Short answer: the Sonos Era 300. It ranks #6 of 10 powered desktop speakers by sound quality, rated 4.0/5, at $499; the Denon Home 250 ranks #13, rated 3.7/5, and costs $549, so there is little reason to consider the other one.
The case for the Denon Home 250: A Wi-Fi smart speaker with stereo sound from one cabinet, built in Alexa, AirPlay 2 and HEOS multiroom. It keeps a wired aux input, which the Sonos Era 300 lacks. 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 Sonos Era 300 does well: 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 Denon Home 250 lacks. The catch: RTINGS’ one listed con is some compression at max volume.
Buy the Sonos Era 300. It is rated higher for sound quality than the Denon Home 250 and costs less, so only choose the other one for a particular feature it does better.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Powered Home rankings.
A Wi-Fi smart speaker with stereo sound from one cabinet, built in Alexa, AirPlay 2 and HEOS multiroom.
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
| Denon Home 250 | Sonos Era 300 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $549.00 each | $499.00 each |
| Ranked | #13 of 29 in Medium Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #6 of 10 in Large Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| Aux Input | Yes | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Party Mode | Yes (HEOS multi-room, stereo pair with a second Home 250) | Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Input | External AC adapter | External AC adapter |
| Stereo | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 8.2 lbs (3.7 kg) | 9.9 lbs (4.47 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (2.4/5GHz) | Yes (Wi-Fi 6) |
| App | Yes (HEOS) | Yes (Sonos S2) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) |
| EQ | No | Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| TWS | No | Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app) |
| Amplifier Power | 80W (Class D, combined) | - |
| Drivers | 2x 19mm tweeters, 2x 102mm mid-bass drivers, 133mm passive radiator | 4x tweeters (1 forward, 2 side, 1 upward-firing), 2x angled woofers |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB, 3.5mm aux | 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 | Yes | Yes (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| HDMI Input | No | No |
| AES Input | No | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.4 | 5.0 |
| Dimensions | 11.8” x 8.7” x 4.7” (300 x 220 x 120 mm) | 7.3” x 10.2” x 6.3” (185 x 260 x 160 mm) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa | Amazon Alexa |
| Streaming Services | HEOS app streaming (Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, SoundCloud, TuneIn), AirPlay 2 | Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2, Dolby Atmos Music |
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