Sonos Era 300 Review: The Smart Speaker That Makes Spatial Audio Worth Caring About

Expensive, yes. But the Era 300 is the rare smart speaker that actually changes how music feels.

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Sonos Era 300 Review: The Smart Speaker That Makes Spatial Audio Worth Caring About

By Tech Editorial | April 2026

The Sonos Era 300 is the pick because it sounds like a proper speaker, not a smart assistant with a tweeter bolted on. Its spatial audio trick is the real deal, and the 8.2 score backs up what reviewers keep saying: this is one of the few one-box speakers that makes Dolby Atmos Music feel meaningfully bigger.

Our picks at a glance

Pick	Product	Price	Best for
Best overall	Sonos Era 300	£449.00	Spatial audio and serious living-room music listening
Best upgrade	Apple HomePod 2	£299.00	Apple users who want room-filling sound with tighter Siri/AirPlay integration
Best budget	Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)	£54.99	Cheap voice control and casual background audio
Most reliable	Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)	£109.00	Rugged portable listening away from the sofa
Peoples Choice	JBL Flip 7	£119.00	Everyday carry speaker for travel and outdoor use
Reliable	Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (3rd Gen)	£226.70	Premium compact sound with better build than most small speakers
Best for use case	Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i	£249.00	Proper small-room hi-fi on a budget
Best for use case	Edifier R1280DBs	£139.00	Desktop or TV speakers with flexible connections

Based on hands-on research, expert review consensus (RTINGS, What Hi-Fi?, WIRED, Reviewed, TechRadar), and current pricing.

Best overall: Sonos Era 300

Sonos Era 300 — £449.00

This is the one to buy if you want your music to feel wider, higher, and less boxed in than a normal smart speaker can manage. The six-driver layout, Dolby Atmos Music support, Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Alexa, and Trueplay tuning make it the most convincing spatial audio smart speaker in this roundup, and the score reflects that.

Why we picked it:

Six drivers aimed forward, sideways, and upward give it the hardware to create a genuinely expansive soundstage.
Dolby Atmos Music support is the point here, and it delivers more immersion than a typical mono smart speaker.
Trueplay tuning helps it adapt to your room, which matters more than people think.

The trade-off: it is expensive, and it only really opens up when you play it loud enough to let the spatial effect breathe. If you want a quiet background speaker, this is the wrong buy.

If you want the full Sonos experience, buy the Sonos Era 300 and skip the wishful thinking.

Best upgrade: Apple HomePod 2

Apple HomePod 2 — £299.00

The upgrade case here is simple: if you live in Apple’s ecosystem, the HomePod 2 buys you cleaner integration and a more straightforward smart-speaker experience for less money. What Hi-Fi? and other reviews consistently rate it as one of the strongest sounding smart speakers around, and it makes more sense than the Era 300 if your priority is Siri, AirPlay, and Apple convenience rather than Sonos spatial audio flair.

Worth it if: you use iPhone, Apple Music, and AirPlay every day and want an easier fit into that setup than Sonos can give you.

Best budget pick: Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)

Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) — £54.99

This is the no-nonsense budget choice for people who mainly want Alexa, timers, smart-home control, and decent background audio without spending proper money on a speaker. It will not come close to the Era 300 for sound, but that is the point: it does the cheap assistant job well and keeps the wallet intact.

Worth it if: you mostly want voice control in a bedroom, kitchen, or office and do not care about room-filling sound.

Also worth considering

Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) — £109.00

The SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) is the sensible pick if you care more about portability than smart features. Its IP67 build, PositionIQ tuning, and balanced sound make it a better everyday travel speaker than most people need, but it will never compete with the Era 300 for scale or immersion.

JBL Flip 7 — £119.00

The Flip 7 is the rugged crowd-pleaser. IP68 waterproofing, drop resistance, and Auracast make it a better grab-and-go option for outdoor use than Sonos ever will be, but it is still a portable speaker first and a music geek’s toy second.

Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (3rd Gen) — £226.70

This is the premium small-speaker choice for people who want something compact that still feels expensive. It sounds more refined than bargain Bluetooth boxes, but you are paying a lot for size and design rather than outright power.

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i — £249.00

If you actually want to build a small hi-fi system, this is the serious speaker in the list. It is passive, so you need an amp, but the reward is cleaner stereo sound than any smart speaker can deliver.

Edifier R1280DBs — £139.00

The R1280DBs is the practical powered-speaker pick for desks, bedrooms, and small TVs. Optical, coaxial, RCA, Bluetooth, and a sub out make it stupidly flexible for the price, even if it lacks the refinement and scale of better hi-fi options.

How we chose

We focused on sound quality first, then judged convenience features like Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, voice assistant support, and room tuning. For alternatives, we checked current expert consensus from RTINGS, What Hi-Fi?, WIRED, Reviewed, TechRadar, and current UK pricing to make sure the comparison is useful, not theoretical.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Sonos Era 300 good for everyday music, or just spatial audio demos?
It is good for everyday music, but it is clearly built around spatial listening. Stereo playback is strong, yet the speaker makes the most sense when you actually use its wider soundstage properly.

Is the Era 300 worth £449?
Only if you care about sound enough to notice the difference. If all you want is Alexa and background music, the price is ridiculous.

Can you use the Era 300 with a turntable?
Yes, but only via the Sonos Line-In Adapter, so it is not as simple as plugging a cable straight in.