Comments on: JBL – Authentics 500 Smart Home Speaker – Black

By: DavidJr

DavidJr — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:37:51 +0000

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.

By: Hmirza

Hmirza — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 06:03:38 +0000

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.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 15:20:37 +0000

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.

By: Idoc

Idoc — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 07:18:16 +0000

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.

By: Derek

Derek — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 13:02:00 +0000

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.