Sonos Era 100 Speaker

Sonos Era 100 replaced the original Sonos 1 in the lineup and the sound improvement is noticeable even in a small room. With a wider stereo image from the front-facing tweeters and a bass response that fills the space without needing a subwoofer. Works because my apartment is 400 square feet and a subwoofer would shake the floor for the neighbor below. Setup is straightforward, download the app, connect to wifi. Speaker appears as a casting target for Spotify, Apple Music, and AirPlay, and the whole process takes about 3 minutes. I like that Sonos treats the speaker as a long-term product rather than disposable electronics. With software updates that add features years after purchase and a trade-up program that gives credit for older models, though the controversy over bricking older speakers during that program makes the commitment feel conditional. Physical design is a cylinder with a soft matte finish that blends into a bookshelf better than most speakers. Controls on top are touch-sensitive with haptic feedback that clicks under your finger without moving. At $249 it'sn't cheap for a single speaker. Ability to pair 2 for true stereo and group them with speakers in other rooms gives it a scalability that cheaper Bluetooth speakers lack. I use mine mostly for podcasts during the day and music in the evening. Voice clarity on spoken content is better than any speaker I've tested at this size.