Sonos replaces the One, adds a spatial audio speaker to lineup

The Sonos One wasn’t broken, but that doesn’t mean nan company’s is supra fixing it. Over 2 generations and a fewer variants, nan compact speaker has go 1 of nan company’s astir popular. Really, it’s been a large triumph for a patient whose portfolio tin springiness disconnected a whiff of inaccessibility, compared to different connected location speakers.

It sounds awesome astatine a $179 value point, and has accordingly go a celebrated prime for location sound systems, restaurants and unit stores. But six years aft nan original Sonos One release, nan institution is efficaciously calling an extremity of life to nan merchandise to make measurement for nan Era 100. The older exemplary will instrumentality astir for a bit, however, because — overmuch for illustration nan caller HomePods — nan caller speaker isn’t backward compatible pinch its predecessor, successful position of making a stereo pair.

Like Apple, Sonos says differences successful hardware make nan 2 systems uneven and truthful incompatible, successful position of pairing. The upshot (or, rather, 1 of nan upshots), is that — dissimilar nan Sonos One — nan Era 100 does stereo arsenic a standalone. That’s a overmuch invited breakthrough, obviously.

The caller speaker sports a brace of angled tweeters and a larger mid-woofer than its predecessor. The on-board microphones are utilized for echo canceling, sound power and Trueplay tuning, which measures nan layout of a room and region from a wall to optimize nan sound. There’s besides a beingness move connected nan instrumentality to unopen disconnected powerfulness to nan mic, truthful it’s not listening erstwhile you don’t want it to be.

The on-board LED ray will fto you cognize if nan mic is connected and connection up relationship and shut up status. Buttons connected apical of nan strategy see play/pause, skip, replay, sound adjunct shut up and nan expertise to brace aliases unpair devices. Around nan rear is simply a connector that tin beryllium utilized arsenic an auxiliary statement aliases ethernet larboard pinch nan correct adapter.

At 7.18 x 4.72 x 5.14 inches, nan Era 100 is simply a spot larger than nan Sonos One (6.36 x 4.69 x 4.69 ) successful each dimensions. At 4.44 pounds, it’s besides 0.36 pounds heavier. That’s astir apt to beryllium expected, fixed nan upgraded internals here. Besides, I’d opportunity that still qualifies nan strategy arsenic “compact.” Compare that to nan second-gen HomePod’s 6.6-inch tallness and 5.60-inch diameter, for example.

The Era 100 is joined by nan Era 300, Sonos’ first foray into spatial audio. I’ve expressed immoderate skepticism astatine nan characteristic successful nan past. You tin read an question and reply I did pinch Sonos CEO Patrick Spence, wherever we talk nan tech successful a spot much depth, including why nan institution decided only 1 of its 2 caller speakers would characteristic it.

I asked a spot astir spatial audio’s branding problem, and whether being associated pinch headphone search is moving against nan tech. He told me, successful part:

As you’ve knowledgeable [the speaker], it’s different than a headphone experience, wherever you’re moving your caput and possibly you’ve sewage nan surface complete here. There are immoderate things that I deliberation person delighted group but besides freaked retired immoderate people, successful position of that acquisition pinch headphones. It’s a small spot much gimmicky. Spatial retired large is really astir filling nan room and making you consciousness for illustration you’re astatine nan halfway of it. The correct usage of spatial is really retired loud, versus headphones.

I besides think, arsenic signaling engineers and artists started to study what Spatial is each about, immoderate of nan early mixes weren’t great, successful position of missing things for illustration vocals aliases missing a center. People will person tried that and not had a awesome experience. I would promote those group to springiness it different listen.

It’s existent that a batch of modern euphony is being mixed pinch spatial audio successful mind, and a number of streaming services, including Apple and Amazon Music, are embracing it (Spotify can’t really beryllium bothered, it seems). The Era 300 looks different from nan 100 precisely owed to its clasp of nan technology. The speaker sports six amplifiers pointed successful different directions to accommodate that consciousness of sound successful three-dimensions.

There are 4 tweeters (forward, 2 sides and up) and 2 woofers. Like nan 100, it’s compatible pinch Wi-Fi 6 (mind, nan HomePod is presently stuck connected Wi-Fi 4 owed to spot limitations), arsenic good arsenic Bluetooth 5. Both speakers are besides compatible pinch AirPlay 2 to watercourse contented from iOS devices moving 11.4 aliases later. The 300 is larger than nan 100 astatine 6.30 x 10..24 x 7.28 inches and much than doubly arsenic heavy, weighing successful astatine 9.85 pounds.

Both systems person an oculus connected sustainability, pinch reduced powerfulness depletion and repurposed materials (the packaging is besides made up of afloat recycled paper). Just successful clip for a batch of correct to repair legislation, they’re some designed to beryllium much repairable, owed successful ample portion to a simplification of adhesives.

Spence again:

When we were first bringing retired our products 20 years ago, we were like, “how do you build these things truthful they’ll make nan sound you want?” So we had to usage things for illustration adhesives. We’ve been capable to travel up pinch ways and inventions that let america to disassemble these products. It comes into our reasoning much broadly astir what we’re building and really you unrecorded up to nan rule of nan land, but moreover earlier that, we were already starting to usage recycled materials. We were already starting to usage things that let it to beryllium much easy repaired.

The Era 100 and 300 commencement shipping connected March 28, priced astatine $249 and $449, respectively.

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