TechRadar Verdict
A dose of vintage style in a market crowded by neutral designs, the JBL Authentics 200 is a speaker that does things differently. The listening experience is sublime, with full bass, rich mids and detailed treble combining to produce real depth. The list of features is no less impressive, with Wi-Fi streaming, multi-room audio and connectivity to the intuitive JLB One app. Plus you get the best of two smart home systems, with support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa at the same time. It’s not the cheapest smart speaker, but it’s easily one of the most appealing.
Full, rich and detailed sound
Stunning retro design and build
Google Assistant and Alexa together
Simple to set up and use
Not the cheapest smart speaker
Plastic buttons feel cheaper
Alexa and Google aren’t perfect bedfellows
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JBL Authentics 200: Two-minute review
We pride ourselves on having tested all of the most notable andbest wireless speakerson the market at TechRadar, so it’s always a welcome moment when one comes along that does things a bit differently. That’s very much the case with the Authentics 200: one look at this vintage-inspired beauty is all you need to see that JBL has gone its own way here.
From the curved foam grille to the aluminium frame, the Authentics 200 is a stunning homage to amps of old. That retro aesthetic is matched by a solid build which, apart from the plastic dials on top, feels wonderfully premium. It’s distinctive enough to get people talking, without ever feeling like a fad.
Its beauty is more than skin deep. JBL has been generous with the feature set: you get Wi-Fi streaming from a range of services, multi-room audio, as well as connectivity with the slick JBL One app. That’s where you can integrate it with different streaming platforms and customize the EQ – although it’s more fun to do that physically by rotating the treble and bass knobs on the unit itself.
The app is also where you can connect the Authentics 200 to bothAmazonAlexa andGoogleAssistant (yes, JBL has aimed to make it of thebest smart speakerstoo). Crossover between the two isn’t seamless, mind, but support for both at the same time means you can have full access to their respective services from a single speaker.
Then there’s the listening experience, which is superlative. In our tests, the Authentics 200 impressed us at every turn – from the powerful bass to the clear treble, balanced with rich mids that give wonderful definition. Separation is impressive, and there’s a depth to its soundstage that delivers remarkable immersion for a single speaker.
It’s not the cheapest smart speaker you can buy, nor does it have the Atmos compatibility of the less expensiveAmazon Echo Studio, for example. But if you value its heritage design – as well as its premium feature set and sound quality – there’s really nothing else like the Authentics 200.
JBL Authentics 200 review: Price and release date
The JBL Authentics 200 was released in August 2023, priced at $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$299. It was launched alongside the larger, Atmos-compatibleJBL Authentics 500, which is significantly more costly, at $699.99 / £579.99 / AU$999.
Pitched as a high-quality smart speaker with a retro look, its price tag is at the upper end for the category. Arguably its closest competitor is theAmazon Echo Studio, which costs $199.99 / £219.99 / $349. Also in that price bracket is theSonos Era 100, priced at $249 / £229.99 / $399.
That gives the JBL Authentics 200 some stiff competition, setting the bar high for it to justify the extra outlay. As you’ll read below, though, we think its design, features and sound quality do a very good job of that.
JBL Authentics 200 review: Specs
JBL Authentics 200 review: Features
Despite its heritage looks, the JBL Authentics 200 is every bit the modern smart speaker. Wi-Fi streaming includes support for AirPlay, Chromecast and Spotify Connect, with multi-room playback available through AirPlay, Google Home and Alexa Multi-Room Music. Strangely for a speaker that doesn’t pick sides, you won’t find Spotify orAppleMusic in the app’s list of supported music streaming services though – which means neither works with the shortcut button.
Still, this is a speaker that’s happy to receive audio from pretty much any source. That includes a USB-C input on the back, as well as the option to keep things old-school with Ethernet and 3.5mm inputs. While we’re all for wireless streaming, these wired options are always welcome, especially if you’re not blessed with consistent signal throughout your home. For our part, we didn’t experience any dropouts during our time with the Authentics 200.
