Sonos Era 100 Review: The Australian Entry Point to a Sonos System

Black Sonos Era 100 seen from above at an angle: a cylindrical speaker with a fine-perforated grille, SONOS lettering running down its side and a flat top carrying a groove-shaped volume slider and small touch icons

Product image supplied by the brand

In this guide

THE SHORT VERSION

Sonos Australia sells the Era 100 at A$319 in black or white, Australian models E10G1AU1BLK and E10G1AU1, both in stock on 5 November 2026 with free delivery and a 30-day change-of-mind return when bought direct. Inside a 182.5 by 120 by 130.5 mm cabinet, three Class-D amplifiers drive two angled tweeters and one midwoofer, and the internal power supply takes 100 to 240 V at 50 or 60 Hz, so Australian mains needs nothing extra.

The conditions come before any sound. The Era 100 must be set up through the Sonos app on Wi-Fi before its Bluetooth will work, and Sonos requires an account the first time a system is created. Wired input needs the A$35 Line-In Adapter, Ethernet the A$69 Combo Adapter, and S1-era Sonos speakers cannot be grouped with it. Buy it for a room that stays put and may gain a second speaker; a phone-and-Bluetooth listener pays for an app and an account to get sound.

Our verdict

Buy the A$319 Era 100 for one room that may gain a second speaker or a soundbar. Skip it when Bluetooth from a phone is the only source: setup needs the app, an account and Wi-Fi first.

A good fit for: A kitchen, study or bedroom that stays put, where you want app control, AirPlay 2 and the option of a stereo pair or a soundbar later.
We would skip it if: A room fed only by Bluetooth from a phone, an S1-era Sonos system you want to keep grouping, or a household that will not create and keep a Sonos account.

Reasons to consider it

Three Class-D amplifiers drive two angled tweeters and one midwoofer, and two units bond as a stereo pair
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and AirPlay 2 in one box, with a 100-240 V internal supply on the AU-coded model Sonos sells locally
Bought from Sonos Australia: free delivery, 30 days to change your mind, a one-year Sonos warranty and the Australian Consumer Law guarantees Sonos states on its terms page

The compromises

No sound without the Sonos app and an account, and no Bluetooth until the speaker has been set up on Wi-Fi
Wired input is a A$35 adapter, Ethernet A$69, and both line-in and Bluetooth are disabled when the speaker is used as a surround
It needs the latest Sonos app and cannot group with S1-only products, so an older Sonos system ends up as two systems in two apps

What we have not verified: Sonos publishes no amplifier wattage and no Bluetooth codec list for the Era 100, so loudness and aptX or LDAC support are unknown, and its documents give both 2.02 kg and 2.2 kg. Sonos Voice Control is listed in US English and French only, so how it behaves on an Australian account is not documented.

The things in this guide

A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.

A fixed-room Wi-Fi speaker that can become a pair

Sonos Era 100

A$319 at Sonos Australia on 5 November 2026, both colours in stock with free delivery: three Class-D amplifiers, two angled tweeters and a midwoofer, Wi-Fi 6, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth 5.3 and a USB-C port for the A$35 Line-In or A$69 Combo Adapter.

Before you buy: Needs the latest Sonos app, an account and Wi-Fi before it plays; no battery; wired input costs extra; line-in and Bluetooth switch off when it is used as a surround.

$319 at Sonos

Price checked 6 November 2026. Retailer prices can change.

What three amplifiers and a two-kilogram cabinet buy

Sonos lists three Class-D amplifiers, two angled tweeters and one midwoofer, and publishes no wattage for any of them. The cabinet measures 182.5 by 120 by 130.5 mm. The weight is where Sonos's own documents differ: the Australian product page says 2.02 kg, the product guide 2.2 kg. On a shelf it does not matter; on a wall bracket with a stated load limit, check it first.

The wireless side is current rather than unusual: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 for streaming straight from a phone, and AirPlay 2 for Apple devices on iOS 11.4 or later. The supply is internal and rated 100 to 240 V at 50 or 60 Hz, and the AU-coded models are the ones Sonos sells for Australian homes. Sonos does not document which Bluetooth codecs the speaker accepts. The single USB-C port is for the adapters, not for charging a phone.

Two Era 100s or one Era 300

Sonos Australia charges A$799 for the Era 300, A$480 more than the Era 100. The extra pays for hardware: six amplifiers, four tweeters and two woofers against three, two and one, plus Dolby Atmos, in a body 260 mm wide and 4.42 kg. Both run the latest app, take the same adapters and can be paired or used as surrounds.

In Australia the pair is the cheaper route. Two Era 100s cost A$638, A$161 less than one Era 300, the reverse of the US price order. Sonos recommends about 2.4 to 3 m between the pair and 2.4 to 3.7 m to the listening spot. The Era 100 SL, the same speaker without microphones, is A$289 and can pair with an Era 100, so a pair with one SL costs A$608.

An account and an app come before the first note

A new Sonos system starts with an account, verified by email, and an iOS or Android device is needed to set up a system or add a product; a laptop alone cannot finish the first setup. Until the Era 100 is on Wi-Fi through the app, its Bluetooth will not work at all.

The network list is narrower than the wireless spec suggests. Sonos does not support guest networks, satellite or LTE routers, wireless range extenders, 5 GHz-only routers, Ethernet-over-power adapters or VPNs that block local network access, and a system tops out at 32 products. Running the Era 100 wired with Wi-Fi off needs the A$69 Combo Adapter and a cable.

Where an older Sonos system stops

The Era 100 needs the latest Sonos app and is not compatible with the S1 Controller app. Sonos's compatibility list puts the Bridge, Connect (Gen 1), Connect:Amp (Gen 1), Play:5 (Gen 1) and the ZonePlayer models in the S1-only column.

Running both means two systems in two apps. Rooms in an S1 system and an S2 system cannot be grouped to play the same audio, and the same voice service on both needs separate accounts. An owner who wants old S1 speakers in the same group as an Era 100 is looking at replacing them.

The A$35 wired input, and the voice choices

The Era 100 has one USB-C port and no analogue jack. A turntable or CD player needs the A$35 Line-In Adapter, or the A$69 Combo Adapter, which adds Ethernet; a turntable without a built-in phono preamp needs one in the chain. Line-in and Bluetooth both switch off while the speaker is used as a surround.

Voice is a choice of services. The product page lists Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa, with availability varying by language and country, and the Australian support article lists Sonos Voice Control in US English and French only. Alexa can run alongside it on the same speaker. Sonos Voice Control and Google Assistant cannot both be active on one speaker.

What the order costs beyond A$319

The box holds the speaker, a 2 m power cable and the quickstart guide. Wired input adds A$35, Ethernet A$69, and a second Era 100 for stereo A$319. Prices on the Australian store include GST and delivery is free.

Sonos gives a one-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, from shipment or from purchase at an authorised Sonos dealer, and its Australian terms add that its goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. Bought direct, the speaker can be returned within 30 days in its original packaging, with Sonos paying the return postage. No subscription is attached.

When to keep the A$319

Skip it if the room will only ever be fed by Bluetooth from a phone: the app, the account and the Wi-Fi setup are the price of entry, and a portable speaker does that job without them. Rule it out too when an S1-era system has to keep playing in the same group, or if nobody in the house wants a Sonos account.

A fixed speaker for a streaming app, a turntable through the A$35 adapter or the occasional AirPlay session is what the A$319 covers. Buy it when a second speaker is a real possibility; in Australia two of them cost less than one Era 300.

How we put this together

Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.

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