Sonos Period 100 Evaluation: Two Steps Ahead, One Step Again

Worth When Reviewed

$249.00

Finest Costs Immediately: Sonos Period 100

$249.00

The Period 100 could boast a brand-new title, nevertheless it takes up a well-recognized spot within the Sonos line-up: it is a direct follow-up to the Sonos One, itself the successor to the Play:1. 

That’s a superb lineage of compact wi-fi audio system, the inexpensive(ish) entry factors to Sonos’s typically not-so-affordable bigger ecosystem. The Period 100 has some massive sneakers to fill. 

The Period 100’s energy is that it takes the good Sonos sound we’ve all the time raved about and pairs it with extra versatile options together with line-in, Trueplay on Android, and even Bluetooth help – however all is just not fairly as rosy because it appears.

This can be a new period for Sonos, however change isn’t straightforward.

Design & construct 

• Bigger, extra curved design 
• Streamlined contact controls 
• Out there in black or white 

At first look the Period 100 appears just like the outdated Sonos One, although issues have modified just a little. For one factor, that is barely taller and deeper than the older speaker – it gained’t completely change the place it’ll match in your house, however gave Sonos room to squeeze in just a little extra sonic oomph. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

The design has additionally been curved additional, with an oval form to the physique as a substitute of the rounded circle within the earlier era. 

The Sonos design language remains to be all around the Period although, from the selection of black or white finishes to the easy brand and smooth steel grille that covers a lot of the physique. 

The most important adjustments are literally to the audio system prime, the place the contact controls have been utterly re-arranged. The perfect addition is a brand new groove throughout the centre, which you slide your finger alongside in both route to boost or decrease the amount.  

Dominic Preston / Foundry

The play/pause and again/forwards buttons have moved nearer to the entrance fringe of the speaker for straightforward attain when you have to faucet at them shortly, whereas the less-used button to activate the voice controls sits on the again edge. A Bluetooth button is discovered proper on the rear aspect of the physique, as is a bodily mute swap for the microphone. 

Each the product and its packaging use extra recycled supplies than earlier than, and the speaker has been assembled with screws fairly than glue, which must also enhance repairability.

Connectivity 

• Wi-Fi 6 
• Bluetooth choice 
• Line-in and Ethernet via dongles – offered individually 

Connectivity is arguably the place Sonos has modified the Period 100 most, with small tweaks, two main new additions, and one downgrade that’s sure to frustrate some present homeowners contemplating an improve. 

The most important change is the introduction of Bluetooth – included for the primary time in one in every of Sonos’s fastened dwelling audio system, having beforehand been restricted to the moveable Transfer and Roam. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

Sonos nonetheless recommends Wi-Fi over Bluetooth, which could be why it opted to incorporate the aged 5.0 spec Bluetooth. A lot as I like the choice to let mates shortly join over Bluetooth, or stream music from my Bluetooth-enabled report participant, high quality clearly dips – as does stability, with sporadic drops even at extremely shut vary. 

Audio from a Bluetooth supply might be shared round the remainder of your Sonos system utilizing the app, although you’ll should maintain the Period 100 in that speaker group – if you happen to take away it, the Bluetooth stops. If for some motive you need the Period to obtain the Bluetooth sign however solely play the audio elsewhere in the home, the one choice is to quickly drop the Period’s quantity to zero. 

You might desire the choice to attach with an aux line-in – not a complete first for Sonos, however new to its smaller audio system. There’s a wrinkle right here although: to take benefit, you’ll want to purchase the $19/£19/€25 official line-in adapter, which plugs into the speaker’s rear USB-C port.  

Dominic Preston / Foundry

Don’t go considering you need to use an present headphone adapter both: the USB-C-to-3.5mm adapters given away totally free with many smartphones are monodirectional, designed to ship audio out to three.5mm headphones, not in from a 3.5mm audio supply.  

Mine didn’t work, and Sonos warns that the majority gained’t – you actually may need to cough up the 20 and purchase the official half, at the least till third-party firms step in to supply cheaper options. On the time of writing this easy adapter has backdated orders for the following two months on the Sonos UK web site, suggesting Sonos could have underestimated our demand for an aux-in. 

Issues worsen if you would like Ethernet. Whereas an Ethernet port was once included as customary, it’s now been taken away. You may add it again in – however that dongle is $39/£39/€45, for a combo adapter that features each Ethernet and three.5mm in a single. So if you happen to don’t belief your Wi-Fi community, you now should spend additional to wire the speaker in. 

That’s an issue given that in my time reviewing the Period 100 – and its bigger 300 sibling – I’ve had each audio system drop out and in of my Sonos community just a little inconsistently. It’s not clear if it is a Wi-Fi subject particularly, or another firmware glitch, however rebooting the speaker and/or my router works as a brief repair. That is the type of efficiency drawback I’m probably not used to from Sonos although – and I’d have beloved an Ethernet choice to offer me some insurance coverage.

Sensible options 

• Sonos app help 
• Fundamental voice controls  – however no Google Assistant
• Trueplay tuning – on each iOS and Android 

For essentially the most half, the sensible aspect of the Period 100 is enterprise as common for Sonos. 

The speaker will both work by itself or join into an present Sonos community in your house, at which level you possibly can management it via the official Sonos app, which you’ll be able to in flip connect with your streaming service or radio of selection.

