Short answer: the Sonos Era 300 on measured sound quality, the Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen on price. The Sonos Era 300 ranks #6 of 10 powered desktop speakers, rated 4.0/5, at $499. The Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen ranks #12, rated 3.1/5, at $79.99, $419.01 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 Sonos Era 300 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.
The case for the Sonos Era 300: A Wi-Fi smart speaker with real stereo and Dolby Atmos spatial audio, excellent Alexa voice pickup and Trueplay room tuning. It has an adjustable EQ, 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: RTINGS’ one listed con is some compression at max volume.
Buy the Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen when the price outweighs sound quality for you, and the Sonos Era 300 when sound quality outweighs the price instead.
Still deciding? The full Powered Home rankings cover every ranked option.
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 real stereo and Dolby Atmos spatial audio, excellent Alexa voice pickup and Trueplay room tuning.
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 | Sonos Era 300 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79.99 each | $499.00 each |
| Ranked | #12 of 15 in Small Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #6 of 10 in Large Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Party Mode | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Alexa) | Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Input | External AC adapter (DC jack) | External AC adapter |
| Stereo | No | Yes |
| Weight | 0.7 lbs (340 g) | 9.9 lbs (4.47 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz/5GHz) | Yes (Wi-Fi 6) |
| App | Yes (Alexa) | Yes (Sonos S2) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (mic mute switch, temperature sensor) | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) |
| EQ | No | Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| TWS | Yes (Wi-Fi stereo pairing via Alexa app) | Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app) |
| Drivers | 44mm front-firing driver | 4x tweeters (1 forward, 2 side, 1 upward-firing), 2x angled woofers |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| XLR Input | No | No |
| RCA Input | No | No |
| TRS Input | No | No |
| Optical Input | No | No |
| Coaxial Input | No | No |
| USB Input | No | Yes (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| 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) | 7.3” x 10.2” x 6.3” (185 x 260 x 160 mm) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa / Alexa+ | Amazon Alexa |
| Streaming Services | Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, TuneIn | Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2, Dolby Atmos Music |
| Bluetooth Version | - | 5.0 |
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