Initial setup was simple using the JBL One app. It’s a pretty foolproof piece of software that makes it easy to control the Authentics 200 and adjust settings. We were online in less than a minute, with an update over Wi-Fi quickly out of the way. Connecting Alexa and Google Assistant proved similarly seamless, with no hiccups hooking up to either. Network and voice assistant status is signalled by a single LED in the grille, with a handy table in the guide to help you decipher its various colors and states of solid, pulsing and flashing.
With both voice assistants activated, we had no trouble getting each to respond. In theory, where there’s overlap between supported services, either assistant should be able to start or stop a command. In our experience, this crossover wasn’t always seamless. We found it simpler to stick with one assistant for a specific task. So when we asked Alexa to play a song on Spotify, we asked her to stop it as well.
In reality, there’s rarely a need to jump between the two assistants, and you’ll soon learn which you prefer for different commands. The real benefit here is that you get access to both systems in a single speaker, including their full range of supported smart home devices. So if you find it easier to use Google Assistant with yourNest Thermostat, but Alexa for two-way talk on yourRing doorbell, you can do exactly that. You get the best of both worlds.
JBL Authentics 200 review: Design
In a market of muted designs, the JBL Authentics 200 stands out for all the right reasons. It’s rare to see smart home tech designed with flair these days (although theEdifier D32wireless speaker is one other example), so the JBL’s mid-century style is certainly refreshing. Taking more than a few cues from vintage amps, the Authentics 200 is a gorgeous bit of kit. Its curved foam frontage, aluminium frame and leather-like skin all leans into the heritage aesthetic, without looking out of place in a contemporary kitchen.
Measuring 266.3 x 171.7 x 167.4mm, it strikes an ideal balance between physical presence and ease of placement. Its bigger sibling, the Atmos-compatibleAuthentics 500, is an altogether more substantial thing. With its mid-size footprint, the Authentics 200 will easily find a home in most rooms.
Build quality feels deserving of the price tag too: this is a robust unit and a relatively weighty one at 3.12kg. It’s all suitably solid and well put-together, standing firm on rubber feet which reduce vibrations from the downward-firing radiator. In a perfect world, we wish JBL had used metal instead of plastic for the control panel and dials which live on top of the unit. But that’s the only part which feels anything less than premium.
Among those controls you’ll find illuminating treble and bass knobs, as well as a volume dial with a play/pause button at its centre. These give you the kind of hands-on audio control that isn’t offered by many smart speakers. While you can make the same adjustments in the app, we found something refreshingly tactile about being able to physically tweak the EQ.
Beneath the Bluetooth button is another with a heart on it. This works as a shortcut to a playlist on a supported music streaming service, configured in the JBL One app. There’s also a microphone mute switch hidden on the back of the unit, for privacy when you need it.
JBL Authentics 200 review: Sound quality
Little about the stature of the Authentics 200 hints at how well it fills a room. With two tweeters, a full-range woofer and downward-firing passive radiator at its disposal, this is a speaker with real punch. Bass is particularly noteworthy, with a huge amount of energy available at the low end. Even with the bass knob at halfway, the Authentics 200 has rumble to spare.
But it’s not just the power that surprises, so much as the depth and separation that the Authentics 200 is capable of. We were blown away by the breadth of the soundstage, with instrumentation given real space to breathe. Throughout our time with the Authentics 200, we found ourselves noticing details in songs that would be lost on lesser speakers. You’d need to pair up a second unit for a real sense of stereo, but in every other respect, the depth here is impressive.
Top-end clarity is underpinned by a lovely weight to the mids. There’s a real richness in the midrange, which feels deftly balanced for definition. Altogether, the impression is one of fullness. From The XX and alt-J to Norah Jones to the Arctic Monkeys, there wasn’t a genre that stumped the Authentics 200. Whether gritty electronic beats, twangy lead guitar or stripped-back vocals, there’s a real richness to the sound, without sacrificing any detail.
All of the comments above are based on the default EQ setting. According to JBL, the Authentics 200 self-calibrates every time it powers up, and it certainly suited every room we used it in. Besides the physical treble and bass controls on the unit itself, you can customise EQ settings via the JBL One app. This is a nice option to have, although in our experience, the Authentics 200 did best when left to its own devices.
