I've got four Sonos Era 100s in my apartment – a pair flanking my TV as surround speakers for my Sonos Beam, and a couple more scattered in other rooms for music. After a few months of daily use, these have become the workhorses of my audio setup. They handle everything from movie night surround sound to morning Spotify sessions to voice-controlled smart home commands, and they do all of it remarkably well.
Design & Build
The Era 100 is a good-looking speaker that fits in pretty much anywhere. It's compact enough to sit on a bookshelf without dominating the space, but substantial enough to feel like a real piece of audio equipment. I went with black to match my TV setup, though white is available if you prefer something brighter.
Build quality is excellent – it's got that premium Sonos feel with a smooth matte finish that doesn't show fingerprints. The touch controls on top are responsive and intuitive: tap to play/pause, swipe for volume, and there's a mic mute button that gives a reassuring click.
One design note: there's no Ethernet port, just USB-C. If you want wired connectivity or a line-in for a turntable, you'll need to buy Sonos's adapters separately ($20-40). Minor annoyance, but I get why they did it for the cleaner design.
Features
The Era 100 is genuinely versatile. I use mine in two completely different ways, and they excel at both.
As surround speakers paired with my Sonos Beam, they add a whole new dimension to movie and TV watching. Action scenes have real impact, with sounds coming from behind you. The wireless surround setup was painless – the Sonos app walked me through it in about five minutes. One caveat: when the Era 100s are configured as surrounds, Bluetooth is disabled on them. Not a big deal for me since everything goes through the Sonos system anyway.
As standalone speakers in other rooms, they're fantastic for music. AirPlay 2 works flawlessly with my iPhone and Apple TV. I can throw audio from any app to any speaker (or all of them) instantly. Spotify Connect is equally smooth – I usually just tell Alexa to play something and it just works.
Speaking of voice assistants: the Era 100 supports Alexa and Sonos Voice Control. Google Assistant was dropped, which might matter if you're in that ecosystem. I use Alexa for basic stuff – "Alexa, play my Discover Weekly" or "Alexa, volume 30%" – and it's responsive and accurate. Sonos Voice Control is good for Sonos-specific commands and has the benefit of processing locally, but Alexa handles more general queries.
WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 mean connectivity is rock solid. I've had zero dropout issues, even with multiple speakers playing simultaneously across different rooms.
Performance
Sound quality is where the Era 100 really shines. For a speaker this size, the audio is genuinely impressive. The two angled tweeters create a wide stereo image that fills the room, and the upgraded woofer (25% larger than the old Sonos One) delivers bass that's punchy without being boomy.
Music sounds detailed and balanced across genres. Vocals are clear and present, mids are well-defined, and there's enough low-end to give songs real weight. I've done side-by-side comparisons with my HomePod Mini, and the Era 100 is in a completely different league – fuller, richer, and more dynamic.
For home theater surround duty, the Era 100s integrate seamlessly with the Beam. Dialogue stays anchored to the screen while ambient sounds and effects wrap around you. It's not quite the immersion of a dedicated 5.1 system with proper rear speakers, but for a wireless setup in an apartment, it's impressive.
I will say, if you want deeper bass, the Era 300 delivers more low-end. I've heard them side by side, and the 300 has a slightly richer, more room-filling sound. But it's also nearly twice the price. For most rooms and most people, the Era 100 is more than enough speaker.
Trueplay tuning (via the Sonos app on iPhone) optimizes the sound for your specific room, and it makes a noticeable difference. Takes about a minute of walking around waving your phone like an idiot, but the results are worth it.
Ease of Use
Setup is classic Sonos – plug it in, open the app, follow the prompts. The app finds the speaker, connects it to WiFi, and walks you through any additional configuration. Adding the Era 100s as surrounds for my Beam was equally straightforward.
The Sonos app has had its controversies (the 2024 redesign was rough), but it's stabilized and works fine for me now. Day-to-day, I rarely even open it – most of my interaction is through AirPlay, Spotify Connect, or voice commands. When I do use the app, grouping speakers, adjusting EQ, or managing my system is intuitive enough.
My wife uses these speakers as much as I do, and she's never had to ask me how anything works. That's the real test. She AirPlays from her phone, asks Alexa to change songs, and adjusts volume with the touch controls. No friction, no complaints.
Integration with Apple TV is seamless – I set the Era 100s (via the Beam) as default audio output, and everything just works. Gaming, streaming, whatever – audio goes to the right place automatically.
Value
At $249 each, the Era 100 isn't cheap. A pair for stereo or surround runs you $500, which is real money. You can absolutely find speakers that cost less.
But here's the thing: the Sonos ecosystem is genuinely excellent. Multi-room audio that actually works reliably, seamless integration with every streaming service, AirPlay 2, solid voice control, and the ability to expand your system over time – it all adds up. Once you're in, adding another speaker to another room is trivially easy.
Compared to HomePod (discontinued) or HomePod Mini ($99 but much smaller sound), the Era 100 offers better audio quality and more flexibility. Compared to the Era 300 ($449), it's the more sensible choice unless you really want Dolby Atmos music support or have a larger room to fill.
If you're building a Sonos system – especially if you want surround sound with a Beam or Arc – the Era 100 is the obvious choice for rear speakers. For standalone use in bedrooms or offices, it's a great all-arounder that'll last for years.
Pros
- Excellent sound quality for the size
- Seamless multi-room and surround sound integration
- AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and Alexa built in
- Rock-solid WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity
- Works perfectly as wireless surrounds for Beam/Arc
Cons
- Premium pricing at $249 each
- No Google Assistant support
- Ethernet/line-in requires separate adapter purchase
- Bluetooth disabled when used as surround speakers
Final Grade
The Sonos Era 100 has become indispensable in my home. As surround speakers for my Beam, they transform movie night. As standalone speakers throughout the apartment, they deliver music that sounds way better than their size suggests. The combination of excellent audio quality, bulletproof wireless connectivity, and genuine ecosystem benefits makes the price easier to swallow. If you're invested in Sonos or looking to start, the Era 100 is the versatile foundation that does everything well. After a few months of daily use across multiple rooms, I have zero complaints – and that's rare for any tech product.