Customer Ratings & Reviews

The JBL Authentics 500 is a surprisingly strong (if surprisingly large!) speaker. It is heavily app-centric, so if that's not your thing, you may want to consider other options. The built-in services are excellent, though, and you can control it (and also stream / cast to it) from iOS or Android devices. The iOS app is a bit more polished at the time of this review (Sept 2023), but they're both capable. I use Tidal (one of the built-in services) for its high-quality streaming, but with the sheer variety of streaming, casting, and voice-assistant options, you'd be hard pressed to find an unsupported music source. The bass response from this speaker is fabulous. The mid and upper ranges are comparable to our larger Sonos and HomePod speakers, but the bass frequency and solidity beats anything without a subwoofer (and some with them). It's great to listen to. I wish the EQ had more than 3 bands, and I wish you could save the setting -- for example, at night I would like to save a different tuning so I don't keep the entire house awake. Hopefully Sony will provide these and more quality-of-life enhancements as we go. All in all: highly recommended! This JBL is a great wireless speaker, and a tremendous value.

The JBL Authentics 500 Bluetooth Speaker is a great option for a smaller portable Bluetooth speaker system! The sound is amazing with any genre of music and has a ton of bass. It can also be used a surround sound speaker and has an amazing look. It does lack a dedicated power source button/switch, but you can also just simply unplug it if you don’t want it to go into the standby mode as opposed to simply turning it off. Other than that we love it! We would highly recommend this to anyone!

JBL Authentics 500 gets very loud and depending on the room the bass is really good. Can sound a bit on the high side and cause ear fatigue, but the sound is pretty clear. The Wi-Fi connection was very good and WiFi streams increased the sound quality a lot. The JBL App could be better. It’s a plug in speaker and with the way it projects sound may narrow its use case a bit, sounds better and more energetic when turned up but at that point can hurt ears and also cause ear fatigue as it’s a bit shouty in its sound signature. It’s a pretty nice speaker in the right use scenario can serve as a good addition. At the full retail price my personal preference would lean to something else that’s easier and more fun for what I like to listen to. For a plug in speaker I prefer using the JBL Partybox Ultimate, yes cost more, yes maybe in a different category but I can listen to that at a lower volume and still sounds excellent and more impactful. For close speaker listening or smaller room, I prefer using the Brane X smart speaker (good bass, sound quality, portable, easy to listen to)

This a great speaker for any audiophile or even the “regular” music/movie watcher to enjoy! It works seamlessly with Airplay from phone and my Apple TV. Music is definitely brought to a new level. Movies sound great with the Dolby Atmos but I think Sonos beats it by far for movies. It is not probable by any means because it always has to be plugged in. This is an office/gaming room speaker that paired with the Authentics 200, creates a concert level experience with studio like sound. I highly recommend this product to anybody who wants a high level of sounds without compromising the style of the speaker.

First thing you're eyes go to is the price... I know it is expensive. I already have a high end component system in my living room, but my kids are always in there watching TV. I bought this for a smaller room where I can go chill. The sound quality was even better than I expected. The speakers make crystal clear sound while the little woofers have a richness to them. Treat yourself, you won't regret it. Well done JBL.

This thing hits! I bought another one also, the 300, for my room. The 500 sends great sound from my kitchen all through my living room with ease and clarity. We're a google household and the assistant integration is great. Easily one of the best speakers I've purchased.

Bass, tremble, vocal focus are features by dolby atmos that truly make this machine extraordinary! I have to be sure to adjust the setting so the neighbors at my apmt complex dont flip their out. Overall, very powerful bass and very loud... cant wait to be living somewhere where i dont have neighbors to complain about the noise and can blast this puppy up all the way!

