When Sonos, 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 
The Sonos Era 100 measures 7.2 inches tall.
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The Era 100 is a sleek smart speaker, just slightly larger than its predecessor, the Sonos One 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.
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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.
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.
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 $249 Sonos Era 100