I've had a few £15-£20k hifi systems over the years, always looking for the ultimate sound. I have 2 5's, 2 Era 300, 2 Subs & an Arc, the sound, clarity, base is incredible, in my opinion for the price it beats anything I've owned up to this point!
I was thinking about upgrading the Sonos move in my living room for listening to music and wasn’t sure what I could replace it with. After watching your ultimate guide I went with your suggestion of a single Era 300 and a sub mini. I was blown away with the quality of sound I got from that combination. The Era 300 by itself is a fantastic speaker but when you add the sub mini it just elevates the listening experience to a different level. My Sonos move, which is a great speaker by the way is now in my kitchen which turned out to be the perfect acoustic location for it. Keep up the good work and thanks for your suggestion.
How are you still liking this set up about one year later? I have a studio apartment very small and I’m thinking of getting the exact set up for my apartment to use for mostly music.
Great commentary and reviews! I have the arc - era 300's surrounds and two subs and the sound is unbelievable! The era 300 shines the most as surrounds for a home theater set up.
What about the in-ceiling speakers? I have a large weird shaped living room and don’t have anywhere to put surrounds behind me. They would need to go above so I’m thinking arc, 2 subs and 2 in-ceiling speakers with the amp. Any reason to do the era 300’s instead of the in-ceilings?
Thank you so much for taking time. I studied the company's website last night too. And I think the 300 E. R. A is the most open area with the great room. The dining area and the kitchen all open would work there and in the front. Small officer that's 10 / 12 NE RA 100 and in my master bath in E. R 100. Thank you for taking time to respond and putting your talent on the tube.
Excellent review across the spectrum of Sonos products. This is the type review needed when customers are on the fence with products to purchase. I'm in the process of setting up a second room. Current room includes the Arc, 2 Gen 3, a pair of SL 1 and 2 Sonos 5.
I got a pair of ERA300 at release with excitment to try "Spatial Audio". For me, these ERA 300 with Dolby Atmos tracks are worth every penny and can be astounding in how they fill the room, but also give stereo imaging you will think their is a center speaker. Sure some track mixes are not so well done but plenty of them already have blown me away. Ive been so impressed with these ERA 300, I have a Gen3 sub arriving to pair with them.
@@beardfm Ive not seen any video yet, take into account how much better the ERA 300 in a pair are with the sub. Nor what I think woild be interesting is a comparison of those in music with Dolby Atmos tracks compared to a pair of 5s with sub and using standard stereo audio versions of songs.
After reading on Sonos speakers for days for my needs, I am so thankful for this video! Reviewers in general can learn from this! If I had one question is this… For an open floor (kitchen, dinning, living in an L shape) where is the best placement for 2 x Era 300? Would you consider wall mounting? Good job and thanks again
Appreciate it! And wall mounting is cleaner than stands, if you have power easily accessible, but I'd put them towards the middle of the land side of the L (if your layout is conducive to that).
Thanks for the concise and detailed review. I have a medium size hall in a shared house so I am considerate of the noise. For this reason, I am thinking of buying the Sonos beam, 1 era 300 and sub mini. I am a music person, please let me know what you think.
You're welcome! Only 1 Era 300 won't be able to be used in a theater type setup. so I would suggest the Beam, Sub mini, and 2x Era 100s and that will be ideal.
WoW why didn't I see this earlier the week. You answered all my questions I had about what speakers or speakers to get, best video I have seen. You just got another subscriber 🎉
Have you compared the ultimate Sonos vs Bose 900 with sub and rear speakers? I have been a Bose fan for the longest but ready to do the switch. currently I have the Bose set up! Thanks! Great video!
My home theater set up consists of a Sony master series A90J 83 inch big screen along with a Sonos arc and one Stoos gem three sub along with a pair of souls five! My DVD player is the Panasonic UB 9000 4K VHS Blu-ray player! It’s totally awesome!!👌
I also want to add that the Roam is the perfect bathroom speaker! I leave it docked on the counter, and I've been bringing it into the shower since I got it.
And great run down, btw! As a Sonos person, I'm glad to have this as a resource to send to my Sonos-curious friends and family rather than explaining it myself lol
Wow, that means a lot! Thanks for watching and sharing 🙏🏼 just posted my Sonos Move 2 review as well! th-cam.com/video/DtQcJjioJY8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=KW56gR59c2r3rNW2
Awesome video!!! I know nothing about speakers but love music with great sound!! Not sure what inceiling sono speakers to use for family room and kitchen. Any suggestions?
Appreciate it! Now I haven’t tried the Sonos in-ceiling speakers extensively, I opted for Polk Audio speakers and a Denton receiver for my home theater.
Hope you can help me. I want a music system on my living room. I already have the homepod g2. Should I keep it or go for 300 in stereo? Price is not a factor. I can get the 300 for much cheaper price. Almost as the HP2.
Hi question: what is the size (sq. ft) of the room you are referring to for large and medium? My living room size is 10'6"x8'10". It opens up in a kitchen (8'8"x9'8") and dining (7'3"x7'1") area. There are no walls between the living, dining and kitchen. Thanks in advance
That was really helpful. I used to have only a Play:1 since about 6 years. Time to upgrade. I just ordered the Era 300 after I had my experience with that Dolby Atmos/AppleMusic listening with an Era300. I might even get the Sub Mini also with makes it even better. I am happy that my choice was not the Home Pod, even though this is almost as good.
Thanks Stephen. Very helpful review. I have 2 Play 3's (Gen 1?), 2 Play 5's (Gen 1?) and a sub (Gen 1?) and a play 1 (Gen 1?). I'm thinking of replacing the Play 5's with 2 Era 300's and the Play 1 with 2 Era 100's and adding a sub mini and keeping the sub (Gen 1) and the play 3's (taking advantage of the Sonos upgrade discounts). I would like to pair the Play 3's with the sub mini in a bedroom and the Era 300's with the Sub (gen 1) in the living room. The Era 100's would either be paired with the Era 300's in the living room or the Era 100's in the bedroom or just stand alone. If this makes sense, do you think this would work? Thanks in advance for your time and advice.
Hey John! I would lookup the compatibility of setting up the Era 300s with a Sub Gen1. I recall it’s not compatible with all the older speakers. If they’re not compatible, I’d pair the 300s with the new sub mini, that’s a great setup
Hey Stephen what's going on with the sonos app it is wise to still stick with sonos which seems like alot of people are moving away from it what can I do
Separate front speakers, Sonos 7.1, fantastic for Music A really good configuration for music, Sonos 7.1 Beam a sub mini and 2 Ikea picture frames as surrounds Then an additional 2 Ikea, in stereo pair, as support for front channels. Less volume on these. Run both systems at the same time. Easy to do in the app. Position a lot of volume on the surrounds, to get a very spacy sound in the room. Would like to test with Era 300.
Great video! I’ve got 7 play 1’s throughout the house for music. 2 in living room for “stereo”. What are your thoughts on a beam g2, mini sub and the two play ones in front for a modest budget tv sound system? I could use the plays as rears if I wanted to get stands, but trying to be minimalist. Thanks!!
Thanks! That would be a great setup, but you can't actually use the Play 1's as "front" speakers. Once you add a beam, the only other option is to add rear speakers. A Beam and Sub Mini is a great option though, with or without rears!
3 more comments: 1) For whole house background sound, I would get the Era 100s first and the Ones second. The Era 100s have better bass response and better fill the room with sound. The Ones work, just not as well. I wouldn't spend Era 300 money on background sound 2) For a relatively small workout area with a TV, just get a Ray with a Sub mini. 3) For smaller outside areas, the Roam works just fine 4) One caveat: the Sonos app can struggle with homes with a large number of speakers. This has been an ongoing issue for me
When plugging in an Apple TV my TV has eARC too. What is the correct wiring configuration? Does eARC on TV get plugged into soundbar or Apple TV? Then with 2 HomePods it’s works? The HomePods are connected via AirPlay so sound will come from sound bar and pods? This also works for using a gaming system?
