Era 300 smart speaker is "most sophisticated product Sonos has ever built"

In this exclusive video produced by Dezeen, Sonos' head of hardware design Dana Krieger explains how its new Era 300 speaker allows users to experience sound in three dimensions.

Today, Sonos is announcing the launch of two new smart speakers: Era 100 and Era 300.

The Era 300 smart speaker is the first Sonos speaker to offer spatial audio. This is an audio format that simulates the feeling of the listener being surrounded by multiple sound sources, as if they were standing in a recording studio.

Sonos' Era 300 smart speaker in white on a desk — Era 300 is the first Sonos speaker to provide spatial audio

Era 300 uses Dolby Atmos surround sound technology to achieve the effect. Multiple Era 300 speakers can be used together in a home theatre setup to deliver multi-channel surround sound.

"It's the most sophisticated product we've ever built," says Krieger in the video interview, which was shot by Dezeen at Sonos' headquarters in Santa Barbara.

Krieger explains that the Era 300 has a new silhouette that is unique from any product that Sonos has previously released.

Sonos' Era 300 smart speaker in black on top of a book shelf — The Era 300 has a tapered hourglass form to best deliver the audio

"Era 300 has a very distinct tapered hourglass form," he said. "That's the best way to deliver spatial audio."

According to Krieger, the Era 300 speaker was designed to fit seamlessly into users' homes.

"Our mission with the design was to make sure that it lives in someone's home in as simple a way as possible," he said.

Sonos' Era 300 speaker in black sitting atop a credenza — Multiple Era 300 speakers can be used together to create a multi-channel surround sound

The Era 100 speaker, which is also launching today, is an update of the brand's iconic Sonos One speaker. It retains its predecessor's appearance but packs in more advanced technology.

"The design mission was to keep the iconic shape of the Sonos One, but deliver a completely new sound experience," said Krieger.

"With Era 100, we've introduced a second tweeter, which allows us to deliver stereo from an extremely compact product."

Sonos' Era 100 smart speaker on a sideboard with puzzle pieces and books nearby — Era 100 retains the iconic shape of the Sonos One speaker

Kitty Suidman, Sonos' design director of product sustainability, explained how updates to the design of the brand's products have made them more sustainable than previous speakers.

"We've made the Era products more circular by removing virgin plastics and introducing recycled plastics," she explained.

"We're removing glues and introducing screws to make disassembly and reassembly easier," Suidman continued. "This allows us to extend the lifespan of our products, making them more sustainable."

Sonos' Era 100 smart speaker in white on a book shelf — The new Era range of speakers are designed to be more sustainable

Krieger explained how the speakers exemplify Sonos' approach to innovation and customer experience.

"At Sonos, we want every product we release to be the best one we've ever made," he said. "We believe strongly that audio experience matters and a better sound experience is a better lived experience."

Both the Era 300 and Era 100 speakers will become available to purchase globally on 28 March 2023.

Partnership content

This video was published by Dezeen for Sonos as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.