In terms of audio quality and features, theres a good reason for this price.
So why have I only given it four stars out of five?
Well, because it can be so damn fiddly to use!
After that, it decided to crash several times when trying to set up the voice assistants.
My issues continued through the testing period.
This meant I couldnt play with the equalizer or control the music through the app itself.
The app is pretty useful when it works, though.
Overall, the list of features and tie-in apps here is really neat.
Whichever music service you use, youll be covered.
Balance in speakers like this is never a guarantee, so the JBL was pleasantly surprising.
Turning the dial up to full wont just annoy the neighbors, but people several towns over.
It’s based on JBL’s 1970s-era speakers.
Despite being such a big speaker, the Authentics 500 has a rather barebones set of buttons atop it.
This USB-C port lets you input music digitally, but only with the US models of the speaker.
is the speakers price.
Plus theyre smaller, and in the case of the 300, is portable with a built-in battery.
Should I buy the JBL Authentics 500?
Just look after your hearing!
It’s a little lighter on the bass, but its less expensive with it.
Here’s our fullSonos Era 300 review.
It slightly outprices the Authentics 500 but not by much.
It misses 3.5mm aux-in though.
Here’s ourBowers & Wilkins Zeppelin review.
In full I tested the JBL Authentics 500 for roughly a week.
I’ve also tested plenty of other tech for the site, including loudspeakers and headphones since 2019.