Plug the Sonos into the ARC channel and Apple TV into eARC. Then if you plug a gaming system in any other HDMI port, the sound can come through the Sonos bar, or via HomePods via eARC + Apple TV. Now I’m not sure you’d want to run both Sonos and HomePods simultaneously as Dolby Atmos / surround effects may get a little muddled.
Hi Stephen! Great review. I currently have a Beam Gen 2. Contemplating on getting the Sub Mini but torn between Era 100 and 300 for my living room setup. What would you recommend?
I can also depend on where you place the rear surrounds. The Era 300 will probably do a bit better if they have room to fire the upper and side speakers to bounce off walls and ceiling for a more immersive Atmos sound bubble. I have the Beam Gen 2, Gen 3 sub, and One SLs are rear surrounds. My rear surrounds are against the back wall with the couch at around 2 feet away on either side. I haven't tried the Era 300 in the same position; but, it seems they would be too close to get maximin enveloping Atmos sound that close.
i dont have space for a soundbar under my tv stand and in my appartement its not allowed to hang the tv on the wall, so is a pair of sonos era 100 and a sub mini fine. for a nice tv setup in a medium size room?
Hi, I got 70m living room and kitchen and i want to buy sub gen 3 + arc and 2 era300 for music and movies is this enough or i should get some extra speakers?
Well when it comes to Sonos that’s the maximum you can setup for a single room home theater, no matter the size. But that setup should fill the room without issue!
I am currently restructuring my office and in the past I used the Sonos Five and honestly I think it is pretty solid. Though now I would like to also have two smaller speakers on my desk and combine them with my Sonos Five. In the other rooms I already use other Sonos speakers. Any recommendations for two smaller speakers? I also use Apple's ecosystem ...
Hey man I have a question - I bought the immersive set however was wondering if I could have the 300’s as left and right as opposed to being sat behind me … only because I don’t want wires running along the floor 😢thoughts?
Hey! Unfortunately there's no way to set them as front speakers, and it won't sound right if you just program them as rears and put them in front of you.
For someone who doesn't have a very big budget but cares so much about the quality of sound can you tell me or do a video on the Ikea Sonos speakers. Do they have a space where they could work well as a filler for sound? Are they a close second regarding the quality or are they not worth even purchasing.
You know, after making this video I realized I forgot those IKEA Sonos frames and lamps (since they’re not on Sonos’ website). I don’t have experience with them yet, but plan to review soon!
Thanks Stephen - one of the best recommendations I've seen so far! I have the Beam Gen2 but no subs and rears and have been wondering if 2x Homepod 2s wouldn't make a better setup for my smaller lounge for movies and music (Like you, I'm all ). After watching this, I'm leaning towards getting the sub mini and 2x Era100s to complete my setup 👍🏻
A single Era 300 wouldnt work for TV audio right? I would also need something like the soundbar? any recs? Soundbar under the TV + ERA 300 somewhere else in the room?
It'll offer better surround for sure, but if you're happy with the current setup it may not be worth the $700 to upgrade. The Arc and sub really do a lot of the heavy lifting
Wired vs Wireless question…with the following setup ARC,Sub gen3, 300’s is it a good idea to connect ARC/Subs via Ethernet and 300’s dongle /Ethernet? Will there be a delay between the 300’s and the rest of the system? In a 2nd room same setup with 100’s instead of 300’s same question about delay because of the dongle
I've only ever used the entire system wireless and it does a great job and removing delay. I you have the ability to hardwire the ARC and Sub, that's a good idea (my sub has had weird connection issues in the past), but isn't necessary.
You are wrong on 2 counts. 1) The ultimate no cost considered large room HT setup is the Arc plus 2 subs, 2 Era 300 rear surrounds AND a pair of front channel Era 300s 2) Sonos does not allow you to integrate the front Era 300s as part of your Arc system. However, you can pair the front Era 300s with the Arc system. I have this system. The addition of the Era 300s is a substantial improvement on the Arc alone and once you have 2 subs, you will never want to go back to one. This is truly great sound albeit at a HIGH cost. But this system rivals the Nakamichi Dragon
In a small villa (1600 sq.ft.) with an open floor plan I have two seperate bathrooms. Would like a 300 in the open area but which one for the master bath?
I have the Sonos Beam gen 2 and 2x Era 100s in my Room (has both TV and Computer), can I the Eras for surround speakers for my TV, then switch the Eras for Computer speakers without changing any setup?
I have 2 MOVE and 2 ROAM , each system pairing in stereo , i want to add an era 300 , and play them together , . i all ready have a really a good quality sound but i think with the era 300 will improve , what's your thinking about my thoughts ? i use them only for music
Honestly a single Era 300s will outperform those stereo pairs. But you can’t group those speakers in a theater type setup. If they’re all in the same room it may detract from the spatial audio of the 300
Unfortunately for movies you *need* to start with an Arc or Beam, then to add the 300s it needs to be a pair set as rear speakers. You can't just add one in a home theater setup.
I just bought a lovesac this weekend and wondering if there are speakers that I could put into the left and right arms of the couch? I don’t know anything about speakers but heard mixed reviews on the stealth tech that can be added to lovesac so trying to see how I could get the same experience with other speaker systems…
Hi ,Currently I have Sonos arc /sub gen 3/two one sl, Can I add era 300 on top of that?? In that case ,it could be 7.1.4?where can I leave the era300 ?either rear or the front, Thanks
Unfortunately you don't add any more speakers to that theater specifically. You would need a second Era 300 and use those two to replace the Sonos Son SLs as surrounds.
That would be a killer setup! Although if you don’t have a sub I think that makes a greater difference for home theater. So I would get era 100s as rears and take the money to get a sub mini
Well you can’t use it for movies unless you have a Sonos Arc or Beam as well, and even then you need a pair of 300s to add as a theater setup. For music it’s great by itself though!
Other reviewers have said the 300 was very impressive. I’m looking for great sound and don’t really care about atmos? I don’t think Spotify supports it either and if they do, is it with all tracks? I’m looking for one speaker that’s powerful loud and clear. Should I do the 5 or a 300?
Hm that’s a tough one. The 300 *is* impressive, but if you don’t want or care about Atmos / Spatial Audio, the Five is a nice choice too. Maybe buy from an easy return place like Best Buy, try the 300 and see if you do like the sound. Being a newer speaker is will probably be supported longer and get feature updates
I meant unimpressive. I am on the fence but I don’t want to have to buy a mini sub either. I understand it’s newer tech but not quite the powerful all in one sound output I’m looking for in a single speaker. I think the 300s are meant to work as a pair with a sub etc but as a standalone speaker it doesn’t quite cut it. I’m not investing thousands into a system and the 5 is currently on sale and like I said originally I’m looking for the power output and sound quality. I hope I’m not making the wrong choice tho lol. This will be in my bedroom. Down the road maybe I’ll get an arc for the tv. We’ll see but thanks for replying!!
The Fives have enough base to use as a stand alone speaker compared to the Era 300. I have two Fives as my rear surrounds for my Arc+dual sub set-up. You would most likely need to add the sub mini or full size sub with the Era 300 depending on music choice. Sonos has a 45 day return policy. I used it when I ordered the sub mini for my master bedroom Beam gen 1 and Symfonisk surrounds. The sub mini didn't fill the room compared to my Beam, Gen 3 Sub, and Symfonisk rears (later upgraded to One SLs). Both rooms were close to the same size with LG OLED 55" C1 or C9 TVs.
