Customer Ratings & Reviews

Pretty good for its size, it has a distinct v shape sound but it's still a great speaker for most people.

Great product, I recommend this speaker if you like great sound

Sound is good just not $450 good. The bottom passive radiator rattles everything on the table so you have to use it on a solid surface. Looks and build are amazing. Love how you can change the bass and treble from the top. Battery life is horrible maybe 3 hours on med level.

Sounds amazing when it works. I had issues with cutting out via bluetooth connecting over wifi fixed the issue i’ve had the speaker for a couple months now however this morning it wasn’t turning on. Most likely a defective device i know it happens but ruined the speaker for me .

This was a great speaker one if the best. I woulx recommend this

Convenient and good sound. Quality speaker by JBL.

This portable speaker is relatively compact, sounds great when playing music, is self contained as it contains a rechargeable battery, and will also work as both a Google Home smart speaker and as an Amazon Alexa smart speaker. Upon opening the box, the dimension of the unit being about 8 inches high, 13.5 inches wide and 7 inches front to back are evident. Because it has substantial electronics, a battery, and a large magnet bass speaker, the weight is quickly felt as being substantial at almost 11 pounds. The Authentic 300 has a built in carry handle in a semi-metallic vaguely gold finish. The cabinet has a faux leather finish on the sides, top and back and a retro syled square pattern speaker side in black. It functions as a Bluetooth speaker from any source, as a streaming speaker from any streaming source, and has both Wifi and wired Ethernet capabilities. The top panel has power, Bluetooth control, a volume knob that also enables track changes when connected to a source of Bluetooth song tracks, a Bass and Treble control and a unique Favorites button. The rear panel has a double-barrel power connection port that aligns with the supplied 120volt AC power cord for charging or powering the speaker. There is also an analog 3.5 mm stereo input jack, a USB-C output charging port to power devices such as a smart phone, and an Ethernet port for those seeking a wired internet connection. The sound this relatively compact speaker produces is amazing clear, loud, and bass heavy for its small size. The treble and bass is superb be it from streaming, Bluetooth, or from the analog input jack. All three were tested. JBL has an app that is easily downloaded by scanning the QR code in the owner booklet. It allows connecting to several streaming services, activating Google Home and Amazon Alexa functionality, and streaming content from your connected device to the Authentic 300. The ability to adjust the amount of bass and treble from the app using a app-based equalizer is also possible. The app also enables updates to the speaker firmware if needed. The app also allows programming a streaming service with a playlist that will start playing once the “favorites” Heart logo button on the top panel is depressed. It also allows programming a volume setting and a shut off time up to a full hour. The internal battery lasts 8 hours on a charge per the specs and the device shuts off after 1 hours of not being used; this is selectable to 30 or 15 minutes per user’s preferences. A rear on/off switch turns on or off the ability to speak to the device to summon Google Home or Amazon Alexa. Anyone who purchases this speaker will instantly feel proud and justified in spending the funds to acquire it. It is a superb product in reproducing music in a clean, tight, strong manner that will both impress and bestow joy on anyone who hears it.

Looks good but doesn’t sound good in my opinion. I thought the sound was thin. I didn’t turn it up over about 15% because the bass rattled like the coil was bad. With so many returns, i might have gotten something that someone else abused but it looked brand new. I have a Marshall Woburn III which sounds much better but only has Bluetooth and no battery. I also have a Marshall Middleton that sounds as good with less bass. I have a JBL Partybox 310 that sounds better. Anyway 3 stars because I might have gotten a lemon. I do feel that if you listen to music at a low volume sometimes that this might disappoint you.

Great speaker amazing look add a nice touch to my room

Very nice speaker, love the vintage look to it and all the cool features.

The sound is ok. It can be used. This is more than enough.

Just what I was looking for, excellent sound quality, great design...

The Authentics line is the best of the best of JBL

I like how it’s compatible with my smart home system.

