Sonos doesn’t have the luxury of a self-contained ecosystem, designed for both Android or iOS devices, so connecting the Era 100 required (gasp) entering my Wi-Fi password manually. It’s not quite the easiest setup in the business that title now goes to Apple’s HomePod which requires almost no work at all (as long as you have an iPhone). I actually ran into a few misfires with initially locating the speaker – call it new-speaker jitters – but it still only took minutes to connect and update. Just plug the speaker in, open the Sonos S2 app and either log in or create your account, and the app walks you through the rest. Sonos made its bones on simple setup when other streaming devices were putting users through a feat of engineering just to connect to their network, and the Era 100 continues that tradition. While the price has risen, and Google Assistant is absent, the Era 100 is a worthy successor to its predecessors and a top choice for those seeking a sleek, versatile, and fantastic-sounding smart speaker. The 100 doesn’t offer the Dolby Atmos skills of its larger sibling, but it boasts new features and connections (including Bluetooth), a more sustainable and repairable design, and all-new drivers for improved sound and bigger bass. The Era 100 ($249) arrives alongside the pricey new Era 300 spatial audio speaker. Today, the company's entry-level home speaker begins its next “era” with the aptly named Era 100 smart speaker. But each update kept the core speaker and drivers essentially the same. Since then we've seen a string of design evolutions of varying degrees, from speedier processors to smart home features in the Sonos One. It’s been nearly 10 years since Sonos introduced the original Play:1 speaker, helping usher in the multi-room audio age.

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