We can say that last week was “space”. First came the new edition of The Dark Side of the Moon with the mixing in spatial audio (I listened to it here), then the new Era 300 by Sonos landed in the newsroom, a speaker whose raison d’être is three-dimensional sound. And it’s great for movies too.
It was 300 “space” music and films
Compact but robust, it has a curious shape: it is horizontal hourglass (I told about it in more detail here) and the reason is easy to say: inside it has six speakers (four tweeters and two woofers, all amplified) which allow it to spread sound in four directions, i.e. forward, to either side and above. So in short we are at the center of this sound bubble. Indeed, “spatial audio” does not mean “fantastic” but a technology (the correct name is Dolby Atmos) that allows simulate a three-dimensional audio environment through headphones or a single speaker (if it has multiple speakers inside) instead of dozens of speakers. Not only left and right channel as in stereo audio but also high and low.
First commandment: position it well
Having discarded the speaker, here is the first peculiarity of Era 300. Deciding where to position it. As we said, it is quite compact (it is 26 cm wide, 18.5 deep and 16 high, practically like a paperback book) but storing it on a library shelf makes no sense. This speaker needs a lot of space above and to the sides, otherwise goodbye sound bubble. Where to put it then? The ideal would be to align it to the wall of a room, preferably in the center of the wall, so that the sound is radiated in all directions. After all, the linear, refined and very pleasant design and the two colors (black or white) adapt well to any decor. It would be a shame to hide it.
In case space is limited, we can also place it at the top. Sonos has added some very recognizable touch controls even without seeing them: Three buttons for play/pause, track forward and track back plus a swipe strip for volume. So comfortable even from below, just stretch an arm up to control playback, but in the end I’ve always done everything from the app. The touch controls are only needed in case of an “emergency”, if I have to cut down the sound in zero time because the doorbell rang and I can’t find my smartphone. Ah, behind there is also the key to activate and deactivate the four microphones that allow you to use the voice assistant (the one from Sonos, only in English, or Alexa). It’s the only physical key: privacy has won once again.
Setup is also easy with Android
As in the Sonos tradition, setup is straightforward. Connect Era 300 to power and open the app for iOS or Android. Once detected (smartphone and speaker communicate via sound messages), the application takes the last steps and off you go, the till is connected to the home Wi-Fi. Optionally, in addition to Wi-Fi there is also Bluetooth. Not very useful on such a case unless you plan to take it to your second home for the holidays but the 4.6 kilos of weight are a bit discouraging.
Well, we are ready for Trueplay. The automatic calibration already tested on other Sonos speakers now also lands on Android even if in a partial way. On the iPhone it immediately gives excellent results (and in fact it is called “advanced calibration”) while with the smartphones of the green robot he is less punctual (and it is the “quick calibration”). However, it helps to have a better yield since it adapts the diffusion to the room. A real boon for those who are not experts especially since it takes two minutes.
Off with listening
And off we go with the tracks. I rely on Amazon Music, the only source that, through the Unlimited paid subscription, offers spatial audio on Era 300 (Apple Music should arrive in the next few hours). For the first tests I suggest you to open the playlist Best of Spatial Audio (what title…) o Dolby Atmos Music: New releases to taste some test tracks traveling between genres (and between authors never considered before). Those six speakers emit Your Power by Billie Eilish, follows the electronica of yesteryear In motion by Trent Reznor and then Pomegranade by Deadmau5 (The “spatial” songs are recognizable by the “Dolby Atmos” label).
Unlike other Sonos speakers, finally the American brand kept the bass at bay, a blessing for me who, like me, always had to adjust the equalizer to avoid having the drums (or the drum machine) eat up the entire sound spectrum (or almost). It must be said that the “pleasant” acoustic pieces, those with very distinct instruments and a very persuasive voice (especially female) are great but thanks to the acoustic care now even the finest electronics (or IDM) slide smoothly. I won’t tell you then Imperial march Of Star Wars. She seemed to be there, next to those stupid Stormtroopers.
