Classic Meets Contemporary in the JBL Authentics Prise, an All-in-One Audio Spectacle Reviewed!

Key Takeaways

The JBL Authentics 300 speaker offers fantastic audio quality and a stylish retro design that sets it apart from other speakers on the market.
It features built-in dual voice assistants (Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa) that can be used interchangeably, providing convenience and ease of use.
With its leather-like enclosure, metal handle, and built-in rechargeable battery, the Authentics 300 speaker allows you to enjoy your music anywhere in your home, from the kitchen to the bedroom.

For $450, you can buy a few different speakers to cover your various audio needs, or you can place all your eggs in the basket of the JBL Authentics 300 . It features Bluetooth and a battery for use outside the house, and Wi-Fi for use inside. You can also use multiple voice assistants with it—at the same time! Maybe the most convincing reason to take a chance on this do-it-all speaker is its beautiful black and gold retro design.

JBL Authentics 300

8/ 10

$350 $450 Save $100

Enjoy retro style, amazing audio, and built-in dual voice assistants* anywhere in your home. With the JBL Authentics 300 speaker’s leather-like enclosure, convenient metal handle, and built-in rechargeable battery, you can take your music with you—from the kitchen for your dinner-prep playlist to the bedroom for your wind-down podcast.

Display

Dimensions

13.46 x 7.7 x 7.1in (342 x 195.6 x 180.3mm)

Weight

10.8lbs

Connectivity

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi

Ports

USB-C audio input (U.S. only)

Buttons

Volume, Bass, Treble

SMART ASSISTANTS

Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa

Pros

Fantastic audio quality
Stylish appearance
Simultaneous voice assistants
Wealth of audio connections/ports

Cons

Bigger and heavier than Sonos Move 2
Actual battery life of 8 hours or less
Imprecise indicator lights (volume, battery, bass, treble)

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$449.99 at JBL $350 at Amazon $449.99 at Best Buy

Making a Speaker Look Cool Never Hurt Anything

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

I’m not sure if a leather-clad speaker is a good idea for portability, but it looks brilliant. The gold accents and puffy grill really set it apart when comparing multiple speakers side-by-side. The speaker seemed to be put together well, too.

The top includes a few physical controls that look great but might not be the most functional. The indicator lights that surround each twist knob to indicate their level didn’t have a precise definition to them. If, for example, I wanted to place the volume at 50%, it was hard to tell where the light level should be positioned. The same was true for the volume light. I liked the twisting volume knob, but it was hard to tell if the level was showing 20% or 50% volume.

While the visual frills may cause the speaker to look heavy, its 10-pound weight felt much lighter in the hand. The handle worked well to carry it around my house. It rotates up and down and will mostly stay in place at whatever position it’s left.

The audio ports and power connection all reside on the back. For the premium speaker price, you get a premium number of ports. I was impressed with the selection of a 3.5mm audio jack, ethernet port, and USB-C audio-in via a thumb drive. A switch with a green or red indicator is used for turning the assistant listening microphones on or off.

Over Wi-Fi, the unit supports Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay, Chromecast, and Tidal Connect, which are in addition to its Bluetooth connection.

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The Sound Is Great Over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or a Wire

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

The light under the heart button is the volume indicator. Can you tell how loud it’s supposed to be?

The Authentics’ $450 price point might be scary, but its sound quality alone could justify its cost. Behind the front grill are two 25mm tweeters and a 5.25-inch mid-range woofer. Underneath the unit is a 6.5-inch passive radiator. Combined, the drivers exude a wonderfully full and deep sound.

Folk songs I listened to had a rich mid-range that promoted acoustic guitars and tender vocals. “The Blue ” by Gracie Abrams had a surprisingly wide sonic range during its chorus, for example. Low-end, rumbling bass hit hard while her vocals remained clear and present.

“Paradise ” by Terrace Martin & Alex Isley managed to rattle items on the same surface as the speaker. All of the speaker’s impressive attributes could be achieved without needing to push its volume past 50%. When the volume did get raised, the overall sound quality remained intact.

I did experience a tiny bit of wonkiness with the volume levels while using AirPlay to stream music, but this appears to be something related to Apple’s software in iOS 17, rather than on JBL’s end. I never experienced random changes in the volume level when streaming over Bluetooth (compared to Wi-Fi), and I have seen it happen occasionally on non-JBL speakers, too.

Comparing the Authentics 300 directly to the Sonos Move 2 yielded slightly embarrassing results for Sonos’ latest speaker. JBL’s offering was simply on a different level when going back and forth, comparing song after song. Of course, the Authentics 300 is physically bigger, but both speakers retail for the same $450 price.

Simply put, listening to music on the JBL Authentics 300 was an absolute joy.

Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant Available, Together

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

The switch on the back, at the top, is for turning the listening microphones on and off.

The line of JBL’s Authentics speakers supports voice assistants Alexa and Google Assistant—and they can be used interchangeably. That means you can ask Alexa to start one thing and Google to finish it.

This worked as advertised. It’s certainly novel in a lot of ways, but in practice, it’s a little boring. It just worked and probably should have been available on other speakers sooner. Of course, you can trip it up if you try hard enough, but I didn’t experience anything concerning.

Also, the Authentics 300 could respond to commands whether it was plugged into a wall or used on battery power.

My biggest question is whether a lot of people use multiple assistants in their homes. Many may have a household with mixed devices, but is a single device with two, interchangeable assistants a huge draw? Now, if JBL can add Siri to the mix, that would be a great magic trick. Still, having the Google Assistant available on this speaker and not on the Sonos Move 2 may sway people towards JBL’s option.

Battery Life Is Just Enough

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

JBL advertises up to eight hours of battery life, depending on the volume level. That means it comes in way under the Sonos Move 2, which claims 24 hours of battery life.

Over the course of my testing, the Authentics 300 got about its estimated battery life. Although I would have liked for it to last longer, I still thought it fell within a minimum amount of adequate time.

The Authentics 300 probably shouldn’t be your beach or park speaker. Its exterior is more suited to living indoors. Plus, if the battery does die, you’ll need to have the AC power cord and find a wall outlet for charging.

The power cord was actually the biggest power problem, for me. This type of AC power cord is clunky. This speaker should really charge via USB-C instead. Wiggling the cord into the back of the speaker and then needing to pull it hard to remove was no good. It’s another indication this unit was primarily designed for portability around the house.

JBL One App Is a Start, but It Needs to Improve

The JBL One app, available for iPhone and Android , isn’t exactly needed after getting the speaker connected to your Wi-Fi network, but it does have some helpful features. Primarily, it will walk you through how to use Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It also shows how to use Spotify Connect, Apple’s AirPlay, Chromecast, and Tidal Connect.

The app allows you to set the shortcut heart button on the speaker, called Moment—but you need to link it to one of the built-in music services. Those include Amazon Music, Napster, Qobuz, Calm Radio, TuneIn, Tidal, and iHeartRadio. If you use one or more of those services, it’s just a simplified way to queue up music, similar to Sonos’ app experience.

There’s a three-band EQ available. Importantly, you can use the app to reset the treble and bass EQ if someone moves the knobs on the speaker itself.

I liked using the JBL One app. It was neat that it showed how many hours I had listened to music. Unfortunately, it was lackluster in a bunch of ways, too. The battery level didn’t update for me in real-time. Often, I would have to quit the app and re-launch it for it to display the current battery level. Also, the battery level only displayed 10-percent increments—what’s up with that? That means you’ll see a 40% battery level, for example, until suddenly it drops to 30%. That can be jarring and cause issues with how and when you plan to charge the unit.

Authentics 300 Price and Availability

The JBL Authentics 300 is the middle speaker in the Authentics lineup and retails for $449.99. The Authentics 200 starts at $349.99, and the Authentics 500 comes in at $699.99. The 300 is the only speaker of the three with a built-in battery.

Should You Buy the JBL Authentics 300?

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

The story of the JBL Authentics 300 speaker is one of a lot of little misses that are thankfully overshadowed by a few huge wins. Most importantly, it looks and sounds amazing—key for a speaker. The less-than-precise knob indicators, the mediocre battery life, and the poor app functions weren’t great, but they also didn’t stop the speaker from doing what it’s good at.

For people comparison shopping, the choice is probably between the Authentics 300 and the Sonos Move 2.

The Move 2 is smaller and lighter, has a much longer battery life, and comes with an induction charger. If the reason you’re buying a portable speaker has more to do with hauling it around, then the Move 2 is probably the better choice. If you like the idea of portability, but the speaker will remain primarily stationary, the Authentics 300 might be the right choice for you.

The Authentics 300 has a big, boisterous sound, gorgeous aesthetic, and supports a wide range of services and platforms. It might not move around the best, but it can get up and go when needed.

JBL Authentics 300

8/ 10

$350 $450 Save $100

Display

Dimensions

13.46 x 7.7 x 7.1in (342 x 195.6 x 180.3mm)

Weight

10.8lbs

Connectivity

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi

Ports

USB-C audio input (U.S. only)

Buttons

Volume, Bass, Treble

SMART ASSISTANTS

Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa

Expand

$449.99 at JBL $350 at Amazon $449.99 at Best Buy

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Classic Meets Contemporary in the JBL Authentics Prise, an All-in-One Audio Spectacle Reviewed!