The Sonos Period 300 will change the way you configure dwelling audio

This evaluation has under no circumstances gone in line with plan. And I’m not mad about it.

I’m just a little late to the get together, as a result of, nicely, I form of am! The brand new Sonos Period 300 audio system got here out a few months in the past, and together with them a rush of critiques —  largely wildly constructive — completely singing their praises. This consists of our personal Simon Cohen, whose opinion I belief. There are quite a lot of “game-changer” headlines on the market, which I usually to dismiss as hyperbole. So I needed to attempt the Period 300 for myself.

Plus, I needed to do one thing just a little completely different: use the Period 300 as spatial audio (e.g., Dolby Atmos) encompass audio system together with a Sonos Arc Dolby Atmos soundbar and a Sonos Sub to see what the final word Sonos dwelling theater would sound like.

However I used to be so bowled over by the Period 300 audio system themselves that first I need to spend just a little time speaking about them and the assorted configurations I put them in as a result of, for all of the fanfare these audio system have acquired, I don’t suppose it’s sufficient. I’ve some observations I haven’t seen elsewhere, and some solutions as to what the appropriate Sonos setup would possibly appear like for you, whether or not you desire a high-performance sensible speaker, multiroom audio, a clear speaker system on your TV, or a full-on Dolby Atmos dwelling theater rig.

Candy setup simplicity

It has been some time since I arrange a Sonos speaker, and I’m super-pleased that getting them up and working is simply as straightforward as I keep in mind. Sonos’ app — its consumer interface — is a giant a part of why Sonos is so well-loved. I plugged in one of many Period 300 audio system, the app discovered it, linked it to my Wi-Fi with out asking for the password as a result of it’s already saved in my telephone, after which prompted me to run TruePlay, which is Sonos’ completely stellar sound optimization characteristic. You stroll across the room waving your telephone round and TruePlay reads the room by your telephone’s microphone and optimizes the speaker’s output. It really works extraordinarily nicely, and the Period 300 and Period 100 clear up a long-standing downside of needing an iPhone for TruePlay. The sound profile with TruePlay for me is considerably higher than with out it. You’ll be able to toggle it on and off to listen to for your self after you run it in your individual room.

Sonos spatial audio

I began with only one Period 300 as a result of I feel quite a lot of people are prone to have simply one among these in a given room. You might have already seen its form of hourglass form — one that people had been fast to hate once they first noticed photographs of it forward of its official launch. However the design — which I feel appears simply positive — is definitely a basic instance of operate main type. The speaker is formed this option to accommodate a sequence of drivers that shoot sound out of the perimeters and the highest of the speaker, in addition to straight out the entrance. And that’s all in service of manufacturing Spatial Audio and, by extension, Dolby Atmos audio, each of which we’re going to spend a big period of time speaking about right here. When you would possibly count on the Period 300 to sound good as a result of it’s a Sonos speaker — and Sonos audio system are recognized to sound very, excellent — you may not count on the spatial audio facet to work in addition to it does.

Now, to get spatial audio, it’s important to take heed to music or motion pictures which were combined for it. You will get spatial audio music from Apple and Amazon’s music providers (we’ll get to TV and films in a second), and you want to be sure that the monitor or album you might be listening to is on the market with spatial audio. Not all music has been optimized but. However if you wish to expertise it, you need to use the search operate within the Sonos App to search out music in spatial audio. Apple makes it very straightforward to search out. You can too disable spatial audio in your Apple gadget in the event you resolve you don’t like how spatial audio sounds.

I’m going to take a fast sidebar right here and say that the spatial audio model of music isn’t all the time the higher model. Simply because it has been combined for spatial audio doesn’t imply it essentially sounds higher that manner. This isn’t a touch upon the Sonos audio system — or any spatial audio system for that matter. This can be a touch upon the spatial audio mixing itself. What I’ve discovered is that typically it’s superior, and typically it truly takes one thing away.

Going again to the one Period 300 speaker, it sounded excellent with each spatial and non-spatial audio tracks. The bass output of this speaker is remarkably good for the speaker’s dimension. It’s the least compelled — or fake-sounding — bass I’ve heard from a comparatively compact speaker earlier than. And that’s saying one thing. In comparison with the HomePod, which admittedly is each smaller and cheaper, the Period 300 is a considerably superior-sounding speaker.

And when the spatial audio combine is good, the spatial audio efficiency of even only one Period 300 is excellent — even form of unbelievable.

Double the enjoyable

However you understand what’s even higher than the Period 300? Two Period 300s, linked in stereo. (That’s true with most Sonos audio system, truly, however stick with me right here.)

You plug in one other Period 300, the Sonos app finds it, you add it to the identical room, and the app will ask you to establish the left and proper audio system. And, increase, you will have a stereo pair.

That is when my opinion of the Period 300 skyrocketed. If one Period 300 sounds very, excellent, then two of them in stereo are simply very good. And I don’t simply imply for a powered sensible speaker – I might put a stereo pair of Period 300 in opposition to any variety of high-performance bookshelf speaker and amplifier mixtures that price manner, far more cash. I’d put them in opposition to Klipsch’s The Fives, The Sevens, and, yeah, The Nines, too. The sound is so remarkably good.