Thanks Pink Floyd
But now is the time to get serious and The Dark Side of the Moon bursts out of the box. Coins bursting from the ceiling, cash registers invest me from the sides, Clare Torry invests me locking me in this bubble from which it is difficult to escape. After all, the strength of mixing in Atmos is in the effects and this Era 300 interprets them properly. Surprising that a single crate can fill the space so well, pretending not to be the only one but to have (at least) a colleague to support her. So I calculate my hand on the volume and I don’t notice any distortions. They will appear just a few notches below the maximum but the power is such that with just one Era you can easily organize a party and get the whole living room dancing (neighbors permitting).
Even in analog
For the sources then I let go of streaming. We can access it from the Sonos app, which also reads the contents saved on connected hard drives. Then there is AirPlay to send music directly (but also series or movies) from all Apple devices. But there is also something new: now we can also connect an analog source directly to a Sonos speaker. On the back of the Era 300, in addition to the Ethernet for direct connection to the home network, there is a Usb-C and the company has also devised a Line-in adapter. On the official website it costs 25 euros and I don’t know if it’s worth it: in stereo Era 300 doesn’t give the best.
For whom and why
In short, this Sonos Era 300 has comfort, compactness, a refined design and a quality that is difficult to find in other speakers connected with Atmos (which are very few, just Apple HomePod and Amazon Echo Studio, which play a completely different league like price). Sure, it’s not cheap but it’s true that the Sonos system is modular and therefore we can grow it as we go. For example, taking an Era 300 today and an Era 100 tomorrow (the younger sister of the 300 and heir to the One) to be placed in another room or combined with a Sub Mini (the “small” home subwoofer) for bass. Or again use 300 for movies. Let’s see how it goes on this second front. We go to the cinema.
Here you can buy the Sonos Era 300 in black
This is the link for the white version
And now let’s go to the cinema
The “spatial” soul of Era 300 does not end with the music. In fact, Dolby Atmos is also present in films and TV series. And here the bubble is even more evident than in music: cars running in front of our ears (and not just our eyes), shots hitting us, helicopter rotors hovering above us, actors positioned correctly in space. Atmos is now widespread, we find it in all streaming platforms and content abounds. But what does Era 300 have to do with it?
As we had seen with the Arc soundbar, Sonos is very much aiming for a cinematic sound. The soundbar alone is already capable of boosting the sound of the TV but with Era it takes a huge leap forward. The ideal setup provides Arc in front of us, next to it the home subwoofer, Sub, and then two Era behind us, one to the right and the other to the left (Sonos even recommends two Subs but let’s not exaggerate). In fact, according to the connected speakers, the Sonos algorithm distributes the signal intelligently, allowing each speaker to concentrate on what it does best and freeing it from useless duties (Example: it is useless to have Arc reproduce the bass if there is Sub) .
Expensive but great
Thus set up (but with the Sub Mini in place of the Sub), with as many as four loudspeakers firing upwards (the two from Arc and the two from the Era 300), I saw three different films but with high sound potential like Nothing new on the western front (what a masterpiece, don’t miss it), Top Gun Maverick (I pass over the plot but the show is not missing) e A Quiet Place Part II (better the first but perfect for testing the speakers). The result is excellent, cinema-like, if we consider that I am dealing with a system that could set up and calibrate even a child. Of course, the price goes up: the complete Arc package, two Era 300s and a Sub is offered at 2,751 euros, but for those who love cinema and want an easy, modular solution that is as good for audio as for video, it can be a ‘idea. The other gem are the very few cables. Just the ones that feed each tillAnd then there’s the modularity. We can start at an Era 300 and then expand into the future.
Ah, one last note before we leave: the cinematic configuration can also be used for audio. And with the right disk, strictly in Atmos (someone said The Dark Side of the Moon?) we’re really off to space. Have a good trip.