Sonos Period 100

A high quality improve in a number of methods over the One, the Sonos Period 100 advantages from a sleeker design, reconfigured driver setup and spate of options that make it a extra accessible choice for extra customers. However when it comes to whether or not it sounds higher than its predecessor, the One nonetheless has the sting with readability and element.

Introduction

The Sonos Period 100 is among the many first wave of Sonos’ new wi-fi audio system, boasting a revamped driver setup, design and extra options over its predecessor the Sonos One.

The Period 100 will be seen as a direct alternative for the One, which can proceed on, however as soon as inventory has been depleted the Period 100 will take over as Sonos’ most reasonably priced speaker for the house.

This new period doesn’t mark a change in Sonos’ strategy to wi-fi multi-room sound as such, but it surely does symbolize a change in tone, a extra accessible product with an audio efficiency that’s been reconfigured. Is that this new period all it’s cracked as much as be?

The Sonos Period 100 goes on sale on=March 28^th within the UK, and it’ll promote for $249 / £249 / €279 / AUD $399. That’s costlier than the present Sonos One is by about $50 / £50 / €50 / AUD$100 in every market.

Design

• Taller, sleeker look
• Swap for turning mics off
• USB-C port replaces Ethernet

In a straight comparability to the Sonos One, the Period 100 is taller, deeper and across the similar width, however the light curvature of the Period makes it look slimmer. The footprint it takes up is across the similar too, in a position to match onto surfaces corresponding to kitchen desktops and into bookshelves.

It nonetheless adheres to Sonos’ ‘Industrial’ design aesthetic that matches up with the remainder of the audio system and soundbars, although the Period 100 has a sleeker look that makes the One look squatter by comparability. The LED mild that was on high of the speaker has been repositioned to the entrance so the standing of the speaker will be seen wherever you’re seated.

On the highest floor are contact capacitive controls employed for operation (playback/observe skipping), with a slider within the center to handle quantity (you may simply faucet both finish to extend or lower).

The built-in microphones will be turned off by way of software program and {hardware} options. There’s a button on high to cease voice assistants from eavesdropping, whereas a change on the again of the unit disconnects energy from the microphones fully. That ensures each voice operation and Trueplay are disabled. Additionally, quite hidden on the speaker’s rear is a button for Bluetooth pairing.

The Ethernet port is gone, changed by a USB-C port. The speaker can nonetheless be hardwired right into a router, however an adapter is required, of which Sonos sells two: Sonos Combo Adapter (Ethernet) and Sonos Line-In Adapter (pc, turntables, and so forth). The USB port additionally permits for gadgets to be linked corresponding to a USB-C to Lightning cable for older iPhones.

It’s a change that in all probability received’t go down effectively as some (particularly companies) want to hardwire to keep away from a wobbly connection. It feels unlucky that not one of many adapters is included. Decisions of colors are the usual black and white.

Options

• No Google Assistant integration
• Provides Bluetooth help
• Sonos Voice Management for hands-free playback

Nearly every thing anticipated from a Sonos speaker is ticked off with Period 100, with a number of new additions and one notable omission. The omission is the dearth of Google Assistant. Google has modified the necessities for its inclusion on third-party gadgets, so the choice as as to if it’ll come to the Period audio system seems to have been left in Google’s court docket.

For voice operation it’s Amazon Alexa and Sonos Voice Management, the latter solely for managing music. With the Voice Management, say “Hey Sonos”, and you may ask it to play music, or ask for a track, album, radio station or observe from a appropriate streaming service.

At present, Sonos Voice Management isn’t arrange for Spotify or Tidal and doesn’t appear to assume Qobuz exists (or believes I’m asking for one thing else) – but it surely does work with Amazon Music. I’ve discovered that it’s worthwhile to communicate loudly for it to listen to (or simply get nearer to the speaker) and in a enjoyable characteristic, Sonos Voice Management is voiced by Mr. El Pollo Hermanos himself, Giancarlo Esposito, for those who select US English or French within the Voice Management settings.

There’s the Sonos app whereby customers management numerous features and entry a wide selection of music streaming providers corresponding to Sonos Radio, Deezer and Qobuz or fiddle with settings. Regardless that there are many settings to wade by, the Sonos app stays an intuitive one, simple to navigate, swift when it comes to response and visually feels extra upmarket than Denon’s HEOS.

With the Period audio system comes a brand new model of Trueplay in Fast Tune. As a substitute of getting to wave an iPhone round a room to calibrate the speaker, the consumer can faucet a button within the Sonos app and the Period 100’s built-in audio system measure the house round it to create a listening profile that matches the room’s acoustics. It’s fairly a speedy course of, taking as much as 20 seconds.

