Customer Ratings & Reviews

On sale it is defently worth it, it sounds great and has really nice smart features. If you want just a home speaker then this is it!

I was drawn to this speaker by the retro form factor and was not disappointed. The sound is absolutely massive and easily but my Klipsch The Fives to shame.

So bought this speaker last night. I was in love with the sound on it. Highs and lows are perfect. Returning it tonight, here’s why, you can’t pair it with a JBL party speaker. Also, it has Alexa and google, this answers your questions about the weather and other things you don’t need. The worst the 200 and 300 have a power button. There is no way to power this off, 600 dollars and you can’t turn it off. If a rep see this before tonight and there is a way of turning it off. I might keep it. I’m pretty tech savvy, there’s no way of turning it off.i guess if you leave it in idle an hour it shuts off. I wish you hadn’t put on that voice robot stuff on it either. I bought it for the speaker. I will admit though it’s the best speaker this size I’ve heard. Thank you

Can’t go wrong with this one. If you are looking for great sounding speaker this is the one to get.

Amazing product, best in class in its category! I recommend!

Phenomenal Sound, Crystal Clear sound that is better than any speaker I have ever had

excellent sound, highly recommended for those looking for quality and power!

Great sound. I was shocked as to how clear everything sounded. Really brings music to life.

Nice double atomos perfect sound no distorced clear sound

Extremely crisp and clear sounding music. Classy look

The JBL - Authentics 500 Smart Home Speaker is something to behold. I didn't truly understand the scale of this speaker array when I chose it. It wasn't until I got it fully unboxed that I realized just how big it is. It’s a little more than 17x9x10. Take a minute to visualize or measure that before you purchase online to make sure you have a place to put it. It’s a centerpiece more than just a speaker. It won’t be easily hidden, nor would you want to hide it. The design is elegant with a retro feel that fits seamlessly with almost any décor. The controls are sleek, clean, and simple. Assuming you have a spot for it, I think you’ll love the sound. Every time I play something I find myself drawn to the music. It becomes more than background noise for doing stuff around the house. It becomes the focal point of your attention. All ranges are incredibly clear and easily tuned to your liking. Trebble and Bass have dials on the unit. Mid can be tweaked from the JBL app. I’m hearing details that I didn’t know where hiding in some of my favorite pieces and tracks. It’s capable of crazy loud volume. I never got it past halfway because I was worried about bothering the houses next door. Ya…it’s that loud. The Dolby Atmos feature adds an amazing depth to music coded to take advantage of that technology. The sound is just huge. You could fill a very large room with this unit. There are several options for streaming. I’m mostly using Airplay and Amazon Music while my kids prefer Spotify. Thanks to the built in assistant options for Alexa and Google, you can easily control most functions with your voice. I’ve even used it for simple things like setting a timer while cooking in the kitchen. “hey Alexa, set an alarm for 15 minutes from now” I’m very impressed with the sensitivity of the mic. I can call out in a slightly elevated voice from a different room of the house, and it can hear me just fine. Maybe I’m showing my age here, but I do wish that it had native support for Pandora. I can still push it from my phone, but I can’t set up direct streaming for that particular service; or I can’t figure it out. Not a deal breaker by any means, but check which services are built in if that’s important to you. Setup was simple. It does require the JBL app, but I found it easy to work through the step-by-step instructions. It does have ethernet, aux, and usb-c physical connectivity, but I’m using the wi-fi and Bluetooth capabilities. To summarize, this is an amazing piece of technology. Great look. Amazing sound. Easy to use. It’s a real conversation starter and will add a lot to your enjoyment and entertaining. It’s certainly not very portable, but that’s not what it was designed for. I definitely recommend this smart speaker system.