I bought the five! No regrets! The 300s are meant to be bought as a pair and used with a sub. Sonos is not dumb, they design these for people to buy more than one and make systems with. The 300 by itself is crap! Two 300s and a sub now you’re now talking but you’re paying $2000 😅
I own an Arc and a Gen2 Sub, and I'm considering adding two Sonos Era 300 speakers to my home theater setup. I wonder if it is possible to separate the home theater setup and exclusively use the Sonos Era 300 speakers for spatial audio? Additionally, I'm curious about the ease of switching back and forth between using the Arc setup and using only the Sonos Era 300 speakers.
Unfortunately you can’t play to the isolated pair of 300s once you’ve added them as rear speakers. And it’s a few minute process to disconnect as rears as just use a stereo pair. Plus you have to move them to a different “room” in the app in order to separate them from the Arc
Great video! I really appreciate the insights. I was wondering if you could give me a recommendation. I currently have an Arc in a large living room, but thinking about making a bedroom (13.5x11) into a media room. Should I move the Arc over and pair it with the 300s, or just get a Beam with 100s for that room. Love the idea of full spatial audio but worried it might overwhelm the room. Thanks in advance!
I'd say leave the Arc in the large living room and get a beam for the bedroom. Our is close to that size and a beam sounds great there. I would actually get a sub mini before 100s as surround as I prefer the bass for music *and* movies!
Can I use Sonos ecosystem with android? I'm thinking to start building my home theater with soundbar Sony ht A5000 or Bose 600 or Sonos. Could I play music from my Android to Sonos Beam/Arc on Spotify?
Thanks for the video and recommendations! Agree that ERA300 is a great speaker. But what if it has to sit on a shelf, thus with little space around it? The drivers on the sides and top will underperform, in which case the Sonos Five, with its front drivers only, is a much better option
Good point, if you plan to put it win a shelf where it's blocks on almost all sides, the Sonos Five is good, but the Era 100s might be the best option!
Much appreciated Stephen@@beardfm ! I am looking for an office speaker to listen to music only and hesitating in between the era300 and the Five, so era100 is not an option for now:) Keep up your excellent reviews!
All depends how high-end you get in-ceiling and in-wall speakers. I got pretty middle of the road to low end speakers, so the Sonos sound better overall. But 7 in-wall and in-ceiling speakers is nice too.
Thanks Captain America just wondering if there a way to use Dolby Atmos from from television on the Era 300, they should have included a eArc HDMI input
I have the Sonos Arch and the Sub (Gen 3) but I'm hoping to purchase a pair of the Sonos Era 300. The review you made is awesome! However, I do have a question regarding the Sub (Gen 3) placement. Mine is currently to the side of my television aobut a foot away and I was curious if that will hurt my television, which is only about a year old? The main reason I'm asking is because I remember that in the past, image distortion problems were brought on by speakers with magnets put close to vintage projection televisions.
Thanks! is the sub on the floor and TV on a stand or mounted on the wall? Overall I doubt it would hurt your TV, but if you're concerning you could move it a little farther. I don't think it's a problem though.
Hi, my quetion is as follow: I hava the following setup: Sonos Arc, sub and two rear sonos One SL. Can I seperatly install two sonos Era 300, at the living room, just to hear music? would they be better than sonos five? Thanks.
I think with the rise in Spatial Audio tracks, the Era 300s would produce a better / more immersive sound than the fives. Since you already have the One SL's as rear speakers, I think leaving the 300s as a standalone pair would be great.
Excellent job! I am a subscriber now! Question. I have the arc, era 300 pair and sub 3.. when I just wanna listen to music, I don’t know how to turn off the arc and only have the era 300s play. Is that possible? They are currently set up in surround mode..
Thanks Rick! Unfortunately once the 300s are added as surrounds they can’t be played as a pair. *And* their forward firing tweeter is disabled as surround setups. You’d have to remove them from the theater setup and create a pair. It’s annoying.
Hi, I currently own a set of Logitech Z906 and Sonos sounds like a good option to remove clutter, but I use a windows PC (optical w DD/DTS thanks to soundblaster audio card), Chromecast Audio for spotify streaming (3.5) and a TV (optical and TV only has ARC, no eARC), I just switch with one button in the logitech receiver when needed. Would any speaker in the Sonos ecosystem work with my setup?
Pretty sure the Sonos Beam and Arc will work with a TV that just has ARC capability. And if either of those work you can combine many of the other speakers and subs for home theater!
@@beardfm thank you so much for the reply! I had never researched Sonos before and your video has been a great help to point me in the right direction. I might end up going with Beam + Sub Mini.
Hi! Geat straigh forward review!! Thanks! BTW I've a Beam Gen2 + Sub mini, for movies on a aprox. 260sqf room which would be the best/more adequate surrounds? The 300s or 100s?... Cheers
I mean the 300s would be wild in that setup but probably won’t be a massive difference to two Era 100s. The mid, center tweet is disabled when using the Era 300s as surrounds anyway.
@@beardfm steph, thanks for your input! Regarding the 300 I would consider them as great addition as atmos inputs due to the up firing capability. Am I thinking right? Cheers
Been rocking the Arc, dual subs and the Fives as rears. I'm trying to resist getting the ERA 300's. I'm very curious tho if they make that much of a difference.
Sorry but the Era300’s are the missing link in Sonos cinema config for many of us. The soundstage front to back has never sounded so well integrated. I replaced my Play5’s with Era300’s and they just make the system complete like it never was before. Sonos really should have released similar speakers for rear surround duty when they first launched the ARC. A similar speaker without all the extra bits (mic, Bluetooth, line in) would be cheaper and still do a fantastic surround job, so much better than using traditional speakers. If they bring out an Era500 in the future, I will definitely try them and if they turn out to be great, I’ll move the Era300’s into my Beam2 setup as rears for that. But like I say the cost could be so much cheaper if they start selling sets purely aimed at Sonos cinema users. Perhaps an SL version without the extras. Rest assured if you have a large room with space behind your listening position you won’t be disappointed the day you upgrade your surround speakers.
That's always a risk, but the current product lineup really has all the features *I would want* for home theater. And Dolby Atmos is going to be the top standard for audio for a while, which the Arc supports. I would still buy one today!
I am from an old school.... using cables to hook up my amplifier to speakers is still my best option. I hope this method is still around for many years to come. 😊
@beardfm perhaps you can help me, bro. I use a Samsung mobile phone when watching TH-cam, but I am having a problem connecting it to my Sonos speaker. The TH-cam keeps saying there is no device. Thank you. :)
Thanks for the review, it was excellent. I have a TV room set up with Arc , Sub Gen 3 and two one SL . This was my first Sonos set up and I love it. I have smaller room set up with TV and pool table , I haven't set up Sonos yet but I was offered a Ray. I was thinking adding Ray and also adding a 300 or five to help fill the room. Would i be able to connect Ray with Five or 300 and or should I. My main goal would be for music but also nice to have good sound for TV especially sports.
That's a tough combo. You would only be able to add a set of rear speakers (two era 300s) to the ray, but then the front tweeter is disabled. I would probably add a sub mini to the ray, this way you can use both for movies and music.
@@beardfm Thanks Stephen! With a blank slate (no ray) what would you recommend for pool room, with 55 tV . 80% want for music in room and 20% for TV/sports.
I bought the Five 2weeks before the release of the 100 & 300, its an amazing music station with some amazing boom to it. I managed to swap the Five for the 300 & its a slight downgrade in the Bass section & power, but overall a nice upgrade. I'm wondering if I can use 1 Era 300 with the 1 Sub or Sub - Mini. How would it work connecting to a tv.
Thanks! I mean, it would sound great but since the turntable isn’t Spatial audio it wouldn’t be utilizing all the era features. A five is ideal for the turntable I think.
