ZDNET Picks Marshall Stanmore IV Over $479 Sonos Era 300 in Home Speaker Test
Updated
Updated · ZDNet · Aug 4
ZDNET Picks Marshall Stanmore IV Over $479 Sonos Era 300 in Home Speaker Test
2 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Aug 4
Summary
Two weeks of testing led ZDNET to favor Marshall’s $430 Stanmore IV overall, citing its design, physical controls and less fatiguing bass-heavy sound for everyday living-room use.
The Stanmore IV is a Bluetooth-only speaker with RCA and aux inputs, no Wi-Fi or voice assistant, but it offers knobs for volume, treble and bass plus a more repairable cabinet.
Sonos’ $479 Era 300 won on features: Dolby Atmos spatial audio, Wi-Fi streaming via AirPlay and Google Cast, and Alexa or Sonos voice control delivered a more immersive, smarter setup.
That advantage grows for existing Sonos users, because two Era 300 units can serve as rear surrounds with Beam, Arc or Arc Ultra soundbars, while Marshall’s speaker cannot fill that home-theater role.