The Sound
Contents
Now we have to be honest: Alpha Audio doesn’t test many all-in-one speakers. So it’s pretty hard to make a direct comparison, since we don’t have a whole lot of them lying around. Now, we did test some speakers from Teufel as well as models from Sonos and Bluesound.
No boom-box
What is striking is that the JBL Authentics is not actually a boom box at all. The bass is tight and powerful in neutral mode. The treble is a bit dull for our taste, but the equalizer allows you to adjust that just fine. We ended up with a little extra bass (in our larger living room) and a little extra treble.
Now, we hear that the all-in-one doesn’t play completely neutral (is is tuned a bit like the “smiley face”), but it we are glad that JBL didn’t tune the Authentics 500 like a subwoofer with some midrange. Something that is true of many all-in-ones, since that is what young people seem to want. In short: what you mostly hear on the streets is a lot of bass and some crackling which should pass as mids and treble. So that is not the case with this Authentics 500. Fortunately.
We’ve had a bit of everything come by. From Eminem to Haeven to Temple of the Dog. The JBL knows what to do with it, we must say. We mainly used Tidal Connect, because it is the easiest to use and has no compression, which makes it easier to judge.
If we switch to Bluetooth (on our Motorola Edge 40), we hear that the implementation is good, but there is audible compression. Also, the sound balance seems just a bit different than over the network. The low end is significantly better balanced and richer in detail over the network and Tidal Connect.
Audible noise
One downside to the JBL Authentics 500 is the audible noise. That’s not too surprising with 7 units powered by 270 watts of Class D, but still…. When we put on a “quiet” track, noise is clearly audible. Even in soft passages this noise is audible…. that is, through the music. Just like when we put a track on pause.
The JBL does mute after a few seconds when there is no signal. So it is not that noise is continuously audible when the all-in-one is not playing anything. However, we don’t think this is necessary with a speaker with this price tag…. it should just be quiet.
Conclusion
The JBL Authentics 500 is a fine looking speaker. Now, an average price of 525 euros is no small price for an all-in-one speaker. However, this is not a standard bluetooth speaker. It is an all-in-one streaming speaker that can also be connected to the network, which offers a lot more possibilities than bluetooth. Think Spotify connect, Tidal Connect, Chromecast, Airplay, etc.We found one drawback and that is the noise that is audible during soft passages or when the player is paused. In our opinion, this noise level is too high for a product in this class. And also for a brand like JBL. You can clearly hear that the player mutes after a few seconds if it stays on pause. We hope JBL finds a solution to this problem, as it is otherwise a nice-sounding all-in-one.