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For years, Sonos has been the go-to brand for multi-room speakers. That, however, might be changing. 

Denon recently took the wraps off of its latest-generation speakers, including the new Denon Home 400. Both pack physical upfiring drivers for Dolby Atmos playback, both plug into robust multi-room ecosystems, and both are designed to anchor a modern wireless audio setup. If you're cross-shopping premium smart speakers, these two are almost certainly on your radar.

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They're not priced the same, though. The Sonos Era 300 runs about $479, while the Denon Home 400 will set you back $599, at least in the US. In Europe, they're actually the same price. 

Price aside, these speakers take slightly different approaches to sound tuning, physical connectivity, and ecosystem integration. So which one should you buy? Here's the breakdown.

You should buy the Sonos Era 300 if…

1. You have other Sonos speakers

If you've already bought into Sonos, grabbing the Era 300 might be an easy decision. Sonos runs one of the most mature and fully built-out multi-room audio platforms available, and adding a new speaker to that system will be simple. Plug it in, and the Sonos app picks it up automatically -- setup takes a couple of minutes tops, and grouping speakers across different rooms only takes a few taps in the app.

There's more to it than basic multi-room audio, though. The Era 300 can also serve as a rear surround speaker when paired with Sonos soundbars, which is a seriously useful feature if you're piecing together a home theater without wanting to deal with speaker wire. 

Since the Era 300 has Dolby Atmos support baked in, using a pair of them as surrounds gives you actual height channels from the back of the room -- and that can add a lot to the immersive experience. If you're already using a Sonos Arc or Beam in your living room, the Era 300 drops right into that setup.

2. You want a slightly more consumer-friendly sound profile

Neither the Era 300 nor the Home 400 is what a hardcore audiophile would call reference-grade -- but that's not really the point of either one. Where they actually differ is in how they're tuned. The Denon Home 400 goes for a more neutral presentation with stronger low-mids and smoother highs. The Era 300, on the other hand, is a little brighter and bass-heavy -- though it's certainly not over the top.

Also: I traded my Sonos Era 300 for Denon's new home speaker - and see no reason to go back

The difference is subtle in practice, but it's definitely there. Sonos pushes the bass a bit and pulls back slightly on the mids, which creates a sound signature that a lot of everyday listeners will find immediately engaging and fun. 

If you tend to gravitate toward audio that's punchy and lively rather than flat and analytical, the Era 300 is probably going to feel more exciting straight out of the box. That said, the Denon is still a very capable bass speaker; it just isn't as in-your-face as the Era 300.

3. You want to save some cash

At $449 versus $599, you're saving $150 by going with the Era 300 -- and that gap gets even harder to ignore if you're planning to buy a pair for stereo listening. The Era 300 already sounds excellent at its price, and spending less here doesn't mean you're giving up anything dramatic in terms of audio quality or features. 

For most people shopping in the premium smart speaker category, the savings alone make a strong case for Sonos -- unless the Denon brings something specific you really need.

You should buy the Denon Home 400 if…

You want more physical controls

Physical connectivity is one area where the Denon Home 400 beats the Sonos Era 300. The Sonos Era 300 has a USB-C port on the back that requires an adapter for line-in or Ethernet. The Denon Home 400, on the other hand, has a USB-C input and a 3.5mm aux jack. 

That extra flexibility is a bit of an advantage if you want to hook up a turntable, connect a local music library, or work the speaker into existing home audio gear without messing around with dongles.

For anyone who loves analog audio or already has a collection of physical media and hi-fi components, the Denon's approach is a little more accommodating. 

You like the HEOS ecosystem

The Home 400 runs on the HEOS multi-room platform, and while HEOS doesn't have the same name recognition as Sonos, it's a capable ecosystem that keeps growing. One of its biggest selling points is that it isn't locked to a single brand -- HEOS works across a variety of speakers, A/V receivers, and amplifiers from Denon, Marantz, and other compatible manufacturers. 

If you already own a Denon or Marantz receiver, the Home 400 might integrate directly into that setup in a way a Sonos speaker just can't.

Also: Why the 'Subwoofer Crawl' is the only way I found the bass sweet spot in my living room

Voice assistant support is another differentiator worth mentioning. The Home 400 offers full Siri integration through AirPlay 2, so you can use it as a proper Siri speaker -- something Sonos doesn't do. 

To be clear, Sonos still supports AirPlay, but the Era 300 can't be used as a Siri speaker itself; it can, however, be used as an Alexa speaker. The HEOS app isn't quite as refined as Sonos's, but once you get used to it, you'll find it perfectly fine.

You want high-resolution audio support

If hi-res audio actually matters to you, the Denon Home 400 has a clear technical advantage. It natively handles full 24-bit/192kHz audio, and if you feed it FLAC files through the USB port, it can play them without issue. 

The Era 300 can technically accept 24-bit/192kHz audio as an input, but it downscales during playback. For most people streaming from Spotify or Apple Music, this difference isn't audible or relevant. But if you're the kind of listener who specifically seeks out hi-res tracks and wants to know your speaker is playing them back at their native resolution, the Denon is the clear winner here. 

Writer's choice

If you're looking for immersive and full-sounding audio without paying a high price, the Denon Home 400 is absolutely worth considering. That said, whether it beats alternatives depends on your region. In some regions, like Europe, it costs the same as the Sonos Era 300, but in the US, it costs more than $100 more. 

Most people looking for a smart speaker in this class will want to save the cash and go for the Era 300, especially if they don't care about better high-res playback.