Sonos is planning to launch two new smart speakers in March called Era 300 and Era 100. The former will double as Dolby Atmos rear speakers with up-firing units.
The leaked information was published by the The Verge who has previously shared details on upcoming Sonos products before the official announcement.
The Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 are smart speakers designed first and foremost for music listening but both will double as rear speakers with a Sonos Arc or Beam (Gen2) soundbar. Only the Era 300 will offer up-firing drivers.
- "It includes a total of six drivers that direct sound forward, left, right, and up. When used with either the Arc or Beam (Gen 2) as rear surrounds, a stereo pair of Era 300s will deliver immersive Atmos surround sound including upward-firing audio," the report said.
Sonos Era 300 as Dolby Atmos rear speakers. Photo: Leak via The Verge
However, the speakers are – unlike Apple's HomePods – not expected to be compatible with Apple Music's vast catalog of Dolby Atmos tracks. They will support spatial audio from Amazon Music, and also feature AIrPlay 2, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 and USB-C with a line-in adapter.
It is possible that support for Google Assistant will be removed due to Sonos' ongoing legal battle with Google, according to The Verge.
A single Sonos Era 300 is expected to be priced around $450 while the Era 100 is expected to cost around $250. Both are expected to launch in late March, so the official announcement should come soon.
- Source: The Verge