Fast Tune is out there on Android gadgets (with Trueplay having been restricted to iPhone beforehand) and it’s an addition that makes Sonos audio system extra accessible to customers. When you have an iPhone, you continue to get the selection of the extra superior model of Trueplay whereby you waft the smartphone about whereas transferring across the room. You’ll be able to manually regulate bass, treble and loudness ranges within the Sonos app too.

Pair two Period 100 audio system collectively and stereo sound is feasible, and there’s multi-room in daisy chaining Sonos audio system collectively, handing audio off from one speaker to a different. As was the case with the One Gen 2, you may wirelessly join two Period 100s to a Beam Gen 2, Ray, or Arc as rear gunners in a house cinema setup. The Period 100 doesn’t characteristic upfiring audio system just like the Period 300, so the audio is extra directional.

Wi-fi choices embody Bluetooth 5.0, enhancing the Period 100’s accessibility by permitting extra gadgets, and there’s casting over Wi-Fi with Spotify Join and AirPlay 2 (for iOS gadgets).

Sound High quality

• Larger emphasis on bass
• Wider candy spot
• Not as delicate because the One

The innards of the Period 100 have undergone a revamp from the One. That speaker’s two Class-D amplifiers powering a tweeter and woofer setup make method for 3 class-D digital amplifiers that energy two angled tweeters and a woofer. The tuning for the Period 100 has additionally modified as effectively, with a much bigger emphasis on the decrease frequencies.

This has the impact of the Period 100’s efficiency being weightier throughout the frequency vary; bass has extra heft, the midrange is introduced with extra solidity and treble is thicker in description.

Stranger feat. Mikky Ekko advantages from this meatier bass with a extra explosive presence, and it’s the identical with Jacob Collier’s All I Want and Thundercat’s Them Modifications, all producing extra depth, variation, and extension to bass frequencies than the unique Sonos One might.

And that bass energy will not be on the expense of vocal readability both, however the change in tone lacks a number of traits that made the One and One SL nearly as good as they had been. The Period 100 lacks that lightness in describing the midrange; its weightiness implies that whereas it’s nonetheless unearthing comparable ranges of element, it does so with out the identical subtlety and deftness of contact.

The Period 100 isn’t as vibrant because the One when coping with treble both. Abba’s Winner Takes it All has superb vocal high quality: a transparent, pretty uncoloured sound that’s within the realm of neutrality, however the piano within the observe sounds rolled off and dulled, and the identical will be stated for GoGo Penguin’s Erased by Daylight. There’s not a lot chunk or shine to the upper frequencies, resulting in what quantities to a security first, middle-ground strategy.

I’d encourage taking part in round with the EQ to change bass and treble ranges, although these modifications don’t current themselves in a sharper or brighter method for top frequencies, simply that it attracts out the treble over and above midrange and bass.

Trueplay might virtually be described as bass administration. Out of the field with no tuning, the Period 100 sounded limp, and after a Fast Tune it was on the races with a punchier, extra fast replica of low frequencies. And having positioned this speaker in 4 totally different positions in two rooms the extent of bass has been constant in every location after every re-tune.

Sonos says to hold out a retune each time the speaker is moved, however I’d say it’s extra vital to do that for those who’re taking the speaker from a freestanding place to 1 the place it’s both enclosed or bolstered by one thing behind it. A retune helps get bass again in step.

Flip the quantity up and the DSP (digital sign processing) kicks in, and which means bass ranges don’t improve consistent with general loudness. In truth, it appears to get smaller and hole, however until the Period 100 is getting used for events, I’d battle to see why you’d want to show it up over stage 50. At 40 it’s a giant, room-filling speaker.

In comparison with the similarly-priced Denon Dwelling 150, the Sonos incurs a much bigger bass efficiency, however the Denon is the richer, extra musical presentation matched towards the Period 100’s neutrality. The Sonos isolates voices higher than the Dwelling 150, however the richness of the Denon’s midrange and added expression with voices corresponding to Phoebe Bridger’s in her Punisher album, Michael Jackson’s in Ben and Janelle Monae’s in Can’t Dwell With out Your Love affords a extra fluid and defter efficiency. That is the place the Sonos’ weightier signature doesn’t play into its advantages.

However, the angled tweeters put ahead a wider listening spot than the Sonos One can handle when shuffling throughout a room. The One’s vocals have an outlined level of origin, however the Period 100 comes throughout as extra seamless and constant wherever I sit in a room. Bluetooth requires hammering the quantity method up because the speaker could be very quiet at regular ranges, and when it comes to streaming it maxes out at AAC high quality.

Is the Period 100 higher sounding than the One? At first, I’d have stated sure, however over time they every have their traits that may attraction to some and fewer so to others. I discover myself preferring the crisper sense of element and readability of the One over the load and firmness of the Period 100. They’re each superb, and for those who felt the One was in need of bass then that’s made up for in spades with the Period 100.

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