Sonos takes on Amazon and Google with launch of US$449 Era 300 spatial audio home speaker with Bluetooth
- The Sonos Era 300 is a high-end home speaker that puts out spatial audio, and has six amplifiers, four tweeters and two woofers
- Sonos has also released the cheaper Era 100, with two tweeters, three amplifiers and one midwoofer. The 100 replaces its previous speaker the Sonos One
Sonos is revamping its line of home speakers, chasing that market more aggressively at a time when rivals like Google and Amazon are rolling out fewer new products.
The audio company recently showed off two new models: the Era 300 and Era 100. The 300 version is a high-end home plug-in speaker that focuses on outputting spatial audio – a form of advanced surround sound.
The Era 100 is a replacement for the company’s Sonos One, one of its bestselling speakers and a key rival to Apple’s HomePod, Google’s Nest audio products and the Amazon Echo.
Previously, Amazon and Google were rolling out several new speakers annually, but neither company has upgraded its line-up recently. And both are reassessing their hardware plans as they deal with lay-offs and budget cuts.
Apple, which has lagged behind in speaker market share, released a new high-end HomePod model in February.
In an interview, Sonos chief executive Patrick Spence said the move from stereo sound to spatial audio is as significant as going from mono to stereo. He anticipates that the Era 300 will create a “halo” over the company’s product line and attract both upgraders and new customers.