As of right now Spotify does not have Spatial Audio or Dolby Atmos tracks: www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/what-is-dolby-atmos-music-and-how-to-get-it/#dt-heading-how-can-i-listen-to-dolby-atmos-music
I have 2 fives now with a sub but wanting to get 6 in ceiling speakers to replace the 2 fives i hope the sound is better with the in ceiling speakers from sonos
Great Review Stephen - I wish I had seen this before buying the SONOS ERA 300! I have an ARC system with a Sub Gen 3 and 2 SONOS ONE (Gen 2) rear speakers. I was really impressed by the SONOS ERA 300’s specifications and in particular its ability to handle ATMOS tracks. I thought I could add the SONOS ERA 300 to my Home Theatre system as “side” speakers but NO! SONOS Home Theatre only supports ARC (3) and two rear speakers plus one or two Sub Gen 3’s. My choice is now to replace my two rear speakers with ERA 300’s or to send the ERA 300 back. I rang SONOS to find out how I could connect the SONOS ERA 300 to my ARC and keep the two rear channels. Not possible says Support! The best they could suggest is creating a new room and grouping the rooms so that when music is played then all speakers play. For Home Theatre this does not work. It is really disappointing SONOS Home Theatre is restricted to its positional restrictions. (Front Left, Centre, Front Right - ARC), (Rear Left and Rear Right - SONOS ONE / 100 / ERA 300’s) and Subs (2 SUB GEN 3). Home Theatre should allow side channels as well. Today ATMOS is supposed to support digital all around sound. Most of the ATMOS effects are left to the ARC. Perhaps by adding 2 rear ERA 300’s some ATMOS effects may go to the rear speakers but I am uncertain. Clearly the base sounds come from the SUB GEN 3 (from one direction) , ATMOS is meant to be digital surround so if there is an explosion behind you it should come from behind and not from the front. Don’t know how SONOS can fix this because they seem constrained by the positions of the speakers .
Appreciate it! And it *is* unfortunate Sonos won't allow a dedicated Left / Right speaker in a home theater. I imagine your experience would improve by replacing the Sonos One's with the Era 300s, and they will have a better surround sound. I would recommend trying to swap them out in your setup, see how much of a difference you hear, and make your decision after that. The two 300s would be great in another room for dedicated music speakers, but you could also save $900 by keeping your One's in the setup...
@@beardfm Thank You Stephen! One might have hoped SONOS would be more innovative and allowing 7 channels rather than restricting it to 5. The cost of upgrading the SONOS ONE (Gen 2) to 2 ERA 300’s is more than just the cost of the 2 speakers as the ERA 300’s won’t sit on the existing stands. Some people have used SONOS 5 (Gen 2) as rear speakers but these do not have ATMOS support. The ERA 300’s should be better than both the SONOS ONE (Gen 2) and the SONOS 5 (Gen 2) but at a huge cost. ATMOS should be digital surround. How is the ATMOS channels shared between the ARC and the ERA 300’s. It seems SONOS is trying to retrofit ATMOS to a 5 Channel Architecture. I have a pair of HomePods (Gen 1) on another TV. Apple sends ATMOS to both speakers. Hopefully one day Apple will support 4 + HomePods in all the corners of the room. This could provide better ATMOS support than SONOS. Interestingly the SONY HT A9 has gone down this path. The cost of another ERA 300 and stands just does not seem to be justifiable.
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This has to be one of the best review videos I have ever seen for Sonos ecosystem. Excellent.
Wow, appreciate that!
It really is..awesome coverage!
Fr I’ve been looking for exactly this type of Sonos info for so long
Agreed. Bro doesn’t waste time or waste words.
I've had a few £15-£20k hifi systems over the years, always looking for the ultimate sound. I have 2 5's, 2 Era 300, 2 Subs & an Arc, the sound, clarity, base is incredible, in my opinion for the price it beats anything I've owned up to this point!
The value is pretty great, and it's super simple to setup. I agree!
base?!
I was thinking about upgrading the Sonos move in my living room for listening to music and wasn’t sure what I could replace it with. After watching your ultimate guide I went with your suggestion of a single Era 300 and a sub mini. I was blown away with the quality of sound I got from that combination. The Era 300 by itself is a fantastic speaker but when you add the sub mini it just elevates the listening experience to a different level. My Sonos move, which is a great speaker by the way is now in my kitchen which turned out to be the perfect acoustic location for it. Keep up the good work and thanks for your suggestion.
Wow, thanks for sharing this. And glad your experience matches mine! Appreciate it 🙏
How are you still liking this set up about one year later? I have a studio apartment very small and
I’m thinking of getting the exact set up for my apartment to use for mostly music.
Great commentary and reviews! I have the arc - era 300's surrounds and two subs and the sound is unbelievable! The era 300 shines the most as surrounds for a home theater set up.
Phew I bet that sounds AMAZING!
I agree, I have the immersive set, and it sound absolutely amazing, i rewatching all my atmos movies.
What about the in-ceiling speakers? I have a large weird shaped living room and don’t have anywhere to put surrounds behind me. They would need to go above so I’m thinking arc, 2 subs and 2 in-ceiling speakers with the amp. Any reason to do the era 300’s instead of the in-ceilings?
Thank you so much for taking time. I studied the company's website last night too. And I think the 300 E. R. A is the most open area with the great room. The dining area and the kitchen all open would work there and in the front. Small officer that's 10 / 12 NE RA 100 and in my master bath in E. R 100. Thank you for taking time to respond and putting your talent on the tube.
Glad this was helpful, and I think you'll be happy with that setup!
Excellent review across the spectrum of Sonos products. This is the type review needed when customers are on the fence with products to purchase.
I'm in the process of setting up a second room.
Current room includes the Arc, 2 Gen 3, a pair of SL 1 and 2 Sonos 5.
Thank you! And that will be a sick setup!
I got a pair of ERA300 at release with excitment to try "Spatial Audio". For me, these ERA 300 with Dolby Atmos tracks are worth every penny and can be astounding in how they fill the room, but also give stereo imaging you will think their is a center speaker. Sure some track mixes are not so well done but plenty of them already have blown me away. Ive been so impressed with these ERA 300, I have a Gen3 sub arriving to pair with them.
Oh man, with a Sub Gen3 that’s gonna be incredible!
@@beardfm Ive not seen any video yet, take into account how much better the ERA 300 in a pair are with the sub. Nor what I think woild be interesting is a comparison of those in music with Dolby Atmos tracks compared to a pair of 5s with sub and using standard stereo audio versions of songs.
What are they like listening to non-special audio?
With music experience era 300 is amazing but while watching movies it’s not that impressive !
After reading on Sonos speakers for days for my needs, I am so thankful for this video! Reviewers in general can learn from this! If I had one question is this… For an open floor (kitchen, dinning, living in an L shape) where is the best placement for 2 x Era 300? Would you consider wall mounting? Good job and thanks again
Appreciate it! And wall mounting is cleaner than stands, if you have power easily accessible, but I'd put them towards the middle of the land side of the L (if your layout is conducive to that).
We have Sonos speakers and love them. We also have a Move to take outside, garage, etc.
That Move is surprisingly great!
Thanks for the concise and detailed review. I have a medium size hall in a shared house so I am considerate of the noise. For this reason, I am thinking of buying the Sonos beam, 1 era 300 and sub mini. I am a music person, please let me know what you think.
You're welcome! Only 1 Era 300 won't be able to be used in a theater type setup. so I would suggest the Beam, Sub mini, and 2x Era 100s and that will be ideal.
WoW why didn't I see this earlier the week. You answered all my questions I had about what speakers or speakers to get, best video I have seen. You just got another subscriber 🎉
Appreciate that, glad it was helpful!
