Sonos Era 100 Review – Sonically Superior Smart Speaker with Sweet Sound

The Sonos One which debuted way back in 2019 was a rarefied blend of power, portability and price with their renowned streaming capabilities thrown in which made it an excellent starting point for those looking to get in on the Sonos ecosystem. 

Its successor, the Sonos Era 100 aims to continue that illustrious legacy and made its debut in 2023. As of 2025, the Era 100 enjoyed a modest RM300 reprice to RM1,299 which makes it more appealing than ever. After getting a sample for review and running it through our extensive music playlist to the ire of our neighbours, here’s our Sonos Era 100 review where we share if their smart speaker deserves a place in your home.

Sonos Era 100 review – Build and Design

In essence, the Sonos Era 100 is a reimagined and rebuilt from the ground up successor to the earlier Sonos One. Where the original only offered mono sound, the Era 100 brings in a larger mid-woofer, three Class-D digital amplifiers, and a second tweeter, enabling true stereo playback. The addition of Bluetooth 5.0 also gives it more versatility than its predecessor.

It also has a line-in USB-C as well for direct wired audio input from a PC or other gear. However, you need to get a special adapter for this to work that is sold separately which costs USD19 for this feature to work. It also supports Apple AirPlay 2 and WiFi connectivity.

Unfortunately, the Sonos Era 100 has a bit of a downgrade of sorts as Google Assistant is no longer available. Even so, the speaker still supports Amazon Alexa with some workarounds and Sonos Voice control, which handles basic music playback commands.

Aesthetically speaking, our Sonos Era 100 review sample has a semi-cylindrical body with capacitive touch controls up top for playback along with a touch-sensitive groove that allows you to adjust volume by swiping your finger along it to the left and right. The upper rear has a Bluetooth pairing button while the base of the speaker has a microphone switch to turn the built-in mics off if you don’t want the voice assistants listening in.

Sonos Era 100 review – Setup and Features

What sets the Sonos Era 100 apart is the inclusion of their own Trueplay tuning technology which analyses the acoustics of your room and then finetunes the playback for the best possible sound quality. Previously exclusive to iOS, Sonos has made a simplified Quick Tuning mode available for Android users via the Sonos app. While iOS users still enjoy a more precise Advanced Tuning mode, Android users at least get a taste of what Trueplay can offer.

You can also pair two Era 100s to create a true stereo setup, with one speaker handling the left channel and the other the right. Setup was painless—after placing the unit in the middle of my test lab, plugging it in, and running the tuning app on my Galaxy Z Fold6, we were good to go in minutes.

It took a few short minutes to plonk it in the middle of my test lab, hook it up to the mains and to run the TruePlay tuning app on my Galaxy Z Fold6 but from there it’s off to the races.

Belying its role as an entry-level offering in their line-up of speakers, it was able to serve up surprisingly spacious and rich sound with excellent detail and good vocals. The Sonos app integrates most of the major streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and more for easy access and Sonos makes pairing it up with other speakers in their line-up an easy affair. Assuming you are sufficiently well heeled, a pair of Era 100 speakers can be paired up with a larger Sonos Ray or Sonos Beam or Arc to act as surround rear back-up speakers.

When put to the test, the Sonos Era 100 review unit didn’t disappoint. After fine-tuning with Trueplay in my somewhat cluttered test lab, it delivered an exceptional listening experience—easily outclassing many budget speakers and even outperforming several pricier models. The soundstage was impressively spacious, with good detail, solid bass presence, and enough volume to risk drawing the ire of my neighbours. Vocals were particularly well-handled, rendered with a warm, rich tone that added emotional depth to each performance.

Intricate orchestral pieces like Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending were a highlight. The Era 100 deftly reproduced the delicacy of the violins as they gradually built to a crescendo, showcasing its finesse with demanding treble set pieces and subtle instruments. Vocal tracks also shone—Joanna Wang’s smooth, soulful delivery in Vincent came through beautifully, her voice captured with clarity and nuance.

To test abilities to handle bass-heavy, fast-paced tracks, I also tested Bear McCreary’s Prelude to War with its taiko drum heavy mix. The Sonos Era 100 did not disappoint, delivering each drumbeat distinctly and with precision without blending or distortion.

Our reference track, Breathe by Télépopmusik, featuring the late Angela McCluskey, showcased the Era 100’s airy and layered presentation. The track truly “breathed,” thanks to the speaker’s wide soundstage and vocal clarity—where lesser speakers would’ve muddied the mix, the Era 100 stayed composed and immersive.

Should you buy the Sonos Era 100?

While the Sonos Era 100 is one one of their entry-level speakers, it punches above its weight class with rich and detailed sound as well as offering easy wireless setup without the need for a snake pit of cables lying underfoot. Better yet, you can buy another unit to easily form a stereo pair for even richer, better sound. While it lacks Google Assistant, it isn’t a deal breaker.

If you haven’t hopped onto the Sonos ecosystem, the Sonos Era 100 is an ideal entry point, more so by its new RM1,299 price point while those who already own a Sonos speaker setup will love what it has to offer to expand and enhance an existing setup. This sweet offering ought to be at the top of your shopping list if you’re looking for a solid, high-performing wireless speaker.

Specifications
Price RM1,299
Speakers – 3 class-D digital amplifiers, 1 midwoofer, 2 angled tweeters
Connectivity – WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C line-in
Supported features Apple AirPlay 2, Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control
Size/Weight – 182.5 x 120 x 130.5mm /2.02kg

Sonos Era 100 review sample courtesy of TC Acoustic. For more details and to purchase please visit https://trysonos.my/products/sonos-era-100