The Sonos Era 300 Speakers are the company’s newest set of premium smart speakers designed to bring powerful, detailed sound to any room. Part of Sonos’ expanding Era line, the Era 300 delivers room-filling audio in a compact, minimalist package.

In this in-depth review, we’ll examine everything the Sonos Era 300 speakers have to offer. We’ll look at the impressive sound quality powered by custom tweeters and mid-woofers. We’ll see how the speakers provide an immersive listening experience with Dolby Atmos support. And we’ll check out the Era 300’s integration with voice assistants and the broader Sonos system.

By the end, you’ll know if the Sonos Era 300 is the right speaker to take your home audio to the next level. We’ll compare them to other options from Sonos, Bose, Samsung, and more. Let’s dive in and see why the Sonos Era 300 should be on your shortlist for premium smart speakers.

We’ll start with a close look at the audio capabilities of the Sonos Era 300 Speakers and the technology inside that enables such powerful room-filling sound.

Overview of the Sonos Era Line

The Era 300 is part of Sonos’ new Era line of speakers designed to deliver exceptional acoustics, timeless design, and smart integrations. The line also includes the smaller Era 100 bookshelf speakers.

Both Era 300 and Era 100 represent a new generation of speakers from Sonos, emphasizing high-fidelity sound in a minimalist form factor. They join the existing Sonos portfolio including the Move, One, Five, Arc, Beam, and more.

Key highlights of the new Era line include custom-designed waveguide tweeters and elliptical mid-woofers, support for Dolby Atmos 3D audio, and built-in far-field mics for voice control. They blend right in with existing Sonos products.

The Sonos Era 300 Speakers reviewed here provide a more powerful, room-filling sound while the Era 100 offers a compact option. But both share the same premium design and acoustic innovations Sonos is known for.

Immersive Listening with Dolby Atmos

A major feature included in both the Era 300 and Era 100 speakers is integrated support for Dolby Atmos 3D audio. This allows the speakers to create immersive, theater-like sound using special mixing techniques.

Atmos-encoded music and movies position sounds all around you in a virtual space using “object-based” audio. This gives music more depth and movies a “3D” effect without actually needing in-ceiling speakers.

Having Dolby Atmos built right into the Sonos Era 300 Speakers elevates the cinematic experience compared to surround sound. You get lifelike audio that feels like it comes from all directions, surrounding you.

From streaming services like Apple Music and Amazon Prime Video to Blu-ray discs and games, Dolby Atmos content is more widely available than ever. The Era 300 unlocks this advanced format right out of the box.

Sonos Era 300 Speakers: Voice Assistant Capabilities

In addition to their premium sound, the Sonos Era 300 Speakers also function as intelligent voice assistant speakers. Built-in microphones allow for hands-free control using either Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

You can issue voice commands to play music, get information, set timers and alarms, manage smart home devices, make calls, and more. Just say “Alexa” or “Hey Google” to activate the Era 300 at any time.

Having a voice assistant directly integrated rather than through an external smart speaker like an Echo Dot delivers a much more seamless experience. Voice control on the Sonos Era 300 Speakers feels native.

From asking about the weather to turning off smart lights to requesting your favorite playlist, the Era 300’s voice capabilities let you immerse yourself in sound while maintaining control through voice.

Audio Performance and Sound Quality

The Sonos Era 300 Speakers pack impressive audio technology into a relatively compact frame, delivering crystal clear sound that can fill even large rooms. Each speaker contains two Class-D digital amplifiers that individually power a tweeter for treble and mid-woofer for midrange and bass frequencies.

This advanced two-way driver design provides the Era 300 with a wide frequency range. You get detailed highs and crisp dialog from the tweeter along with rich, powerful bass from the mid-woofer. Comparable two-speaker systems from Bose and Denon in this price range don’t match the dynamic range of the Era 300.

Sonos also tuned the Era 300 to provide an incredibly wide stereo soundstage. You can place them several feet apart and still get precise separation between the left and right channels. The sound envelops you with a spacious, room-filling effect.

Adding in support for Dolby Atmos 3D audio takes the immersive experience to another level. Atmos content from streaming services is decoded and played with height and position, making movies and music feel like they surround you. The Era 300’s angled design even aims for audio outward for a wider sound field.

With the ability to captivate with rock, soothe with jazz, and energize with electronic, the Sonos Era 300 Speakers provide fantastic sound for all music genres. You get tight, punchy bass that doesn’t overpower while clear vocals and treble shine through. The instruments sound full and defined. And you can crank the volume to party levels without distortion.

The Era 300 also handles TV, movies, podcasts, and gaming equally well. Explosions and action sequences have a thrilling impact while the dialog remains easy to understand. These are speakers built to impress no matter what you listen to.

Design, Setup, and Ease of Use

The Sonos Era 300 Speakers feature an understated, minimalist design that enables flexible placement in any room. The speakers have a low, horizontal form factor measuring just over 2 feet wide. The front and back are covered by sturdy polycarbonate grilles with precise perforations that don’t obstruct the sound.

You can position the Era 300 horizontally or vertically to best fit your space – something many comparable speakers don’t allow. The matte black finish blends into any décor seamlessly. Touch controls on the top let you play/pause, adjust the volume, and mute the mic for privacy.

