Marshall Stanmore IV vs. Sonos Era 300: I tested both to find the ultimate home speaker

When considering a new home speaker, two top contenders are the Marshall Stanmore IV and the Sonos Era 300. Both speakers provide powerful, rich sound and a variety of features. Marshall's Stanmore IV is a dedicated Bluetooth speaker, while the Sonos Era 300 comes with smart features like Wi-Fi connectivity, built-in microphones for voice assistance, and a touch strip interface.

If you prioritize sound quality and prefer physical controls, the Marshall Stanmore IV may be the better choice. It delivers deep, controlled bass and clear mid-range frequencies, which many find more enjoyable than the Sonos Era 300's bass-heavy sound. The Stanmore IV also offers more traditional audio controls through its knobs, power switch, multifunction button, and source selector, providing a more analog listening experience.

Additionally, the Stanmore IV's physical connectivity options are more versatile, allowing for wireless pairing with other Marshall speakers via Auracast and wired connections to other devices using a streaming hub.

On the other hand, the Sonos Era 300 excels in spatial audio and design. Its angled woofers and upward-firing tweeters create a more immersive stereo experience, and the speaker's angled design allows for better sound projection. The Sonos Era 300's bass is pronounced, and it handles vocals and higher frequencies well. However, its touch strip controls may not be as intuitive as the Stanmore IV's physical knobs, and the speaker's tech-first design may not appeal to everyone's aesthetic preferences.

Ultimately, the choice between the Marshall Stanmore IV and the Sonos Era 300 depends on your priorities. If sound quality and physical controls are crucial to you, the Stanmore IV may be the better option. If you prefer a speaker with advanced spatial audio and a more modern design, the Sonos Era 300 could be the better choice for you.