Short answer: the Sonos Era 100. It ranks #16 of 29 powered desktop speakers by sound quality (rated 3.6/5) at $217.99 and is still sold new; the Google Nest Audio ranks #9 (rated 3.3/5) and is discontinued, so it is only an option used. The Google Nest Audio’s replacement, the Google Home Speaker, is rated 3.0/5 at $99.99.
What the Google Nest Audio does well: An affordable Google Assistant speaker with Chromecast casting and respectable bass from one small box. It supports AAC Bluetooth, which the Sonos Era 100 lacks. The tradeoff: Each unit is mono; a genuine left-right stereo pair means buying two and pairing them over Wi-Fi.
What the Sonos Era 100 does well: A compact Wi-Fi smart speaker with stereo from two angled tweeters, Trueplay room tuning, Alexa and Sonos multiroom. It plays in stereo from a single unit, unlike the Google Nest Audio. Watch for: RTINGS’ own two listed cons are not loud enough for larger rooms and very little low-bass thump, so genres like EDM and hip-hop lack rumble even with the tone adjustments.
Buy the Sonos Era 100. It is rated higher for sound quality; the Google Nest Audio is no longer sold new.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Powered Home rankings.
An affordable Google Assistant speaker with Chromecast casting and respectable bass from one small box.
A compact Wi-Fi smart speaker with stereo from two angled tweeters, Trueplay room tuning, Alexa and Sonos multiroom.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Google Nest Audio | Sonos Era 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99.99 each Discontinued | $217.99 each |
| Ranked | #9 of 15 in Small Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #16 of 29 in Medium Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Party Mode | Yes (Wi-Fi multi-room, Chromecast built-in) | Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Input | External AC adapter (30W, 24V, DC jack) | External AC adapter |
| Stereo | No | Yes |
| Weight | 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg) | 4.5 lbs (2.02 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (802.11 b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz/5GHz) | Yes (Wi-Fi 6) |
| App | Yes (Google Home) | Yes (Sonos S2) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (3 far-field mics, hardware mute switch) | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble, via Google Home app) | Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| TWS | Yes (Wi-Fi stereo pairing via Google Home app) | Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app) |
| Drivers | 75mm woofer, 19mm tweeter | 2x angled tweeters, 1x mid-woofer |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Chromecast | 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 | No | Yes (line-in adapter sold separately) |
| HDMI Input | No | No |
| AES Input | No | No |
| Amplifier Power | 30W (2x Class D) | - |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Dimensions | 6.9” x 4.9” x 3.1” (175 x 124 x 78 mm) (H x W x D) | 7.2” x 4.7” x 5.1” (182.5 x 120 x 130.5 mm) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 60.4Hz (measured, Audio Science Review via spinorama.org) | - |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 44.3Hz (derived, log-interpolated between ASR’s spinorama -9dB/-12dB points) | - |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 1.71 | - |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 4.06 | - |
| Voice Assistants | Google Assistant | Amazon Alexa |
| Streaming Services | Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect | Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2 |
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