I’ve been enjoying a Back to the Future adventure with the JBL Authentics 300, the only truly portable in the maker’s new three-model, Bluetooth- and Wi-Fi–streaming smart speaker line. This one can operate on either battery or AC power.
Where most smart speakers serve only one master—Alexa, Google Assistant, or in the case of Apple’s speakers, Siri—the Authentics line responds to the “Alexa” and “Hey Google” wake words interchangeably.
DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY
Like its AC-powered stablemates (you should also read TechHive’s JBL Authentics 500 review), the $450 JBL Authentics 300 boasts a distinctively retro enclosure wrapped in chocolate-brown faux leather with pale gold-tinted aluminum trim. A charcoal Quadrex foam grill in front of its active drivers evokes the classic JBL L-100 studio monitor from the 1970s.
It’s a hefty box, weighing 11 pounds and measuring 8×13×7 inches (20×33×18 cm, H×W×D), but a well-balanced handle makes this speaker easy to take with you.
Dials on top of the speaker control treble, bass, and volume levels, and the last
