Sonos Era 100

Why this model

The Sonos Era 100 is a compact Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker with a clean design, for anyone who wants good sound in one room, at the desk or in the living room, without taking up space. You control it from the Sonos app, AirPlay 2 or by voice, and you can group it with other Sonos speakers for multiroom.

In this guide to the Sonos Era 100 (black), we tell you what it offers according to Sonos, how it fits into daily use and who it makes sense for. We also say when to pass, for example if you want a speaker to take with you.

Design: a discreet shape that blends into the room

According to Sonos, the Era 100 is 182.5 mm tall, 120 mm wide and 130.5 mm deep, with a matte finish. Its compact shape makes it easy to place on a desk, shelf or living-room unit without overpowering the rest of the room.

Capacitive touch controls sit on top, with discreet status LEDs. Sonos also states that the speaker is made with 48% recycled plastic, a detail that matters if you choose your tech carefully.

Everyday use: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and AirPlay 2

You set the speaker up with the Sonos app, then start music from your streaming services. It also supports Bluetooth 5.3, with a dedicated pairing button, and AirPlay 2 to send sound from an iPhone, iPad or Mac.

Sonos offers Trueplay tuning (iOS and Android) to adapt the sound to your room’s acoustics, plus an adjustable EQ for bass, treble and loudness. A switch cuts power to the microphone if you would rather not use voice.

Key specifications

According to Sonos, the Era 100 combines three class-D digital amplifiers, two angled tweeters and one mid-woofer. It runs on Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 2.4 and 5 GHz), weighs 2.02 kg and draws 1.8 W at idle.

A line-in goes through USB-C, but you need the Sonos Line-In adapter, sold separately. Ethernet needs the Sonos Combo adapter, also sold separately. Sonos Voice Control and Alexa availability varies by language and country.

Who it is for, and who it is not for

It suits you if you want a fixed, good-looking, simple speaker for music at your desk, in a bedroom or in the living room. It also appeals if you already own Sonos products and want to add a piece to your multiroom system.

It suits you less if you want a portable speaker, since it plugs into the mains. If you want to connect a wired source or Ethernet, budget for the separately sold adapters.

The matching guide

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