Sonos is permanently lowering the price of its Era 100 smart speaker and Ray soundbar, which now cost just $199 each. These products previously sold for $250 and $279, respectively.
Announcing a steep price reduction during a time ofextreme economic uncertaintyis a bold move, to say the least. But Sonos is desperately trying to recover from itsdisastrous app relaunch, and a price adjustment is a good way to generate some goodwill. So, the only “weird” part of this story is the timing. Longtime Sonos customers may jump at the opportunity to add another speaker to their home, and because theEra 100andRayare some of the least expensive products in Sonos' catalog, lower prices may bring in new customers.
The price reduction also aligns with Sonos' business model—proprietary platform lock-in. Sonos is the most convenient option for wireless, modular whole-home audio. Entry-level products like the Era 100 serve as a good “foot in the door” for new customers who may end up spending several thousand dollars on a Sonos whole-home or home theater audio system. Of course, the Era 100 and Ray also appeal to longtime customers, particularly those who are interested in expanding their Sonos system without blowing cash on the super-high-end stuff.
Sonos began swaying away from this core business model a few years ago. The company sold apair of headphonesthat lacked any notable Sonos ecosystem integrations, it teamed up with an ad company to build avideo streaming devicewith a custom operating system, and it launched a crappy app that seriously eroded customer trust. But the interim CEO of Sonos, Tom Conrad, is explicitly trying to focus on the bread and butter. He’s madeapp development a priority, slowed the scope of new hardware releases in 2025, canceled the upcoming Sonos video streaming box, and, evidently, lowered the prices of Sonos' entry-level products.
From what I’ve seen in variousReddit threads, Sonos customers are very excited by this price reduction. Some also pointed out how sales and vouchers will push Era 100 and Ray prices even lower than $199—now’s a good time to cash in on that Sonos upgrade discount, I guess.
Sonos Era 100
As long as you don’t need Google Assistant, the Sonos Era 100 is a fantastic smart speaker. It has all the functionality of an Echo Dot or similar speaker, but with a much nicer sound profile.
I should also point out that theEra 100is a surprisingly versatile speaker. It features a stereo design and can pair with another Era 100 for a wider soundstage (or home theater setup), and because it’s a Sonos device, it naturally supports whole-home audio. You can also connect analog audio sources like turntables or tape players to the Era 100 over line input, though this requires the use of a USB-C dongle.
TheSonos Rayis less impressive than the Era 100, but it’s a great soundbar for the price. And, more importantly, it serves as a good starting point for a wireless home theater audio setup. A Ray soundbar and two Era 100 speakers would make for a very competent audio system, and the trio would only cost you $600, although you’d end up closer to $1,000 with the addition of asubwoofer. (Sonos sellsbundled home theater kitsthat are cheaper than buying piecemeal).
You can buy theEra 100 speakerandRay soundbarfor $199 each at the Sonos web store. Retailers will also honor the permanently-discounted pricing, though some haven’t adjusted their prices yet, so you may need to buy direct from Sonos if you’re desperate to add these speakers to your collection.
Sonos Ray
This soundbar might not feature an HDMI port or Dolby Atmos, it certainly sounds better than your TV’s built-in speakers with great vocal and speech clarity.
