Short answer: the Marshall Acton IV. It ranks #3 of 14 powered desktop speakers by sound quality (rated 3.7/5) at $329.99 and is still sold new; the Denon Home 150 ranks #6 (rated 3.5/5) and is discontinued, so it is only an option used. The Denon Home 150’s replacement, the Denon Home 200, is rated 3.6/5 at $399.
The case for the Marshall Acton IV: A 4 inch woofer on a 60W amplifier and two 0.75 inch tweeters on 25W each, now with waveguides and a redesigned bass port, and Marshall rates it down to 37Hz. It supports LDAC Bluetooth, which the Denon Home 150 lacks. It has an adjustable EQ, which the Denon Home 150 lacks. The tradeoff: No independent measurements or side by side comparisons against speakers we rank have been published yet, so it can’t be ranked.
Why pick the Denon Home 150: A compact mono smart speaker with a 1-inch tweeter and a 3.5-inch mid/bass driver that Tom’s Guide called great-sounding, with bass performance that belies its size. It streams over Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth, which the Marshall Acton IV cannot. Watch for: Tom’s Guide’s own complaints are that it costs more than the Sonos One and has no automatic room tuning to correct for placement.
Buy the Marshall Acton IV. It is rated higher for sound quality, and the Denon Home 150 is discontinued, so it is only available used.
Worth knowing: the Marshall Acton IV has not been measured yet. Its rating is estimated from related models, with a likely range of 3.5 to 3.9, so treat this verdict as provisional.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Powered Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Marshall Acton IV | Denon Home 150 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $329.99 each | $249 each Discontinued |
| Ranked | #3 of 14 in Small Size Powered Desktop Speakers Estimated | #6 of 14 in Small Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| AES Input | No | No |
| Amplifier Power | 110W (woofer 60W, tweeters 2x 25W) | - |
| App | Yes (Marshall) | Yes (HEOS) |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| Built-in Microphone | No | Yes |
| Cabinet Color | black, cream | - |
| Coaxial Input | No | No |
| Dimensions | 6.7”H x 10.2”W x 5.9”D (171 x 260 x 150 mm) | 4.7” x 7.4” x 4.7” (120 x 187 x 120 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 4” woofer + 2x 0.75” tweeters with waveguides | 1x 1-inch tweeter, 1x 3.5-inch mid/bass driver |
| EQ | Yes (bass/treble knobs, app EQ, room calibration) | No |
| Frequency Response | 37Hz - 38kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| HDMI Input | No | No |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Inputs | Bluetooth, 3.5mm aux | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB, 3.5mm aux |
| Maximum SPL | 95dB at 1m (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Optical Input | No | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Auracast) | Yes (HEOS multi-room, stereo pair with a second Home 150) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| Power Input | AC Power cord | External AC adapter |
| RCA Input | No | No |
| Stereo | Partially (1 woofer) | No |
| TRS Input | No | No |
| TWS | No | No |
| USB Input | No | Yes |
| Weight | 5.8 lbs (2.65 kg) | 3.7 lbs (1.7 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | No | Yes (2.4/5GHz) |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported | - |
| XLR Input | No | No |
| Voice Assistants | - | Amazon Alexa |
| Streaming Services | - | HEOS app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, SoundCloud, SiriusXM, TuneIn), AirPlay 2 |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More worthwhile head-to-heads for Marshall Acton IV:
- Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen vs Marshall Acton IV
- Marshall Acton IV vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Marshall Acton IV vs Google Nest Audio
- Marshall Acton IV vs Apple HomePod Mini
- Marshall Acton IV vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
Prices on this page were last checked October 10, 2026 at 5:37 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
Marshall Acton IV: $329.99 each Estimated Amazon eBay
Older models: the Marshall Acton III (rated 3.7/5) and the Marshall Acton II (rated 3.5/5). See every Marshall home speakers generation.
Same family: the Marshall Stanmore IV (larger model, estimated 3.8/5).