Bought but returned could not afford i think but the sound is there bass raditor lil too thumpy not musical for my taste

GOOD Direct streaming for most music services Both Android Assistant and Amazon Alexa AirPlay compatible with iOS Excellent sound quality Has battery and handle for limited portable use BAD Expensive Lacks true subwoofer Only 3-band EQ adjustment No built-in DLNA/UPnP support for home media servers TL/DR This is a nice, albeit expensive, speaker for someone who primarily uses streaming services for their music enjoyment. Streaming directly to the speaker overcomes the limitations of Bluetooth bandwidth, and the speaker's solid construction and mix of drivers does a great job in replicating the audio. But it has limited compatibility with audio formats and home media servers, making it somewhat disappointing for home audio enthusiasts. IN DETAIL The JBL Authentics 300, apart from having a ridiculous product name ( really, JBL, why not call it the Authentic and leave off the S? ), seems to be in some kind of limbo between premium Bluetooth speaker and mid-range home audio speaker. Its size and hardware features ( multiple drivers, 5.25" woofer, 100W output, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi ) give the impression of a networked home audio speaker that's meant to connect to your home server and play lossless music. But the software side and connectivity is strictly focused on Spotify, Tidal, and music streaming services, not the home server audiophile. Audio on the A300 is quite good with its twin tweeters and large woofer. Very crisp, very clean. It can also get quite loud without distorting. If you need something for the neighborhood BBQ or family reunion at the park, the JBL 300 has more than enough power to cover the open spaces, even running on battery. However, the radiator on the bottom is no replacement for a dedicated sub. With most rock, pop, and other current music, it's not a big deal. But in orchestral music or symphonic movie scores, the lack of impact on the low-end is very noticeable. A passive radiator simply can't give that physical punch an active sub can for things like timpani drums. Audio profile tuning is limited at best. The speaker has treble and bass dials on the top and the companion phone/tablet app has a 3-band EQ and nothing else. Perhaps JBL thought a more customizable EQ was redundant since there's already an auto-tuning feature ( every time the speaker powers on, it's supposed to auto calibrate the audio for the room its in ). I think leaving the EQ at its default curve already sounds great, but I know others will be frustrated they can't tweak it to their liking. The mobile app is also where you configure the speaker to directly link to services like Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music, and others and you can set up Google Assistant for Chromecast and Amazon Alexa. You can also control speaker playback from multiple devices, not just the the one that started it. So if you used your phone to start playing music ( even if it's playing music from the phone over Bluetooth ), you can launch the JBL app on another device and go to the next track, change speaker volume, etc. Unfortunately the speaker isn't designed to connect directly to home media servers or similar. There's nothing in the JBL app to connect to Plex, no support for DLNA, UPnP, iTunes servers, or anything like that. You can workaround this with Chromecast to a degree, but it leaves a lot to be desired. When playing music from my home Plex server through Chromecast on my desktop PC, the Opus files have occasional stuttering and the FLAC files won't play at all ( the manual doesn't specify which audio codecs or formats the speaker supports directly ). The A300 has limited AirPlay support in that you can AirPlay from iOS devices but not from desktop iTunes ( at least not the current Windows version ). I also had no playback problems at all when using AirPlay from an iPad Pro regardless of audio codec, whether FLAC and Opus from my Plex server or 24/96 ALAC music stored locally on the iPad. The iPad got quite warm during those tests, so it was probably transcoding the audio before sending it to the speaker. Perhaps the oddest feature on the A300 is the integrated battery. While the smaller and easier to carry Authentics 200 doesn't have a battery, JBL put one in this larger model. Weird. JBL claims the battery lasts "up to 8 hours," though you shouldn't expect much more than 6 hours at normal listening volume. At best you could describe the A300 as semi-portable due to its size, weight, and the fact it isn't water or weatherproof. It's fine to bring in your back yard for some music on the patio, but it's certainly not something you want to take camping. All told, at the current $450 MSRP, I'd call it a little too pricey for what you get. The problem isn't in the sound quality, as that's fantastic. But it's not markedly better than smart speakers from Bose and Sonos with very similar features around the $300 mark.

