If you’re in the market for a speaker that supports spatial audio andDolby Atmoscontent, there are a few options to consider. One of those is the Amazon Echo Studio, another is the Apple HomePod (2nd Generation) and the third isthe Sonos Era 300.
But which one should you buy? That very much depends on what other features you are looking for from your speaker, as well as a number of other factors, such as what smart home products you have for example, or which music subscription you use.
To help you work out which might be the best speaker for you out of the Sonos Era 300,Apple HomePodand Amazon Echo Studio, we’ve compared the specs and features of the three side-by-side.
Sonos Era 300
The Sonos Era 300 is the most expensive of these three speakers, but it is the largest, has a unique design and offers features including Bluetooth, USB-C line in, Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa, plus all the other standard Sonos features.
Apple HomePod (2nd generation)
The Apple HomePod (2nd generation) is the smallest of the three speakers being compared here, but it has a fuss-free design with no buttons and minimal ports and it offers excellent integration with Apple apps and devices, along with Siri.
Amazon Echo Studio
The Amazon Echo Studio is the cheapest of these three speakers, though not as premium in its design. It comes with a range of features though including Bluetooth capabilties, a built-in Zigbee hub, 3.5mm line in and Amazon Alexa for all your needs.
Price and availability
The Sonos Era 300 will be available from 28 March and it will cost $449 in the US, £449 in the UK and €499 in Europe. It comes in Black and White colour options.
The Apple HomePod (2nd Generation) costs $299 in the US, £299 in the UK and €349 in Europe so it’s a little cheaper than the Sonos Era 300. It is available in White and Midnight.
The Amazon Echo Studio meanwhile, is the cheapest of all three speakers within this feature. It costs $199 in the US, £219 in the UK and €239.99 in Europe. Colour options are Charcoal and Glacier.
Era 300 vs HomePod vs Echo Studio design
The Sonos Era 300 offers the most unique design of the three speakers being compared within this feature, with a dual-angled shell and an oval front and rear.
It is larger than both the Apple HomePod and theAmazon Echo Studio, and it features a polycarbonate shell and speaker grille, capacitive controls on the top with an indented bar for volume control and a number of ports and switches on the rear.
There’s USB-C line in on the back, a power port, and a microphone on/off switch, as well as a Bluetooth to Wi-Fi hardware switch.
The Apple HomePod (2nd generation) meanwhile, has a cylindrical design and it features a soft material covering all around it. On the top, there is a glass touch surface that lights up in a multitude of colours whenSiriis activated, and you’ll find a “+” and “-” etched into it, marking the volume controls.
There is just one power port at the back, otherwise the HomePod is port and button free.
The Amazon Echo Studio is also cylindrical like the HomePod and it has a material covering too, but it breaks up its design with a cut out section at the bottom for the subwoofer. On the top, there is an LED ring surrounding the centre, while the outer edge of the top has a couple of physical controls including a microphone on/off switch, volume controls and an action button that Echo users will be familiar with.
On the back of the Echo Studio, there’s a power port like the Era 300 and Apple HomePod, but you’ll also find a 3.5mm line in port.
Music and smart features
The Sonos Era 300, Apple HomePod and Amazon Echo Studio all offer a number of different features, some of which are the same across all three models, others you’ll only find on one or two of the speakers, and this is where you may find your decision between these models made, depending on what you are looking for.
For those who already have any otherSonos speakers, the Era 300 is likely to be the best option for example. It offers all the features you’d expect with a Sonos speaker, includingTrueplay tuning, EQ adjustment through the Sonos app and support for over 100 music services - though you’ll need Amazon Music Unlimited for spatial audio andDolby Atmos music.
The Era 300 also hasSonos Voice Controlon board for control of the speaker itself and support for Amazon Alexa, which allows for smart home control and extra smart assistant functionality, like checking the weather or adding to a shopping list.
In terms of other features, there’s Apple AirPlay 2 support,Wi-Fi 6and Bluetooth 5.0. When on Wi-Fi, the Era 300 will work simultaneously or independently with any other Sonos speakers you have, while the Bluetooth mode allows it to work as a traditional Bluetooth speaker. When in this mode though, you won’t get spatial audio or Dolby Atmos content.
The Apple HomePod (2nd generation) is compatible with a number of streaming services, but it plays nicest withApple Music.You can’t adjust EQ on the HomePod, and there are no Bluetooth capabilities, but you will findApple AirPlay 2and the HomePod has sensors that see it continuously adjust its sound output based on its surroundings.
There are also some other features, like a temperature humidity sensor, Apple’s Intercom feature, and support for many of the apps within Apple’s ecosystem likeFind My, allowing you to ask Siri where someone who shares their location with you is, for example. As Siri is the smart assistant on board, you won’t find Amazon Alexa orGoogle Assistant, and you’ll need HomeKit compatible devices for the smart home commands to work on HomePod, but if you’re embedded within the Apple ecosystem, the HomePod will likely be a great option for you to consider.