Have you compared the ultimate Sonos vs Bose 900 with sub and rear speakers? I have been a Bose fan for the longest but ready to do the switch. currently I have the Bose set up! Thanks! Great video!
Thanks! Haven’t compared to anything Bose unfortunately.
My home theater set up consists of a Sony master series A90J 83 inch big screen along with a Sonos arc and one Stoos gem three sub along with a pair of souls five! My DVD player is the Panasonic UB 9000 4K VHS Blu-ray player! It’s totally awesome!!👌
I also want to add that the Roam is the perfect bathroom speaker! I leave it docked on the counter, and I've been bringing it into the shower since I got it.
And great run down, btw! As a Sonos person, I'm glad to have this as a resource to send to my Sonos-curious friends and family rather than explaining it myself lol
Wow, that means a lot! Thanks for watching and sharing 🙏🏼 just posted my Sonos Move 2 review as well! th-cam.com/video/DtQcJjioJY8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=KW56gR59c2r3rNW2
Awesome video!!! I know nothing about speakers but love music with great sound!! Not sure what inceiling sono speakers to use for family room and kitchen. Any suggestions?
Appreciate it! Now I haven’t tried the Sonos in-ceiling speakers extensively, I opted for Polk Audio speakers and a Denton receiver for my home theater.
Hope you can help me. I want a music system on my living room. I already have the homepod g2. Should I keep it or go for 300 in stereo? Price is not a factor. I can get the 300 for much cheaper price. Almost as the HP2.
Hi question: what is the size (sq. ft) of the room you are referring to for large and medium? My living room size is 10'6"x8'10". It opens up in a kitchen (8'8"x9'8") and dining (7'3"x7'1") area. There are no walls between the living, dining and kitchen. Thanks in advance
That was really helpful. I used to have only a Play:1 since about 6 years. Time to upgrade. I just ordered the Era 300 after I had my experience with that Dolby Atmos/AppleMusic listening with an Era300. I might even get the Sub Mini also with makes it even better. I am happy that my choice was not the Home Pod, even though this is almost as good.
Glad this helped! The Era 300 + a sub mini would be great too 😏
Great reviews, but what is the difference between a large, medium and small room? How large is large?
I would say large is 18x18 or similar and larger. Medium, 14x14 to 18 x 18, smaller is under that.
The Sonos Move is one of the best pieces of tech i've ever bought.
Beam gen2, would u recommend using ONE era300 centered behind the couch until saved up enough for another one? Might take a while.
Thanks Stephen. Very helpful review. I have 2 Play 3's (Gen 1?), 2 Play 5's (Gen 1?) and a sub (Gen 1?) and a play 1 (Gen 1?). I'm thinking of replacing the Play 5's with 2 Era 300's and the Play 1 with 2 Era 100's and adding a sub mini and keeping the sub (Gen 1) and the play 3's (taking advantage of the Sonos upgrade discounts). I would like to pair the Play 3's with the sub mini in a bedroom and the Era 300's with the Sub (gen 1) in the living room. The Era 100's would either be paired with the Era 300's in the living room or the Era 100's in the bedroom or just stand alone. If this makes sense, do you think this would work? Thanks in advance for your time and advice.
Hey John! I would lookup the compatibility of setting up the Era 300s with a Sub Gen1. I recall it’s not compatible with all the older speakers.
If they’re not compatible, I’d pair the 300s with the new sub mini, that’s a great setup
@@beardfm thanks
Hey Stephen what's going on with the sonos app it is wise to still stick with sonos which seems like alot of people are moving away from it what can I do
I mean absolutely great content but do you mind sharing how you classify these room sizes??
Small would be 10x10 or less, medium up to 16x16, large would be anything higher
Very nice review! One question: what do you consider “large” and “medium” rooms, area wise?
Large would be 20x20 or bigger. Medium would be 12x12 to 20x20 in my mind.
Separate front speakers, Sonos 7.1, fantastic for Music
A really good configuration for music, Sonos 7.1
Beam a sub mini and 2 Ikea picture frames as surrounds
Then an additional 2 Ikea, in stereo pair, as support for front channels. Less volume on these.
Run both systems at the same time. Easy to do in the app.
Position a lot of volume on the surrounds, to get a very spacy sound in the room.
Would like to test with Era 300.
I’ve heard good things about those picture frames…
@@beardfm yes at least was a lot better base than Sonos one. Probably also better than Era 100
Hi
Can you pls suggest is Sonos era 100 is better or Bose revolve plus 2
Pls suggest
Great video!
I’ve got 7 play 1’s throughout the house for music. 2 in living room for “stereo”. What are your thoughts on a beam g2, mini sub and the two play ones in front for a modest budget tv sound system? I could use the plays as rears if I wanted to get stands, but trying to be minimalist.
Thanks!!
Thanks! That would be a great setup, but you can't actually use the Play 1's as "front" speakers. Once you add a beam, the only other option is to add rear speakers. A Beam and Sub Mini is a great option though, with or without rears!
3 more comments:
1) For whole house background sound, I would get the Era 100s first and the Ones second. The Era 100s have better bass response and better fill the room with sound. The Ones work, just not as well. I wouldn't spend Era 300 money on background sound
2) For a relatively small workout area with a TV, just get a Ray with a Sub mini.
3) For smaller outside areas, the Roam works just fine
4) One caveat: the Sonos app can struggle with homes with a large number of speakers. This has been an ongoing issue for me
When plugging in an Apple TV my TV has eARC too. What is the correct wiring configuration? Does eARC on TV get plugged into soundbar or Apple TV? Then with 2 HomePods it’s works? The HomePods are connected via AirPlay so sound will come from sound bar and pods? This also works for using a gaming system?
Plug the Sonos into the ARC channel and Apple TV into eARC. Then if you plug a gaming system in any other HDMI port, the sound can come through the Sonos bar, or via HomePods via eARC + Apple TV. Now I’m not sure you’d want to run both Sonos and HomePods simultaneously as Dolby Atmos / surround effects may get a little muddled.
Hi Stephen! Great review. I currently have a Beam Gen 2. Contemplating on getting the Sub Mini but torn between Era 100 and 300 for my living room setup. What would you recommend?
Depends on the size, but overall the Era 300s will create a much more immersive surround sound. Smaller rooms would do ok with era 100s
I can also depend on where you place the rear surrounds. The Era 300 will probably do a bit better if they have room to fire the upper and side speakers to bounce off walls and ceiling for a more immersive Atmos sound bubble. I have the Beam Gen 2, Gen 3 sub, and One SLs are rear surrounds. My rear surrounds are against the back wall with the couch at around 2 feet away on either side. I haven't tried the Era 300 in the same position; but, it seems they would be too close to get maximin enveloping Atmos sound that close.
The 2 of them sound very, very good ugh 👍🏼
i dont have space for a soundbar under my tv stand and in my appartement its not allowed to hang the tv on the wall, so is a pair of sonos era 100 and a sub mini fine. for a nice tv setup in a medium size room?
Hi,
I got 70m living room and kitchen and i want to buy sub gen 3 + arc and 2 era300 for music and movies is this enough or i should get some extra speakers?
Well when it comes to Sonos that’s the maximum you can setup for a single room home theater, no matter the size. But that setup should fill the room without issue!
@@beardfm so do you mean after i add sonos arc + sub+ 2 era 300 i cant add anymore speakers?
Great video! Would you recommend pairing the Arc with the Sub Mini? Im not sure if I can justify almost double the price for the Gen3 sub.
Yes! That will sound great too
I am currently restructuring my office and in the past I used the Sonos Five and honestly I think it is pretty solid. Though now I would like to also have two smaller speakers on my desk and combine them with my Sonos Five. In the other rooms I already use other Sonos speakers. Any recommendations for two smaller speakers? I also use Apple's ecosystem ...
