New portable Sonos Play and mic-less Era 100 SL build out the line-up with new tricks
The Sonos Play is waterproof, offers 24-hours of battery life and Era-like components.
Sonos has announced a pair of new consumer speakers as it builds out its line-up of stationary and portable options. Firstly, the Sonos Play (above), is a portable, battery-powered speaker with Bluetooth and a grab handle, as well as a design and component list reminiscent of the popular Era 100 multi-room speaker.
And, speaking of the Era 100, Sonos is adding a version without microphones called the Era 100 SL (below, $189/£169). Same great speaker, but better for those who’ve no intention of using voice control or voice assistants.
Let’s look a little bit closer at that Sonos Play speaker, which is by far the most interesting of the two releases. It’s designed to sit between the Roam 2 and Move 2 portable speakers, both in price, stature, and power, while hopefully providing a similar soundscape to the Era 100.
It’ll cost $299/£299 for starters, which is the same as the Era 100. However, it’s a little thinner and lighter and easier to carry, thanks to the little removable loop attached to the back. By comparison, the Roam 2 is $179/£179 and the Move 2 is $499/£449 so this might be a nice option.
Sonically, there are two tweeters offering stereo separation, and a midwoofer. There are also two more passive radiators than within the Era 100 to account for the smaller size and hopefully boost the bass output.
It can be linked alongside every other device in the range and, for the first time, can be paired over Bluetooth rather than requiring Wi-Fi. This means you can group up to four Play or Move 2 speakers for a similar linking experience everywhere you go.
There’s 24-hours of battery life from a single charge and it’s IP67-rated for water and dust. You can also use the battery as a power bank to charge your device, and there’s a charging base for when you’re using it in the home.
Both the Sonos Play and Era 100 SL ($189/£169) are available to pre-order starting today before going on sale on March 31.
Chris Smith
