Short answer: the Denon Home 400. It ranks #9 of 24 powered desktop speakers by sound quality, rated 3.8/5, at $599. The Denon Home 250 ranks #13, rated 3.7/5, at $549, $50 cheaper, not enough of a saving to outweigh the sound-quality gap.
What the Denon Home 400 does well: The middle model in Denon’s 2026 Home range, replacing the measured Home 250. Watch for: No independent measurements yet, so its tonal balance and directivity can’t be compared directly with measured speakers; the rating is estimated from the measured Home 250 it replaces.
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.
Buy the Denon Home 400. It is rated higher for sound quality, and saving $50 with the Denon Home 250 does not make up for the sound-quality gap.
About the ratings: the Denon Home 400’s rating is estimated from measured siblings and predecessors rather than its own measurements, with a likely range of 3.4 to 4.1, so this verdict could change once it is measured.
Want more options? Browse the full Powered Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Denon Home 400 | Denon Home 250 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $599.00 each | $549.00 each |
| Ranked | #9 of 24 in Medium Size Powered Desktop Speakers Estimated | #13 of 24 in Medium Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| XLR Input | No | No |
| RCA Input | No | No |
| TRS Input | No | No |
| Optical Input | No | No |
| Coaxial Input | No | No |
| USB Input | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI Input | No | No |
| AES Input | No | No |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (2.4/5/6GHz) | Yes (2.4/5GHz) |
| App | Yes (HEOS) | Yes (HEOS) |
| Party Mode | Yes (HEOS multi-room) | Yes (HEOS multi-room, stereo pair with a second Home 250) |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes (Dolby Atmos Music) | - |
| Streaming Services | HEOS app streaming, AirPlay 2 | HEOS app streaming (Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, SoundCloud, TuneIn), AirPlay 2 |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Drivers | 2 x 114mm woofers, 2 x 19mm tweeters, 2 x 25mm up-firing drivers | 2x 19mm tweeters, 2x 102mm mid-bass drivers, 133mm passive radiator |
| Amplifier Power | 6 x Class D | 80W (Class D, combined) |
| Stereo | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions | 8.6”H x 11.8”W x 5.9”D (219 x 300 x 150 mm) | 11.8” x 8.7” x 4.7” (300 x 220 x 120 mm) |
| Weight | 9.3 lbs (4.2 kg) | 8.2 lbs (3.7 kg) |
| Power Input | - | External AC adapter |
| Bluetooth Codecs | - | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | - | Yes |
| EQ | - | No |
| TWS | - | No |
| Inputs | - | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB, 3.5mm aux |
| Bluetooth Version | - | 5.4 |
| Voice Assistants | - | Amazon Alexa |
Related Speaker Comparisons
How Denon Home 400 compares with other leading options:
- Brane X vs Denon Home 250
- Denon Home 250 vs JBL Authentics 300
- Denon Home 250 vs Sonos Move 2
- Denon Home 250 vs Denon Home 350
- Denon Home 250 vs Marshall Woburn III
Prices on this page were last checked October 7, 2026 at 9:25 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 400: $599.00 each Estimated Amazon eBay
Older model: the Denon Home 250 (ranked lower, rated 3.7/5).
Same family: the Denon Home 200 (smaller model, estimated 3.6/5) and the Denon Home 600 (larger model, estimated 3.7/5).
Pros: The middle model in Denon’s 2026 Home range, replacing the measured Home 250. Six drivers with their own Class D amplifiers (two 114mm woofers, two 19mm tweeters and two 25mm up-firing drivers) give wide stereo and height for Dolby Atmos Music. HEOS multi-room, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, USB-C and 3.5mm inputs are built in.
Cons: No independent measurements yet, so its tonal balance and directivity can’t be compared directly with measured speakers; the rating is estimated from the measured Home 250 it replaces. Its up-firing drivers need a reflective ceiling to add height, and it is 300mm wide.
Full Denon Home 400 review and specifications →
| AES Input | No |
|---|---|
| Amplifier Power | 6 x Class D |
| App | Yes (HEOS) |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Battery Life | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 8.6”H x 11.8”W x 5.9”D (219 x 300 x 150 mm) |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes (Dolby Atmos Music) |
| Drivers | 2 x 114mm woofers, 2 x 19mm tweeters, 2 x 25mm up-firing drivers |
| HDMI Input | No |
| IP Rating | None |
| Optical Input | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (HEOS multi-room) |
| Power Bank | No |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | Yes |
| Streaming Services | HEOS app streaming, AirPlay 2 |
| TRS Input | No |
| USB Input | Yes |
| Weight | 9.3 lbs (4.2 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (2.4/5/6GHz) |
| XLR Input | No |
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- No independent measurement review is linked for this model; it is ranked from hands-on listening and comparison against similarly priced speakers.
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
Denon Home 250: $549.00 each Amazon eBay
Newer model: the Denon Home 400, ranked higher, estimated 3.8/5.
Same family: the Denon Home 150 (smaller model, rated 3.5/5) and the Denon Home 350 (larger model, rated 3.6/5).
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 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.4 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 11.8” x 8.7” x 4.7” (300 x 220 x 120 mm) |
| 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
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