Turn your Sonos soundbar into a surround system with this cheap upgrade hack

Every year when the best Amazon Prime deals come around, we see a bunch of interesting products up for sale – and I've just written about Sonos' latest Era 100 SL getting a tasty price cut.

If you already own a Sonos soundbar – whether a Beam 2, an older Arc, or the newer Arc Ultra – then this deal could be very good news indeed. As I'd buy not one, but two of those 100 SL speakers to upgrade that soundbar into a full surround system.

No half measures here, then, as I'm talking beyond the ability for Sonos to decode Dolby Atmos in a pseudo front-only format, and to actually decode it with rear speakers included. Via a pair of Sonos Era 100, which just dropped to their lowest-ever price.

Sonos' smallest wired speaker – yes, each one needs a power cable – is a 5-star standalone product, no matter where you place it in your home.

It's even better used as a stereo pair. But it becomes the ultimate solution for a Sonos surround sound setup by providing rear channels for true Dolby 5.1, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X mixes.

Now that it's cheaper than ever before, this is a home-cinema upgrade bargain – and better value than the original Era 100 models (which include voice control, unlike the SL – hence the lower price).

That's right: you can add rear speakers to your Beam 2, Arc or Arc Ultra in a full surround setup – and you'll find the Era 100 SL is the best-scale model for doing so (as, while the larger Era 300 would also work in this way, it's overkill – and far pricier).

Sure, the Era 100 SL is a great standalone speaker, for which you can also use the pair setup as a stereo system – such is the beauty of Sonos' multi-room system – but in adding these to a Sonos soundbar you'll get a movie experience upgrade that's worth every penny.

Better still, the reason this upgrade is more affordable than ever is simply because Amazon has price-cut the speakers to lower than ever before – even more so than Sonos' direct sale. Throw in a Sonos Sub, too, and you'll be riding in theatrical heaven at home.

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Mike is T3's Tech Editor. He's been writing about consumer technology for 15 years and his beat covers phones – of which he's seen hundreds of handsets over the years – laptops, gaming, TV & audio, and more. There's little consumer tech he's not had a hand at trying, and with extensive commissioning and editing experience, he knows the industry inside out. As the former Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint for 10 years where he furthered his knowledge and expertise, whilst writing about literally thousands of products, he's also provided work for publications such as Wired, The Guardian, Metro, and more.