The Amazon Echo Studio supports all the major music streaming services, including Apple Music, Amazon Music,Spotifyand Deezer. Like the Era 300, it also hasAlexaon board as the smart assistant of choice, but for smart home functionality, the Echo Studio takes it one step further by featuring aZigbee hub built-in. That means you don’t need extra hubs like the Philips Hue hub to connect smart home devices.
There’s an Alexa Announce feature too - which is like Apple’s Intercom feature, and Bluetooth connectivity on board, though no AirPlay 2 support, and like the Era 300, you’re able to’t experience Dolby Atmos or spatial audio content unless you have a subscription toAmazon Music Unlimited. You can adjust EQ though, and like the HomePod, the Echo Studio will automatically optimise its sound output to its surroundings. You don’t get the same level of tuning control on either the HomePod or the Echo Studio as you do with the Era 300 though.
TV features
We’ve spoken about the difference in music and smart features across these three devices, but there are also some variations when it comes to home theatre and TV content and what the three speakers are capable of.
All three offer multi-room support so if you have other Sonos speakers, the Era 300 will slot right in, while if you have aHomePod mini, you may use the HomePod in a multi-room setup too and the same goes for the Echo Studio andother Echo speakers. To create amulti-room setup, you’ll need the same brand of speaker.
All three also offer the stereo pairing support, but you not only need the same brand speaker for this, but the same speaker. You’ll need two Era 300 speakers for example, or two Echo Studios or two HomePod (2nd generation) speakers.
When it comes to home theatre, it’s possible to stereo pair two Era 300 speakers together and use them as rear surrounds with aSonos SubandSonos Arcfor a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos experience. You’ll of course need compatible Dolby Atmos content though, as well as a supporting TV andHDMI eARC.
You can also add the Era 300 speakers as surrounds to any of the other Sonos soundbars, including either generation of the Beam, and theRay. You’ll get the best experience from the Sonos Arc, or theBeam (2nd generation).
A single or stereo pair of Apple HomePod speakers can be connected to Apple TV for Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 7.1, or Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. TheApple TV 4Kfeatures eARC support, which means that when it is connected to an eARC-supported TV using a HDMI cable, you’re able to also use a connected HomePod as the audio for all other devices connected to your TV, essentially replacing a soundbar.
The Amazon Echo Studio meanwhile, can be connected wirelessly to anAmazon Fire TVand act as the audio output for anything coming through that device, working in a similar way to HomePod and Apple TV.
Hardware and specs
The Sonos Era 300 has six Class-D drivers on board, along with four tweeters, one of which is positioned within the directional horn at the top in order to reflect sound off the ceiling and deliver a more immersive experience when listening to spatial audio or Dolby Atmos content. There are also two woofers and a number of custom wave guides.
From what we have heard of the Sonos Era 300 so far, it sounds excellent so we’d expect solid performance from this speaker, though we will update this feature when we have reviewed it in full.
The Apple HomePod (2nd generation) has a high-excursion woofer on board capable of moving an impressive 20mm and there are five tweeters too. It sounds fantastic based on our experience with it. In the midrange, you get vocals that are detailed, crisp and crystal clear, while at the lower end, the HomePod packs in plenty of bass. It’s lovely and deep for its size, while still offering expression and punch.
The Amazon Echo Studio has three drivers on board, one left-firing, one right-firing and one upward-firing. It also has a downward-firing woofer, bass aperture to maximise bass output and a forward firing tweeter. It packs plenty of punch, more than enough to fill a modest living room. You get a clear and crisp sound at the top end and decent levels of bass, too.
All-in-all, all three speakers might offer different sound architectures, but they are all solid in their performance so you’re unlikely to be disappointed with the sound output whichever one you choose.
Conclusion
The decision between the Sonos Era 300, Apple HomePod (2nd generation) and the Amazon Echo Studio will come down to a couple of factors.
You first need to decide which design you like the best, as well as what features are most important to you. Do you want Bluetooth capabilities too? Is AirPlay 2 a must-have? What smart assistant - if any - do you prefer? What music streaming service are you signed up to? What other devices do you have, i.e an Apple TV? A Fire TV? A Sonos soundbar? These are all factors that will come into play when choosing between these three speakers, as well as price and budget.
All three offer a plethora of features and from our experience so far, they all deliver in terms of performance too. The Sonos Era 300 is the most expensive, but it’s likely to be the most powerful given it’s quite a bit larger than the other two. The HomePod is excellent for the Apple user, while the Echo Studio is great for those tied into Amazon’s system, and those looking for a smart home hub. Whichever you choose, we suspect you won’t be disappointed.
