Spatial audio has excited the audio market ever since Apple introduced film and TV content material supporting it in iOS 14 on the WWDC occasion in June 2020. Spatial audio primarily delivers encompass sound and 3D audio by means of headphones through dynamic head monitoring. Sometimes, it’s not a characteristic present in conventional audio audio system.
Over the previous 20 years since its founding in 2002, Sonos has constructed an enviable premium audio model for multi-room audio merchandise. Although the good speaker market is crowded — even on the excessive finish — Sonos has been in a position to pull off one thing that few manufacturers haven’t succeeded in with options that prospects are prepared to pay a premium for and fierce model loyalty.
With that as a backdrop, Sonos has primarily concentrated its efforts on two product classes over the previous few years: moveable audio system just like the Transfer and Roam; and dearer house theater merchandise just like the Atmos-capable Arc and Ray soundbars. Sonos One and Sonos 5, the corporate’s major set of music-focused audio system, nonetheless sound terrific however are starting to indicate their age.
Spatial Audio Functionality
The Period 100 and Period 300, Sonos’ two new “higher and finest” choices, change that dynamic. Priced at $450, the Period 300 is the primary Sonos speaker able to enjoying spatial audio. Compared, the $250 Period 100 is a completely rebuilt successor to the Sonos One with a number of upgrades over its predecessor.
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You should utilize a pair of any of them in stereo or as again encompass audio system in a house theater setup, as you’ll be able to with different Sonos audio system. In case you have a Sonos Arc or gen-2 Beam and Sub, you’ll be able to have an outrageous 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos expertise by including a pair of Period 300s as your rear surrounds — that’s, so long as you’re ready to cough up $2,600 for that setup.
Period 300 — The Aaron Choose of the Residence Audio Market
The Period 300, proven above, has a singular look in comparison with different Sonos audio system however adheres to the model’s signature minimalist aesthetic.
Its barely peculiar knocked-over hourglass design has a sensible function in that it allows the upward-facing tweeter to fireside at a slight however exact angle, which the producer claims will present extra room-filling reflections for spatial audio.
There are three extra tweeters: two pointing left and proper, one pointing ahead and useless middle. Lastly, the speaker has two woofers on both facet, which ship lots of bass.
Period 100 — A Extra Reasonably priced Different to Apple’s New HomePod
The Sonos One is acoustically equivalent to the Sonos Play:1 that was introduced in 2013. The Period 100, then again, has extra tangible updates.
With its $250 worth level, the Period 100 is an reasonably priced different to Apple’s newest HomePod, and it represents a major improve over the Sonos Play:1. The Period 100 has a woofer that’s 25% bigger than the One’s and a pair of tweeters offering left and proper stereo channels in a single speaker.
Period 100 speaker (Picture Credit score: Sonos)
Although it lacks the spatial audio capabilities of the Period 300, it represents a major enchancment over the sooner mannequin.
Regardless of their expansive options and worth factors, these audio system have a substantial quantity in frequent. With an non-obligatory line-in adapter, you’ll be able to join a turntable or different audio tools to each through their USB-C connections. This functionality is a distinguished benefit in comparison with Apple’s HomePods (each the newest mannequin and the HomePod Mini) since each Period 100 and Period 300 also can function exterior PC audio system. Nonetheless, that utilization mannequin is clearly slim.
New Enhancements
Notably, in each the Period 100 and Period 300, Sonos, for the primary time, has included Bluetooth in a non-portable speaker, which is crucial. These audio system additionally embrace newly revised contact controls on prime, so now, you’ll be able to swipe your finger throughout a small ridge along with devoted ahead and again buttons to vary the amount as a substitute of tapping on both facet of the play/pause button.
Furthermore, Sonos supplied a bodily swap to show off the microphone as a substitute of merely muting the mic by means of software program. This welcome method actively cuts the connection to it for added safety.
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The Period 100 and Period 300’s distinctive Trueplay tuning characteristic, which measures how sound displays off partitions, furnishings, and different surfaces, also can use these mics to reinforce audio based mostly on the place you set the audio system in your house. Trueplay was introduced by Sonos in 2015, signaling the corporate’s need to optimize audio high quality in several house environments.
As a cell phone app, Trueplay beforehand required an iOS gadget for setup. Android customers have been out of luck as a result of though Sonos has put in built-in microphones in its audio system for a few years, Trueplay was incompatible with Android units.
Trueplay does make a major distinction, and this new functionality implies that many extra folks, particularly Android customers, will in all probability put it to use.
Summing Up Sonos’ Period Audio system
Placing opponents apart, Sonos strongly believes that spatial audio is how music playback will develop sooner or later. The corporate’s management has asserted {that a}) the Period 300 would be the definitive solution to hear the finer factors of spatial audio mixes with out requiring a room stuffed with audio tools and b) that artists and producers are strongly within the format.
A single speaker can solely ship a lot, no matter how refined its driver array is. Trying on the streaming audio panorama at a excessive degree, it’s doubtless that the large hitters — Spotify, YouTube Music, and different companies — would doubtless begin supporting spatial audio sooner relatively than later. Nonetheless, Amazon and Apple are actually the one two companies suitable with the Period 300 for spatial music.
Even when enjoying stereo mixes, the Period 300 must be an impressive speaker. The 300 will doubtless be a extra specialised providing within the firm’s lineup, just like the wonderful however high-priced Sonos 5 speaker. But, it is sensible for Sonos to be prepared for the creating spatial audio market pattern relatively than play catchup if the spatial audio wave is about to take off.
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Preliminary media stories of Period 300 point out that it generates a particular sound. Given my expertise with Sonos merchandise, I anticipate the audio high quality might be excellent, although I’ll reserve judgment till I get an opportunity to make use of them.
It must be identified that Sonos first proved its mettle by reproducing normal audio, and in comparison with the Period 100, the 300 has much more quantity, bass, and presence. Provided that it prices $200 extra and has twice as many drivers, anticipate the audio high quality to be second to none.
Closing Ideas
The core motive why Sonos has succeeded within the extremely aggressive house leisure speaker market is that it has taken a no-compromise method to speaker growth.
Whereas the speaker house has turn into muddled with sub-$100 options which might be usually designed to regulate the good house, Sonos has spent its assets avoiding that morass to distinguish itself. In that sense, it’s unfair to match the brand new Period 100 and 300 towards the Apple HomePod, as Sonos’ merchandise are unapologetically targeted on delivering a world-class audio expertise — although each new Sonos audio system have built-in Amazon Alexa assist.
All that mentioned, embracing spatial audio is a management alternative for the corporate. One can view the Period 300 as the primary salvo in its efforts to lift the bar within the premium audio house.
The Period 100 and Period 300 have shade choices of black or white. Each are estimated to ship on March 28 and can be found for preorder now on the Sonos store.