Short answer: the Sonos Era 300. It ranks #6 of 10 powered desktop speakers by sound quality, rated 4.0/5, at $499. The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker ranks #14, rated 3.7/5, at $279, $220 cheaper, which does not close the gap in sound quality.
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 Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker. The tradeoff: RTINGS’ one listed con is some compression at max volume.
The case for the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker: A compact smart speaker with an up firing driver for taller sound, built in Alexa, AirPlay 2, Google Cast and an aux input. It keeps a wired aux input, which the Sonos Era 300 lacks. The catch: RTINGS lists sub-par directivity as its main weakness, and reviewers agree a single unit sounds narrow from side to side, so it works best as a stereo pair.
Buy the Sonos Era 300. It is rated higher for sound quality, and saving $220 with the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker does not make up for the sound-quality gap.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Sonos Era 300 | Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $499.00 each | $279.00 each |
| Ranked | #6 of 10 in Large Size Powered Desktop Speakers | #14 of 29 in Medium Size Powered Desktop Speakers |
| Aux Input | No | Yes |
| Battery Life | No Battery | No Battery |
| IP Rating | None | None |
| Party Mode | Yes (Sonos multi-room, AirPlay 2) | Yes (Bose app multi-room, AirPlay 2, Google Cast) |
| Power Input | External AC adapter | AC power cord |
| Stereo | Yes | No |
| Weight | 9.9 lbs (4.47 kg) | 3.7 lbs (1.68 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (Wi-Fi 6) | Yes |
| App | Yes (Sonos S2) | Yes (Bose) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | - |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) | Yes (far-field, mic mute button) |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble + Trueplay room correction) | Yes (Bass/Mid/Treble + up-firing driver level) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| TWS | Yes (stereo pairing via Sonos app) | Yes (stereo pairing via Bose app) |
| Drivers | 4x tweeters (1 forward, 2 side, 1 upward-firing), 2x angled woofers | 3in woofer, 1in tweeter, 1.5in up-firing mid/high driver |
| Inputs | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C (line-in adapter sold separately) | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3.5mm aux |
| XLR Input | No | No |
| RCA Input | No | No |
| TRS Input | No | Yes (3.5mm) |
| Optical Input | No | No |
| Coaxial Input | No | No |
| USB Input | Yes (line-in adapter sold separately) | No |
| HDMI Input | No | No |
| AES Input | No | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 | 5.3 |
| Dimensions | 7.3” x 10.2” x 6.3” (185 x 260 x 160 mm) | 7.2” x 4.8” x 6.6” (184 x 121 x 167 mm) (H x W x D) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa | Amazon Alexa / Alexa+ |
| Streaming Services | Sonos app streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more), AirPlay 2, Dolby Atmos Music | AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect |
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