Short answer: the Sonos Era 300. It ranks #6 of 10 powered desktop speakers by sound quality (rated 4.0/5) at $499 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.
The case for the Google Nest Audio: An affordable Google Assistant speaker with Chromecast casting and respectable bass from one small box. It supports AAC Bluetooth, which the Sonos Era 300 lacks. Watch for: Each unit is mono; a genuine left-right stereo pair means buying two and pairing them over Wi-Fi.
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 plays in stereo from a single unit, unlike the Google Nest Audio. The tradeoff: RTINGS’ one listed con is some compression at max volume.
Buy the Sonos Era 300. It is rated higher for sound quality and still sold new, while the Google Nest Audio is discontinued.
Want more options? Browse the full Powered Home rankings.
An affordable Google Assistant speaker with Chromecast casting and respectable bass from one small box.
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
| Google Nest Audio | Sonos Era 300 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99.99 each Discontinued | $499.00 each |
| Ranked | #9 of 15 in Small Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #6 of 10 in Large 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) | 9.9 lbs (4.47 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 | 4x tweeters (1 forward, 2 side, 1 upward-firing), 2x angled woofers |
| 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) | 7.3” x 10.2” x 6.3” (185 x 260 x 160 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, Dolby Atmos Music |
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