One of the best speaker I own. I own several high end Bluetooth speakers

Move up from a portable Bluetooth speaker, to a complete sound system in a somewhat large enclosure: 9.5 by 17.6 by 10.1 inches (HWD). This is the BIG (17.2 pound) brother to JBL’s Authentics 300 speaker system. Make sure you have a sturdy and large enough space to put this. This is not your father's bookshelf speaker. It has authentically copied the styling of JBL speakers that I readily recall from the 1970s. The leather like sides of the speaker, with the grid foam grille was very reminiscent of those days. My auditory perception of the higher frequencies has diminished over the years, but the styling I still treasure. The entire shipping packaging was earth friendly recyclable materials; no styrofoam, plastics, or landfill fodder. The shipping box and inner carton were both FSC-certified carton boxes, printed with soy ink. The product itself is made with 100% recycled fabric, 85% recycled plastics, and 50% aluminum. Setting up the device was such a breeze; it only took about 10 minutes after downloading the “JBL One” app on the iOS store. Be aware that there are several JBL apps to choose from, so pick the correct one. There was only a single cord to deal with, plugging into a 120 v wall outlet. There is no separate on/off switch, just like your home assistant speakers from Amazon, Google, and Apple are "always on". Like those speakers, there is a slider switch that turns off the microphone, for when you want to assure your privacy. I usually kept the microphone off, so that we did not get undesired responses during conversations in the living room. There is no internal battery, so this is not designed for an outdoors/mobile speaker. If you were planning a pool side party (not designed to be water resistant) or picnic, a different speaker for might be a better choice. This is a too large, bulky, and somewhat heavy to pass as a portable speaker system. As you scroll through the set up sequence in the JBLOne app, it was easy to find and connect to the home WiFi. There is an Ethernet port in the back, so it could be hardwired into your system if that satisfies your needs. And there is an “headphone” socket where you can even plug in a vintage MP3 player or iPod, if you still have one or similar sources. A USB-C socket on the back will play MP3 and WAV audio files as well. Voice Control is easy. Activating the built in duo of Alexa and Google Home (choose either one, or both as you prefer) was an easy walk through using the JBL One app. A built in microphone, similar to a Google Home speaker or Amazon Echo device, will allow the 500 to function as a Voice Assistant for your smart home control. This allows for the functions, such as turning on lights, adjusting smart thermostats, etc. to be accomplished without having a separate device in the room. Similarly it will answer your queries: current local weather forecast, stock prices, requests for foreign language translations, phase of the moon, converting Fahrenheit to Celsius, etc. For music subscriptions, multiple options are built into the app and speaker, including Spotify, Amazon Music, Chromecast, and Tidal, but not directly to Apple Music. But it is easy to activate your Apple Music playlists and choices via AirPlay from your iPhone, iPad, or Macintosh computer, and that can be set as your audio default. And the speaker also can be connected to other mobile devices via Bluetooth, as an alternative to WiFi streaming. Music reproduction was really quite full spectrum, with 3 tweeters (1 inch size), 3 mid-range speakers of 2.75 inches, and a 6.5” downward directed woofer. It could easily replace a dedicated soundbar for your TV / HiFi system. The woofer reproduces a bass tone down to 40 hertz, the mid-range array filling in the 250 hertz-2,000 hertz range, and the treble output from there up to 20K hertz. With aging ears, the upper range is far above my audible spectrum of hearing. On the top of the speaker are several buttons: There is a little heart logo embossed on the “Moment” button. This is a setting that you customized in the JBL One app: to cue up your favorite playlist, and the dynamics of volume/bass/treble settings you have personalized. You can have your favorite music and sound dynamics at the touch of one button. Separate volume, bass, treble knobs are adjacent to alter the default settings, and a tap of the volume knob will pause, double tap to skip to the next selection in the play list, triple tap to replay back one selection. The owner’s manual speaks of “Automatic self-tuning”, which they describe as the speaker “calibrates and optimizes audio performance for every location each time you power it up.” That sounds like a good idea, but I had no way of discerning that was happening. My audible discrimination is not tuned that finely. Multi-room playing was easily set up in the app using AirPlay for Apple HomePods, Chromecast for Google linkage, and Amazon MultiRoomMusic controlled devices. Software updates are announced via the JBL One app, and carried out easily via the WiFi linkage, taking only a few minutes, during which time the app needs to be kept open. I was notified in the JBL One app after about 10 days of testing that an update was available. “Virtual” Dolby ATMOS is supported, claiming “immersive 3D surround sound” for movie soundtracks, music performances, gaming, etc. True ATMOS surround sound would require two or more speakers, with a single source only approximating the true sense of spatial audio that ATMOS in a movie theatre (for example) would deliver. Dolby ATMOS is built in to the Tidal Music service subscription. ATMOS provides you a “spatial sound experience you would not expect” per the Dolby web page. Indeed, this was a bit difficult to discern in a home living room environment, but certainly the fidelity and fullness of sound was exceptional. Pros: Exceptional sound, room filling (270 watts of power) volume without distortion, or straining Classic styling Full range of auditory spectrum, excellent bass response (the opening double low C note from a church organ for Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra), with multiple mid range and treble speakers to fill the room. Cons: it is big and rather heavy, so might not fit in your bedroom or study. JBL makes smaller (and cheaper) models in the Authentics series for you, in that case. It might well be out of your budget range, actively competing with top of the line speakers from other manufacturers. It might be loud enough to break your lease agreement

