Sonos Era 300 Review: Still Worth It In 2025?

I’ve spent over a year with Sonos’ boldest speaker yet — but is it still worth buying?

Sonos Releases - Updated 28th May 2025

Sonos Era 300 Review: Still Worth It In 2025?

Written By

Elliott Peeters-Vanstone

Is The Sonos Era 300 Still Worth Buying in 2025?

It’s been a long time since we finally got our hands on the Sonos Era 300, Sonos' first ever upwards-firing Dolby Atmos smart speaker, and after living with it day in, day out, we’ve got plenty of thoughts to share.

When the Era 300 launched alongside the Era 100 back in March 2023, it turned heads with its bold design, spatial audio support, and feature-packed spec sheet. The initial buzz was huge, and like many others, we wanted to dive into every possible setup: standalone, stereo pair, rear surrounds for a Sonos soundbars, and part of a multi-room Sonos ecosystem.

We originally published this full review after one month of hands-on use, digging into what the Era 300 did well, where it fell short, and how it fitted into the wider Sonos ecosystem. But that was just the beginning.

Now, a couple of years on, we’re revisiting our Era 300 review with fresh eyes to see how those first impressions have held up. What’s changed? What still impresses? And ultimately answer the question, should you still buy one now?

Sonos Era 300 Review: SHS 60-Second Summary:

RRP: £449 (see latest pricing)

Well over a year later, the Sonos Era 300 still delivers. It’s Sonos’ first wireless speaker built for spatial audio and it hasn’t lost its edge. Setup is easy, the design’s bold, and the sound? Wide, immersive, and impressive. We tested it solo, as a stereo pair, and in a full home cinema setup and every time, it impressed.

It’s brilliant for surround sound, especially now with Arc Ultra and Sub Gen 4 in the mix, but it’s also great for music. There’s still no Google Assistant or spatial audio on Spotify, but if you’re willing to look beyond that, it’s arguably one of the best Sonos speakers out there.

Want More? Watch our Full Sonos Era 300 Review on YouTube!

Pros:
+ Immersive Dolby Atmos sound
+ Easy connectivity with Wi-Fi 6 & Bluetooth 5.0
+ Premium, high-end design
+ USB-C line-in for flexible connections

Cons:
- No Google Assistant support
- Bluetooth & Line-in disabled when used as rears

One Day In - First Impressions Still Count

🗣️ My Initial Thoughts: “Clever packaging, but that design caught me off guard. The Era 300 is larger than expected and needs breathing room to be at its best. Still, setup was easy with the Sonos app, and that new volume slider? Instantly won me over. I can’t wait to try the USB-C port with my turntable and finally test Sonos with Bluetooth… about time, right?”

Looking back at my early notes. Yep, I genuinely did question that distinctive design. That said, while I initially found its size a tiny bit awkward, I’ve come to appreciate the thought behind it. It needs that breathing room. 2 feet above, 8 inches on either side. But once you get the placement right, the sound it produces makes perfect sense.

The USB-C port that tempted me? It’s since become a favourite, especially for spinning vinyl. And I stand by my original reaction to Bluetooth… long overdue.

One Week In - Turntable Time, Baby!

Sonos-Era-300-Review-Black-Turntable-Connection-Black

🗣️ My Initial Thoughts: “I’ve loved listening to the Era 300 as a standalone speaker over the past week. It’s not quite as powerful as a Sonos Five, but the multi-directionality makes this feel like a completely unique listening experience.”

This was the week I really started to understand the potential of the Era 300 in a real-world setting. Hooking it up to my Audio Technica AT-LPW50PB with the official Sonos USB C Line In Adapter was a great decision.

The sound opened up, vinyl tracks became airier, with more spatial separation and warmth than I’d previously heard through a wireless speaker. It genuinely felt like hearing parts of my collection for the first time.

Since then, I’ve done a lot of testing with the Victrola Stream Pearl, which integrates even more smoothly with Sonos and brings an extra layer of detail to analogue playback. The combination really shows how capable the Era 300 is when it comes to handling sources beyond streaming. Its reminded me that while spatial audio often gets the headlines, this speaker is just as at home breathing new life into your old records.

Bluetooth 5.0, as expected, has come in handy and has since become one of my most used features. Friends can easily stream playlists without needing to join the Wi-Fi, and I found it a handy workaround for streaming from niche apps that aren’t yet Sonos-integrated.

My only real criticism comes from that absence of Google Assistant. Sonos Voice is an OK substitute, but if you want the best experience, you’re probably going to want to go with Amazon Alexa. That said, Advanced Trueplay Tuning has helped kick things up a gear and it's great to see Android users finally included with the addition of Quick Tuning.

For me, more than a year on, I can still confidently say the Era 300 is one of the most versatile options on the market. Whether it’s streaming, vinyl, or Bluetooth, it handles everything without breaking a sweat.

Shop All Turntables

Two Weeks In – Is Spatial Audio A Gimmick or Game-Changer?

Sonos-Era-300-Review-Spatial-Audio-Listening

🗣️ My Initial Thoughts: "I'm finally getting to grips with the whole spatial audio concept. Despite regular stereo listening being enjoyable with the Era 300, Spatial Audio is something else. I’ve figured a lot of what makes a great spatial audio track comes down to the creative interpretation of the producers back in the studio. Hence, some mixes sound great and others are a little less impressive.”