Sonos era 100s would be perfect!
What a great succinct review.
Glad it was helpful!
I have a 75 inch TV in living room. Do you think this setup is enough for daily use? Arc + sub mini + 2 era 100? Thanks
Oh for sure! that'll sound great
Which one would be great for a garage?
An era 300 would be great, or a Sonos Move so you can move it around would be nice.
@@beardfm thanks I have a home pod gen 2 but I feel like it could be a bit louder
Hey man I have a question - I bought the immersive set however was wondering if I could have the 300’s as left and right as opposed to being sat behind me … only because I don’t want wires running along the floor 😢thoughts?
Hey! Unfortunately there's no way to set them as front speakers, and it won't sound right if you just program them as rears and put them in front of you.
For someone who doesn't have a very big budget but cares so much about the quality of sound can you tell me or do a video on the Ikea Sonos speakers. Do they have a space where they could work well as a filler for sound? Are they a close second regarding the quality or are they not worth even purchasing.
You know, after making this video I realized I forgot those IKEA Sonos frames and lamps (since they’re not on Sonos’ website). I don’t have experience with them yet, but plan to review soon!
Thanks Stephen - one of the best recommendations I've seen so far! I have the Beam Gen2 but no subs and rears and have been wondering if 2x Homepod 2s wouldn't make a better setup for my smaller lounge for movies and music (Like you, I'm all ). After watching this, I'm leaning towards getting the sub mini and 2x Era100s to complete my setup 👍🏻
Thank you! That sub mini will make a huge difference on its own. But pair with two Era 300s and you’ll have an amazing home theater!
A single Era 300 wouldnt work for TV audio right? I would also need something like the soundbar? any recs? Soundbar under the TV + ERA 300 somewhere else in the room?
Correct, you need a Beam or arc to connect the 300s, and even then you need a pair of 300s to work in a theater setup.
I have the arc n sub with two SL ONE. Is it worth it to upgrade to two 300s?
It'll offer better surround for sure, but if you're happy with the current setup it may not be worth the $700 to upgrade. The Arc and sub really do a lot of the heavy lifting
Can I use the sound bar for karaoke?
Wired vs Wireless question…with the following setup ARC,Sub gen3, 300’s is it a good idea to connect ARC/Subs via Ethernet and 300’s dongle /Ethernet? Will there be a delay between the 300’s and the rest of the system?
In a 2nd room same setup with 100’s instead of 300’s same question about delay because of the dongle
I've only ever used the entire system wireless and it does a great job and removing delay. I you have the ability to hardwire the ARC and Sub, that's a good idea (my sub has had weird connection issues in the past), but isn't necessary.
You are wrong on 2 counts.
1) The ultimate no cost considered large room HT setup is the Arc plus 2 subs, 2 Era 300 rear surrounds AND a pair of front channel Era 300s
2) Sonos does not allow you to integrate the front Era 300s as part of your Arc system. However, you can pair the front Era 300s with the Arc system.
I have this system. The addition of the Era 300s is a substantial improvement on the Arc alone and once you have 2 subs, you will never want to go back to one. This is truly great sound albeit at a HIGH cost. But this system rivals the Nakamichi Dragon
In a small villa (1600 sq.ft.) with an open floor plan I have two seperate bathrooms. Would like a 300 in the open area but which one for the master bath?
I’d do an Era 100 for the bathroom. Or at most stereo pair of those
So, I’m new to integrated sound systems. Do all of these different speaker systems connect to each other over WiFi?
Yes, they all connect to your home wifi (or the sound bars and subs can connect via Ethernet)
Have a Sonos beam gen 2. Would you recommend the sub mini or one of the new era products to compliment it?
Sub mini for sure.
I have the Sonos Beam gen 2 and 2x Era 100s in my Room (has both TV and Computer), can I the Eras for surround speakers for my TV, then switch the Eras for Computer speakers without changing any setup?
Unfortunately you have to switch the function of the eras from theater rears to a stereo pair every time
Did the lack of front firing driver for ERA 300s in surround setup with ARC/Sub create a difference ?
Not in my testing, the upward and side firing tweeters plus woofers sounded great in that setup.
In that setup you won’t miss the front firing drivers. I recently discovered that this was even an issue.
I have 2 MOVE and 2 ROAM , each system pairing in stereo , i want to add an era 300 , and play them together , . i all ready have a really a good quality sound but i think with the era 300 will improve , what's your thinking about my thoughts ? i use them only for music
Honestly a single Era 300s will outperform those stereo pairs. But you can’t group those speakers in a theater type setup. If they’re all in the same room it may detract from the spatial audio of the 300
Can you get 1 Sonos Era 300 + Mini-sub for a medium living room for both music and movies?
Unfortunately for movies you *need* to start with an Arc or Beam, then to add the 300s it needs to be a pair set as rear speakers. You can't just add one in a home theater setup.
Question. I'm getting a Sonos Ray, but should I match it with two Symfonisk(The big lamp ones) or two Era 100? Cost the same. Where I am at.
I’d go Era 100. Newer speaker, each one capable of delivering stereo sound.
@@beardfm Much appreciated!
I just bought a lovesac this weekend and wondering if there are speakers that I could put into the left and right arms of the couch? I don’t know anything about speakers but heard mixed reviews on the stealth tech that can be added to lovesac so trying to see how I could get the same experience with other speaker systems…
I haven’t tried the lovesac built-in speakers, but you could get some Era 300s on stands to it behind the couch!
will ya be reviewing the ARC ULTRA and sub GEN 4 ?
Trying to get my hands on them!
Have you compared to Amazon echo speakers ? Sonos worth the upgrade? Also -How about the port vs the link ?
Sorry, haven’t tried any of those!
Hi ,Currently I have Sonos arc /sub gen 3/two one sl,
Can I add era 300 on top of that?? In that case ,it could be 7.1.4?where can I leave the era300 ?either rear or the front,
Thanks
Unfortunately you don't add any more speakers to that theater specifically. You would need a second Era 300 and use those two to replace the Sonos Son SLs as surrounds.
What's your thoughts on an Arc, gen 3 sub x 1, and 2 x 300's for rear's in a 4m x 4m room? With the 300's wall mount in the corners?
It sounds amazing. I review that exact setup here: th-cam.com/video/l_589nnx1kk/w-d-xo.html
what is the best SOURCE of music for the era 300 speaker?
Sonos app, this way it plays Dolby Atmos content
Which other system will be able to compete with the Sonos complete system?
A dedicated receiver + speakers
What’s your thoughts on the beam Gen2 with 2 Sonos 300 s for rear speakers? Using both for movies and music.
That would be a killer setup! Although if you don’t have a sub I think that makes a greater difference for home theater. So I would get era 100s as rears and take the money to get a sub mini
No worries, thanks.
how's the sonos era 300 if i only want to use it for movies and stereo music?
Well you can’t use it for movies unless you have a Sonos Arc or Beam as well, and even then you need a pair of 300s to add as a theater setup. For music it’s great by itself though!
Other reviewers have said the 300 was very impressive. I’m looking for great sound and don’t really care about atmos? I don’t think Spotify supports it either and if they do, is it with all tracks? I’m looking for one speaker that’s powerful loud and clear. Should I do the 5 or a 300?
