Amazon Echo (4th Gen) vs Sonos Era 300
SOURCE ARTICLES
Amazon Echo (4th Generation) review
www.whathifi.com
The Amazon Echo (4th Generation) is a redesigned smart speaker with a spherical shape and a built-in Zigbee smart hub. It offers better audio quality, improved Alexa voice assistance, and the ability to control Zigbee devices. The Echo is easy to set up and use, with a well-designed app and support for third-party services. The sound quality is good, with clear vocals and impactful bass. While the treble is slightly undercooked, the Echo offers great value for its price and serves as a solid cornerstone for building a smart home.
Amazon Echo (4th Gen, 2020) Review: A New Zenith
www.wired.com
The 4th generation Amazon Echo is praised for its sleek design, improved sound quality, and compatibility with smart home devices. The rounded shape allows for better sound distribution, making it a great whole-room speaker. The adaptive EQ engine adjusts the sound based on the room it's in, while new speaker drivers enhance the low-end performance. It is easy to set up with Spotify Connect and has convenient buttons for muting and adjusting volume. Overall, it is considered one of the best smart speakers for its price.
Sonos Era 300 stereo pair and Sonos Sub review: Value times 3
www.techhive.com
The Sonos Era 300 stereo pair, combined with the Sonos Sub, delivers impressive stereo and spatial audio performances. The speakers have received universal praise and are a great value for the price. However, the Sonos Trueplay software is not yet optimized for 2.0 or 2.1 configurations, and speaker placement is crucial for optimal results. The speakers excel at reproducing stereo content and creating immersive experiences with spatial audio. The addition of the Sonos Sub enhances the low frequencies and improves the overall sound quality. Setting up the stereo pair and subwoofer is relatively easy with the Sonos app, but the Trueplay tuning process can be challenging and requires some troubleshooting. The best positioning for the speakers is to toe them in at a 45-degree angle. The speakers can also be used as TV speakers, but they do not support Dolby Atmos renderings. Overall, the Sonos Era 300 stereo pair and Sonos Sub combination offers exceptional sound quality, but there is room for improvement in the Trueplay software and the availability of spatial audio tracks in the Sonos app.
Sonos Era 300 Review: Stunning Spatial, Superior Sound
Summary
The Sonos Era 300 wireless speaker is a stunning performer with impressive spatial audio capabilities. It features six speaker drivers, including tweeters and mid/bass drivers, to create immersive sound. The speaker supports Bluetooth 5.0, Apple AirPlay 2, and Wi-Fi streaming. The Sonos app offers EQ adjustment and Trueplay room calibration. The Era 300 delivers expressive and entertaining sound quality, making it one of the best pound-for-pound wireless speakers available. Its spatial audio performance is particularly impressive, with sound spreading in all directions and creating a sense of width, depth, and height.
Sonos Era 300 review
The Sonos Era 300 is a wireless smart speaker that offers spatial audio with Dolby Atmos. It has an unusual design and is priced at the premium end of the market. The speaker features six drivers and custom waveguides for immersive sound. It supports Bluetooth and can be used as Dolby Atmos surround speakers. The Era 300 delivers a powerful and cohesive sound with impressive scale and detail. It outperforms the Apple HomePod 2 in terms of spatial audio. Overall, the Era 300 offers a great spatial audio experience and performs well with any type of music.
Sonos Era 300 review: Close to a perfect smart speaker, but with one big drawback
The Sonos Era 300 is an outstanding smart speaker with exceptional audio quality and versatile connectivity options. It supports spatial audio and can create an immersive listening experience. However, it lacks support for Chromecast and Google Voice Assistant, and the Sonos app can be slow. The speaker is recommended for those who want a high-quality standalone speaker and can live without Google integration.
Sonos Era 300 Review: Great, Room-Filling Sound in a Compact Speaker
The Sonos Era 300 is a compact speaker that offers great, room-filling sound. It features a unique design and is equipped with Dolby Atmos technology for immersive audio. The speaker can be used for both stereo and multichannel music, and it outperforms competitors like the Echo Studio. It is also compatible with Sonos' multi-room system and offers various connectivity options. The Era 300 is a top choice for those looking for an upgrade from the Sonos One or a high-quality desktop speaker.
Sonos Era 300 review: too ahead of its time
The Sonos Era 300 is a speaker designed to showcase spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. It offers a convincing 3D sound experience and is the first third-party speaker to support Apple Music's spatial library. However, the quality of spatial audio music varies greatly, and the Sonos app needs improvement. The Era 300 is larger than the Sonos One and offers Bluetooth and line-in flexibility. It is outperformed by the Sonos Five for stereo music, but excels in creating an immersive soundstage. It can also be used as rear surrounds for a Sonos Arc or Beam soundbar. The Era 300 is a promising glimpse into the future of home audio, but the current selection of spatial audio music and the Sonos app's limitations may deter some buyers.
+ 5
AI COMPARISON
Comparison Table
| Feature | Amazon Echo (4th Gen) | Sonos Era 300 |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 2757.888 cm³ | 7696 cm³ |
| Bluetooth Version | 5 | 5 |
| Wifi Standards | Wifi 5, Wifi 4 | Wifi 6, Wifi 5, Wifi 4 |
| Stereo Pairing | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Assistant Compatibility | Alexa | Alexa (No Google Assistant) |
| Airplay | No | Yes |
| Spotify Connect | Yes | Yes |
| Dolby Atmos | No | Yes |
| Zigbee Smart Home Hub | Yes | No |
| Subwoofer | No | No |
| Height x Width x Thickness | 133 mm x 144 mm x 144 mm | 160 mm x 260 mm x 185 mm |
| Weight | 970 g | 4470 g |
| Touch Controls | No | Yes |
| 3.5mm Audio Jack | Yes | Yes |
| Price Range | Modest | Premium |
Summary of Product Reviews
The Amazon Echo (4th Gen) is praised for its improved audio quality, with clear vocals and impactful bass, and its ability to control Zigbee devices directly through its built-in hub. It is compact and features an intuitive design with physical buttons for volume, mic mute, and Alexa interaction. Its audio output includes a 76 mm woofer and dual 20 mm tweeters, supporting premium adaptive sound and faster speech recognition due to the AZ1 Neural Edge processor. The device is well-suited for users seeking a solid smart speaker at a modest price with reliable smart home integration.
The Sonos Era 300, on the other hand, excels in delivering a high-quality audio experience with impressive spatial audio capabilities due to its Dolby Atmos support and multiple drivers, including tweeters and a horn for sound reflection. It is larger and significantly heavier than the Echo, supporting the latest Wi-Fi standards and offering both Bluetooth and AirPlay 2 capabilities. The Era 300 is more expensive but stands out for its expansive, room-filling sound and the ability to integrate into a larger Sonos system, making it ideal for audiophiles and users interested in advanced multi-room audio setups.
Recommendations for Potential Buyers
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For Smart Home Enthusiasts: The Amazon Echo (4th Gen) is recommended due to its built-in Zigbee hub, making it suitable for users looking to control smart home devices directly.
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For Audiophiles and Music Lovers: The Sonos Era 300 is the better choice, offering superior sound quality with Dolby Atmos, more sophisticated drivers, and a greater focus on immersive, spatial audio experiences.
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For Budget-Conscious Users: The Amazon Echo (4th Gen) provides good value with solid performance and a wide range of functionalities at a more affordable price point.
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For Advanced Connectivity Needs: The Sonos Era 300 supports Wi-Fi 6 and has better multi-room capabilities, suitable for users with more complex setup requirements or those integrating into existing Sonos systems.
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