Short answer: the Denon Home 250 if sound quality matters most, the Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen if price matters most. The Denon Home 250 ranks #13 of 29 powered desktop speakers, rated 3.7/5, at $549. The Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen ranks #12, rated 3.1/5, at $79.99, $469.01 cheaper.
The case for the Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen: A small, affordable Alexa speaker with a temperature sensor, eero Wi-Fi extender support and a mic mute switch. It supports AAC Bluetooth, which the Denon Home 250 lacks. The catch: What Hi-Fi’s one real complaint was distortion at higher volumes, and bass force and detail both fall off at the low end, typical for a speaker not much bigger than a hockey ball.
Why pick the Denon Home 250: A Wi-Fi smart speaker with stereo sound from one cabinet, built in Alexa, AirPlay 2 and HEOS multiroom. It keeps a wired aux input, which the Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen lacks. It plays in stereo from a single unit, unlike the Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen. Watch for: Trusted Reviews’ own complaints are a slightly disjointed hand-over between the bass and midrange, and a safety-first treble response that avoids sounding harsh at the cost of outright detail.
Buy the Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen if the price matters more than sound quality. Buy the Denon Home 250 if sound quality matters more than the price.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Powered Home rankings.
A small, affordable Alexa speaker with a temperature sensor, eero Wi-Fi extender support and a mic mute switch.
A Wi-Fi smart speaker with stereo sound from one cabinet, built in Alexa, AirPlay 2 and HEOS multiroom.
Prices on this page were last checked November 5, 2026 at 10:30 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen | Denon Home 250 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79.99 each | $549.00 each |
| Ranked | #12 of 15 in Small Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #13 of 29 in Medium Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| Aux Input | No | Yes |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Party Mode | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Alexa) | Yes (HEOS multi-room, stereo pair with a second Home 250) |
| Power Input | External AC adapter (DC jack) | External AC adapter |
| Stereo | No | Yes |
| Weight | 0.7 lbs (340 g) | 8.2 lbs (3.7 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz/5GHz) | Yes (2.4/5GHz) |
| App | Yes (Alexa) | Yes (HEOS) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (mic mute switch, temperature sensor) | Yes |
| EQ | No | No |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| TWS | Yes (Wi-Fi stereo pairing via Alexa app) | No |
| Drivers | 44mm front-firing driver | 2x 19mm tweeters, 2x 102mm mid-bass drivers, 133mm passive radiator |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB, 3.5mm aux |
| XLR Input | No | No |
| RCA Input | No | No |
| TRS Input | No | No |
| Optical Input | No | No |
| Coaxial Input | No | No |
| USB Input | No | Yes |
| HDMI Input | No | No |
| AES Input | No | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions | 3.9” x 3.9” x 3.5” (100 x 100 x 89 mm) (H x W x D) | 11.8” x 8.7” x 4.7” (300 x 220 x 120 mm) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa / Alexa+ | Amazon Alexa |
| Streaming Services | Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, TuneIn | HEOS app streaming (Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, SoundCloud, TuneIn), AirPlay 2 |
| Amplifier Power | - | 80W (Class D, combined) |
| Bluetooth Version | - | 5.4 |
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