I’ve spent a week with the JBL Authentics 500, and I have been extremely impressed by the detailed sound, deep bass, and loud volume. The Authentics 500 has an ‘old school’ look. JBL calls it ‘retro’ because it mirrors its own designs of the 1970s. I like it, my wife not so much. The speaker is what I would call big for a wireless speaker, taking up a decent amount of real estate. But that great sound has to come from somewhere, so I don’t mind having a slightly bigger speaker. Three large knobs adorn the top of the Authentics 500, one for volume, and one each for bass and treble. In a nice touch, all three knobs also have a cool light display that scrolls around with the knob to show you how much volume, bass, or treble has been set. JBL also notes that the Authentics 500 is made in large part using recycled materials. I really like when manufacturers build their components using recycled materials, it signals a concern for the sustainability of our environment and keeps stuff out of landfills. JBL also states the the Authentics 500 has an automatic calibration procedure that sets itself up anywhere it is moved to. They don’t say how this happens, just that it is automatic. I tried the speaker in half a dozen places or so, and it always sounded good to me, so I suppose it is working… Connection-wise, there is a standard aux port (a nice touch), a USB-C connection, Bluetooth (I’m assuming SBC and AAC, JBL does not specify) and WiFi (as well as an Ethernet port). All of my listening was done either via Bluetooth or WiFi using AirPlay. I attempted to use Roon with the JBL Authentics 500 as an endpoint with AirPlay, but for whatever reason it wouldn’t work. Not a showstopper, but I was bummed that I couldn’t stream my extensive personal collection to the Authentics 500. The Authentics 500 also supports Dolby Atmos, such as what you can stream from Apple Music. I did test this ability extensively and found it to add an additional dimension to the music. The soundstage got wider and taller. It’s a cool feature included in a wireless speaker, and I can’t think of other wireless speakers on the market that implement Dolby Atmos. For Bluetooth, I connected my AT wireless turntable to the Authentics 500 and spun a few albums using Bluetooth. As I mentioned before, JBL doesn’t specify (or at least I couldn’t find it) what types of Bluetooth are supported (the AT turntable transmits as high as AptX), so I’m assuming that the connection was just lossy SBC. Pretty sure JBL would advertise if it could receive and decode AptX. The sound was still pretty good, considering. Any music streamed via Apple Music sounded great. Since it was played via Airplay, I’m going to assume that it was not ‘Hi-Res’ and was just limited to an AAC stream of 16/48. JBL calls the Authentics 500 a ‘High Fidelity’ speaker, not Hi-Res, nor did I see any Hi-Res badging on it or the box. Again, I’m just assuming, because I couldn’t find any literature from JBL or on the internet that stated what sample rates the Authentics 500 could handle (other than MP3 supported sample rates via USB, and nothing was over 16 bits). For me, I had three things that I was disappointed in with the Authentics 500. One, I couldn’t stream .flac files to it (that’s my entire library); two, it wouldn’t play files from Roon (my library manager); and three, it didn’t seem capable of playing Hi-Res files. I took one star off for those shortcomings, because manufacturers such as Denon and SONOS which are in the same price range support .flac, Roon streaming, and Hi-Res (at least 24/44.1). The Authentics 500, in my opinion, is the best sounding wireless speaker I have had, it’s just missing a couple of the specifications that I really would like to have in a wireless speaker.

Love the idea but doesn’t come With a battery you have to have it plugged in all the time sometime music cuts out when playing it loud

