Sonos Era 300 vs Sonos Play

Different classes, so treat this as a step-up-or-not question rather than a head-to-head. The Sonos Era 300 ranks #4 of 5 powered desktop speakers by sound quality at $499; the Sonos Play ranks #50 of 142 medium speakers by sound quality at $299.

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.

The case for the Sonos Play: Genuinely wide, clean stereo dispersion off-axis thanks to the two angled tweeters, holding up from the side far better than most portables. The tradeoff: Bass distorts noticeably on bass-heavy tracks at default settings, and the distortion persists even after enabling Trueplay tuning and manually pulling bass back in the app.

Buy the Sonos Era 300 at $499 if you want a powered desktop speaker. Buy the Sonos Play at $299 if you want a medium speaker instead.

There is a real gap in water resistance: the Sonos Play at IP67 (brief submersion) against the Sonos Era 300, which has no water resistance.

Looking for alternatives? See the complete Powered Home rankings and Portable Bluetooth rankings.

Specifications Side By Side

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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 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
  • Official Sonos Era 300 Product Page
• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • RTINGS: Sonos Era 300 Review More from Rtings.com →
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Sonos Play: $299.00 Amazon eBay

Pros: Genuinely wide, clean stereo dispersion off-axis thanks to the two angled tweeters, holding up from the side far better than most portables. Loudness processing keeps it sounding full-bodied at low volume. 24-hour user-replaceable battery with an included wireless charging base, IP67 waterproof and dustproof, and full Sonos WiFi multi-room with AirPlay 2 on top of Bluetooth 5.3.

Cons: Bass distorts noticeably on bass-heavy tracks at default settings, and the distortion persists even after enabling Trueplay tuning and manually pulling bass back in the app. Sounds boxy and short on clarity next to cheaper competitors.

Full Sonos Play review and specifications →

App	Yes
Aux Input	Yes
Battery Life	24 hours (Manufacturer specified)
Bluetooth Codecs	SBC
Bluetooth Version	5.3
Built-in Microphone	Yes
Digital Aux Input	No
Dimensions	7.6" x 4.4" x 3" (192.3 x 112.5 x 76.7 mm)
Drivers	mid-woofer, 2x angled tweeters
EQ	No
IP Rating	IP67
Omnidirectional	No
Party Mode	No
Power Bank	No
Power Input	USB-C
Stereo	Yes
TWS	Yes
Voice Assistants	Amazon Alexa (Sonos Voice Control also built in)
Weight	2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)
Wi-Fi	Yes

• Links
  • Official Sonos Play Product Page
• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
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