After spending some time with the JBL Authentics 500, I can confidently say that it’s a monster of a speaker with very good performance. The looks of the speaker will be subjective, however, in my opinion this is a showstopper. The waffle style speaker grill manages to make it look both retro and modern with the brass/gold outlining the boxy shape. The controls on top are recessed into the body keeping the blocky look throughout the speaker. All in all, at the very least most people wouldn’t be off put by the speaker’s appearance. Its subdued while being elegant and high end looking. The connections on the speaker are excellent. It offers Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity, while still having aux connection as an option. The recessed controls offer quick adjustability of the EQ without having to go into an app. This is easily one of my favorite features of the speaker. Being able to just walk by and adjust treble/bass to my liking without looking for my phone is such a great feature. Keep in mind, there is an app as well to adjust EQ that way. One caveat that should be mentioned is the lack of a battery. This speaker must be connected to an outlet to function. JBL did this because they already have a great lineup of portable Bluetooth speakers. This is not a portable Bluetooth speaker. This is made to sit in your house plugged into a wall to be the center piece of your audio experience. Being powered from the outlet also allows the speaker to generate more power that would otherwise be limited by the battery. If you buy the speaker understanding this design choice then it shouldn’t be a problem, however it’s important to note. The sound, the thing most people care the most about when buying a speaker. Good news, it sounds absolutely incredible. The thing that makes this speaker special is how extremely loud it can get without sounding distorted. Short of throwing an outdoor birthday party, I don’t see how anyone could ever require the full power of this speaker. At normal volumes this speaker flexes its muscles with high quality sound. The mids, lows, and highs are all easily tunable to the genre of music you are listening to. The bass is so good for a speaker of this size. It has a dedicated sub underneath the speaker housing with two bass ports out the back to keep the bass crisp. The best way to take advantage of the bass is to make sure you place the speaker on a solid surface. If you put it on something thin and not dense it won’t sound as powerful. In a nutshell, the JBL Authentics 500 is a speaker that seamlessly merges style and performance. Its striking design, blending retro aesthetics with modern elegance, is complemented by convenient recessed controls. With versatile connectivity options and the ability to fine-tune the EQ without a smartphone, it adapts to diverse audio sources and listening preferences. However, it's essential to bear in mind that it requires a constant outlet connection, reinforcing its role as a stationary audio centerpiece. In terms of sound quality, the JBL Authentics 500 truly shines, delivering powerful, distortion-free audio even at high volumes. The customizable EQ settings and dedicated subwoofer with rear bass ports ensure exceptional sound quality, particularly when placed on a solid surface. Overall, this speaker combines eye-catching design with impressive audio performance, making it an attractive options to those looking for a one speaker option for excellent audio.

I absolutely would recommend anyone to JBL I really think anyone that chooses this speaker will be very happy with it and not to mention the voice assistance features Google and Alexa

A good thing to have at home, it makes your home a place you never want to leave.

gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood

Thank you very much this speaker is awesome so thank you very much

Great speaker overall and value , easy to understand.

The JBL has rolled out a new lineup that pays homage to their premium 1970s speakers. The Authentics 500 is their top-of-the-line speaker for this series of speakers. JBL made sure to pay proper homage cause not only does it look nice but it sounds nice too. JBL has spare no expense to detail from the feel and look of the leather-wrapped cabin to the front grille that can be removed if you prefer. It’s a very nice-looking premium speaker. In my opinion, this is one of the best-looking speakers that JBL has designed so far. For set-up, there’s not much to it besides plugging in the power cord and downloading the JBL One app. You don’t have to download the app, but I do recommend you do. The app allows you to join a Wi-Fi connection, firmware updates, and adjust the equalizer settings. I prefer using the app to adjust the equalizer since it’s hard to tell what level you have the bass/treble set to with the rotating knobs located at the top of the speaker. With built-in mics at top the Autentics 500 also supports Alex and Google voice assistants. If you like both assistants no worries you can run both at the simultaneously. I’ve always been a fan of the JLB sound of the box and this one does not disappoint either. Pushing 270w of sound from 6-speakers in the front and a 6.5 down-firing woofer, you will hear and feel the beats of your favorite songs. For most of my listening experience, I left it at the default sound profile. The sound has a full spectrum sound to it that sounds sharp with a satisfying bass punch. It even supports Dolby Atmos for surround sound reproduction without the need fors 8+ speakers. Overall it’s a great-sounding speaker that can get plenty loud without distortion. Especially if you stream high quality songs from Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music. With that 6.5 down-firing woofer it also does well acting as a soundbar for your Tv. For audio inputs you do get 1 audio in jack for analog, and for wireless it’s supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connection. For the best sounding experience Wi-Fi is the way to go to take advantage of those Dolby Atmos certified tracks. In my opinion the JBL Authentics 500 is probably the best sounding premium smart speaker at this time for this price range. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s probably the best looking speaker currently in the market too. It’s a pricey speaker that it’s a no brainer if you can get it on sale.