The JBL - Authentics 500 is JBL’s latest powerhouse smart speaker with incredible sound, smart speaker technologies, and retro design language that harkens back to the 1970’s. With support for Dolby Atmos and several input methods, the JBL Authentics 500 makes for a great household companion… if you have a place to put it. In The Box: - Speaker - Power Cable - Quick Start/Manual Setup: Setting up the Authentics 500 is very easy. Simply plug it in, download the app (If you want the additional features), and go! There are several inputs including USB-C, Ethernet, Bluetooth, Aux, and Wi-Fi which makes this a very versatile speaker. The physical size of this speaker is not something to ignore as it will require a large end table or space to place it, not to mention a power outlet nearby. Once you have the app open, it should find the speaker on your Wi-Fi network given the phone is connected to the same network. The speaker supports many of the latest standards including 5GHz wireless and Bluetooth 5.3 which is great to see. The app has tons of nice features and works very well. From the app toy can tune EQ settings, adjust volume, setup voice assistants, name your speaker, update the speaker, and more. Sound: The Authentics 500 has 270 watts of available power through all of its speakers and WOW does this output music with incredible power. Despite the subwoofer only being 6.5” in size and the rest of the speakers being small, this speaker has some serious grunt. While using Tidal or Apple Music (Which supports higher quality audio files) it has great sound that can easily fill any room. Tweaking the EQ is great for different genres of music that may need more or less bass, for example. The voice assistants work well as they do on most smart speakers and this speaker has a physical switch to mute or block the microphones from working. This is great for additional privacy in times where everything is listening. Overall: I am blown away by this speaker’s performance in any sort of indoor/residential setting. With the high-fidelity audio, great power, and retro design that could be placed in just about any décor setting, it makes it a very versatile option in the world of smart speakers. If you’re looking for any sort of portability, this speaker is not the right choice. I would consider the smaller 300 series if you want to occasionally move a speaker around as the 500 is meant to rarely leave its position. I would highly recommend this premium speaker for anyone searching for high quality sound with great build quality and design.

I took a little longer to write this review as I was having so much fun listening to amazing sounds of this new speaker! JBL really did it right, and I don't much to complain about aside from knowing ahead of time this didn't have a battery. My personal belief is that any smart home or portable speaker should have a built-in rechargeable battery so it can be used without power. JBL made this retro-looking speaker to be a stationary focal point in your room - as there are no handles for easy carrying and it is quite heavy. If you know and acknowledge this up front - you'll love this speaker. Sound is fantastic! Deep bass, crisp treble and warm mids make this pure pleasure for your ears. I have 5+ large, portable speakers - and this may be the best sounding one yet! There are lots of options for playing music - like using Bluetooth or WiFi direct, integration with Google and Amazon smart devices and not to mention the JBL One app for custom sound settings, voice controls/assistants and enable more streaming features. It boasts a virtual Dolby Atmos - which adds an interesting dimension to the audio that gives you the feeling of being immersed in sound. Outfitted with an Ethernet port, USB-C connection and 3.5mm axillary port give you connectivity options. I truly love this speaker. Although it is a bit large (you likely can't place this under your TV), you can be sure it will become a topic of conversation as people hear the awesome sound quality at your next gathering!

First impression is that the speaker is large and attractive with a great presence. It looks and feels high quality with the sides having a leather like material. The design has an updated retro vibe so it will fit in with most settings. But what is more impressive is the sound that comes out of this speaker. Immediately, the power and bass impressed me. It will not only fill up a room but possible a whole house. The JBL 500 has 3 tweeters, 3 midrange woofers and a subwoofer all in this one speaker so I think the sound is premium. For an even better experience it's capable of Dolby Atmos Music when it's available through streaming services. And you can customize your settings through the JBL One app. The volume, bass and treble levels, EQ, settings and the integration of the music services can all be accessed via the app. The controls on the JBL speakers are simple and easy to operate. The "play/button" is controlled by the number of pushes. One push is to play/pause, press twice and it will forward to the next song, three times will go back and then turning it up or down will control the volume. There is also a dial for the treble and a dial for the bass. The JBL is programmed to calibrate itself for optimum sound every time it's turned on. It connects via Bluetooth and you can control your music and other smart home devices and with the option of all of it being hands free with both Google Assistant and Alexa. The JBL is also wi-fi enabled so you have the ability to listen to everything from podcasts to music and even take a phone call. I feel like the size is a pro and con. It's pretty hefty at about 17 pounds so it's not ideally mobile but could obviously be moved around. I just wouldn't do it often. But because of its size- about 9.5" x 17.5" x 10", it's able to house all of the components to provide the full audio performance. I really enjoy the JBL Authentics 500 speaker. It is indeed impressive with how it looks and feels and most importantly how it sounds.

