Short answer: the Denon Home 150. It ranks #4 of 10 powered desktop speakers by sound quality at $249; the Google Home Max ranks #12 and costs $399, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
The case for the Denon Home 150: A compact mono smart speaker with a 1-inch tweeter and a 3.5-inch mid/bass driver that Tom’s Guide called great-sounding, with bass performance that belies its size. The tradeoff: Tom’s Guide’s own complaints are that it costs more than the Sonos One and has no automatic room tuning to correct for placement.
The case for the Google Home Max: The most capable driver set of Google’s own smart speakers, with two 4.5-inch high-excursion woofers and two 0.7-inch tweeters across six Class-D amplifiers. The tradeoff: Discontinued by Google since 2020, so it can no longer be bought new; used and refurbished stock is what remains, and RTINGS calls its soundstage mediocre despite the driver count.
Buy the Denon Home 150. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Google Home Max and costs less, which settles it without a real tradeoff to make.
Want more options? Browse the full Powered Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Denon Home 150 | Google Home Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $249 each | $399 each Discontinued |
| Ranked | #4 of 10 in Small Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #12 of 17 in Medium Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Party Mode | Yes (HEOS multi-room, stereo pair with a second Home 150) | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Chromecast built-in) |
| Power Input | External AC adapter | AC power cord |
| Stereo | No | No |
| Weight | 3.7 lbs (1.7 kg) | 11.7 lbs (5.3 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (2.4/5GHz) | Yes (2.4GHz/5GHz) |
| App | Yes (HEOS) | Yes (Google Home) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | SBC, AAC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | Yes (6 far-field mics for Smart Sound room correction) |
| EQ | No | Yes (Media EQ + Room EQ, automatic via Smart Sound) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| TWS | No | Yes (Wi-Fi stereo pairing via Google Home app) |
| Drivers | 1x 1-inch tweeter, 1x 3.5-inch mid/bass driver | 2x 4.5in high-excursion woofers, 2x 0.7in tweeters |
| Discontinued | No | Yes |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB, 3.5mm aux | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Aux, USB-C |
| XLR Input | No | No |
| RCA Input | No | No |
| TRS Input | No | Yes (3.5mm) |
| Optical Input | No | No |
| Coaxial Input | No | No |
| USB Input | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI Input | No | No |
| AES Input | No | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.4 | Yes, 4.2 |
| Dimensions | 4.7" x 7.4" x 4.7" (120 x 187 x 120 mm) | 7.5" x 13.2" x 6.1" (190 x 336 x 154 mm) (H x W x D) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa | Google Assistant |
| Streaming Services | HEOS app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, SoundCloud, SiriusXM, TuneIn), AirPlay 2 | Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Pandora, TuneIn, iHeartRadio |
| Amplifier Power | - | 6x Class-D amplifiers |
Related Speaker Comparisons
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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
Denon Home 150: $249 each Amazon eBay
Pros: A compact mono smart speaker with a 1-inch tweeter and a 3.5-inch mid/bass driver that Tom’s Guide called great-sounding, with bass performance that belies its size. The touch controls light up via a proximity sensor for quick-select presets, Wi-Fi setup through the HEOS app is straightforward, and Amazon Alexa is built directly into the speaker rather than relayed from another device. A second Home 150 can be paired for stereo.
Cons: Tom’s Guide’s own complaints are that it costs more than the Sonos One and has no automatic room tuning to correct for placement. It’s a single small driver plus tweeter, so it won’t fill a large room or go especially deep without pairing a Denon subwoofer.
Full Denon Home 150 review and specifications →
| AES Input | No |
|---|---|
| App | Yes (HEOS) |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Battery Life | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.4 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 4.7" x 7.4" x 4.7" (120 x 187 x 120 mm) |
| Discontinued | No |
| Drivers | 1x 1-inch tweeter, 1x 3.5-inch mid/bass driver |
| EQ | No |
| HDMI Input | No |
| IP Rating | None |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB, 3.5mm aux |
| Optical Input | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (HEOS multi-room, stereo pair with a second Home 150) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | External AC adapter |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | No |
| Streaming Services | HEOS app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, SoundCloud, SiriusXM, TuneIn), AirPlay 2 |
| TRS Input | No |
| TWS | No |
| USB Input | Yes |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa |
| Weight | 3.7 lbs (1.7 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (2.4/5GHz) |
| XLR Input | No |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Denon Home 150 vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Denon Home 150 vs Google Nest Audio
- Denon Home 150 vs Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen
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- Denon Home 150 vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
- Denon Home 150 vs Google Home Speaker
- Denon Home 150 vs Google Nest Mini 2nd Gen
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Google Home Max: $399 each Discontinued eBay
Pros: The most capable driver set of Google’s own smart speakers, with two 4.5-inch high-excursion woofers and two 0.7-inch tweeters across six Class-D amplifiers. Its Smart Sound feature uses six built-in microphones to measure the room and adjust the equalizer automatically. Owner reviews on Walmart consistently single out its bass depth and clarity, with one directly comparing it favorably to the Amazon Echo Studio and Apple HomePod. Two units can be wirelessly stereo-paired for left/right separation, and it can be grouped with other Google/Nest speakers for multi-room audio.
Cons: Discontinued by Google since 2020, so it can no longer be bought new; used and refurbished stock is what remains, and RTINGS calls its soundstage mediocre despite the driver count. It never gained Apple Music or Tidal support over Wi-Fi. At launch, voice commands could fail to register over loud music, and Bluetooth tops out at version 4.2 with no aptX. At 5.3kg it is heavy and needs real shelf space, and $399 was expensive even in 2017 next to the far cheaper Nest Audio. Discontinued.
Full Google Home Max review and specifications →
| AES Input | No |
|---|---|
| Amplifier Power | 6x Class-D amplifiers |
| App | Yes (Google Home) |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Battery Life | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 4.2 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (6 far-field mics for Smart Sound room correction) |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 7.5" x 13.2" x 6.1" (190 x 336 x 154 mm) (H x W x D) |
| Discontinued | Yes |
| Drivers | 2x 4.5in high-excursion woofers, 2x 0.7in tweeters |
| EQ | Yes (Media EQ + Room EQ, automatic via Smart Sound) |
| HDMI Input | No |
| IP Rating | None |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Aux, USB-C |
| Optical Input | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Chromecast built-in) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | AC power cord |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | No |
| Streaming Services | Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Pandora, TuneIn, iHeartRadio |
| TRS Input | Yes (3.5mm) |
| TWS | Yes (Wi-Fi stereo pairing via Google Home app) |
| USB Input | Yes |
| Voice Assistants | Google Assistant |
| Weight | 11.7 lbs (5.3 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (2.4GHz/5GHz) |
| XLR Input | No |
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
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