Short answer: the Sonos Era 300 on measured sound quality, the Apple HomePod 2nd Gen on price. The Sonos Era 300 ranks #4 of 5 powered desktop speakers at $499. The Apple HomePod 2nd Gen ranks #5 at $297.71, $201.29 cheaper.
The case for the Apple HomePod 2nd Gen: What Hi-Fi gave it a perfect 5 stars for sound and a What Hi-Fi Award, calling it natural, solid and energetic with a spacious, three-dimensional presentation on Dolby Atmos content. The tradeoff: What Hi-Fi’s own comparison found the pricier Sonos Era 300 has more power, punch and detail, and Siri cannot launch Spotify, Tidal or other non-Apple services directly, only Apple Music by voice; everything else has to be sent over AirPlay from a phone.
The case for the Sonos Era 300: RTINGS calls it an excellent choice for voice assistants: built-in Alexa has no trouble hearing commands from a distance or in a noisy room, with a mic mute button on the back. The tradeoff: RTINGS’ one listed con is some compression at max volume.
Buy the Apple HomePod 2nd Gen when the price outweighs sound quality for you, and the Sonos Era 300 when sound quality outweighs the price instead.
Want more options? Browse the full Powered Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Apple HomePod 2nd Gen | Sonos Era 300 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $297.71 each | $499.00 each |
| Ranked | #5 of 16 in Medium Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #4 of 5 in Large Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Party Mode | Yes (AirPlay 2 multi-room) | Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Input | External AC adapter (detachable cable) | External AC adapter |
| Stereo | No | Yes |
| Weight | 5.1 lbs (2.3 kg) | 9.9 lbs (4.47 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes (Wi-Fi 6) |
| App | Yes (Apple Home) | Yes (Sonos S2) |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field array, no physical mute switch) | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) |
| EQ | Yes (Reduce Bass toggle + automatic room correction) | Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| TWS | Yes (stereo pairing via Home app) | Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app) |
| Drivers | 4in high-excursion woofer, 5x horn-loaded tweeters | 4x tweeters (1 forward, 2 side, 1 upward-firing), 2x angled woofers |
| Discontinued | No | No |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2 | 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 | No | Yes, 5.0 |
| Dimensions | 6.7" x 5.6" x 5.6" (170 x 142 x 142 mm) | 7.3" x 10.2" x 6.3" (185 x 260 x 160 mm) |
| Voice Assistants | Apple Siri | Amazon Alexa |
| Streaming Services | AirPlay 2, Apple Music (direct voice control); other services via AirPlay only | Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2, Dolby Atmos Music |
| Bluetooth Codecs | - | SBC |
Related Speaker Comparisons
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- Apple HomePod 2nd Gen vs Brane X
- Sonos Era 300 vs Sonos Play
Prices on this page were last checked September 22, 2026 at 5:11 AM 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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The Two Speakers In Full
Apple HomePod 2nd Gen: $297.71 each Amazon eBay
Pros: What Hi-Fi gave it a perfect 5 stars for sound and a What Hi-Fi Award, calling it natural, solid and energetic with a spacious, three-dimensional presentation on Dolby Atmos content. A 4-inch high-excursion woofer moves 20mm of travel, paired with five angled horn-loaded tweeters, and the S7 chip continuously measures the room and re-tunes the output in real time, even as you move the speaker. “Hey Siri” is reliably heard from across a room even at full volume, and two units can be stereo-paired for a genuinely bigger sound.
Cons: What Hi-Fi’s own comparison found the pricier Sonos Era 300 has more power, punch and detail, and Siri cannot launch Spotify, Tidal or other non-Apple services directly, only Apple Music by voice; everything else has to be sent over AirPlay from a phone. There is no way to stream to it over Bluetooth at all, no 3.5mm or other wired input, no battery, and no IP rating, so it’s an AC-only speaker for an already-committed Apple household.
Full Apple HomePod 2nd Gen review and specifications →
| AES Input | No |
|---|---|
| App | Yes (Apple Home) |
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | No |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field array, no physical mute switch) |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 6.7" x 5.6" x 5.6" (170 x 142 x 142 mm) |
| Discontinued | No |
| Drivers | 4in high-excursion woofer, 5x horn-loaded tweeters |
| EQ | Yes (Reduce Bass toggle + automatic room correction) |
| HDMI Input | No |
| IP Rating | None |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2 |
| Optical Input | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (AirPlay 2 multi-room) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | External AC adapter (detachable cable) |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | No |
| Streaming Services | AirPlay 2, Apple Music (direct voice control); other services via AirPlay only |
| TRS Input | No |
| TWS | Yes (stereo pairing via Home app) |
| USB Input | No |
| Voice Assistants | Apple Siri |
| Weight | 5.1 lbs (2.3 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| XLR Input | No |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Apple HomePod 2nd Gen vs JBL Authentics 200
- Apple HomePod 2nd Gen vs Google Home Max
- Apple HomePod 2nd Gen vs Sonos Era 100
- Apple HomePod 2nd Gen vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
- Apple HomePod 2nd Gen vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Apple HomePod 2nd Gen vs Amazon Echo Pop
- Apple HomePod 2nd Gen vs Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen
- Apple HomePod 2nd Gen vs Apple HomePod Mini
- See all 23 comparisons
Sonos Era 300: $499.00 each Amazon eBay
Pros: RTINGS calls it an excellent choice for voice assistants: built-in Alexa has no trouble hearing commands from a distance or in a noisy room, with a mic mute button on the back. Six drivers, one forward-firing tweeter, two side-firing tweeters, one upward-firing tweeter, and two angled woofers, each with its own Class D amp, give real stereo separation plus Dolby Atmos spatial audio on supported content. Trueplay room correction (now including a quicker Android tuning option) is a genuine strength, and it pairs with Sonos soundbars like the Arc Ultra for a home theater setup.
Cons: RTINGS’ one listed con is some compression at max volume. Out of the box the tuning leans bass-heavy enough that vocals can get shrouded in the mix on some tracks, though Trueplay largely corrects this. There’s no Google Assistant, no battery, and at $499 it’s the most expensive speaker in this ecosystem comparison.
Full Sonos Era 300 review and specifications →
| AES Input | No |
|---|---|
| App | Yes (Sonos S2) |
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.0 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 7.3" x 10.2" x 6.3" (185 x 260 x 160 mm) |
| Discontinued | No |
| Drivers | 4x tweeters (1 forward, 2 side, 1 upward-firing), 2x angled woofers |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction) |
| HDMI Input | No |
| IP Rating | None |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| Optical Input | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | External AC adapter |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | Yes |
| Streaming Services | Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2, Dolby Atmos Music |
| TRS Input | No |
| TWS | Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app) |
| USB Input | Yes (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa |
| Weight | 9.9 lbs (4.47 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (Wi-Fi 6) |
| XLR Input | No |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Sonos Era 300 vs B&O Beosound 2
- Sonos Era 300 vs JBL Authentics 500
- Sonos Era 300 vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
- Sonos Era 300 vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Sonos Era 300 vs Amazon Echo Pop
- Sonos Era 300 vs Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen
- Sonos Era 300 vs Apple HomePod Mini
- Sonos Era 300 vs Google Home Max
- See all 23 comparisons