OVERALL: I have logged over a dozen hours of assorted music on this JBL Authentics 500 Smart Home Speaker and have found the ease of use, coupled with its superior sound quality, to be my two favorite features. Have tested with both Spotify (audio quality setting on “very high” for both Wi-Fi and cellular data) along with Apple Music. For each of their normal audio defaults, I could not hear a discernable difference in sound quality. The music soundstage was crisp and balanced on both streaming services listening to a variety of Classic Rock, Indie, Jam-Bands, along with some new Bluegrass. Sweet indeed and it put a huge smile on my face. ATMOS: Apple Music offers select streaming in Dolby Atmos which Spotify does not. I do believe I noticed a somewhat noticeable difference (in a good way) when I played music in Apple’s Spatial Audio too. The channel balance and overall pristine immersive sonic experience did not disappoint. WIFI vs BLUETOOTH: I tested both over WiFi and Bluetooth and did not hear any variance in sound quality. Using WiFi, I was able to be further away from the JBL speaker with my phone before the sound would start to cut out, about twice the distance vs. Bluetooth. Having connection wherever my home WiFi has a signal, combined with the fact that my phone can make calls or play other videos without interrupting the current streaming music, means I will almost exclusively connect over WiFi moving forward. Also, the response delay when manually changing songs on my phone was about one-second before it switched on both WiFi or Bluetooth. This is consistent with most of the other wireless speakers I have previously used. EQ: The equalizer options could be viewed by some as limited. The current options to adjust are Bass, Middle, and Treble. The bass lets you know when it’s been turned up, and I was surprised at the amount of low-end the subwoofer could produce. Although additional adjustable frequencies would be a nice touch, the existing three settings are more than sufficient for my use. VOLUME: I have not been able to turned the volume up over 75%. At that level you practically couldn’t be in our family room (20 ft x 45 ft x 8 ft) because it is so loud. Also, at those higher volume levels, I could not perceive any distortion. I can’t imagine an indoor situation where this unit couldn’t satisfy most user’s higher volume demands. TABLE: Finding a suitable table that my wife could accept was a bit of a minor challenge. And we compromised on one that did not make this speaker the focal point of our family room (see pics). I was somewhat hesitant to enclose this speaker due to a concern it could muffle some bass or cause a buzz. But I’m happy to report I’ve noticed zero change in the sound, even taking it out and putting it back in during the same song to see if a noticeable difference. I personably love the look, and my wife has bonded with the table, speaker, and location as not being conspicuous. Great addition to our family room. RATING: I found this JBL Authentics 500 Smart Home Speaker checks off all the boxes I hoped it would. After a fair amount of use, I believe this earned itself a solid 5-Star Rating. And I would absolutely recommend this unit to anyone who is considering a high-quality speaker system that is easy to setup, easy to operate, looks “retro JBL” with its Quadrex grille, and more importantly, sounds just incredible.

The JBL Authentics 500 is a beautifully designed high-end smart home speaker that delivers impressive sound quality, modern features, and a retro finish. The smart speaker features 270 watts of 3.1 channel sound with virtual Dolby Atmos, which creates a lifelike musical experience that makes you feel like you're hearing your music live. The speaker also has three 2.5mm tweeters, three 2.75" midrange woofers, and a 6.5" down-firing subwoofer, which provide clear and balanced sound with bass that you can feel. The JBL Authentics 500 is a fairly large sized speaker. It measures about 17.6 x 9.5 x 10.1 and weighs about 17.2 lbs. and in terms of features, the JBL Authentics 500 is packed with goodies. It has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so you can stream music from your favorite devices. It also supports voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant simultaneously, so you can control your music, get information, and more with your voice. The speaker also has a built-in Chromecast, so you can cast music, videos, and other content from your smartphone or tablet with room filling audio. You can even answer phone calls to the speaker if you like. Paired with the JBL One app, you can also access supported music services such as Amazon Music, Tidal, Calm Radio, iHeart Music, Napster, Qobuz, and TuneIn. The app also allows you adjust the equalizer if you like, access WIFI settings, connect WIFI streaming, and set up your Google assistant and Amazon Alexa. The speaker also features automatic self-tunning, meaning it automatically calibrates and optimizes the audio every time you power it up and let me tell you the quality of the sound, the music, and the bass will amaze you every time. The JBL Authentics 500 is also a stylish speaker that will look great in any room. It has a premium aluminum frame, custom leather-like enclosure, and Quadrex grille. The design was inspired by classic JBL heritage designs. This speaker will look amazing in any room of your home. Pros: • Powerful sound with virtual Dolby Atmos • Powerful Bass • Wide range of features, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, voice assistants, and Chromecast, WIFI Streaming • Ability to connect multiple speakers throughout your home • Stylish retro design Cons: • Not as portable. The 500 series is a fairly large device and not as easily moved from place to another. I have been using this speaker for about a week now and every time I put some music on, it leaves me in awe. I love some bass in my music, so I enjoy the deep heart pounding bass that this speaker has to offer, also while being able to control my smart home features all from one place. Overall, the JBL Authentics 500 is an excellent smart home speaker that delivers impressive sound quality, modern features, and looks. It's a great choice for anyone looking for a high-end speaker that can fill any room with amazing life-like sound that also make your life a bit more convenient.

