Short answer: the Denon Home 250 if sound quality matters most, the Google Home Max if price matters most. The Denon Home 250 ranks #11 of 17 powered desktop speakers at $549. The Google Home Max ranks #12 at $399, $150 cheaper.
The case for the Denon Home 250: Two outward-angled tweeters plus two mid-bass drivers and a rear passive radiator give it true stereo separation from a single cabinet, each driven by its own Class D amp for a claimed combined 80 watts. The tradeoff: 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.
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 250 if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the Google Home Max if the price matters more than sound quality.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Powered Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Denon Home 250 | Google Home Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $549 each | $399 each Discontinued |
| Ranked | #11 of 17 in Medium 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 250) | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Chromecast built-in) |
| Power Input | External AC adapter | AC power cord |
| Stereo | Yes | No |
| Weight | 8.2 lbs (3.7 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) |
| Amplifier Power | 80W (Class D, combined) | 6x Class-D amplifiers |
| Drivers | 2x 19mm tweeters, 2x 102mm mid-bass drivers, 133mm passive radiator | 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 | 11.8" x 8.7" x 4.7" (300 x 220 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, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, SoundCloud, TuneIn), AirPlay 2 | Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Pandora, TuneIn, iHeartRadio |
Related Speaker Comparisons
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- Denon Home 250 vs Sonos Era 100
- Google Home Max vs JBL Authentics 500
- Brane X vs Google Home Max
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 250: $549 each Amazon eBay
Pros: Two outward-angled tweeters plus two mid-bass drivers and a rear passive radiator give it true stereo separation from a single cabinet, each driven by its own Class D amp for a claimed combined 80 watts. Trusted Reviews called the sound confident and wide-ranging, with expansive, well-resolved detail and adequate low-end punch and substance. Amazon Alexa is built directly into the speaker via its own microphones, on top of AirPlay 2, Bluetooth and the HEOS multi-room app.
Cons: 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. Only network or USB-sourced audio gets full hi-res quality; MQA-powered Tidal Masters streamed through the HEOS app gets stepped down to 16-bit/44.1kHz.
Full Denon Home 250 review and specifications →
| AES Input | No |
|---|---|
| Amplifier Power | 80W (Class D, combined) |
| 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 | 11.8" x 8.7" x 4.7" (300 x 220 x 120 mm) |
| Discontinued | No |
| Drivers | 2x 19mm tweeters, 2x 102mm mid-bass drivers, 133mm passive radiator |
| 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 250) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | External AC adapter |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | Yes |
| Streaming Services | HEOS app streaming (Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, SoundCloud, TuneIn), AirPlay 2 |
| TRS Input | No |
| TWS | No |
| USB Input | Yes |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa |
| Weight | 8.2 lbs (3.7 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (2.4/5GHz) |
| XLR Input | No |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Denon Home 250 vs Sonos Era 100
- Denon Home 250 vs JBL Authentics 200
- Denon Home 250 vs Apple HomePod 2nd Gen
- Denon Home 250 vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
- Denon Home 250 vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Denon Home 250 vs Amazon Echo Pop
- Denon Home 250 vs Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen
- Denon Home 250 vs Apple HomePod Mini
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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
- Google Home Max vs Sonos Era 100
- Google Home Max vs JBL Authentics 200
- Google Home Max vs Apple HomePod 2nd Gen
- Google Home Max vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
- Google Home Max vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Google Home Max vs Amazon Echo Pop
- Google Home Max vs Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen
- Google Home Max vs B&O Beosound 2
- See all 26 comparisons