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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

Sonos Era 300 vs Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Sonos Era 300
Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Jan 10, 2025 01:28 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Nov 21, 2024 08:29 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sonos Era 300 Picture
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) Picture
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Variants

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

Our Verdict

Sonos Era 300

Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

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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White
HomePod (2nd generation)
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Midnight
HomePod (2nd generation)
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Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.7
7.2

Soundstage 
 

8.6
7.6

EQ 
 

Bass/Treble
No

Dynamics 
 

6.3
5.7

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

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

RGB Lights  

No
No

Show text

Portability 
 

3.9
4.3

Dimensions Photo  

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

Volume 
 

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

Weight 
 

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

Power Source 
 

AC Only
AC Only

One-Hand Carry 
 

No
No

Show text

Build Quality 
 

6.4
6.4

Build Quality Photo  

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

7.0
8.0

Controls Photo  

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

Controls Photo 2  

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

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Tactile)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
Yes (Tactile)

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  

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

0.22
0.87

Std. Err. 
 

1.93 dB
3.68 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

40.6 Hz
32.7 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

15.8 kHz
19.3 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 
 

8.6
7.6

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

2.68 dB
0.90 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes
No (mono)

Show text

Dynamics 
 

6.3
5.7

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

90.9 dB SPL
85.2 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

4.01 dB
3.78 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 
 

9.4
10

Alexa 
 

Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Speakerphone 
 

No
Yes

Siri 
 

No
Built-in

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

Yes
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Great
Excellent

Show text

App 
 

9.3
6.6

App Picture  

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

App Name 
 

Sonos S2
Apple Home

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
No

EQ 
 

Bass/Treble
No

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 
 

7.1
0.0

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
No

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0
No Bluetooth

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

160 ms
N/A

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

206 ms
N/A

Bluetooth Range 
 

334.6 ft (102.0 m)
N/A

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

Show text

Wi-Fi 
 

7.7
7.7

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 6
Wi-Fi 4

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

2.4GHz & 5GHz
2.4GHz & 5GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
Yes

AirPlay Latency 
 

130 ms
121 ms

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

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Sonos Era 300

Apple HomePod (2nd generation)

Comments

  1. Comparison

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

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