This speaker has blown my mind! It looks stunning. It sounds amazing. And it is the first speaker I have found with all the features it has packed in (Alexa, Google Assistant, AirPlay, and more) and every feature works perfectly! Starting with sound which is of course the foundational aspect of any speaker - this thing sounds marvelous. Now this is not small speaker. Make sure you pay attention to the dimensions and have a good spot for it. But the size it what allows it to produce sound so well with its 3 Tweeters, 3 mid-range woofers, and a down-firing 6.5" subwoofer that can hold its own against many basic home theater setups when it comes to bass. JBL did a superb job with all these. The sound is incredible. We're hearing notes and things in sounds we haven't heard before because other speakers we had just couldn't reproduce the full spectrum of sound in such a great way. The highs are nice and crisp and the lows are powerful but clear. In a small room, this speaker could basically be your TV sound system as well. The sound is just that good! Moving on to features, this speaker has it all. We use Alexa/Echo for controlling our smart home. We use both Google Assistant & Chromecast and AirPlay for streaming music. This is the first speaker I have owned that supports everyone of those and does it brilliantly. Because we put this in our living room we were able to get rid of two Alexa Echo devices since this responds to the Alexa commands perfectly. It also responds to "Okay Google" for Google Assistant (which we use to stream music sometimes). And you can also AirPlay to this speaker alone or along with other AirPlay speakers. The setup for all this was easy as well. It does support bluetooth and Auxiliary input as well, but we don't use those. I have been so pleased with how well all the smart assistants and streaming services have been implemented into this speaker. Lastly, JBL should be proud of the design of this. It has a very classy look to it that makes it fit well and look good in any room without sacrificing necessary features. I love that although I can control some things in the app if I want, I can also just walk over to the speaker and turn the knobs to quickly and easily adjust volume, treble, and bass. The speaker has a beautiful retro look to it while still feeling modern. This really is the absolute best speaker you can get for the price and is probably better than some that cost much more. The premium sound, unmatched smart speaker capabilities, and design all combine to make it one of the favorite pieces of equipment I own.

This thing is a whole sound system in one compact space, with 270 watts, 3.1 channels, that is 7 speakers in total, it is no wonder this thing is as heavy as it is. It pumps out crystal clear sound, though having it at high volume, I don’t recommend being in the same room. I took it outside and it was like having a concert for the neighborhood. Of course, it isn’t really designed to be outside, I just wanted to see how loud it really was. At the higher volumes though, it sounds like the highs push more than the 6.5” woofer can try to compensate for. While at the same time, you can tell how the auto calibration tries to help fill an area with sound if you change anything, like when opening a door, you really notice that reflection is helping. The style of this truly does have a 70’s look to it. But, it has kind of an awkward size that the only place it can really fit is on a table somewhere. This is one of the few speakers I have seen that has Ethernet capability, so you don’t have to set it up to Wi-Fi if you don’t want to. You also have 3.5MM aux and USB C input if you don’t want to use one of the available built in streaming services like Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Spotify or Tidal. This means your phone or other device does not have to do the streaming, however, you can do that if you want to through BlueTooth too. You can also use Google and Alexa at the same time so you can take advantage of standard smart speaker features, like asking Alexa the weather. You can also flip the microphone switch on the back so none of them can hear you even if you have it set up. With a red light on the front to show it is disabled, it is the only light on the front, but easy to notice if you are yelling at Alexa and she is not responding. The light up volume/bass/treble knobs are a neat way to see control and see the digital levels as well. The JBL One app is required to set up the streaming features and voice controls. The app itself is pretty simple and doesn’t really have much else to do once you have everything set up. The EQ option does give a mid setting compared to the knobs controlling bass and treble only. But, most of the time, once you have it where you like it, nothing much changes. My favorite feature is the moments button, once set, it will go straight to whatever music source you have it set to, say a specific station on Amazon Music. That and voice assistance makes the app pretty much pointless afterwards. Overall, the sound level on this JBL Authentics 500 reminds me of the 80’s Maxwell commercial of a guy sitting in a chair getting blown away by the high fidelity sound. This is so many levels above your typical smart speaker and has the speakers to be enough for a sound system, but so odd shaped that it is not going to replace a typical sound bar. This will be a centerpiece of sound for any party for sure.