The new JBL Authentics 500 is an outstanding speaker. The first thing you will notice is the size and weight of this speaker. At a little over 17” long and 10” wide and deep and weighing in at a little over 17lbs it is a beast of a speaker. The speaker is not portable per se as there is no built-in battery so it needs to be plugged into an outlet. The cabinet has a leather like wrap with gold metal trim. It features the retro style grill found on JBL speakers from the 70’s and it looks great. The speaker consists of 3 – 1-inch tweeters, 3 – 2 ¾ inch midranges and a powered 6 ½ inch subwoofer. All of these are powered by 270 watts. In order to set up the speaker you need to download the JBL One app which allows you to connect to your Wi-Fi network (there’s also an ethernet connection on the back of the speaker). Once connected you can choose to deploy Alexa voice control and/or Google voice assistant. This speaker can use one or the other or both at the same time which is a very unique feature. The app also allows you to make EQ changes and add music streaming services. The speaker has volume, bass and treble controls on the top of the speaker and are lighted which is a nice feature. If you are going to use these controls you can delete the app once everything is set up. I set up the speaker using Alexa and my HD/Dolby Atmos music library. The JBL 500 also has Bluetooth and can play Dolby Atmos music streams. JBL claims that the speaker calibrates itself to the room environment whenever it is turned on so if you move it the speaker will re-calibrate for the best performance. As for performance this speaker sounds amazing. It has very detailed mids and highs and the bass goes surprisingly low for its size. I actually found myself turning down the bass. I have played a number of songs both stereo and Dolby Atmos and the soundstage is wide and full and the speaker is very impressive. I have a number of high-end portable Bluetooth speakers and this JBL is the best sounding of anything I own. JBL claims you can link multiple speakers for more coverage and better sound. I have the speaker set up in my kitchen which is open to my family room which combined are around 2000 sq. ft. and this speaker fills the rooms with great sound easily. This speaker can definitely get loud if you want it to. This is by far the best sounding easy to use smart speaker I have seen. If you are looking for a speaker that is easy to use and can fill a large room with excellent sound this is the speaker you should consider. I would highly recommend the JBL 500 and already have.

I was wanting to upgrade the smart speaker in my home office and boy oh boy, this thing is a BEAST! Compared to other JBL speakers I've had in the past, the Authentics 500 is hands down, the best one I've ever owned. First, let's talk about size, this thing is big! This thing comes in around 9.5 inches tall, 18 inches wide, and 10 inches deep, so make sure you have the space needed. The over all physical design feels very premium. On the top, there's 5 control knobs and buttons. Starting from the left, the first knob is push-on for power, and rotate the dial for volume. Then, there's 2 smaller buttons, one for Bluetooth and one for favorites. The last 2 knobs control the level of treble and bass. Speaking of bass, there's a large woofer on the bottom of the 500 that fires deep bass tones downward while the mids and highs are pushed through the front grill. The 500 is a HiFi speaker capable of firing Dolby Atmos sound if connected to the proper source. On the back, there's a standard 2-prong power connector, ethernet LAN connector, 3.5 Aux input, and USB-C. So plenty of ports to connect to whatever devices you have. A unique feature of the 500 compared to other smart speakers is the ability to connect and use Amazon Alexa AND Google Assistant at the same time. Unlike other 3rd party smart speakers where you can have only a single voice assistant active, the 500 lets Alexa and Google ride side-by-side. Admittedly, there were some times where it didn't catch the wake word, but I still like the ability to not have to use 2 smart speakers to use 2 different digital assistants. When it comes to playing music, the 500 really shines. I've been using it in AirPlay mode to stream music and everything from classical music to heavy metal comes through crystal clear. The symphonic melodies of Beethovan, or the grinding guitars of Metallica, I haven't come across anything that didn't sound amazing. There's also a companion app that you'll need to download to set up this to connect to your home's WiFi and activate the digital assistant features, but you can also adjust the audio equalizer as well, so it really felt like a companion app and not a piece of bloatware that just hogs space on your phone. I've had this thing for a little over a week and I love it!