Short answer: the Denon Home 350 for better sound quality, the Google Home Speaker for the lower price. The Denon Home 350 ranks #6 of 6 powered desktop speakers at $749. The Google Home Speaker ranks #8 at $99.99, $649.01 cheaper.
The case for the Denon Home 350: RTINGS measured it getting pretty loud with lossless streaming support from platforms like Roon, Tidal and Spotify, and found its Alexa voice assistant support outstanding, with hands-free far-field mics built directly into the speaker. The tradeoff: RTINGS measured a slightly boomy sound profile out of the box and disappointing directivity, so the sound changes noticeably off to the side of the cabinet, plus compression artifacts as it nears max volume.
The case for the Google Home Speaker: Built-in Gemini support makes it a capable smart home hub, with a Thread border router and Matter support, and the compact 107mm sphere fits almost anywhere. The tradeoff: This is Google’s current speaker, and reviewers agree it is a downgrade in sound from the discontinued Nest Audio it replaces: SoundGuys measured its acoustic hardware directly against the Nest Audio and found a single 58mm full-range driver against the Nest Audio’s 75mm woofer plus dedicated 19mm tweeter, calling it ‘half the audio hardware for the same sticker price.’ In their listening test there was barely any bass, the sound turned thin and tinny outside the midrange, and pushing the volume up made high notes shrill.
Buy the Denon Home 350 if sound quality is the priority over the price, or the Google Home Speaker if the price is the priority over sound quality.
If sound quality matters at all to you, skip the Google Home Speaker. It ranks near the bottom of the 10 powered desktop speakers, so look higher up the list instead.
Still deciding? The full Powered Home rankings cover every ranked option.
Specifications Side By Side
| Denon Home 350 | Google Home Speaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $749 each | $99.99 each |
| Ranked | #6 of 6 in Large Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #8 of 10 in Small 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 350) | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Chromecast built-in) |
| Power Input | External AC adapter | USB-C (30W adapter, power only, no USB Audio) |
| Stereo | Yes | No |
| Weight | 14.8 lbs (6.7 kg) | 0.9 lbs (396 g) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (2.4/5GHz) | Yes (Wi-Fi 6, dual-band) |
| App | Yes (HEOS) | Yes (Google Home) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field) | Yes (3 far-field mics, hardware mute switch) |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble sliders) | Yes (Bass/Treble, via Google Home app) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| TWS | No | No (two units pair only through a Google TV Streamer, not with each other directly) |
| Drivers | 2x 0.75-inch tweeters, 2x 2-inch midrange drivers, 2x 6.5-inch woofers | 58mm full-range driver |
| Discontinued | No | No |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB, 3.5mm aux | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Chromecast |
| 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, 5.4 |
| Dimensions | 15" x 9.1" x 7.1" (380 x 230 x 180 mm) | 3.4" x 4.2" x 4.2" (86.6 x 107 x 107 mm) (H x diameter) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa | Google Assistant / Gemini for Home |
| Streaming Services | HEOS app streaming (Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music, Deezer, SoundCloud, TuneIn), AirPlay 2, Roon | Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More worthwhile head-to-heads for Google Home Speaker:
- Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen vs Google Home Speaker
- Amazon Echo Dot Max vs Google Home Speaker
- Denon Home 150 vs Google Home Speaker
- Google Home Speaker vs Google Nest Audio
- Apple HomePod Mini vs Google Home Speaker
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 350: $749 each Amazon eBay
Pros: RTINGS measured it getting pretty loud with lossless streaming support from platforms like Roon, Tidal and Spotify, and found its Alexa voice assistant support outstanding, with hands-free far-field mics built directly into the speaker. Two 0.75-inch tweeters, two 2-inch midrange drivers and two 6.5-inch woofers are each driven by their own Class D amp, six in total, and the companion app adds bass and treble sliders for room-to-room tuning.
Cons: RTINGS measured a slightly boomy sound profile out of the box and disappointing directivity, so the sound changes noticeably off to the side of the cabinet, plus compression artifacts as it nears max volume. Bluetooth latency measured extremely high on both iOS and Android, making it a poor match for watching video over Bluetooth, and there’s no battery, so it’s an indoor, mains-powered speaker only.
Full Denon Home 350 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 (far-field) |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 15" x 9.1" x 7.1" (380 x 230 x 180 mm) |
| Discontinued | No |
| Drivers | 2x 0.75-inch tweeters, 2x 2-inch midrange drivers, 2x 6.5-inch woofers |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble sliders) |
| 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 350) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | External AC adapter |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | Yes |
| Streaming Services | HEOS app streaming (Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music, Deezer, SoundCloud, TuneIn), AirPlay 2, Roon |
| TRS Input | No |
| TWS | No |
| USB Input | Yes |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa |
| Weight | 14.8 lbs (6.7 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (2.4/5GHz) |
| XLR Input | No |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
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Google Home Speaker: $99.99 each Amazon eBay
Pros: Built-in Gemini support makes it a capable smart home hub, with a Thread border router and Matter support, and the compact 107mm sphere fits almost anywhere. Vocals come through clearly on most tracks, which SoundGuys’ side-by-side listening called the one thing this speaker does well.
Cons: This is Google’s current speaker, and reviewers agree it is a downgrade in sound from the discontinued Nest Audio it replaces: SoundGuys measured its acoustic hardware directly against the Nest Audio and found a single 58mm full-range driver against the Nest Audio’s 75mm woofer plus dedicated 19mm tweeter, calling it ‘half the audio hardware for the same sticker price.’ In their listening test there was barely any bass, the sound turned thin and tinny outside the midrange, and pushing the volume up made high notes shrill. There is no aux input or any wired audio connection at all, the single USB-C port is power only, and Bluetooth is limited to the SBC codec with no AAC support. SoundGuys scored it 6.0 of 10 overall, with a Value score of 4.0.
Full Google Home Speaker review and specifications →
| AES Input | No |
|---|---|
| App | Yes (Google Home) |
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.4 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (3 far-field mics, hardware mute switch) |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 3.4" x 4.2" x 4.2" (86.6 x 107 x 107 mm) (H x diameter) |
| Discontinued | No |
| Drivers | 58mm full-range driver |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble, via Google Home app) |
| HDMI Input | No |
| IP Rating | None |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Chromecast |
| Optical Input | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Chromecast built-in) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | USB-C (30W adapter, power only, no USB Audio) |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | No |
| Streaming Services | Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect |
| TRS Input | No |
| TWS | No (two units pair only through a Google TV Streamer, not with each other directly) |
| USB Input | No |
| Voice Assistants | Google Assistant / Gemini for Home |
| Weight | 0.9 lbs (396 g) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (Wi-Fi 6, dual-band) |
| XLR Input | No |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Google Home Speaker vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
- Google Home Speaker vs Google Nest Mini 2nd Gen
- Google Home Speaker vs Amazon Echo Pop
- Google Home Speaker vs Apple HomePod Mini
- Google Home Speaker vs Google Nest Audio
- Google Home Speaker vs Denon Home 150
- Google Home Speaker vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Google Home Speaker vs Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen
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