I recently acquired the JBL Authentics 500 Smart Speaker and I am excited to give you my opinion, in a word it is outstanding! This speaker looks and sounds fantastic. The new smart speaker from JBL sports 270 watts of 3.1 channel sound in a cool retro design the front grill and JBL logo reminds me of the old JBL’s my father had with his old stereo system. The gold aluminum frame and the faux leather covering the main body complete the retro look. The controls are slightly recessed on the top keeping the design very clean. The voice assistant status indicator is on the top and functions just like the native assistant device indicators. The rear has the porting for the down firing bass speaker and the connectors for ethernet, USB for MP3 playback, power and a 3.5mm Aux jack for external audio input. The Voice assistant microphone on/off switch is also included on top of the rear panel. The base has rubber feet to keep the box in place and prevent vibration. Where the JBL Authentics 500 truly shines is in its audio performance. The system has three 25mm tweeters and three 2.75inch midrange speakers and a 6.25-inch woofer, The JBL team has done and incredible job with this compact speaker and the sound is amazing for it’s size. The bass is punchy, midrange is crisp, and the highs are clear and detailed. I could hear no distortion at any sound level. The down firing ported subwoofer can really push out the bass. They have included an auto calibration that takes place every time you turn on the speaker and it will adjust to any room you move it to provide the best sound. The speaker even has Dolby Atomos support. You can include this speaker in your speaker groups or group multiple JBL speakers for multiroom listening. The speaker connects by Bluetooth for streaming from other devices and had WIFI connectivity for streaming and automatic firmware updates. iPhone users can use airplay to stream directly to the speaker. The JBL Authentics 500 smart speaker supports voice commands via popular virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Since it supports both I can control my cameras with google home, my lights with Alexa, stream from various apps from whichever service I desire. You use the JBL one app to set up the speaker and connect it to your Alexa or Google home account. I did have a little confusion about podcasts on Spotify, you have to install the skill but it will not work until you set Spotify as the default podcast provider in the Alexa app then you just say “Alexa play podcast (your podcast name) “ and it will stream from Spotify. JBL has done a fantastic job getting the smart assistants to play nice together on one box. The JBL one app is simple and straight forward. I had no difficulty connecting to the speaker, connecting my WIFI or connecting to my smart assistant accounts. I am able to stream music from all of the services I use with my native devices, control my lights, thermostats, and TV. JBL has delivered the ultimate smart speaker in one cool retro box. The sound from this is out of this world, this is the best sounding smart speaker I have ever owned! In my opinion it is well worth the price. I highly recommend this if you are looking for a premium smart speaker.

From the moment you unbox the sound system, there’s a definite feeling of handling a premium speaker. The packaging was well thought of and it shows that JBL is making good efforts to showcase how premium this speaker is. The speaker looks elegant with bronze/ gold accent at the front of the speaker. It feels a bit heavy so that’s good, a quality speaker should never feel light. Before doing anything, it’s best to download the JBL One app so that the moment you start listening to music the device has already been updated to the latest firmware. It doesn’t take long to connect the device to the wifi network from the app and it would apply the latest firmware update automatically. The sound system is equipped with the latest trends in audio tech that includes Dolby Atmos, Alexa and Google assistant. Aside of Wifi, in terms of connectivity there’s also Bluetooth. Music streaming services are integrated with the Wifi connectivity and Google/ Alexa voice assistant. There is also an Ethernet and USB-C port. Not only that the product supports Airplay, it also supports Alexa Multi-Room Music, Chromecast Built-in and Spotify connect. So on to the most important thing we would expect from a sound system, what about the audio quality? Does it deserve the premium look and features? In a nutshell yes. You just got to experience it yourself. This is a powerful speaker, even at 50% of volume level it’s already enough to fill a medium sized room. There’s a very good blend of low, mid and high. I particularly like the bass performance; it doesn’t sound booming but definitely powerful and smooth. Frequency response is also good as I can hear the different nuances of musical instrument and vocals without being overcrowded. Overall, this is a very good audio product by JBL.