Hm that’s a tough one. The 300 *is* impressive, but if you don’t want or care about Atmos / Spatial Audio, the Five is a nice choice too. Maybe buy from an easy return place like Best Buy, try the 300 and see if you do like the sound. Being a newer speaker is will probably be supported longer and get feature updates
I meant unimpressive. I am on the fence but I don’t want to have to buy a mini sub either. I understand it’s newer tech but not quite the powerful all in one sound output I’m looking for in a single speaker. I think the 300s are meant to work as a pair with a sub etc but as a standalone speaker it doesn’t quite cut it. I’m not investing thousands into a system and the 5 is currently on sale and like I said originally I’m looking for the power output and sound quality. I hope I’m not making the wrong choice tho lol. This will be in my bedroom. Down the road maybe I’ll get an arc for the tv. We’ll see but thanks for replying!!
The Fives have enough base to use as a stand alone speaker compared to the Era 300. I have two Fives as my rear surrounds for my Arc+dual sub set-up. You would most likely need to add the sub mini or full size sub with the Era 300 depending on music choice.
Sonos has a 45 day return policy. I used it when I ordered the sub mini for my master bedroom Beam gen 1 and Symfonisk surrounds. The sub mini didn't fill the room compared to my Beam, Gen 3 Sub, and Symfonisk rears (later upgraded to One SLs). Both rooms were close to the same size with LG OLED 55" C1 or C9 TVs.
I bought the five! No regrets! The 300s are meant to be bought as a pair and used with a sub. Sonos is not dumb, they design these for people to buy more than one and make systems with. The 300 by itself is crap! Two 300s and a sub now you’re now talking but you’re paying $2000 😅
I own an Arc and a Gen2 Sub, and I'm considering adding two Sonos Era 300 speakers to my home theater setup. I wonder if it is possible to separate the home theater setup and exclusively use the Sonos Era 300 speakers for spatial audio? Additionally, I'm curious about the ease of switching back and forth between using the Arc setup and using only the Sonos Era 300 speakers.
Unfortunately you can’t play to the isolated pair of 300s once you’ve added them as rear speakers. And it’s a few minute process to disconnect as rears as just use a stereo pair. Plus you have to move them to a different “room” in the app in order to separate them from the Arc
Great video! I really appreciate the insights. I was wondering if you could give me a recommendation. I currently have an Arc in a large living room, but thinking about making a bedroom (13.5x11) into a media room. Should I move the Arc over and pair it with the 300s, or just get a Beam with 100s for that room. Love the idea of full spatial audio but worried it might overwhelm the room. Thanks in advance!
I'd say leave the Arc in the large living room and get a beam for the bedroom. Our is close to that size and a beam sounds great there. I would actually get a sub mini before 100s as surround as I prefer the bass for music *and* movies!
@@beardfm Alright, really appreciate the advice! Subbed!
This is the best review for sonos room setup/ recommendations
Thank you!! Tried to be thorough
Can I use Sonos ecosystem with android? I'm thinking to start building my home theater with soundbar Sony ht A5000 or Bose 600 or Sonos. Could I play music from my Android to Sonos Beam/Arc on Spotify?
You can use the Sonos app on Android for that yes!
I probably fall in the medium room movies/music category.
I am thinking of buying the beam Gen 2 with Sub Gen 3 and two Era 300’s.
Is this overkill?
Maybe, but it will sound amazing! If you want to save on the setup, you can go sub mini instead of gen 3, and era 100s instead of 300s.
@@beardfm so if I got the Arc with Sub gen 3 and Era 300 that would be the peek of amazing sound.
Yes, of course much more expensive
Thanks for the video and recommendations! Agree that ERA300 is a great speaker. But what if it has to sit on a shelf, thus with little space around it? The drivers on the sides and top will underperform, in which case the Sonos Five, with its front drivers only, is a much better option
Good point, if you plan to put it win a shelf where it's blocks on almost all sides, the Sonos Five is good, but the Era 100s might be the best option!
Much appreciated Stephen@@beardfm ! I am looking for an office speaker to listen to music only and hesitating in between the era300 and the Five, so era100 is not an option for now:) Keep up your excellent reviews!
How do the in-wall and in-ceiling speakers compare?
All depends how high-end you get in-ceiling and in-wall speakers. I got pretty middle of the road to low end speakers, so the Sonos sound better overall. But 7 in-wall and in-ceiling speakers is nice too.
Thanks Captain America
just wondering if there a way to use Dolby Atmos from from television on the Era 300, they should have included a eArc HDMI input
There’s not unfortunately. HDMI port would have been nice. Sonos Beam is a better bet for hone theater
I have the Sonos Arch and the Sub (Gen 3) but I'm hoping to purchase a pair of the Sonos Era 300. The review you made is awesome!
However, I do have a question regarding the Sub (Gen 3) placement. Mine is currently to the side of my television aobut a foot away and I was curious if that will hurt my television, which is only about a year old?
The main reason I'm asking is because I remember that in the past, image distortion problems were brought on by speakers with magnets put close to vintage projection televisions.
Thanks! is the sub on the floor and TV on a stand or mounted on the wall? Overall I doubt it would hurt your TV, but if you're concerning you could move it a little farther. I don't think it's a problem though.
Yeah I want a single 300 and a sub mini. So was looking for what others thought. A lot of my music is atmos. Thanks man!
You’re welcome! That’ll sound great 🔊
Hi, my quetion is as follow: I hava the following setup: Sonos Arc, sub and two rear sonos One SL. Can I seperatly install two sonos Era 300, at the living room, just to hear music? would they be better than sonos five? Thanks.
I think with the rise in Spatial Audio tracks, the Era 300s would produce a better / more immersive sound than the fives. Since you already have the One SL's as rear speakers, I think leaving the 300s as a standalone pair would be great.
Excellent job! I am a subscriber now! Question. I have the arc, era 300 pair and sub 3.. when I just wanna listen to music, I don’t know how to turn off the arc and only have the era 300s play. Is that possible? They are currently set up in surround mode..
Thanks Rick! Unfortunately once the 300s are added as surrounds they can’t be played as a pair. *And* their forward firing tweeter is disabled as surround setups.
You’d have to remove them from the theater setup and create a pair. It’s annoying.
Hi, I currently own a set of Logitech Z906 and Sonos sounds like a good option to remove clutter, but I use a windows PC (optical w DD/DTS thanks to soundblaster audio card), Chromecast Audio for spotify streaming (3.5) and a TV (optical and TV only has ARC, no eARC), I just switch with one button in the logitech receiver when needed.
Would any speaker in the Sonos ecosystem work with my setup?
Pretty sure the Sonos Beam and Arc will work with a TV that just has ARC capability. And if either of those work you can combine many of the other speakers and subs for home theater!
@@beardfm thank you so much for the reply! I had never researched Sonos before and your video has been a great help to point me in the right direction. I might end up going with Beam + Sub Mini.
Hi! Geat straigh forward review!! Thanks!
BTW I've a Beam Gen2 + Sub mini, for movies on a aprox. 260sqf room which would be the best/more adequate surrounds? The 300s or 100s?... Cheers
I mean the 300s would be wild in that setup but probably won’t be a massive difference to two Era 100s. The mid, center tweet is disabled when using the Era 300s as surrounds anyway.
@@beardfm steph, thanks for your input! Regarding the 300 I would consider them as great addition as atmos inputs due to the up firing capability. Am I thinking right? Cheers
Been rocking the Arc, dual subs and the Fives as rears. I'm trying to resist getting the ERA 300's. I'm very curious tho if they make that much of a difference.
In your setup I'm not sure you would notice *that* much of a difference, especially with the Arc and dual subs already!
Sorry but the Era300’s are the missing link in Sonos cinema config for many of us. The soundstage front to back has never sounded so well integrated. I replaced my Play5’s with Era300’s and they just make the system complete like it never was before. Sonos really should have released similar speakers for rear surround duty when they first launched the ARC. A similar speaker without all the extra bits (mic, Bluetooth, line in) would be cheaper and still do a fantastic surround job, so much better than using traditional speakers. If they bring out an Era500 in the future, I will definitely try them and if they turn out to be great, I’ll move the Era300’s into my Beam2 setup as rears for that. But like I say the cost could be so much cheaper if they start selling sets purely aimed at Sonos cinema users. Perhaps an SL version without the extras. Rest assured if you have a large room with space behind your listening position you won’t be disappointed the day you upgrade your surround speakers.