Every little thing is healthier with the pair. The bass is excellent. It’s tight, and the resonance is good. The intonation of the bass was spot-on! I listened to Oscar Peterson’s We Get Requests, which options Ray Brown on upright acoustic bass, and his unmistakable, iconic tone was reproduced so faithfully that I needed to dig deep into my reminiscence to think about a time when it sounded higher. And if it has sounded higher, it got here from a system that prices not less than 4 instances as a lot as a pair of those audio system.

The imaging in stereo mode — once more, not spatial audio mode — was stellar, with pinpoint middle imaging, in addition to a soundstage that unfold nicely past the skin edges of the audio system and was seamless throughout the entrance of the room. No holes anyplace. Transients had been super-clean, dynamics had been fast and arresting. After which kick in spatial audio? I imply, overlook about it. The spatial audio was exponentially higher with a pair of those audio system.

I felt no want for a subwoofer. However I did get a Sonos Sub, so I added one in. And whereas it’s true that the sub provides authority to the bottom octave, I actually really feel the system sounds higher with out it. That’s not as a result of the Sonos Sub is incapable of excellent bass, however as a result of the Period 300 offered extra even bass since there have been two of them working full vary when they’re on their very own, however they get crossed over and lean on the subwoofer fairly a bit when it’s added.

All this to say that if music is your precedence, you may most likely skip the sub, even in a large room. Two Period 300s sound superior. And in the event you actually need the large bass? Simply go for it and get two Sonos subwoofers. Two will certainly be higher than one. However that provides a important price.

TV audio system

Now, earlier than I transfer on to the total encompass system with the Sonos Arc soundbar and the sub, I need to speak concerning the thought of utilizing two Period 300 as TV audio system. That is one thing I did with the Apple HomePods when the second era got here out, and I used to be super-impressed with that pairing. So, can the Period 300 do it too?

Technically, sure. Sonos hasn’t designed the Period 300 for this objective — it’d choose you get one among its soundbars for TV use — and as such, there’s no option to pump uncompressed sound out to those audio system by way of HDMI with out a Sonos Arc or Sonos Beam as a result of the Period 300 don’t have an HDMI enter on them. So that they fall wanting being a direct alternative candidate for one thing like Klipsch’s The Fives, Sevens, or Nines in that manner.

They do, nevertheless, assist AirPlay 2. So, in case you are utilizing an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K field, or a TV that helps AirPlay 2 output, then you need to use the Period 300 as TV audio system.

They usually sounded good at that job. However for some motive — regardless that they provided quite a lot of sound and excellent Dolby Atmos results — they didn’t have the pinpoint middle imaging for dialogue that I received out of the HomePods. The dialogue was clear, but it surely didn’t appear to return from the middle of the TV display because of the “phantom middle” impact good stereo audio system can create.

I’m undecided why that’s. It could be that the HomePods get a particular sign as a result of they’re Apple {Hardware}. I’ve truly requested and haven’t gotten a response but, so I’ll replace this after I do hear again.

Final Sonos dwelling theater

However actually, if you would like a house leisure system and also you desire a full-on Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 system, then what you need to do is get a Sonos Arc, a Sonos sub, and use two Period 300 as encompass audio system. I did that, and holy Toledo, people, this technique beats out nearly each soundbar encompass system I’ve ever examined – the Nakamichi Dragon being the one exception.

You’ll pay for it. We’re speaking a few $2,400 system right here — that’s the road value, not MSRP. That’s nicely greater than you’d pay for Samsung’s excellent, top-of-the-line Dolby Atmos soundbar system. However the efficiency is considerably extra convincing with regards to the Dolby Atmos results, and the general constancy of the sound is healthier, too — regardless that the Samsung system does sound remarkably good for what it’s.

The actual feather in your cap with a Sonos system like this, although, is the pliability it provides. See, the Period 300 can dwell in different rooms of your own home, offering multiroom audio, after which you may place them in your TV room and use them as surrounds once you need to. The Period 300 may even take analog audio sources like a turntable and pump that sound all through your house, in the event you’d like. That form of versatility isn’t one thing you may count on from most soundbar-based encompass techniques.

Unbeatable worth

Sonos is a luxurious good and it’s going to price you a piece of change. However a pair of Period 300s is actually probably the greatest offers in dwelling audio. You’ll be able to’t get spatial audio sound like this from something for lower than $900, which is what you’ll pay for a pair. I’ve checked — the least costly Klipsch bookshelf audio system, paired with Atmos modules and the least costly Atmos A/V receiver, goes to run you not less than $900 and aren’t prone to sound this good. And don’t overlook the speaker cables.

A pair of HomePods will get shut, however in the event you’re keen to spend just a little extra, you’ll be handled to world-class sound paired with probably the greatest consumer experiences there’s in dwelling leisure.

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