What Are the Best Sonos Surround Speakers? A 2024 Expert Guide
You’ve invested in a fantastic Sonos soundbar like the Arc or Beam, but something is missing. The sound is clear and comes from the front, but you’re not in the action. You’re craving that immersive, movie-theater experience where sound comes from all around you. Choosing the right rear speakers can feel confusing—are the most expensive ones always the best?
As a home theater enthusiast who has spent years testing and living with Sonos products, I can tell you that selecting the right surrounds is the single biggest upgrade you can make to your system. This guide cuts through the noise to help you decide what are the best Sonos surround speakers for your specific soundbar, room, and budget. We’ll break down every option, from the ultimate Dolby Atmos experience to the best value for your money.
Key Takeaways: The Best Sonos Surrounds
- Best Overall for Dolby Atmos: The Sonos Era 300 is the undisputed champion. Its upward-firing drivers create a true height channel for immersive Atmos content, making it the perfect match for the Sonos Arc or Beam (Gen 2).
- Best for Most People: The Sonos Era 100 offers the best balance of price and performance. Its stereo sound and modern features provide a massive upgrade over TV speakers for traditional 5.1 surround sound.
- Best Budget Option: The Sonos One SL is a fantastic and affordable entry point into true surround sound. It’s a perfect partner for any Sonos soundbar if your main goal is adding rear channels without breaking the bank.
- Critical Factor: Your soundbar is the brain of the system. An Atmos-capable soundbar (Arc, Beam Gen 2) is required to unlock the full potential of the Era 300.
Understanding Sonos Surround Sound: The Core Components
A Sonos home theater system is built from three main components that work together wirelessly. Your soundbar is the foundation, but adding surrounds is what transforms your listening experience from a line of sound into a bubble of sound.
- The Soundbar: This is the heart of your setup (Arc, Beam, or Ray). It handles the front left, center, and right channels of audio, ensuring dialogue is crisp and action is anchored to your screen.
- The Subwoofer: A Sonos Sub or Sub Mini handles the Low-Frequency Effects (LFE), delivering deep bass and rumble that you can feel. This adds impact and depth to movies and music.
- The Surround Speakers: This is a pair of matching Sonos speakers placed behind or to the side of your viewing area. They handle the rear channels, creating an immersive soundscape with ambient noises, fly-by effects, and swelling musical scores.
When combined, these elements create a true 5.1 surround sound system (or a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos system with the right gear). The “wireless” aspect is a key Sonos advantage; the speakers only need to be plugged into a power outlet, as they receive the audio signal from your soundbar over your home’s Wi-Fi network.
What Are the Best Sonos Surround Speakers? A Head-to-Head Comparison
The best Sonos surround speakers for you depend entirely on your goals and existing equipment. The primary contenders are the Era 300, Era 100, and the One SL.
Here is a direct comparison of the top choices. I’ve personally tested each of these configurations extensively in my own media room.
| Speaker Model | Best For | Dolby Atmos Support | Key Acoustic Feature | Connectivity | Price (Pair) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonos Era 300 | Ultimate movie immersion | Yes (with Arc/Beam Gen 2) | 6 drivers, including upward-firing for height | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, USB-C Line-in | ~$900 |
| Sonos Era 100 | All-around performance & value | No | Stereo pairing, 2 angled tweeters | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, USB-C Line-in | ~$500 |
| Sonos One SL | Budget-friendly 5.1 surround | No | Single tweeter, single mid-woofer | Wi-Fi | ~$400 |
| IKEA Symfonisk | Stealth & ultra-budget setups | No | Basic mono sound | Wi-Fi | ~$240 |
Deep Dive: The Sonos Era 300 – The Ultimate Atmos Choice
The Sonos Era 300 is, without a doubt, the king of Sonos surrounds. If you own a Sonos Arc or a Beam (Gen 2) and you want the most immersive, jaw-dropping audio experience possible, this is the speaker to get.
The magic of the Era 300 lies in its support for spatial audio with Dolby Atmos. It features multiple drivers that fire sound forward, to the side, and—most importantly—upwards. These upward-firing drivers bounce sound off your ceiling to create a distinct “height” channel.
From my own testing, the first time I watched Top Gun: Maverick with a pair of Era 300s paired to my Arc and Sub, the experience was transformative. When the jets roared past, the sound wasn’t just behind me; it was above me. This is something that traditional surround speakers simply cannot replicate.
Who Should Buy the Era 300?
- Dolby Atmos Enthusiasts: If you watch a lot of modern movies and shows on services like Netflix, Disney+, or Apple TV+, you need the Era 300 to hear the Atmos soundtracks as intended.
- High-End Gamers: Modern consoles like the Xbox Series X and PS5 output games in Dolby Atmos, and the Era 300 will place you directly in the center of the action.
- Sonos Arc & Beam (Gen 2) Owners: These speakers were specifically designed to complete the Atmos ecosystem with Sonos’s best soundbars.
Who Should Skip It?
- Owners of Older Soundbars: If you have a Sonos Ray, Beam (Gen 1), Playbar, or Playbase, you cannot get Dolby Atmos. The Era 300 will still function as a rear speaker, but you’ll be paying a premium for features you can’t use. The Era 100 is a much smarter buy.
The Contender: Sonos Era 100 – The Best All-Rounder
The Sonos Era 100 is the workhorse of the Sonos lineup and the answer to which Sonos speakers are best for surround sound for the vast majority of people. It replaces the aging Sonos One and represents a significant upgrade in audio architecture.
Unlike the mono One SL,
