either the Arc or second-generation Beam, will deliver rearward surround sound including upward-firing audio.

Era 300 can be stereo paired as rear surrounds with the Sonos Arc and Beam (Gen 2)

Despite the Era 300 being designed for spatial audio, the Dolby Atmos songs in the Apple Music catalog are "unlikely to be supported at this time," according to Welch, which suggests that Apple and Sonos have yet to reach an agreement. "This could always change in the coming weeks or by the time the Era 300 hits shelves," he adds.

The Era 100, shown below, has a rounder shape and won't come with upward-firing drivers, as it's not geared for spatial audio like the other product. Welch calls the new speaker "an evolved Sonos One with (ideally) better performance," thanks to the addition of a second tweeter for true stereo sound and an enlarged mid-woofer for more bass.


Like the other new speaker, the Era 100 features Wi-Fi streaming, ‌AirPlay‌ 2, Bluetooth, and USB-C. The Era 100 is expected to cost around $250 and is likely to replace the Sonos One, which currently sells for $219.

Both speakers are expected to include Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa voice assistants, but support for Google Assistant may be lacking. Welch says Sonos will separately sell a line-in adapter for USB-C audio and a "combo adapter" for plugging in over Ethernet, as there's no built-in jack on either speaker.

Sonos Era 100 in stereo pair connected to turntable via line out

Sonos has reportedly set a late March release schedule for both speakers, which will be available in white and black colors, while the company is also said to be planning to launch a device in a brand new product category by the end of the year.
Tag: Sonos

This article, "Sonos Era 300 and Era 100 Smart Speakers Revealed in Marketing Images" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums



Source: TechRadar

Popular posts from this blog

Apple Releases First Public Beta of tvOS 17

Apple today seeded the first beta of the upcoming tvOS 17 update to its public beta testing group, allowing the general public to download and test the update ahead of its September launch. Public beta testers can download the tvOS 17 beta by opening up the Settings app on Apple TV , choosing the Software Updates section under System, and then toggling on the Get Public Beta Updates option. Signing up on Apple's public beta website is also required. tvOS 17 adds FaceTime to the ‌Apple TV‌, with an iPhone or iPad serving as the camera. The ‌FaceTime‌ interface shows up on the bigger display of the TV, and Center Stage keeps you front and center as you move around the room. There's even a Split View option so you can use ‌FaceTime‌ while watching TV or playing a game on the other part of the screen. There's a revamped Control Center that makes it quicker to get to key settings and information without needing to go into the Settings app, plus it supports useful sho

Apple Releases macOS Ventura 13.4.1 With Security Fixes

Apple today released macOS Ventura 13.4, a minor update for the ‌macOS Ventura‌ operating system that was released last October. ‌macOS Ventura‌ 13.4.1 comes more than a month after the launch of macOS Ventura 13.4 . The ‌‌‌‌‌macOS Ventura‌‌‌‌‌ 13.4.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. According to Apple's release notes, the update provides important security fixes and is recommended for all users. Apple has also released macOS 11.7.8 and macOS 12.6.7 security updates for those who are unable to run Ventura. Related Roundup: macOS Ventura Related Forum: macOS Ventura This article, " Apple Releases macOS Ventura 13.4.1 With Security Fixes " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums Source: TechRadar

Apple Says 128GB iPhone 15 Pro Limited to 1080p ProRes Video Recording Unless External Storage Connected

ProRes video recording remains limited to 1080p quality at 30 frames per second on the 128GB model of the iPhone 15 Pro, unless the device is recording directly to a connected external storage drive , according to Apple. On the 256GB and higher iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, ProRes video recording is supported in up to 4K quality at 60 frames per second to both internal storage and external storage. Apple does not mention this information on the iPhone 15 Pro's tech specs page on its website, but the limitation is listed when comparing the iPhone 15 Pro to another iPhone model in the Apple Store app, as seen in the screenshot below. The same limitation applied to iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro models with 128GB of storage, but those devices cannot record ProRes video to external storage, so at least iPhone 15 Pro users have that option this time around. The limitation does not apply to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, as that model starts with 256GB of storage. ProRes video fi

Relay FM Launches Fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and in recognition of this important cause, well-known podcast network Relay FM has launched its annual fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital , located in Memphis, Tennessee. Since 2019, the Relay FM community has raised over $2.2 million for the hospital. St. Jude's mission statement: The mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family's ability to pay. Relay FM has multiple Apple-related podcasts, such as Connected , hosted by Stephen Hackett, Myke Hurley, and Federico Viticci. Hackett's son received treatment at St. Jude as an infant, so this initiative is near and dear to him . Donations can be made on the Relay FM for St. Jude website , with rewards such as Relay