It features Bluetooth and a battery for use outside the house, and Wi-Fi for use inside.
you’re able to also use multiple voice assistants with itat the same time!
Enjoy retro style, amazing audio, and built-in dual voice assistants* anywhere in your home.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
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.
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.*
The indicator lights that surround each twist knob to indicate their level didnt have a precise definition to them.
The same was true for the volume light.
The handle worked well to carry it around my house.
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.*
It rotates up and down and will mostly stay in place at whatever position its left.
The audio ports and power connection all reside on the back.
For the premium speaker price, you get a premium number of ports.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
A switch with a green or red indicator is used for turning the assistant listening microphones on or off.
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.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
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.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
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 speakers impressive attributes could be achieved without needing to push its volume past 50%.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
When the volume did get raised, the overall sound quality remained intact.
Comparing the Authentics 300 directly to theSonos Move 2yielded slightly embarrassing results for Sonos latest speaker.
JBLs offering was simply on a different level when going back and forth, comparing song after song.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
Simply put, listening to music on the JBL Authentics 300 was an absolute joy.
That means it’s possible for you to ask Alexa to start one thing and Google to finish it.
This worked as advertised.
Its certainly novel in a lot of ways, but in practice, its a little boring.
It just worked and probably should have been available on other speakers sooner.
My biggest question is whether a lot of people use multiple assistants in their homes.
Now, if JBL can add Siri to the mix, that would be a great magic trick.
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.
The Authentics 300 probably shouldnt be your beach or park speaker.
Its exterior is more suited to living indoors.
The power cord was actually the biggest power problem, for me.
This punch in of AC power cord is clunky.
This speaker should really charge via USB-C instead.
It’s another indication this unit was primarily designed for portability around the house.
Primarily, it will walk you through how to use Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
It also shows how to use Spotify Connect, Apples AirPlay, Chromecast, and Tidal Connect.
Those include Amazon Music, Napster, Qobuz, Calm Radio, TuneIn, Tidal, and iHeartRadio.
Theres a three-band EQ available.
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 didnt update for me in real-time.
Also, the battery level only displayed 10-percent incrementswhats up with that?
That can be jarring and cause issues with how and when you plan to charge the unit.
TheAuthentics 200starts at $349.99, and theAuthentics 500comes 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?
Most importantly, it looks and sounds amazingkey for a speaker.
For people comparison shopping, the choice is probably between the Authentics 300 and the Sonos Move 2.
It might not move around the best, but it can get up and go when needed.