Setup is fast and environment friendly, although the app itself stays a reasonably clunky solution to handle your audio system and music playback – when you possibly can, it’s often simpler to only management music via your regular music app of selection. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

Should you desire you possibly can allow voice controls. You have got a selection of utilizing Sonos’s personal voice assistant – which might deal with music playback, however not a lot else, and isn’t appropriate with Spotify – or hyperlink it as much as Amazon Alexa as a substitute. Assist for Google Assistant is now not accessible nonetheless, which can restrict how effectively this slips into your sensible dwelling. 

One particular enchancment comes from Trueplay. That is Sonos’s longstanding tech to tune the speaker’s output and optimise it for the acoustics of the room it’s in. Beforehand this was restricted to iOS gadgets solely, utilizing the iPhone’s microphone to grasp the speaker’s sounds, however the Period 100 now helps a model of the tech on Android too. 

It’s a less complicated iteration described as ‘fast tuning’, a improvement of the automated Trueplay discovered on its moveable audio system. It makes use of the Period’s personal microphones to tune the audio, not your telephone’s, so can solely ‘pay attention’ from one level within the room. Should you’re on an iPhone, you’ll see each this feature and the older ‘superior tuning’. 

I discovered that even this fast Trueplay had a notable influence on sound high quality, deepening and rounding out the soundscape. Switching it again off made the Period 100 sound skinny and nearly tinny by comparability. Improve to the iPhone’s superior Trueplay didn’t enhance issues a lot additional, so Android customers gained’t miss a lot from utilizing this easier model. 

The one draw back is that Sonos says this fast Trueplay gained’t be added to older merchandise, leaving Android homeowners with different Sonos gear nonetheless unable to take advantage of it. 

Sound high quality 

• Punchy, well-rounded sound 
• Loads of quantity 
• Sounds nice from nearly any angle 

The heart of the Period 100 have principally been carried over from the Sonos One, so that you shouldn’t count on a radical overhaul to the speaker’s sound if you happen to already personal an older mannequin. 

The larger construct has allowed Sonos to pack in just a little additional although, with the One’s mid-woofer and tweeter joined by a 3rd speaker, an extra tweeter. The dual small audio system are actually angled outwards barely, with a wave-guide aperture in entrance, to create a wider dispersion of sound. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

This can be a trick Sonos learnt from its moveable audio system, and it creates a extra open soundscape. The goal, the corporate says, is to take away the ‘candy spot’ for listening and assist the Period 100 sound simply pretty much as good from wherever within the room. 

The impact isn’t fairly excellent – transfer round and you’ll hear the sonics shift – however for essentially the most half the Period sounds nice wherever you might be. Even sitting instantly behind the speaker the sound is stable, principally solely dropping some mids. 

Total the sound profile right here is wealthy, heat, and balanced. The Period 100 ought to swimsuit most genres, with deceptively highly effective bass for its measurement, however not a lot that it overwhelms.  

It’s able to some actual readability, particularly with Trueplay enabled, with crisp separation of tracks’ varied parts. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

Severe bassheads or these filling giant rooms will after all should improve to one thing bigger – that’s simply physics I’m afraid – however for smaller areas and most use instances that is about pretty much as good because it will get on the worth. 

You may each join this to different Sonos audio system via the app for multi-room audio, join this to a different Period 100 for stereo sound, or hyperlink it to a soundbar and Sub Mini as a part of a encompass setup, although with solely a single Period 100 I haven’t been in a position to check these latter choices. 

Worth & availability 

At $249/£249/€279 the Period 100 is a bit more costly than the Sonos One it succeeds, however nonetheless essentially the most inexpensive of Sonos’s dwelling audio system (solely the moveable Roam prices rather less), and much lower than the $449/£429/€499 Period 300. 

Nonetheless, it’s not low-cost, and anybody hoping for a stereo pair should spend a reasonably penny. Keep in mind too that if you wish to use line-in that’s an additional $19/£19/€25, going as much as $39/$39/€45 if you would like Ethernet too. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

The sound high quality principally justifies the worth, although the omission of Google Assistant help means homeowners of many sensible dwelling set-ups (together with myself) will discover the Sonos choice much less interesting than earlier than – you possibly can most likely discover comparable sound, together with Google, elsewhere for much less. 

For the second actually, you will discover precisely that within the outdated Sonos One – that speaker is nonetheless on sale, although now not manufactured, so inventory will run out finally. 

For extra choices, take a look at our full rating of the greatest Sonos audio system, or the greatest Bluetooth audio system for audio from different producers. 

Verdict 

The Sonos Period 100 could symbolize a brand new age for Sonos, however the firm is moving into it haltingly. 

Audio high quality is difficult to argue with, improved barely from the earlier era due to a mix of {hardware} tweaks and the roll out of simplified Trueplay tech to extra gadgets. 

Including Bluetooth ought to have been a straightforward win, however spotty efficiency from the older 5.0 spec has made a self-fulfilling prophecy out of the corporate’s choice for Wi-Fi tech. The road-in choice is nice too, however limiting it – and Ethernet – to costly additional dongles is off-putting when the worth has already gone up. 

Throw in the truth that Google Assistant help has been jettisoned and I believe many consumers will discover the earlier gen Sonos One the extra interesting choice so long as it’s nonetheless on sale, with Google and Ethernet included as customary. 

Should you don’t want Google Assistant, aux-in, or Ethernet, then the Period 100 is outstanding. However if you happen to do, the added prices sting and make this Sonos really feel rather less sensible. 

Specs

• Alexa or Sonos Voice Management
• Far-field mics
• 3.5in mid-woofer
• Two tweeters
• Three Class-D amplifiers
• Contact controls
• Wi-Fi 6
• Bluetooth 5.0
• USB-C port (line-in and Ethernet through dongle)
• 182.5x120x130.5mm
• 2.02kg