Two weeks in and spatial audio was starting to click and I'd say it's still one of the most defining features of the Era 300.

At launch, some tracks wowed while others felt a little flat. Over time, I've realised this inconsistency isn't the speaker's fault; it's the mixes themselves.

We’ve done lots of research on the topic and even spoken to Kurt Martinez, chief Dolby Atmos mixer at Dean St Studios, who helped us understand that immersive spatial audio music depends entirely on how creatively the track has been engineered.

Apple Music continues to lead the way with consistently strong Dolby Atmos tracks, and the Era 300 plays them brilliantly. Thanks to Sonos’ direct integration, there’s no need for AirPlay; just hit play in the app and the mix takes over.

Amazon Music is still a decent alternative, but the lack of spatial audio from Spotify in 2025 remains a major miss. For a speaker designed to showcase next-gen audio, it’s frustrating that one of the biggest platforms still hasn’t caught up.

That aside, the stereo performance of the Era 300 is so good that it does help to soften the blow. I just can’t help but wish we were a little further along the spatial audio timeline by now.

Learn More: Spatial Audio Explained (Simply)

One Month In - Time To Step It Up

Sonos-Era-300-Review-Single-Stand-Mounted-Era

🗣️ My Initial Thoughts: "After a lot of thinking, I think it’s time to say goodbye to my original placement of the Sonos Era 300. My media unit has been great but I’m all about optimisation and I want this speaker at optimum listening height so it’s got to be floor stands for me”

I think at this point, I'd realised placement matters far more than I’d initially given it credit for. The Era 300 sounded good on a media unit, sure. But on a floor stand, it improved even more. This tweak also sparked a bigger idea: what would a second Era 300 sound like?

Unfortunately, as a tech reviewer working within a tight timeline, I didn’t get the chance to test a stereo pair in my own home setup. But having run these speakers day in and day out in the Smart Home Sounds showroom, I can confidently say a pair of Era 300s sounds phenomenal for music.

Whether it’s delivering pinpoint stereo separation or filling a room with Atmos mixes, two Era 300s unlock a level of immersion that’s hard to compete with. But more on that later.

View All Sonos Accessories

6 Months In: So Long, But Not Gone

As much as I wanted to keep the Era 300 forever, duty called, and I had to return it to the team after a month of at-home testing. But that didn’t mean the listening stopped. Like I mentioned earlier, our showroom became my go-to spot for further testing, and I ended up spending even more time with the Era 300s in a variety of different setups.

Back then, the best configuration we had it running in was with the Sonos Arc and Sub Gen 3, with the Era 300s as surrounds. It was our benchmark setup for wireless home cinema for a while, and for good reason.

While I didn’t have the luxury of living with it long-term at home, spending more time with the Era 300 in this context gave me a wider perspective. Not only is this a great speaker for music but its capabilities for home cinema are equally impressive.

Thanks to its upwards firing abilities, its in a bit of a league of its own when it comes to immersion and when it's paired with all the other components in a Sonos home cinema, i’d say this is where you actually get to see this speaker at its best.

View Sonos Home Cinema Bundles

Over A Year On - Still One Of The Best?

Without a doubt! The Sonos Era 300 hasn’t just kept up; it’s become even more impressive. A big part of that is thanks to the arrival of the Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4, which have pushed the Sonos home cinema experience to a new level.

With the Arc Ultra’s tighter, deeper bass and more refined soundstage, you can now build a seriously capable setup with just the Arc Ultra and a pair of Era 300s. Yes, a Sub 4, will improve things even further, but its not a necessity and i’d say a pair of Era 300s is one of the best upgrades you can make to the Arc Ultra.

The way the Era’s height channels complement the Arc Ultra's in a surround sound setup means they deliver a vertical layer of sound that’s pretty hard to match and arguably the most immersive audio you’ll get from a Sonos setup right now.

For me, it’s still one of my favourite Sonos speakers. And honestly, it doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere anytime soon. If anything, it’s getting even better as the Sonos lineup evolves around it.

I think the design of this speaker has grown on me and it definitely still feels like a next-generation Sonos speaker and I’m pretty chuffed now I've lived with it for a while. If I had it my way, I'd already have a pair at home. My partner on the other hand… might need a little more convincing.

But, that’s the beauty of Sonos, their speakers are versatile, and you can expand later down the line and transform what’s already a great bit of tech into a staple part of your home entertainment system at any rate you want.

Long-Term Verdict: Should You Buy The Sonos Era 300?

Let’s face it we all want the latest and greatest bits of tech, but what sets a good device apart from a great one is how it performs in the real world.

Admittedly, it took a little time to get used to, but having lived with it, the Sonos Era 300 is a speaker that grows on you. It’s so versatile and unique that other speakers feel a little one dimensional in comparison now.

If we forget about all the technical bits for a second and focus on what's really important: the music. Boy, does the Era 300 deliver. It's immersive, expansive and delivers on things us in the Sonos community have been asking for, for a while.

While it may not be for everyone, this speaker is a true testament to Sonos' commitment to pushing the boundaries of audio innovation and it definitely screams next-generation. So, if you're in the market for a new speaker and don't mind splurging a little bit, the Sonos Era 300 is going to be a sound investment (pun intended).

Shop Sonos