Setting up the Era 300 takes just a few minutes with the Sonos app on your smartphone. Each speaker connects directly to your WiFi network so no hub or bridge is required. You can start streaming music services, radio stations, audiobooks and more almost instantly.

Grouping multiple Era 300s or pairing with other Sonos speakers for surround sound is handled right in the app. You can adjust settings for each speaker individually or for groups based on the room they are in. Everything stays in sync perfectly.

Voice control is also supported through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Just link your voice assistant in the Sonos app then you can issue voice commands to play music, check information, and control your smart home without needing your phone.

With such a straightforward setup and intuitive control options, the Sonos Era 300 Speakers deliver Sonos’ famous ease of use in a premium package. Next, we’ll look at how they integrate into whole-home smart environments.

Smart Home Integration

In addition to premium sound quality, the Sonos Era 300 integrates tightly with smart home ecosystems and voice assistants for seamless control. You get full access to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant right on the speakers.

The far-field microphones let you issue voice commands to play audio, look up information, control smart devices, make calls, set reminders, and more. Handling these tasks directly through the Era 300 rather than a separate smart speaker provides a more unified experience.

For home theater, the Era 300 makes excellent rear surround speakers when paired with a Sonos soundbar like the Beam, Arc or Ray. The speakers recreate immersive surround effects for movies and TV. Two Era 300s also perfectly buffer a TV’s weak built-in speakers for clearer, more powerful sound.

You can combine the Era 300 with other AirPlay 2, Chromecast or Alexa-enabled speakers for synchronized whole-home audio. Streaming from your mobile devices with AirPlay and Chromecast is seamless. And the speakers integrate smoothly into smart home platforms like SmartThings.

Expanding your system later on is easy too – add a Sonos Sub for thunderous bass or Amp to power bookshelf speakers. The Sonos Era 300 Speakers fit right in with the broader Sonos ecosystem.

With native smart features and compatibility with popular platforms, the Era 300 delivers intelligence and convenience beyond just excellent sound quality.

Hands-Free Voice Control

Specifically, having Alexa and Google Assistant built into the Sonos Era 300 Speakers makes them extremely convenient smart speakers. You can ask questions, get news updates, control your smart home, set timers and alarms, make calls, and manage your calendar completely hands-free.

No need to grab your phone or go to another room with a separate smart speaker. The Era 300’s far-field mics pick up voice commands clearly from across the room. You get the full versatility of a voice assistant without disruption.

When it comes to listening to music, you can request songs, playlists, radio stations, even genres and moods through voice commands. Just say “Hey Google, play some upbeat pop music” and the Era 300 will start streaming an appropriate playlist.

Home Theater Audio Enhancement

Integrating the Sonos Era 300 Speakers into your home theater setup as rear surrounds or as TV speaker buffers takes the experience to another level. Having matching Sonos speakers throughout creates a seamless, unified system.

As surrounds, the Sonos Era 300 Speakers are able to throw immersive effects around the room with exceptional precision thanks to their wide stereo separation. Action movies and shows feel like they immerse you in the action.

And even just using a pair of Era 300s to make weak built-in TV speakers sound better works wonderfully. You get clearer dialog and much fuller sound for movies, sports, and TV shows. The Sonos Era 300 Speakers integrate seamlessly to elevate any home theater.

Multi-Room Audio Groups

Grouping the Era 300 with other Sonos speakers or Alexa/Chromecast devices makes whole-home audio streaming simple. You can create different groups like “Downstairs” or “Patio” in the Sonos app and the Era 300 will sync perfectly.

Stream music from your phone using AirPlay or Cast to the Era 300 and the audio will play in sync across any other speakers in the group. No delay, no echo. It just has flawless multi-room sound.

You can easily move music from one room’s speaker to another as needed. And if you ask Alexa to play music, it will come through on all grouped speakers simultaneously for party-filling sound.

Conclusion & Final Review

The Sonos Era 300 Speakers make a compelling case for being among the best wireless smart speakers available today. With room-filling, detailed sound featuring Dolby Atmos support, the Era 300 outperforms many competitors both in audio fidelity and smart connectivity.

Considering similarly priced offerings from Bose, Denon and others, the Sonos Era 300 Speakers stand out for their wider soundstage, deeper bass, and greater clarity. The addition of built-in voice control gives Sonos the edge for convenience. The seamless integration with the Sonos app and the whole home audio system provides an unparalleled listening experience.

That said, there are a couple of downsides to weigh. First, the $499 price for a single Era 300 puts them on the more expensive end for bookshelf speakers without a sub. And unlike other Sonos speakers, they lack a headphone jack for private listening. However, these are minor drawbacks given the impressive performance.

For those looking to invest in premium wireless home audio, few products can match what the Sonos Era 300 speakers provide. Their room-filling, detailed sound and intuitive smart features create an immersive listening environment for music, movies, and more. For many buyers, the Era 300 will offer the ideal blend of audio fidelity and intelligence.

The Sonos Era 300 Speakers can be purchased directly from Sonos or electronics retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and B&H Photo for around $499 each ($998/pair). Optional accessories like wall mounts and speaker stands are also available. With its standout sound and smart connectivity, the Sonos Era 300 earns our strong recommendation.