Definitely worth the $! Great speaker, would recomment!

The sound was not is good is I thought but decent.

Intro: If you’re in a hurry and just want a quick takeaway, then here it is…I’m very, very impressed with this JBL Authentics 300 Smart Home Speaker and I can highly recommend it to others. In our home, it immediately moved up to the top as my new favorite speaker out of the more than a half dozen portable speakers I own! If you buy one, you WILL NOT be disappointed! It’s not cheap, but most certainly worth it in your pursuit of great sound. Even better if you can catch it on sale at Best Buy. Setup: The JBL Authentics 300 speaker setup was a cakewalk. First, I topped off the speaker’s battery, then I installed the JBL One app on my Android smartphone, which configured easily. I connected to the speaker that way first and then streamed some music using Amazon “Alexa”, which I had never done before. It went very well. Then I tried streaming via Bluetooth which also connected flawlessly to my Android smartphone, and I streamed more music on YouTube using the voice control “Hey Google” feature. Looks: I asked my wife what she likes most about our new speaker and without hesitation she said, “It’s beautiful. It looks so retro. I love it!” She also said, "It sounds great.” She is the one with the fashion sense in our household. We think the product design team at JBL that designed this speaker has earned themselves a huge bonus. Hopefully, they got it. From the sculpted, black, raised-grid cover fronting as a speaker grille and the black, pebble-grained, faux leather wrap around the speaker body to the metal trim on the front, this speaker screams, "Look at me!” It really is beautiful and in a nostalgic, retro-style. The JBL Authentics 300 Smart Home Speaker will be at home anywhere and looks good in any setting. If “heft” is your measure for deciding whether a speaker is quality or not, then rest assured this speaker has heft. It weighs right at 11 pounds, 10.8 pounds according to the specifications. Using the secure, drop-down handle, you’ll know you latched onto quality the first time you pick it up. Sound Quality: OMG!!!!!!! This speaker is so impressive. Right now, it’s behind me sitting on a heavy wooden table in my home office and I can feel the vibrations from Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” coming through my feet! I’m not kidding, this, less than half cubic foot speaker, is vibrating the maple hardwood floor in my office! I’m probably going to hear about it when my wife comes up for dinner from her art studio beneath me in the finished basement. Between adjusting the Treble and Bass knobs and using the Equalizer in the JBL One app, you have infinite control over mixing the sound from your JBL speaker. The speaker has thundering bass and crystal-clear highs. This JBL Authentics 300 speaker is a pleasure to listen to and a lot of fun to use especially because of the following features. Features: The most tech-worthy features are the adjustable outer rings of the Volume, Treble, and Bass knobs and their gain LEDs beneath the outer rings. When you turn one of those three knobs, the center of the knob remains stationary while the entire outer ring of the knob rotates smoothly around the center. As you raise and lower the Volume, Treble, or Bass, a circular ring of white light beneath the knob increases or decreases. I’m not sure how to describe it, but that’s the general idea. Also, the outer ring on those three knobs has no beginning and no end. There are no low or high stops, and you can turn the rings forever in either direction. I don’t know their proper name, but I can think of no better term for them than calling them “Infinity Knobs”. Anyway, they are very interesting knobs. Never seen anything like them before. As far as the life of a battery charge goes, the JBL Authentics 300 speaker will stream your music for at least the 8 hours stated in the specs. Mine went 8 hours and 25 minutes after starting with a 100% fully charged battery. That was remarkable. I was very pleased with the battery charge life. Not often do you buy something that actually exceeds the specifications. Recommendation: As I mentioned in the beginning of this review, this JBL Authentics 300 Smart Home Speaker made an astounding impression on me, and I can recommend it to friends, family, and you without any reservations whatsoever. I quite literally have nothing negative to say about this speaker. I can’t even come up with a suggestion for something to be improved. That’s why it’s my new favorite speaker!

For the money it’s not loud enough when it isn’t plugged in.