Pros: A 4 inch woofer on a 60W amplifier and two 0.75 inch tweeters on 25W each, now with waveguides and a redesigned bass port, and Marshall rates it down to 37Hz. Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3, multipoint, Auracast for linking more speakers, and a 3.5 mm aux input. The Marshall app adds EQ and room calibration, and the new M-button jumps to a saved EQ or Spotify Tap.
Cons: No independent measurements or side by side comparisons against speakers we rank have been published yet, so it can’t be ranked. One woofer serves both channels, so its stereo is limited to the tweeters. It needs mains power, has no RCA input (the Marshall Stanmore IV adds one), no Wi-Fi streaming and no microphone for voice control.
Full Marshall Acton IV review and specifications →
| Released | Jul 2026 (3 months ago) |
|---|---|
| AES Input | No |
| Amplifier Power | 110W (woofer 60W, tweeters 2x 25W) |
| App | Yes (Marshall) |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Battery Life | No Battery |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 |
| Built-in Microphone | No |
| Cabinet Color | black, cream |
| Coaxial Input | No |
| Dimensions | 6.7”H x 10.2”W x 5.9”D (171 x 260 x 150 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 4” woofer + 2x 0.75” tweeters with waveguides |
| EQ | Yes (bass/treble knobs, app EQ, room calibration) |
| Frequency Response | 37Hz - 38kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| HDMI Input | No |
| IP Rating | None |
| Inputs | Bluetooth, 3.5mm aux |
| Maximum SPL | 95dB at 1m (Manufacturer specified) |
| Optical Input | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Auracast) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | AC Power cord |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | Partially (1 woofer) |
| TRS Input | No |
| TWS | No |
| USB Input | No |
| Weight | 5.8 lbs (2.65 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | No |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported |
| XLR Input | No |
- Links
- 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
- Marshall Acton IV vs Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen
- Marshall Acton IV vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Marshall Acton IV vs Google Nest Audio
- Marshall Acton IV vs Apple HomePod Mini
- Marshall Acton IV vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
- Marshall Acton IV vs Google Home Speaker
- Marshall Acton IV vs Marshall Acton II
- Marshall Acton IV vs Marshall Acton III
- See all 10 comparisons
Denon Home 150: $249 each Discontinued eBay
Newer model: the Denon Home 200, ranked higher, estimated 3.6/5, released Mar 2026. See every Denon Home generation.
Same family: the Denon Home 250 (larger model, rated 3.7/5) and the Denon Home 350 (larger model, rated 3.6/5).
Pros: A compact mono smart speaker with a 1-inch tweeter and a 3.5-inch mid/bass driver that Tom’s Guide called great-sounding, with bass performance that belies its size. The touch controls light up via a proximity sensor for quick-select presets, Wi-Fi setup through the HEOS app is straightforward, and Amazon Alexa is built directly into the speaker rather than relayed from another device. A second Home 150 can be paired for stereo.
Cons: Tom’s Guide’s own complaints are that it costs more than the Sonos One and has no automatic room tuning to correct for placement. It’s a single small driver plus tweeter, so it won’t fill a large room or go especially deep without pairing a Denon subwoofer. Discontinued.
Full Denon Home 150 review and specifications →
| Released | 2020 (6 years ago) |
|---|---|
| AES Input | No |
| 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 | 4.7” x 7.4” x 4.7” (120 x 187 x 120 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 1-inch tweeter, 1x 3.5-inch mid/bass driver |
| 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 150) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | External AC adapter |
| RCA Input | No |
| Stereo | No |
| Streaming Services | HEOS app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, SoundCloud, SiriusXM, TuneIn), AirPlay 2 |
| TRS Input | No |
| TWS | No |
| USB Input | Yes |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa |
| Weight | 3.7 lbs (1.7 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (2.4/5GHz) |
| XLR Input | No |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Denon Home 150 vs Amazon Echo Dot Max
- Denon Home 150 vs Denon Home 200
- Denon Home 150 vs Google Nest Audio
- Denon Home 150 vs Amazon Echo Studio 2nd Gen
- Denon Home 150 vs Apple HomePod Mini
- Denon Home 150 vs Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen
- Denon Home 150 vs Google Home Speaker
- Denon Home 150 vs Google Nest Mini 2nd Gen
- See all 32 comparisons