Short answer: the Marshall Acton III. Both are rated 3.7/5 for sound quality (#9 and #11 of 17 powered desktop speakers), and the Marshall Acton III costs $249.99 against $549 for the Denon Home 250, with sound quality a draw, the lower price decides it.
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. 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.
What the Marshall Acton III does well: At 2.85 kg, Marshall Acton III combines 4” (midrange/woofer), 1x 4” midrange, 2x 0.75” Dome tweeters with Bluetooth, Aux. Watch for: Bass is limited by its 45Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) specification.
Buy the Marshall Acton III. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $299.01 less than the Denon Home 250.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Powered Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Denon Home 250 | Marshall Acton III | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $549.00 each | $249.99 each |
| Ranked | #11 of 17 in Medium Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #9 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) | No |
| Power Input | External AC adapter | - |
| Stereo | Yes | Partially (1 woofer) |
| Weight | 8.2 lbs (3.7 kg) | 6.3 lbs (2.85 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (2.4/5GHz) | No |
| App | Yes (HEOS) | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | - |
| EQ | No | Yes (Bass/Treble) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| TWS | No | No |
| Amplifier Power | 80W (Class D, combined) | 60W (Woofer: 30W, Tweeters: 2x15W) |
| Drivers | 2x 19mm tweeters, 2x 102mm mid-bass drivers, 133mm passive radiator | 4" (midrange/woofer), 1x 4" midrange, 2x 0.75" Dome tweeters |
| Discontinued | No | - |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB, 3.5mm aux | Bluetooth, Aux |
| XLR Input | No | No |
| RCA Input | No | No |
| TRS Input | No | No |
| Optical Input | No | No |
| Coaxial Input | No | No |
| USB Input | Yes | No |
| HDMI Input | No | No |
| AES Input | No | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.4 | Yes, 5.2 |
| Dimensions | 11.8" x 8.7" x 4.7" (300 x 220 x 120 mm) | 10.2" x 6.7" x 5.9" (260 x 170 x 150 mm) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa | - |
| Streaming Services | HEOS app streaming (Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, SoundCloud, TuneIn), AirPlay 2 | - |
| Bluetooth Version | - | 5.2 |
| Frequency Response | - | 45Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Woofer Cabinet | - | ported |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More worthwhile head-to-heads for Marshall Acton III:
- Audio Pro C5 MkII vs Marshall Acton III
- Marshall Woburn III vs Marshall Acton III
- Marshall Acton III vs Marshall Woburn II
- Marshall Woburn I vs Marshall Acton III
- Apple HomePod 2nd Gen vs Marshall Acton III
Prices on this page were last checked September 23, 2026 at 11:24 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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The Two Speakers In Full
Denon Home 250: $549.00 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 Google Home Max
- Denon Home 250 vs Sonos Era 100
- Denon Home 250 vs JBL Authentics 200
- Denon Home 250 vs Edifier D12
- Denon Home 250 vs Marshall Stanmore III
- Denon Home 250 vs Apple HomePod 2nd Gen
- Denon Home 250 vs Klipsch The One II
- Denon Home 250 vs Marshall Woburn III
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Marshall Acton III: $249.99 each Amazon eBay
Pros: At 2.85 kg, Marshall Acton III combines 4” (midrange/woofer), 1x 4” midrange, 2x 0.75” Dome tweeters with Bluetooth, Aux. Ac-powered operation and limited-stereo playback make its feature set practical for its intended room or portable use.
Cons: Bass is limited by its 45Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) specification.
Full Marshall Acton III review and specifications →
| AES Input | No |
|---|---|
| Amplifier Power | 60W (Woofer: 30W, Tweeters: 2x15W) |
| App | Yes |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Battery Life | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.2 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 10.2" x 6.7" x 5.9" (260 x 170 x 150 mm) |
| Drivers | 4" (midrange/woofer), 1x 4" midrange, 2x 0.75" Dome tweeters |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble) |
| Frequency Response | 45Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| HDMI Input | No |
| IP Rating | None |
| Inputs | Bluetooth, Aux |
| Optical Input | No |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Bank | No |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | Partially (1 woofer) |
| TRS Input | No |
| TWS | No |
| USB Input | No |
| Weight | 6.3 lbs (2.85 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | No |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported |
| XLR Input | No |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Marshall Acton III vs Marshall Stanmore II
- Marshall Acton III vs JBL Authentics 200
- Marshall Acton III vs Edifier D12
- Marshall Acton III vs Marshall Stanmore III
- Marshall Acton III vs Apple HomePod 2nd Gen
- Marshall Acton III vs Sonos Era 100
- Marshall Acton III vs Marshall Acton II
- Marshall Acton III vs Marshall Woburn I
- See all 13 comparisons