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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

Apple HomePod (2nd generation) vs Sonos Era 300

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Apple HomePod (2nd generation)
Sonos Era 300

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Feb 03, 2025 02:19 PM

SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Jan 10, 2025 01:28 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Picture
Sonos Era 300 Picture
  1. Recommended in 3 articles:
  2. Brands
  3. iPhone
  4. Apple
  1. Recommended in 5 articles:
  2. Home
  3. Alexa
  4. Brands
  5. Smart
  6. Sonos

Variants

  • HomePod (2nd generation) (Midnight)
  • HomePod (2nd generation) (White)
  • Era 300 (Black)
  • Era 300 (White)

Our Verdict

Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

Sonos Era 300

The Sonos Era 300 and the Apple HomePod (2nd generation) are both wired home speakers that perform very similarly. They have slightly different strengths, so choosing between them will come down to personal preference and which one integrates into your existing home electronics ecosystem. Both speakers are decently well-built and have balanced sound profiles that employ room correction tools to harness the acoustic potential of your room. However, the Sonos can get slightly louder and has slightly better directivity. It also features both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatibility, whereas the Apple can only connect via Wi-Fi. The Apple boasts outstanding voice assistant compatibility, with built-in Siri capabilities and excellent voice command recognition. It also has more intuitive controls, although its app isn't quite as easy to use as the Sonos.

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Check Price

White
HomePod (2nd generation)
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Midnight
HomePod (2nd generation)
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.2
7.7

Soundstage 
 

7.6
8.6

EQ 
 

No
Bass/Treble

Dynamics 
 

5.7
6.3

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Style Photo
Sonos Era 300 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show text

Portability 
 

4.3
3.9

Dimensions Photo  

Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Dimensions Photo
Sonos Era 300 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

205 in³ (3,367 cm³)
494 in³ (8,088 cm³)

Weight 
 

5.1 lbs (2.3 kg)
9.9 lbs (4.5 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC Only
AC Only

One-Hand Carry 
 

No
No
Show text

Build Quality 
 

6.4
6.4

Build Quality Photo  

Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Build Quality Photo
Sonos Era 300 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

No
No

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

No
No

Floats In Water 
 

No
No
Show text

Controls 
 

8.0
7.0

Controls Photo  

Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Controls Photo
Sonos Era 300 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Controls Photo 2
Sonos Era 300 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Tactile)
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Apple HomePod (2nd generation) In The Box Photo
Sonos Era 300 In The Box Photo
Show text
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.8
7.8

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

0.87
0.22

Std. Err. 
 

3.68 dB
1.93 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

32.7 Hz
40.6 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.3 kHz
15.8 kHz
Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.6
8.6

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

0.90 dB
2.68 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
Yes
Show text

Dynamics 
 

5.7
6.3

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

85.2 dB SPL
90.9 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.78 dB
4.01 dB
Show text
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power Saving 
 

No
No

Charging Port 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Battery Powered 
 

No
No

Voice Assistant 
 

10
9.4

Alexa 
 

No
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
No

Siri 
 

Built-in
No

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

Yes
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Excellent
Great
Show text

App 
 

6.6
9.3

App Picture  

Apple HomePod (2nd generation) App Picture
Sonos Era 300 App Picture

App Name 
 

Apple Home
Sonos S2

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

No
Yes

EQ 
 

No
Bass/Treble

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

Yes
Yes
Show text
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

No
No
Show text

Bluetooth 
 

0.0
7.1

Bluetooth 
 

No
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
5.0

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

N/A
160 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

N/A
206 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

N/A
334.6 ft (102.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No
Show text

Wi-Fi 
 

7.7
7.7

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 4
Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

2.4GHz & 5GHz
2.4GHz & 5GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
Yes

AirPlay Latency 
 

121 ms
130 ms

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show text

Check Price

White
HomePod (2nd generation)
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Midnight
HomePod (2nd generation)
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com

Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

Sonos Era 300

Comments

  1. Comparison

Sonos Era 300 vs Apple HomePod (2nd generation): Main Discussion

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