Spatial Audio That Actually Fills a Room

Tested with Sonos Arc + Sub (Gen 3) for TV, and as a stereo pair for music. Apple Music (Dolby Atmos), TIDAL, and Spotify via Wi-Fi; Bluetooth for quick playback.

Buy the Sonos Era 300 on Amazon (Official Sonos Store)

Quick Verdict (8/10)

The Era 300 is Sonos’ first truly spatial, stand-alone music speaker. In the right room and with Dolby Atmos mixes, it throws a surprisingly wide, tall soundstage from a single box. As surrounds with a Sonos Arc or Beam (Gen 2), it’s a big upgrade over traditional rears, adding height and envelopment. It’s not cheap and stereo purists may still prefer a pair of passive speakers, but as an all-in-one for modern streaming — it’s excellent.

Pros: Expansive Atmos music, powerful for size, superb app & multi-room, Bluetooth + Wi-Fi, improved Trueplay.
Cons: Pricey; shines most with good Atmos mixes; works best inside the Sonos ecosystem; line-in requires Sonos USB-C adapter.

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Design & Build

Sonos shaped the Era 300’s asymmetric hourglass cabinet around its driver array to launch sound sideways and upwards for spatial mixes. Fit and finish are classic Sonos: dense cabinet, seamless grilles, tactile top controls, a physical mic mute switch, and a compact footprint that still looks considered on a shelf.

Features & Connectivity

Spatial Audio: Dolby Atmos music playback with six drivers (including up-firing) for height and wrap-around cues.
Wireless: Wi-Fi for the full Sonos experience (multi-room, voice, high-quality streaming) and Bluetooth for quick, guest-friendly playback.
Trueplay: New quick tuning works with iOS or Android; advanced Trueplay available with iOS. Room correction tightens bass and stabilises imaging.
Voice & Control: Sonos Voice Control, Apple AirPlay 2, and broad service support.
Line-in (optional): Via the official Sonos USB-C line-in adapter if you want to feed a turntable (with phono preamp) or a 3.5 mm source.
Stereo Pair & Surrounds: Pair two Era 300s for stereo, or use them as wireless surrounds with Sonos home cinema bars (details below).

Setup & App Experience

Setup is the usual Sonos two-minute process: power on, open the app, tap to add. The speaker joins Wi-Fi, updates firmware, and you’re ready. The app remains best-in-class for service integration, room grouping, and stability. Bluetooth is handy for guests and for services not natively supported in the app.

Using Era 300 with TV Soundbars (Arc, Beam, etc.)

Here’s how it works in practice:

Choose your soundbar: Sonos Arc or Beam (Gen 2) unlock Dolby Atmos for TV and streaming apps. You can also use Era 300s as surrounds with Ray for 5.0/5.1 playback (no height layer from the bar).
Add Era 300s as rears in the Sonos app: In System, select your soundbar room → Set up Surrounds → add one or two Era 300s. The app walks you through placement and calibration.
What you get: With Arc or Beam (Gen 2), each Era 300 can render rear surround and rear height cues. With Ray, they act as high-quality surrounds (no height layer).
Placement tips: Place behind or slightly to the sides of the seating position, roughly ear height or a touch above. Run Trueplay afterwards.

Result: TV sound becomes more spacious and three-dimensional, especially with Atmos movies where rear height effects (rain, ambience, flyovers) feel convincingly above and behind the listener.

Sound Quality & Listening Notes

Single speaker (Atmos music): With well-made mixes, the Era 300 projects sound beyond its physical size — vocals take centre stage while guitars, synths, and reverbs float wide and high. Bass is tight and surprisingly weighty; Trueplay keeps it from blooming near walls.

Stereo pair (music): Two Era 300s deliver scale and authority beyond typical lifestyle speakers. Imaging is expansive; even non-Atmos tracks benefit from the driver geometry and DSP front-stage. Purist two-channel separates still image more precisely, but the convenience-to-performance ratio is excellent.

As surrounds (with Arc + Sub): The rears finally feel like a designed part of an Atmos bubble rather than an afterthought. Rear height cues are tangible, with smoother pans from front heights to rear heights. Add a Sub (Gen 3) and the system gains headroom and low-end grip.

Reference moments: Atmos live recordings with crowd ambience felt wrap-around; orchestral scores revealed a taller rear soundstage; dialogue stayed firmly anchored to screen via Arc while the Era 300s handled spacious ambience naturally.

Is It Worth Upgrading from Sonos Play:3 or Sonos One?

If you’re already in the Sonos ecosystem, should you replace your Play:3 or Sonos One with the Era 300 — either as standalone speakers or as surrounds for Arc/Beam?

1) Standalone Listening

The jump is significant if you listen to Dolby Atmos music on Apple Music, TIDAL, or Amazon Music. The Era 300’s six-driver layout produces real width and height that previous Sonos models can’t replicate. Even in plain stereo, expect tighter bass, more open mids, and cleaner treble versus Play:3/One.

2) As Surrounds with Arc/Beam (Gen 2)

Here the upgrade is dramatic. Play:3/One act as standard surrounds (forward-firing). Era 300 adds side and up-firing drivers enabling rear surround and rear height cues with compatible bars — a clear step towards cinema-like immersion.

3) Flexibility & Futureproofing

The Era 300 adds Bluetooth and optional USB-C line-in, plus revised Trueplay that works on iOS and Android (quick tuning). With Sonos leaning into spatial designs, Era 300 is the more future-proof choice.

Bottom Line

If you’re using Play:3 or Sonos One as surrounds, the Era 300 is a genuine next-gen upgrade. For standalone music, the difference is also meaningful — essential if you want Atmos music and the added connectivity.

Upgrade to the Sonos Era 300 on Amazon (Official Sonos Store)

Comparison: Play:3 vs Sonos One vs Era 300

Model	Driver Layout	Spatial / Atmos Music	Bluetooth	Line-in	Trueplay	As Surrounds with Arc/Beam
Play:3	3 drivers (front-firing)	No	No	No	Legacy (iOS mic)	Standard rear surrounds (no height)
Sonos One / One SL	2 drivers (front-firing)	No	No	No	Legacy (iOS mic)	Standard rear surrounds (no height)
Era 300	6 drivers (side & up-firing)	Yes (Dolby Atmos music)	Yes	Optional via USB-C adapter	Quick tuning (iOS & Android)	Rear surround + rear height cues

Who Is It For?

Streamers who want a single-box spatial speaker without an amp.
Sonos home theatre owners seeking surrounds that add height.
Anyone who values multi-room simplicity, reliable app control, and tasteful design.

Limitations & Things to Know

Price: Premium cost; best value if you’ll use Atmos music or surrounds mode.
Ecosystem lock-in: Works best inside Sonos; line-in needs the USB-C adapter.
Placement: Leave air around sides/top so side/up-firing drivers can disperse.

Final Thoughts

The Era 300 turns spatial audio from novelty to everyday upgrade — whether that’s Atmos music from a single box, a potent stereo pair, or as part of a genuinely immersive Sonos cinema rig. If you’re already in Sonos, it’s an easy recommendation. Starting from scratch? It’s still one of the most convincing smart speakers for modern streaming.