The best Alexa smart speaker I’ve tested isn’t an Echo — and it’s $30 off for Prime Day

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Sonos Era 100 is a $249 smart speaker that I recommend to most people, audiophile or not.
• In addition to a full, booming sound, the Sonos speaker produces crystal-clear vocals that enhance any song and has hands-free Alexa for voice control.
• Since the Era 100 is built for smaller spaces, it doesn’t support spatial audio or Dolby Atmos like its larger sibling, the Era 300.

The Sonos Era 100 speaker is on sale for $179, $30 off its retail price, as part of Amazon Prime Day. 

Also: The best Prime Day deals you can shop now.

When Sonos reached out to me to discuss the launch of a new line of smart speakers, I was, for lack of a better word, giddy. The company is behind a number of superb audio products, including the discontinued Sonos One, is one of the best smart speakers on the market right now. 

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The excitement came largely because it had been just about six years since Sonos launched the One speaker when it launched the Era 100, and the One was still a favorite among audiophiles and smart home enthusiasts. This makes the Era 100, a direct replacement for the One, a big deal. Here are the key features you should know about and what makes the latest Sonos speaker a worthy upgrade.

Unboxing experience

The clean aesthetics of the Sonos packaging alone are captivating. Sonos is committed to environmental sustainability, from manufacturing to packaging design. The Era 100 speaker incorporates recycled materials, and Sonos is switching to 100% paper packaging this year, so the unboxing experience was like opening a present.

What is inside, however, is still the star of the show.

The Era 100 is a sleek smart speaker, just slightly larger than its predecessor, the Sonos One, and a few inches narrower than an Echo Studio Setting it up requires connecting it to power and downloading the Sonos app, which will automatically find the speaker nearby and guide you through the pairing process. 

What’s new with the Sonos Era 100

The Era 100 features touch controls at the top of the speaker, which I’ve found very intuitive. These controls can be used to adjust the volume, play, pause, skip, and replay. There’s also a Bluetooth button on the back. Yes, you read that right: The smart speaker has Bluetooth connectivity, a feature that the Sonos One lacked. 

Also: The 5 best Bluetooth speakers

Sonos speakers work best with the Sonos app—at least that’s what the company wants you to believe. They’re not wrong, but there are some quirks that I noticed. For starters, the audio sounds fantastic when played through Wi-Fi, and if you have guests who want to play something on the speaker, Bluetooth connectivity makes it possible for them to do so without having to download the Sonos app on their devices.

However, the overall app experience can be finicky and slow, with the software occasionally demonstrating a lagged response.

The Era 100 features voice control, which you can turn off by toggling the microphone switch on the back. While the new model supports Amazon Alexa and Sonos Voice Control, it doesn’t support Google Assistant like the Sonos One.

Sonos has discontinued its support for Google Voice on the new Era speakers, so if you’re looking for a smart speaker to round out your Google smart home ecosystem, then you’re better off with the older Sonos One or a Google Nest speaker.

Also: Best stereo speakers you can buy

The USB-C port on the back of the speaker is another big upgrade on the Era 100. If you want to connect an audio source or an ethernet cable, you can now do it with one of Sonos’ Line-in and Combo adapters. 

How does the Era 100 sound?

The Era 100 is the best speaker of its size that I’ve ever tested. It is an improvement from the Sonos One, which was already considered the best-sounding smart speaker, but it also sounds better than the improved Amazon Echo Studio and, naturally, blows all other compact smart speakers out of the water. 

Since the Era 100 is built for smaller spaces, it doesn’t support spatial audio or Dolby Atmos like its larger sibling, the Era 300. Still, the smaller Era 100 is powerful enough to successfully fill a medium-to-large-sized room.

Also: Sonos Era smart speakers now available to buy: Here’s what’s new

While I can’t compare the over-the-top speakers and woofers on an old car from 25+ years ago to the gorgeous sound quality of a Sonos speaker in 2023, I can tell you that listening to music on the Era 100 gave me a very similar experience to that thanks to the booming bass and crystal clear vocals.

ZDNET’s buying advice

The Era 100 has raised the bar for compact, high-quality speakers. In addition to a full, booming sound, the Sonos speaker puts out crystal-clear vocals at the forefront of any song. It’s also extremely powerful, yet it doesn’t lose sound quality at full volume, and the deep bass doesn’t rattle, even at its highest setting.

Compared to other smart speakers, the Sonos Era 100 is outstanding. The sound is miles above that of others in the same price range. It’s just that good.