Two new speakers — one portable, one not — aim squarely at easy home setup for listeners who want room-filling audio without headaches, and both work seamlessly with Apple AirPlay 2, Sonos said Tuesday.
“Much of consumer tech promises innovation, yet too often delivers isolation — new devices replacing old ones instead of building on what already works,” said Sonos CEO Tom Conrad. “We believe a great sound experience shouldn’t reset every time you add something new. It should get better.”
The portable Sonos Play ($299) and mic-free home speaker Era 100 SL ($189) go on pre-order Tuesday with general availability set for March 31.
Sonos Play and Sonos Era 100 SL speakers
For Sonos, the new gear seems like a “back to basics” approach after a rough patch where a botched app update led to a CEO replacement amid other problems. For Apple users already invested in the AirPlay 2 ecosystem, the new speakers integrate directly — meaning you can stream from Apple Music, cast audio from your iPhone or iPad and control playback alongside other AirPlay 2 devices from the Home app or Control Center, with no additional configuration required.
“We believe the first speaker you bring home should sound complete on its own, and become even better as your Sonos system grows,” Chris Kallai, Sonos VP of Product Creation, said in press release. “Sonos Play and Era 100 SL offer two distinct ways to shape a listening experience that fits how people actually live, while making it simple to add new rooms, new moments and new possibilities over time.”
Sonos Play: a portable speaker that travels with your music
Photo: Sonos
Sonos Play, priced in between the smaller Roam 2 and larger Move 2 portable speakers, is designed to function as both a permanent home speaker and a portable companion. It delivers stereo sound in a durable, IP67-rated waterproof body with 24 hours of battery life. And it includes a built-in power bank so it can top up your iPhone on the go.
A Charging Base is sold separately and anchors the speaker at home. There it connects to your Wi-Fi network and integrates with the broader Sonos system. You can group it with other Sonos speakers room by room, or pair two units for stereo listening — all manageable from the Sonos app.
One standout feature for Sonos Play is Bluetooth multi-speaker grouping away from home. When away from Wi-Fi, you can connect Sonos Play to your iPhone via Bluetooth, then add up to three additional Sonos Play or Move 2 speakers to the same session by holding the Play/Pause button on each. That’s a new capability for Sonos speakers. And it’s a meaningful upgrade for anyone who moves their speakers between locations.
Automatic Trueplay tuning adjusts the sound profile dynamically depending on where the speaker is placed — indoors or outside.
Era 100 SL: an affordable entry point into the Sonos ecosystem
Photo: Sonos
The Era 100 SL is a more straightforward proposition. It’s a mic-free home speaker that delivers room-filling sound on its own. And it grows more capable as you add other Sonos devices. It supports stereo pairing with a second unit and can anchor a home theater setup alongside a Sonos Arc or Beam soundbar.
The SL designation is shorthand for “speechless” in Sonos lingo, so no built-in mic picks up voices. It means there’s no built-in voice assistant. For Apple users who prefer Siri to live on their iPhone or HomePod rather than a third-party speaker, that’s likely a non-issue. AirPlay 2 support means Siri voice commands sent from any Apple device will easily route audio to the Era 100 SL.
A renewed focus on the Sonos system
Both speakers support over 100 streaming services. You can control them through the Sonos app, Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2 and your preferred voice assistant.
The Sonos Soundboard tuned both speakers. It’s a group of music and film professionals the company works with to ensure audio quality stays true to what artists intended.
The company mfaced pressure over the past year following a poorly received app redesign. And the emphasis on system continuity and long-term expandability appears to be a direct response to that feedback.
Where to preorder
You can preorder Sonos Play and Era 100 SL at sonos.com starting Tuesday. General availability begins March 31, most likely with Amazon availability soon.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
