Out and about or listening at home, these speakers are versatile, talented and sound great

The Era 300’s cinched hourglass design is born out of necessity

Image credit: Sony

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Sonos Era 300 £449

The Era 300 is a wireless smart speaker that comes packing all the goodness and seamlessness of a Sonos system, with a key stand-out feature that Sonos believes is the next generation of sound: spatial audio. Spatial audio uses the Dolby Atmos format to create multiple channels of audio (beyond the standard two) to deliver a greater sense of immersion. For music, which has been in good ol’ stereo for many decades, that’s quite a big change.

The 300’s divisive ‘cinched hourglass’ design is down to spatial audio playback needing a carefully considered but unusual arrangement of drivers that can fire out sound in all directions to deliver that ‘immersive’ audio experience – while still keeping a familial Sonos look.

Four tweeters (one forward-firing, two side-firing, one upward-firing) and two woofers (angled left and right for stereo playback) are complemented by custom waveguides that help direct sound out forwards, upwards, left and right, and each is powered by its own class-D amplifier. The upward-firing tweeter is loaded into a directional horn to reflect sound off the ceiling when playing Dolby Atmos music.

The spread of sound is immense from one single wireless speaker box. It solidly and cohesively projects sound further into the room and overhead more confidently than any other similar wireless speaker we have heard. Regardless of whether you are listening to stereo or spatial audio tracks, the rich tapestry of instruments and vocals all feel apiece. There’s solidity, ample detail and fluid dynamics, whether you are listening to an ’80s rock anthem or a piano-led classical piece. Songs are thrown out into the room with the kind of scale and power we would normally hear from much bigger speakers.

The meaty, taut, propulsive bassline in Rage Against The Machine’s Bullet In The Head is gorgeously textured and delivered effortlessly. There is punch and muscle to the crunchy guitars and spitting vocals alongside subtle but powerful dynamic shifts that keep everything flowing.

With spatial audio with Dolby Atmos tracks, the sound is flung far from the Era 300’s box. The ominous choral intro to Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ Unholy is delivered as a wall of sound that completely fills the room and envelops you, one that goes far beyond the confines of the speaker, and the spread of sound is so convincing that it’s hard to pinpoint where exactly the music is coming from.