Short answer: the Sonos Era 300 for better sound quality, the Sonos Era 100 for the lower price. The Sonos Era 300 ranks #4 of 5 powered desktop speakers at $499. The Sonos Era 100 ranks #12 at $219, $280 cheaper.
The case for the Sonos Era 100: RTINGS lists room correction tools and bass/treble adjustments as its real strengths, and its balanced midrange suits a wide range of genres, with wider stereo separation than the mono Sonos One SL it replaced thanks to two angled tweeters plus a 25% larger mid-woofer than the original Sonos One. The tradeoff: RTINGS’ own two listed cons are not loud enough for larger rooms and very little low-bass thump, so genres like EDM and hip-hop lack rumble even with the tone adjustments.
The case for the Sonos Era 300: RTINGS calls it an excellent choice for voice assistants: built-in Alexa has no trouble hearing commands from a distance or in a noisy room, with a mic mute button on the back. The tradeoff: RTINGS’ one listed con is some compression at max volume.
Buy the Sonos Era 100 if the price matters more than sound quality. Buy the Sonos Era 300 if sound quality matters more than the price.
Skip the Sonos Era 100 if sound quality matters to you. It ranks near the bottom of the 16 powered desktop speakers.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Powered Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Sonos Era 100 | Sonos Era 300 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $219.00 each | $499.00 each |
| Ranked | #12 of 16 in Medium Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #4 of 5 in Large Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Party Mode | Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2) | Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Input | External AC adapter | External AC adapter |
| Stereo | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 4.5 lbs (2.02 kg) | 9.9 lbs (4.47 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (Wi-Fi 6) | Yes (Wi-Fi 6) |
| App | Yes (Sonos S2) | Yes (Sonos S2) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction) | Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| TWS | Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app) | Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app) |
| Drivers | 2x angled tweeters, 1x mid-woofer | 4x tweeters (1 forward, 2 side, 1 upward-firing), 2x angled woofers |
| Discontinued | No | No |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C (line-in adapter sold separately) | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| XLR Input | No | No |
| RCA Input | No | No |
| TRS Input | No | No |
| Optical Input | No | No |
| Coaxial Input | No | No |
| USB Input | Yes (line-in adapter sold separately) | Yes (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| HDMI Input | No | No |
| AES Input | No | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.0 | Yes, 5.0 |
| Dimensions | 7.2" x 4.7" x 5.1" (182.5 x 120 x 130.5 mm) | 7.3" x 10.2" x 6.3" (185 x 260 x 160 mm) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa | Amazon Alexa |
| Streaming Services | Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2 | Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2, Dolby Atmos Music |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More worthwhile head-to-heads for Sonos Era 100:
- Apple HomePod 2nd Gen vs Sonos Era 100
- JBL Authentics 200 vs Sonos Era 100
- Google Home Max vs Sonos Era 100
- Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen vs Sonos Era 300
- Brane X vs Sonos Era 100
Prices on this page were last checked September 22, 2026 at 5:11 AM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Sonos Era 100: $219.00 each Amazon eBay
Pros: RTINGS lists room correction tools and bass/treble adjustments as its real strengths, and its balanced midrange suits a wide range of genres, with wider stereo separation than the mono Sonos One SL it replaced thanks to two angled tweeters plus a 25% larger mid-woofer than the original Sonos One. Alexa is built in with a far-field mic, and it ties into the wider Sonos S2 app ecosystem for multi-room audio.
Cons: RTINGS’ own two listed cons are not loud enough for larger rooms and very little low-bass thump, so genres like EDM and hip-hop lack rumble even with the tone adjustments. There’s no Google Assistant, the USB-C line-in needs a separately purchased adapter, and there’s no battery.
Full Sonos Era 100 review and specifications →
| AES Input | No |
|---|---|
| App | Yes (Sonos S2) |
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.0 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 7.2" x 4.7" x 5.1" (182.5 x 120 x 130.5 mm) |
| Discontinued | No |
| Drivers | 2x angled tweeters, 1x mid-woofer |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction) |
| HDMI Input | No |
| IP Rating | None |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| Optical Input | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | External AC adapter |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | Yes |
| Streaming Services | Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2 |
| TRS Input | No |
| TWS | Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app) |
| USB Input | Yes (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa |
| Weight | 4.5 lbs (2.02 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (Wi-Fi 6) |
| XLR Input | No |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Sonos Era 100 vs Google Home Max
- Sonos Era 100 vs JBL Authentics 200
- Sonos Era 100 vs Apple HomePod 2nd Gen
- Sonos Era 100 vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
- Sonos Era 100 vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Sonos Era 100 vs Amazon Echo Pop
- Sonos Era 100 vs Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen
- Sonos Era 100 vs Apple HomePod Mini
- See all 23 comparisons
Sonos Era 300: $499.00 each Amazon eBay
Pros: RTINGS calls it an excellent choice for voice assistants: built-in Alexa has no trouble hearing commands from a distance or in a noisy room, with a mic mute button on the back. Six drivers, one forward-firing tweeter, two side-firing tweeters, one upward-firing tweeter, and two angled woofers, each with its own Class D amp, give real stereo separation plus Dolby Atmos spatial audio on supported content. Trueplay room correction (now including a quicker Android tuning option) is a genuine strength, and it pairs with Sonos soundbars like the Arc Ultra for a home theater setup.
Cons: RTINGS’ one listed con is some compression at max volume. Out of the box the tuning leans bass-heavy enough that vocals can get shrouded in the mix on some tracks, though Trueplay largely corrects this. There’s no Google Assistant, no battery, and at $499 it’s the most expensive speaker in this ecosystem comparison.
Full Sonos Era 300 review and specifications →
| AES Input | No |
|---|---|
| App | Yes (Sonos S2) |
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.0 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 7.3" x 10.2" x 6.3" (185 x 260 x 160 mm) |
| Discontinued | No |
| Drivers | 4x tweeters (1 forward, 2 side, 1 upward-firing), 2x angled woofers |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction) |
| HDMI Input | No |
| IP Rating | None |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| Optical Input | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | External AC adapter |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | Yes |
| Streaming Services | Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2, Dolby Atmos Music |
| TRS Input | No |
| TWS | Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app) |
| USB Input | Yes (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa |
| Weight | 9.9 lbs (4.47 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (Wi-Fi 6) |
| XLR Input | No |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Sonos Era 300 vs B&O Beosound 2
- Sonos Era 300 vs JBL Authentics 500
- Sonos Era 300 vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
- Sonos Era 300 vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Sonos Era 300 vs Amazon Echo Pop
- Sonos Era 300 vs Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen
- Sonos Era 300 vs Apple HomePod 2nd Gen
- Sonos Era 300 vs Apple HomePod Mini
- See all 23 comparisons


