Sonos Era 300 vs. Apple HomePod: Which One Should You Buy?
While you can find smart speakers in a number of price ranges, two popular high-end choices are Apple’s second-generation HomePod and the Sonos Era 300.
We’ll compare both models to help you decide which smart speaker is the best for you.
Comparing the HomePod and Era 300 Design and More
You won’t ever confuse Apple’s HomePod and the Sonos Era 300, even at a quick glance.
The second-generation HomePod keeps the same, cylindrical shape as the original with the backlit touch surface on top of the speaker. It’s available in a white or color midnight and is 6.6 inches tall, 5.6 inches and weighs 5.16 pounds.
A small stand on the bottom of the HomePod helps keep it steady on a desk or table.
Sporting a unique, tapered design the Era 300 is substantially larger. Even though it s 6.3 inches high, the speaker is 10.24 inches wide and 7.28 inches deep.
It’s almost twice as heavy at 9.85 pounds. So while it’s larger than the HomePod, it can still fit nicely on a table or entertainment center. You can choose from a matte black or white version. Touch controls on top of the Era 300 allow you to change the volume, play/pause, and next/previous music. There is also a button to turn off services. You can completely turn off the microphone with a toggle switch on the back of the speaker.
Dolby Atmos on the Era 300 and HomePod
Thedesign of the Era 300 is for a specific reason, an up-firing speaker that reflects sound off a ceiling for Dolby Atmos support with more immersive audio, including music. That is paired with four tweeters and two woofers.
Apple’s HomePod features a 4-inch-high woofer and five tweeters. Even though there is no upward-firing speaker, the speaker features Spatial Audio support with Dolby Atmos as well.
Both speakers can play Dolby Atmos tracks from the large Apple Music library. The Era 300 is compatible with Dolby Atmos music from both Apple Music and the smaller Amazon Unlimited HD.
To provide the best music quality for the room, the HomePod uses its built-in microphones to listen to the sound and then adjust the audio quality. This calibration will run each time the HomePod senses that it is moved. With the Era 300, you could adjust the EQ at any time using the Trueplay feature.
If you have a compatible iPhone or iPad, you can use that device and its microphones to help properly tune the speaker for your room. That Advanced Tuning option isn’t available to Android users, but you can access a Quick Tuning option that uses the built-in microphones on the Era 300 itself. Quick Tuning is also available for Apple devices.
HomePod and Era 300 Offers Virtual Assistants, Smart Home Features
With any modern speaker, both the Era 300 and HomePod are powered by virtual assistants.
As you might have guessed, the only smart assistant available on the HomePod is Apple’s Siri. With voice commands, you can play music, make phone calls, control a smart home, and much more. You can evenset up voice recognition on the HomePodto recognize everyone in the home to better personalize their experience.
The HomePod can also do more than play music and act as the center of a smart home. It can act as a HomeKit or Matter hub and even a Thread border router. So you’ll be ready for the present and future of smart home control.
A built-in temperature and humidity sensor in the HomePod can even help youbetter automate an Apple HomeKit-centric smart home.
With a future update, the HomePod will also be able to listen to the sound from smoke and carbon monoxide and send an alert to a user’s iPhone if detected. Anyone with the Era 300 can make use of another popular voice-controlled assistant: Amazon Alexa. That means you can interact with Alexa and play music, access hundreds of thousands of skills, and much more.
While the Era 300 doesn’t offer any built-in smart home technology like the HomePod, being able to tap Alexa and the industry-leading slate of compatible smart devices also makes it a great choice to use. Era 300 users can also tap the Sonos Voice Control feature to request music from Sonos Radio, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer, and Pandora. You can also use AirPlay 2 to play music from an Apple device on the speaker.
Era 300 Leads in Speaker Input Options
The Era 300 is a great choice for anyone needing a number of input options. As you might expect, it’s easy to stream music via Wi-Fi. But that’s not all. You can easily connect any smart device via Bluetooth to the Era 300. That opens up a huge number of ways to listen to music.
Additionally, using an optional line-in adapter in the built-in USB-C port, you can connect any 3.5mm AUX audio source like a turntable.
Just to note, playing Dolby Atmos tunes still requires Wi-Fi.
The wide variety of input options on the Era 300 is contrasted sharply with the HomePod. you could’t connect via Bluetooth and there are no audio inputs built-in. So you’ll need to rely on AirPlay 2 or Siri voice control.
Using the Era 300 or HomePod in a Home Theater
You can use both the Era 300 and HomePod for more than just music.
If you have an existing Sonos home theater setup with either a second-generation Beam for Arc you can use a pair of rear Era 300s for a top-notch Dolby Atmos to create an all-encompassing, wireless sound system.
Anyone with an Apple TV can use the HomePod as a sound system for a TV. Probably an even better option would be to use two HomePods in a stereo pair for home theater use.
A Closer Look At Era 300 and HomePod Pricing
The HomePod retailsfor $299while the Era 300 is substantially more expensiveat $449.
Even with the $149 price difference, the Era 300 brings a number of advantages to the table. The up-firing speaker brings a more immersive Dolby Atmos sound experience and can be part of a larger Sonos audio or home theater system.
Era 300 vs. HomePod: Making the Best Choice for You
As you could see, both the Sonos Era 300 and Apple HomePod offer high-quality Dolby Atmos sound and other great smart features. But there are a number of differences as well.
If you’re firmly entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, the HomePod is probably best for you with built-in Siri integration and additional smart home prowess. But if you’re looking for true way to experience Dolby Atmos music and want a number of other input options, like Bluetooth, the Era 300 is hard to beat.
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