The JBL 300 is part of the new Authentics speaker family unveiled this year, with the JBL 200 (compact version) and the premium 500 model (Dolby Atmos compatible). Already well established in the market for small Bluetooth speakers with the Flip series, JBL is challenging the giants Marshall, Bose and Sonos with a robust living room speaker with a retro design and eye-catching look. The JBL 300 has an integrated battery and a carrying handle which allows it to be used outdoors with an announced autonomy of 8 hours.
A hybrid product, both a smart residential speaker and a nomadic model, the JBL offers numerous wired and wireless connection possibilities: WiFi and Bluetooth streaming, Multiroom, it is Airplay and Chromecast compatible and allows simultaneous use of Alexa and Google Assistant for voice commands. All with a power of 100 W. A modern and stylish speaker which is sold at €399.99 (introductory price). But behind the beautiful vintage and “authentic” packaging, does the JBL 300 keep its promises in terms of sound?
A speaker with retro charm
Playing with retro codes, JBL offers us a speaker with a vintage look that takes its inspiration from the 70s. On the front, its large “reinvented” Quadrex grille is reminiscent of older models from the JBL brand, which is today a subsidiary of Samsung. But beyond the little “authentic” touch, its imitation leather case and its black and gold finish are especially reminiscent of the Marshall speakers from which the JBL takes great inspiration.
On the top of the device, to adjust the volume and modify the equalization, there are backlit dials which add a little touch of elegance to the whole. With a beautiful stylized finish and a very successful retro design, the JBL 300 speaker is a beautiful product that will fit perfectly as a decorative object in a living room.
Equipped with a sturdy cast aluminum handle and with a weight of 5 kg, the JBL 300 is easily transportable. But this good-sized speaker (342 mm x 195.6 mm x 180.3 mm) is still quite bulky and weighs 2 kg more than the Sonos Move 2. It is therefore difficult to slip it into a backpack to leave. on a bike ride. But you can definitely take it in the car to go for a picnic with music.
While it is presented as an adventure speaker, the American brand does not communicate on the IP protection index of the JBL 300. We will therefore have some reluctance to use it at the edge of a swimming pool or in rainy weather. afraid of damaging it with splashes of water. It's rather a shame because with its power of 100 W, the JBL speaker is the ideal companion for adding ambiance to evenings with good sound in a garden.
Behind its vintage look, the JBL Authentics 300 presents itself as a robustly constructed speaker with its grid grille which protects the two front speakers and its massive radiator under the device. According to the manufacturer, the JBL speaker is made “in part” with 100% recycled fabric, 85% recycled plastic and 50% aluminum but it is difficult to find out more.
Rock-solid connectivity
In terms of connectivity, the JBL Authentics 300 has nothing to envy of certain smart speakers like the Sonos Era 300. Wifi compatible, it will allow you to listen to music in High Definition quality with Chromecast, Airplay, Alexa Multi-Room and Spotify Connect. The JBL speaker also allows Bluetooth streaming from your smartphone with a rather stable connection, even outdoors. We had no pairing issues or audio dropouts during our testing.
The JBL Authentics can also be controlled by voice with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant which can be used simultaneously. A real innovation compared to competing speakers since until now, you had to choose sides between the two voice assistants.
The button on the back of the device to deactivate the voice assistant microphone
In use, all the voice commands work quite well to manage your playlist with Alexa or Google Assistant. The latter is still a little less responsive and sometimes refuses to change songs by declaring “that no content is broadcast” while the music is playing in a loop on the speaker! A bug that was repeated several times during testing. Fortunately, you can fall back on Alexa or even deactivate the voice assistant microphone using a button on the back of the device.
The JBL 300 is not left out for wired connections, it is equipped with an Ethernet network socket, a mini Jack auxiliary input for connecting an analog device and a USB-C port. In Europe, this USB port does not allow the playback of MP3 music files. Only US customers can benefit from this feature. The JBL 300 also has a power socket to operate it from the mains and recharge the battery.
Even if this is not its primary purpose, you can definitely use the JBL Authentics speaker to watch films or series. The latency is quite significant but fortunately it is compensated for on most streaming platforms. Without being as precise and immersive as a Home Cinema soundbar, the JBL 300 speaker offers interesting sensations with action films because the power is there.
With numerous connection possibilities, the JBL 300 is a truly versatile speaker for broadcasting all types of content. The most impressive thing is being able to answer a call while the music continues to be broadcast on the speaker from your smartphone. A real success from JBL!
Ergonomics and handling
In terms of ergonomics, JBL plays the simplicity card with controls that go to the essentials: a large volume knob and two dials for adjusting bass and treble. We also find on the top of the device a discreet Bluetooth pairing button, a second to stop the speaker or pause the music and the last to activate musical “moments”, a functionality to which we will return later .
