After a slight blunder with an American retailer, Sonos has officially made its two new speakers official.
Alongside the Sonos Play, which is positioned as one of the brand’s most flexible speakers, is the Sonos Era 100 SL. But how does the Era 100 SL compare to the similarly titled Era 100?
Considering we awarded the Sonos Era 100 a 4.5-star rating, why should you buy the Era 100 SL?
To help you decide, we’ve compared the specs of the Sonos Era 100 SL to the Era 100 and pointed out the key differences and noteworthy similarities between the two below. Keep reading to see which speaker is likely to suit you best.
Not sold on either? Visit our list of the best Bluetooth speakers and best outdoor speakers to find your new favourite model.
Price and Availability
At the time of writing, the Sonos Era 100 SL is available for pre-order and will officially launch in stores on March 31st. With an RRP of $189/£169, it’s hailed as being Sonos’ “most cost-effective way to build” a home setup.
Instead, the Sonos Era 100 has an RRP of £199/$219. However, as it’s an older speaker, it is possible to find the device with a price cut, so make sure you keep an eye out during sales events.
Sonos Era 100 supports voice control
One of the biggest differences between the Sonos Era 100 SL and Era 100 is that the latter has a microphone and, therefore, supports voice control. You can either use Sonos Voice Control to manage music, or you can also rely on Amazon Alexa for answering questions, setting timers and the like.
On the other hand, the Sonos Era 100 SL isn’t equipped with any voice control or assistants, as it lacks a microphone. Sonos explains that the decision to not equip the Era 100 SL with built-in voice control was to ensure the speaker is more affordable than the 100. However, if you pair the Era 100 SL with a voice-enabled soundbar then you’ll still benefit from voice control, even though the Era 100 SL doesn’t actually support it.
Android users won’t be able to use Trueplay tuning technology on the Sonos Era 100 SL
Following on from the above, the Era 100 features Sonos’ clever Trueplay technology which measures how sound reflects off walls and furnishings in a room and tunes the speaker accordingly. While the Sonos Era 100 SL does also support Trueplay, it will only work with an iOS device. This is because the Era 100 SL doesn’t have a microphone, which Android devices need to activate Trueplay.
With this in mind, if you’re sporting one of the best Android phones and want optimised sound for your room, then the Sonos Era 100 SL might not be the top choice for you.
Both have the same sonic architecture
Under their respective hoods, the Sonos Era 100 SL and Era 100 sport the same sonic architecture. In fact, Sonos promises that the more affordable Era 100 SL will have “no compromises on sound quality”.
Considering we concluded that the Era 100’s provides a weightier performance across the frequency range, this certainly bodes well for the Era 100 SL. We also found the Era 100 sported an increase in bass over its predecessor that gave music genres such as R&B, Hip Hop and Pop more impact and excitement too.
Having said that, we’d encourage users to play around with the EQ to perfect the bass and treble levels to best suit your personal listening preferences. Although we haven’t reviewed the Era 100 SL yet, we expect this will be the case for the new speaker too.
Sonos Era 100 SL is designed to fit into your existing speaker set-up
Although you can listen to the Era 100 SL on its own, Sonos explains it’s designed to slot into your existing home entertainment set-up. For example, you can pair two Era 100 SLs to a Sonos soundbar, such as the Sonos Beam or Sonos Arc Ultra, to create a surround sound system.
Alternatively, Sonos does state that you can use the Era 100 SL as a stand-alone speaker too.
It’s a similar situation with the Era 100, which can be paired with another Era 100 SL and a soundbar too.
Both share similar designs, although the Era 100 SL is slightly lighter
At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Era 100 and Era 100 SL were the same speakers, as both measure in at 7.19 x 4.72 x 5.14 inches and come in a choice of Black or White. However, unsurprisingly as it lacks a microphone, the Era 100 SL weighs slightly less at 1.95kg compared to 2.02kg.
Early Verdict
As we haven’t reviewed the Sonos Era 100 SL yet, we’ll hold off from giving a conclusive verdict. However, as it’s slightly more affordable than the Era 100 and promises the same brilliant sound quality and sleek design, the Era 100 SL is certainly an appealing option for many – as long as you’re an iOS user and won’t miss voice control.
