Shopping for a home speaker? You've got options - too many, if we're being honest. Two of the best are the Marshall Stanmore IV and the Sonos Era 300. Both deliver room-shaking bass and enough features to make your neighbors jealous. But they're not twins: one is a dedicated Bluetooth speaker, the other is a Wi-Fi-connected smart speaker. After two weeks with the Stanmore IV, here's how it stacks up.

The Stanmore IV is a Bluetooth-only speaker, meaning it skips Wi-Fi features like Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, and voice assistants. No built-in mics either - just pure, unadulterated Bluetooth. It does support Auracast, but only when you connect it to Marshall's Heddon streaming hub, which lets you build a multi-room setup. If you're like me and prefer physical controls over touch strips, the Stanmore IV is a dream: three knobs for volume, treble, and bass, a power switch, an M-button, a source selector (RCA, Bluetooth, Aux), and a playback button. They click and turn with satisfying haptic feedback - a throwback to a simpler, analog time. The Era 300's touch strip just beeps at you.

Also, the Stanmore IV is the better-looking speaker. With its faux-leather exterior, brass grille, and golden accents, it's a piece of furniture. The red LED indicator is understated, and Marshall moved the ports to the bottom for a cleaner look. Plus, the wooden cabinet is more repairable: you can swap out the grille, knobs, feet, and logo if they get damaged. Try that with the Era 300.

But the Sonos Era 300 has its own superpowers. Its hourglass shape houses two angled woofers and four tweeters, plus an upward-firing tweeter that bounces sound off the ceiling. This creates a genuinely immersive spatial audio experience that the Stanmore IV can't match. The bass is punchy, vocals are clear, and highs don't distort at high volumes - something the Stanmore IV struggles with. If you want to feel like you're inside your music, the Era 300 wins.

The Era 300 is also the smarter speaker. Wi-Fi connectivity brings lossless streaming, AirPlay, Google Cast, and advanced voice assistant queries. It works with Alexa+ and Sonos Voice Control, so you can command your smart home, play music, set timers, and move audio between speakers with your voice. And if you're building a Sonos home theater, two Era 300s can serve as rear surround speakers with the Beam, Arc, or Arc Ultra soundbars, complete with Dolby Atmos height channels. Marshall's speakers can't do that - though the Stanmore IV does have an RCA port for analog devices, which the Era 300 lacks.

If I were upgrading from my Stanmore II, I'd pick the Stanmore IV. It blends beautifully with my living room, looks luxurious on a shelf, and doesn't cause ear fatigue like most bass-heavy speakers do. I can listen all day without getting tired. If I were expanding a Sonos home theater from my Arc soundbar, I'd grab the Era 300 - but I don't have space for rear speakers. So, the Stanmore IV gets my vote.