Google Home Max vs Sonos Era 300

Short answer: the Sonos Era 300 for better sound quality, the Google Home Max for the lower price. The Sonos Era 300 ranks #4 of 5 powered desktop speakers at $499. The Google Home Max ranks #11 at $399, $100 cheaper.

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.

The case for the Sonos Era 300: RTINGS calls it an excellent choice for voice assistants: built-in Alexa has no trouble hearing commands from a distance or in a noisy room, with a mic mute button on the back. The tradeoff: RTINGS’ one listed con is some compression at max volume.

Buy the Google Home Max if the price is the priority over sound quality, or the Sonos Era 300 if sound quality is the priority over the price.

Still deciding? The full Powered Home rankings cover every ranked option.

Specifications Side By Side

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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

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
  • Audioholics: Google’s Home Max Speaker review
  • RTINGS: Google Home Max Review More from Rtings.com →
• 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 23 comparisons

Sonos Era 300: $499.00 each Amazon eBay

Pros: RTINGS calls it an excellent choice for voice assistants: built-in Alexa has no trouble hearing commands from a distance or in a noisy room, with a mic mute button on the back. Six drivers, one forward-firing tweeter, two side-firing tweeters, one upward-firing tweeter, and two angled woofers, each with its own Class D amp, give real stereo separation plus Dolby Atmos spatial audio on supported content. Trueplay room correction (now including a quicker Android tuning option) is a genuine strength, and it pairs with Sonos soundbars like the Arc Ultra for a home theater setup.

Cons: RTINGS’ one listed con is some compression at max volume. Out of the box the tuning leans bass-heavy enough that vocals can get shrouded in the mix on some tracks, though Trueplay largely corrects this. There’s no Google Assistant, no battery, and at $499 it’s the most expensive speaker in this ecosystem comparison.

Full Sonos Era 300 review and specifications →

AES Input	No
App	Yes (Sonos S2)
Aux Input	No
Battery Life	No Battery
Bluetooth	Yes, 5.0
Bluetooth Codecs	SBC
Built-in Microphone	Yes (far-field, mic mute button)
Coaxial Input	No
Dimensions	7.3" x 10.2" x 6.3" (185 x 260 x 160 mm)
Discontinued	No
Drivers	4x tweeters (1 forward, 2 side, 1 upward-firing), 2x angled woofers
EQ	Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction)
HDMI Input	No
IP Rating	None
Inputs	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C (line-in adapter sold separately)
Optical Input	No
Party Mode	Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2)
Power Bank	No
Power Input	External AC adapter
RCA Input	No
Stereo	Yes
Streaming Services	Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2, Dolby Atmos Music
TRS Input	No
TWS	Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app)
USB Input	Yes (line-in adapter sold separately)
Voice Assistants	Amazon Alexa
Weight	9.9 lbs (4.47 kg)
Wi-Fi	Yes (Wi-Fi 6)
XLR Input	No

• Links
  • Official Sonos Era 300 Product Page
• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • RTINGS: Sonos Era 300 Review More from Rtings.com →
• Head-to-Head Comparisons
  • Sonos Era 300 vs B&O Beosound 2
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