You don’t get the vertical component of an Atmos speaker such as theAmazon EchoStudio, while the cheaperSonosEra 100 is equally engaging, albeit with less oomph. But for its size and price, we think the Authentics 200 is bang on the money.
JBL Authentics 200 review: Value
Seen as a smart speaker, there’s no escaping that the JBL Authentics 200 is pricier than most. If you’re mainly in the market for a voice assistant in your home, there are much cheaper ways to get that. TheAmazon Echo Dot (5th Gen), for example, costs just $49.99 / £54.99 / AU$79. Similarly, theGoogle Nest Miniwill set you back only $49.99 / £49 / AU$79.
There are also wireless speakers with high-quality audio available for less. The $199.99 / £179.99 (so about AU$300)Edifier D32is a fine example that also has a retro aesthetic – although the build-quality isn’t quite as premium-feel as the JBL model.
What those value comparisons don’t account for is the individuality of the Authentics 200. With its solid build and vintage design, it stands apart among home speakers, smart or otherwise. The quality of its sound output blew us away in testing, while the flexibility to connect with both Alexa and Google Assistant is a real boon. Plus you get a generous set of streaming features and useful app connectivity. So while it might not be a bargain, if you buy into its vintage aesthetic, we think you’re getting a good deal.
Should I buy the JBL Authentics 200?
Buy it if…
You have an ear for quality audioThe Authentics 200 produces full, rich and dynamic audio, with remarkable separation and bags of power at the low end, making it a treat on the ears.
You value unique, vintage designWhere most smart speakers play it neutral, the Authentics 200 stands out with premium build quality and a retro design that’s subtle but distinctive.
You use Google Assistant and AlexaThey might not always play together perfectly, but support for Google and Amazon’s voice assistants gives you the best of both smart home systems.
Don’t buy it if…
You want an affordable smart speakerThe Authentics 200 is a fantastic smart speaker for audiophiles, but if voice assistance is all you need, there are cheaper ways to get it.
You don’t need room-filling soundThe Authentics 200 is capable of serious punch across the range, which is wasted if you don’t need room-filling power from your smart speaker.
You just want a simple speakerIts easy to set up and use, but if you don’t need features such as in-app EQ adjustment and multi-room pairing, the Authentics 200 could be overkill.
JBL Authentics 200 review: also consider
Sonos Era 100With excellent clarity, boosted bass and support for a catalog of sources, the Sonos Era 100 is a great choice if you want a smaller speaker that’s arguably easier to place. You get Amazon Alexa and Sonos voice control, plus Trueplay tuning. If you don’t need as much bass as the Authentics 200 offers, this is a good understated option.Read more in ourSonos Era 100 review
Amazon Echo StudioMore affordable but less stylish than the JBL Authentics 200, the Echo Studio is Amazon’s best-sounding smart speaker. It’s a powerful, tidily packaged unit that’s rich in features, including something the Authentics 200 doesn’t offer: Dolby Atmos support. If you’re already wedded to Alexa as an assistant and you’re in the market for immersive audio, it’s a solid alternative.Read more in ourAmazon Echo Studio review
How I tested the JBL Authentics 200
I used the JBL Authentics 200 as my primary home speaker for more than a month. It split its time between the kitchen and living room, giving me a good impression of how well it adapts to different spaces.
I challenged the Authentics 200 with a whole spectrum of musical genres, from electronic to acoustic, soul to rock and roll. I also tested it with different treble and bass settings, and at different volume levels – from Sunday-morning mellow to loud enough to get a text from the upstairs neighbours.
The Authentics 200 also served as my default smart speaker during testing, connected to both Google Assistant and Alexa. That meant asking it to cue up playlists, hit me with my morning routine and generally field any queries which came to mind (usually recipe related).
Read more about how we test
Formerly News Editor at Stuff, Chris now writes about tech from his tropical office. Sidetracked by sustainable stuff, he’s also keen on cameras, classic cars and any gear that gets better with age.
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