Many music lovers, when they have serious money to spend, tend to consider Marshall’s speakers. And with good reason, because for many a listening experience, they do set a benchmark. For years. It’s not as straightforward anymore, because competition comes from JBL, and their new Authentics speaker line-up that spans three sizes, different price points and matches Marshall’s speaker range spec for spec. The Authentics 500, which is JBL’s flagship in this range, is following through on the potential, with delivery.
Here’s how the contours stack up. The smallest of the troika, the JBL Authentics 200 is priced at ₹39,999 while the middle child, the Authentics 300 sports a price tag of ₹49,999. The one we’re reviewing here, the JBL Authentics 500 is the flagship, setting you back by ₹69,999. These will compete against Marshall’s Acton III, Kilburn III and Woburn III. JBL has kept feature parity to an extent, but the audio hardware sees a step forward between the Authentics 200 to the Authentics 300 (also, the only speaker to get battery too), whereas things get really serious with the Authentics 500.
Tipping the scales at almost 8kg and carrying the sort of heft that betrays a sense of seriousness, the Authentics 500 is doing a good job of melding some retro inspiration (the quadrex grille, for instance) in a design that’s decidedly modern. Wrapped in leather, thick padding with fabric for the front grille (this is removable too) and a golden metal frame to complement that. There are physical dials at the top for volume, bass and treble controls, but I suspect you’d be relying more on the phone or tablet streaming music, for those controls. Light illuminating the circumference gives you a reference point for adjustments, if any are made.
You’d notice there is a button with the heart icon. This is some semblance of automation that JBL wants to offer with the Authentics 500. The key to this is the JBL One app (free for Android and iOS), also used to set up the speaker in the first run (connect to Wi-FI, tweak the EQ and so on). In the app, you can configure a specific playlist to play, when this button is clicked. Thus far, that’s limited to Amazon Music, TuneIn, Tidal and a few other streaming services, but missing from that list for now are Apple Music, YouTube Music and Spotify. Somewhat limits utility, but can be just the perfect fit if you’re relying on any of the already supported apps for music streaming.
Smarter than most so-called smart speakers out there, the JBL Authentics 500 can not only be configured with Google Assistant and therefore Chromecast streaming from Android devices, but also Amazon Alexa. And both can be enabled and left enabled in tandem, and successive commands can be given to either. Not to forget, Apple AirPlay and Google Cast wireless streaming is supported, with lossless audio. You should use this, instead of Bluetooth when possible, because this now ageing standard places music quality limits.
It is imperative to detail the speaker hardware that defines the Authentics 500 as a speaker absolutely worth the ₹69,999 you’ve to part with. The total sound output is rated at 270-watts, and this is in the 3.1-channel configuration. There are three 1-inch aluminum tweeters, two of which have a wider directional placement for Dolby Atmos to deliver the broader sound experience it is supposed to. There are three 2.75-inch mid-range woofers, as well as a 6.5-inch down-firing (that’s to do with its placement on the underside, taking advantage of reflecting off the table) subwoofer and JBL’s own Slipstream bass port.
I’ll give you the short summary of the details that follow — the JBL Authentics 500 sounds absolutely on point, fantastic.
This speaker can go so loud, I couldn’t even get close to reaching that actual limit during my testing, lest the neighbours be displeased at best. There is more than enough performance headroom in the Authentics 500 for really large halls and indoor spaces, which is reassuring for the typical living room or large room usage scenarios buyers will place this in, inside most homes and apartments. Basically, you’ll never really be at the very edge of its performance limits, and that’s good news for music quality streaming through. No matter how much the volume is pushed, clarity remains and there is no element of jarring or distortion to ruin the music.
Then there is the potential for really powerful bass (the EQ is your friend here), which in its out-of-the-box flat equaliser setting, proved more than enough for a variety of genres including dance tracks, house, lounge, chill out and trance. When you switch over to the vocal focused classic rock or even the more modern pop tracks, the soundstage delivers across frequencies, and neutrality of sound shines through. I tested this with various manual alterations to the EQ in the JBL One app, as well as on a variety of Android phones, and the sweetest spot is always to be found with the flat equaliser. That’s when the on-board digital signal processing as well as the tuning of the hardware really shines through.
Whenever I have tested speakers as large as this, they often tend to struggle to deliver if placed in a slightly smaller room or a bedroom, simply because their lower end tuning isn’t balanced with what they can deliver in larger spaces at higher volumes. That’s not a complaint with the JBL Authentics 500, which when stress tested by force fitting in a bedroom, sounded equally brilliant at volumes around 20%. There is perceptive bass, mid frequencies are audible, and vocals are detailed without sounding sharp. All in all, it doesn’t sound as if the speaker is being forced to perform from behind a pillow.
The JBL Authentics 500 doesn’t force you to compromise between either a thumping bass line for uptempo music, or treble for vocal focused music. This has both, well balanced, and in tandem. The fantastic audio performance for most listening scenarios and music genres, is well complemented by a design that’s blending the best cues of two eras. That said, the JBL One app’s utility is limited and that needs to change (regular firmware updates for the speaker would), and JBL tells me that the Authentics 500 is too powerful to be able to run on a pair of batteries; therefore this must remain plugged in all the time.
Nevertheless, what really matters is the combination of support for lossless audio (that’s up to 24-bit/48kHz), Dolby Atmos and a soundstage beautifully complemented by an ability to be really loud when that’s what you need. Very rarely do large speakers have the ability to be right at home with relaxing music you’d want to calm your nerves after a busy day at work. And equally, be adept in getting the party started, when it’s the weekend. The JBL Authentics 500 is just that an example of rare brilliance. Just a warning, don’t lose your hearing, amidst the excitement.