Can I connect a cordless microphone to sync with the sonos , if so how? Thnx
I don’t think that’s possible
What do you use to suspend the sound bars under your tv?
Sonos sells those mounts on their website, by Sanus I believe. They attach in between the wall mount and TV itself.
I would like to buy the Arc but being a 2 year's product but do you think Sonos will came with a 2nd generation of this soundbar?
That's always a risk, but the current product lineup really has all the features *I would want* for home theater. And Dolby Atmos is going to be the top standard for audio for a while, which the Arc supports. I would still buy one today!
@@beardfm Thanks for your answer.
Just ordered 2 era 100s to go with my arc and Sub. Hopefully, they're good for rears. They were on sale.
How did the 2 era 100s do with your set up? I was leaning toward the same.
I am from an old school.... using cables to hook up my amplifier to speakers is still my best option. I hope this method is still around for many years to come. 😊
I have a 7.1 system like that as well, can’t beat the reliability!
@@beardfm I totally agree 👍
@beardfm perhaps you can help me, bro. I use a Samsung mobile phone when watching TH-cam, but I am having a problem connecting it to my Sonos speaker. The TH-cam keeps saying there is no device. Thank you. :)
Thanks for the review, it was excellent. I have a TV room set up with Arc , Sub Gen 3 and two one SL . This was my first Sonos set up and I love it. I have smaller room set up with TV and pool table , I haven't set up Sonos yet but I was offered a Ray. I was thinking adding Ray and also adding a 300 or five to help fill the room. Would i be able to connect Ray with Five or 300 and or should I. My main goal would be for music but also nice to have good sound for TV especially sports.
That's a tough combo. You would only be able to add a set of rear speakers (two era 300s) to the ray, but then the front tweeter is disabled. I would probably add a sub mini to the ray, this way you can use both for movies and music.
@@beardfm Thanks Stephen! With a blank slate (no ray) what would you recommend for pool room, with 55 tV . 80% want for music in room and 20% for TV/sports.
I bought the Five 2weeks before the release of the 100 & 300, its an amazing music station with some amazing boom to it. I managed to swap the Five for the 300 & its a slight downgrade in the Bass section & power, but overall a nice upgrade.
I'm wondering if I can use 1 Era 300 with the 1 Sub or Sub - Mini.
How would it work connecting to a tv.
Pretty sure you can use 1 Era 300 with a sub or sub mini, but there’s no way to connect a 300 w/ sub to use with a TV.
Such a good video. Thankyou for clarifying things
Glad it was helpful!
Ultimate sound setup. 2 play 5’s. Soundbar. Subwoofer
Good breakdown of the Sonos ecosphere
What do we mean by large?
larger than 20 x 20 rooms
@@beardfm Thank you. This is helpful.
I see you have a HomePod mini and the Sonos Era 300. Next to each other? You can say “Siri” and Sonos won’t work, right?
Correct, Sonos does not respond to Siri
Thanks on the awesome advice! I have 1 question. How about the Era 300 for a turntable speaker?
Thanks! I mean, it would sound great but since the turntable isn’t Spatial audio it wouldn’t be utilizing all the era features. A five is ideal for the turntable I think.
@@beardfm if I was to use the 300 for normal music streaming as well. Would the 300 be more worth it?
Spotify doesn't have spatial audio? Or have I missed something.
As of right now Spotify does not have Spatial Audio or Dolby Atmos tracks: www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/what-is-dolby-atmos-music-and-how-to-get-it/#dt-heading-how-can-i-listen-to-dolby-atmos-music
@@beardfm Excatly, thats why I couldn't understand that you have said in the video that Spotify have spatial audio :)
Awesome review for all sorts of setups
I have 2 fives now with a sub but wanting to get 6 in ceiling speakers to replace the 2 fives i hope the sound is better with the in ceiling speakers from sonos
I’m sure the Sonos in-ceiling will sound great 🔥
@@beardfm Do you think it will be better.
5:57 I think the Era 300s are more than just a little better than the One SLs lol but I think you meant Era 100s
DEFINITELY meant the Era 100s 🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️
Great video 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 I bet that the biggest home theater system is incredible with the right atmos movies
Appreciate it, and it certainly is!
Great Review Stephen - I wish I had seen this before buying the SONOS ERA 300! I have an ARC system with a Sub Gen 3 and 2 SONOS ONE (Gen 2) rear speakers. I was really impressed by the SONOS ERA 300’s specifications and in particular its ability to handle ATMOS tracks. I thought I could add the SONOS ERA 300 to my Home Theatre system as “side” speakers but NO! SONOS Home Theatre only supports ARC (3) and two rear speakers plus one or two Sub Gen 3’s. My choice is now to replace my two rear speakers with ERA 300’s or to send the ERA 300 back. I rang SONOS to find out how I could connect the SONOS ERA 300 to my ARC and keep the two rear channels. Not possible says Support! The best they could suggest is creating a new room and grouping the rooms so that when music is played then all speakers play. For Home Theatre this does not work. It is really disappointing SONOS Home Theatre is restricted to its positional restrictions. (Front Left, Centre, Front Right - ARC), (Rear Left and Rear Right - SONOS ONE / 100 / ERA 300’s) and Subs (2 SUB GEN 3). Home Theatre should allow side channels as well. Today ATMOS is supposed to support digital all around sound. Most of the ATMOS effects are left to the ARC. Perhaps by adding 2 rear ERA 300’s some ATMOS effects may go to the rear speakers but I am uncertain. Clearly the base sounds come from the SUB GEN 3 (from one direction) , ATMOS is meant to be digital surround so if there is an explosion behind you it should come from behind and not from the front. Don’t know how SONOS can fix this because they seem constrained by the positions of the speakers .
Appreciate it! And it *is* unfortunate Sonos won't allow a dedicated Left / Right speaker in a home theater. I imagine your experience would improve by replacing the Sonos One's with the Era 300s, and they will have a better surround sound. I would recommend trying to swap them out in your setup, see how much of a difference you hear, and make your decision after that. The two 300s would be great in another room for dedicated music speakers, but you could also save $900 by keeping your One's in the setup...
@@beardfm Thank You Stephen! One might have hoped SONOS would be more innovative and allowing 7 channels rather than restricting it to 5. The cost of upgrading the SONOS ONE (Gen 2) to 2 ERA 300’s is more than just the cost of the 2 speakers as the ERA 300’s won’t sit on the existing stands. Some people have used SONOS 5 (Gen 2) as rear speakers but these do not have ATMOS support. The ERA 300’s should be better than both the SONOS ONE (Gen 2) and the SONOS 5 (Gen 2) but at a huge cost. ATMOS should be digital surround. How is the ATMOS channels shared between the ARC and the ERA 300’s. It seems SONOS is trying to retrofit ATMOS to a 5 Channel Architecture. I have a pair of HomePods (Gen 1) on another TV. Apple sends ATMOS to both speakers. Hopefully one day Apple will support 4 + HomePods in all the corners of the room. This could provide better ATMOS support than SONOS. Interestingly the SONY HT A9 has gone down this path. The cost of another ERA 300 and stands just does not seem to be justifiable.
Top review mate. Can’t wait to replace my 1s with the 300s as surrounds for the arc and gen 3 woofer 🎉
I have the same set up! I replaced my ones with the 300s for surrounds and wow!!!!
That's going to sound incredible!