Sonos Era

[exm]

I wanted to see what the Sonos hype was about after Amir reviewed the Sonus 5 that measured decently. So I pulled the trigger on the Era 100.
Sound quality wise , I am a little disappointed. It’s not bad sounding, but it’s not good either . I have the JBL 305s. Sadly it doesn’t come close to the JBLs sound quality . The bass on the era sounds deep and punchy and is decently tight , but it also kinda overpowers the vocals . It is ever so present in all the tracks I tested. I also hear the upper midrange being a little recessed. Now for a wireless/bluetooth speaker, it is good , yes . In fact very good. But when compared to other options under $400, it doesn’t sound as good . Does anyone here also have similar experience like mine with this speaker or any Sonos speaker?

Did you perform the Trueplay tuning?

 

[music_lover]

Did you perform the Trueplay tuning?

No. Some people told me to keep it turned off .

 

[exm]

No. Some people told me to keep it turned off .

I would give it a try. You can always disable it if you don't like the results.

 

[music_lover]

I would give it a try. You can always disable it if you don't like the results.

Will do .
You own this speaker ?

 

[exm]

Will do .
You own this speaker ?

Yes. I have 2 Era 100s in mono, 2 Era 100s in stereo, an Era 300, an Arc, 2 amps (outside and bathroom) and 3 subs. Needless to say, I like Sonos products

 

[Ellebob]

We install a lot of Sonos where I work as well as many other types of speakers both on the pro/commercial world as well as residential.
This is my opinion on Sonos. For most people I think it's the best house system that's out there with a few exceptions of people that have specific needs. I have a Sonos system in my house but I don't have any of the era speakers in my house I do have a couple of the fives. But the Era 100 in the Era 300 are not as good as many bookshelf speakers, IMHO for serious music listening.
However, for background music I think they have some distinct advantages. Yes whether you use Trueplay or not is personal preference and its results will vary depending on the room. One thing that Sonos does that you don't see with studio monitors or most speakers systems is boost the bass at lower volumes. This can make the sound at lower volumes much more pleasing even if it does not have as good of detail, soundstage, imaging or because it drown drowns out other areas of the frequency spectrum.
If I were listening more critically Sonos would not be my first choice, I do think your JBLs would be a better choice. YMMV

 

[music_lover]

We install a lot of Sonos where I work as well as many other types of speakers both on the pro/commercial world as well as residential.
This is my opinion on Sonos. For most people I think it's the best house system that's out there with a few exceptions of people that have specific needs. I have a Sonos system in my house but I don't have any of the era speakers in my house I do have a couple of the fives. But the Era 100 in the Era 300 are not as good as many bookshelf speakers, IMHO for serious music listening.
However, for background music I think they have some distinct advantages. Yes whether you use Trueplay or not is personal preference and its results will vary depending on the room. One thing that Sonos does that you don't see with studio monitors or most speakers systems is boost the bass at lower volumes. This can make the sound at lower volumes much more pleasing even if it does not have as good of detail, soundstage, imaging or because it drown drowns out other areas of the frequency spectrum.
If I were listening more critically Sonos would not be my first choice, I do think your JBLs would be a better choice. YMMV

That makes sense. I wish they had given a neutral sound option with it . So those who don’t enjoy the bass boost would be happy too.