All the controls are backlit, offering real comfort of use but the absence of graduations on the buttons does not allow very precise adjustments. And to have access to more advanced features, you will necessarily have to go through the JBL application.
A fairly limited application
Like many of the brand's connected objects and portable products, the Authentics 300 speaker can be managed from the JBL One application (on Android and iOS). An app with some additional features to personalize the sound and take advantage of the full potential of this smart speaker. It has a fairly basic 3-band equalizer and allows you to activate Bluetooth and Wifi connections or configure voice assistants. The app is also essential for setting up Multiroom listening or benefiting from immersive stereo audio by pairing several JBL Authentics speakers.
One of the benefits of this JBL application is being able to create “moments” by choosing a streaming playlist and then setting its duration and volume level according to your mood. These personalized “moments” are then accessible on the speaker via the button marked with a heart.
But the problem is that among the general public streaming offers, only Amazon Music is available in the app. Deezer, Apple Music and Spotify are missing. They are replaced here by lesser-known services: Tidal, Calm Radio, Iheart Radio or Napster. Despite its good will, JBL therefore offers us a fairly limited application but which is still useful for checking the battery level of the speaker.
Average autonomy
With the possibility of taking your music everywhere with you, the JBL 300 offers a battery life of 8 hours according to the manufacturer. A figure that we can confirm after pushing the JBL speaker to its limits. But be careful, the battery can discharge more or less quickly depending on the type of content and of course the volume at which you listen to the music.
Even if it is not as durable as some Marshall or Sonos models, with its 8 hours of autonomy, the JBL 300 Authentics does better than most small portable speakers like the Bose Soundlink Micro or the JBL Clip 4 which only exceed hardly 6 hours.
The main advantage of the JBL 300 is that it has a sufficiently durable battery to use it at home without having to plug it in and to be able to move it easily in order to enjoy music on your balcony or terrace. The downside is that you will have to wait 3.5 hours for the speaker to fully recharge. A detail to take into account if you want to take it for a walk.
Powerful sound
For the audio part, the JBL engineers didn't do things by halves. The Authentics 300 features two 25mm high-frequency drivers to deliver true stereo sound as well as a 13.34cm woofer with the passive radiator facing downward to deliver deep bass.
But the problem is that the radiator located under the speaker tends to cause the support on which it is placed to vibrate strongly. An unfortunately recurring fault as soon as you turn up the volume a little. You will therefore have to be careful to choose the place where you install it so as not to be bothered by unwanted vibrations.
The passive radiator located under the speaker causes strong vibrations
With its 100 W under the hood, the Authentics 300 broadcasts powerful sound but without much spatiality, especially if you are not positioned in front of the speaker. If you are looking for true stereo sound, it will be better to invest in a 2nd JBL speaker to be able to combine them, at a certain additional cost. We also remind you that the JBL 300 is designed to integrate into a multiroom system that can be controlled via Google Home or Alexa.
Like some high-end soundbars, the JBL 300 has an intelligent function to calibrate the sound depending on the location. A calibration procedure that is triggered automatically as soon as the speaker is turned on. At first listen, the sound reproduction is more controlled than usual with JBL speakers. The sound is rich in detail with fairly faithful reproduction of streaming music via integrated wifi. And if you want to be able to benefit from lossless audio in HD quality, you will necessarily have to have an Amazon Music subscription, which was our case for this test.
Without offering “the exceptional sound performance” praised by the manufacturer, the JBL Autentics 300 speaker does quite well with good audio quality on rock, Hip Hop titles and even with the classical repertoire. But it really gets complicated if you push the volume to liven up an evening with big sound. The whole thing is then much messier with bass which can be frankly intrusive. The equalizer integrated into the JBL application can help us correct the situation but overall we expected better from a €400 speaker!
Disappointment also in terms of Bluetooth audio codecs since only the classic SBC is supported by the JBL 300, with necessarily poorer sound reproduction than with a high resolution codec such as Aptx or LDAC. Generally speaking, we will therefore favor the WiFi connection which offers better audio quality and a more stable signal. Another clue which confirms that the JBL Authentics 300 is primarily designed as a residential speaker.
Competition update
A new addition to the portable connected speaker market, the JBL 300 Authentics finds itself in head-to-head competition with the Marshall Kilburn II , the Ultimate Ears hyperboom and the recent Sonos Move 2 in the same price range. These adventure speakers all have a big advantage over the JBL, they offer resistance to splashes and rain which allows them to be used outdoors without worry.
With a fairly similar retro look, the Marshall speaker is a beautiful design object but with only a Bluetooth connection, it cannot compete for sound quality. However, it is much more affordable in terms of price.
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