Speaker
Products
In The Lab
Forums
Newsletters
Insider Access
Best
Bluetooth Portable Outdoor Loud Bluetooth For Sound Home Brands Small JBL Budget And Cheap Bluetooth For Bass Parties Waterproof Bluetooth Shower Alexa Smart Golf Bose iPhone Bluetooth Under $100
Tools
Compare NEW Results Table Tool Review List Review Index Graph Custom Ratings
Popular
JBL Boombox 3 Bose SoundLink Max JBL Boombox 4 JBL Charge 6 Marshall Kilburn III JBL Authentics 500 Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4 Harman/Kardon Go + Play 3 JBL Flip 7 Marshall Middleton II JBL Charge 5 Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 9 Sonos Era 100 Sony ULT FIELD 5 Sony SRS-XB100 Sonos Era 300 Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM JBL PartyBox Club 120 JBL PartyBox Encore Essential 2
184 Speakers bought and tested
Supported by you via insider access, and when you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
  1. Home
  2. Speaker
  3. Compare

JBL Authentics 500 vs Authentics 200

Which Speaker Is Better?

    Top
    Main Differences
    Design
      PicturesStylePortabilityBuild QualityControlsIn The Box
    Sound
      Frequency Response AccuracyRaw Frequency ResponseSoundstageDynamics
    Active Features
      BatteryVoice AssistantApp
    Connectivity
      WiredBluetoothWi-Fi
    Comments

Products

JBL Authentics 500
JBL Authentics 200

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Nov 25, 2025 02:39 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 04, 2025 01:39 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
JBL Authentics 500 Picture
JBL Authentics 200 Picture
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
No
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
No
  1. Recommended in 6 articles:
  2. Bluetooth
  3. Bluetooth For Sound
  4. Home
  5. 3

Our Verdict

JBL Authentics 500

JBL Authentics 200

The JBL Authentics 500 is a larger and more premium cousin of the JBL Authentics 200. While the 200 is a good option if you're low on space and has many of the same features as the 500, it can't get as loud or reproduce as much low-bass. Plus, it lacks support for Dolby Atmos Music.

0 

Variants

  • Authentics 500 (Black)
  • Authentics 200 (Black)
  • Authentics 200 (White/Gold)

Review

See JBL Authentics 500 Review
See JBL Authentics 200 Review
9 
0 

Check Price

Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Authentics 200
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White/Gold
Authentics 200
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
B&H
 

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.7
7.0

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.6
6.7

Dynamics 
 

8.4
7.8

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

JBL Authentics 500 Style Photo
JBL Authentics 200 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

2.9
5.0

Dimensions Photo  

JBL Authentics 500 Dimensions Photo
JBL Authentics 200 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

1,629 in³ (26,700 cm³)
470 in³ (7,698 cm³)

Weight 
 

17.5 lbs (8.0 kg)
7.1 lbs (3.2 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC Only
AC Only

One-Hand Carry 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

6.7
6.7

Build Quality Photo  

JBL Authentics 500 Build Quality Photo
JBL Authentics 200 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Great
Great

Water Resistance 
 

No
No

Dust Resistance 
 

No
No

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Controls 
 

8.0
8.0

Controls Photo  

JBL Authentics 500 Controls Photo
JBL Authentics 200 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

JBL Authentics 500 Controls Photo 2
JBL Authentics 200 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

JBL Authentics 500 In The Box Photo
JBL Authentics 200 In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.6
6.7

Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Slope 
 

0.04
0.06

Std. Err. 
 

2.58 dB
4.17 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

44.3 Hz
51.1 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.9 kHz
15.1 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.3
6.9

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Directivity Index 
 

4.99 dB
5.70 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

8.4
7.8

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

102.8 dB SPL
95.4 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.81 dB
2.04 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power Saving 
 

N/A
N/A

Charging Port 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Battery Powered 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

9.3
10

Alexa 
 

Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Google Assistant 
 

Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Speakerphone 
 

No
No

Siri 
 

No
No

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

Yes
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Good
Excellent
Show Text 

App 
 

9.6
8.0

App Picture  

JBL Authentics 500 App Picture
JBL Authentics 200 App Picture

App Name 
 

JBL One
JBL One

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Graphic
Graphic

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
No

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

7.5
7.3

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.3
5.3

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

269 ms
287 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

244 ms
277 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

334.6 ft (102.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

7.6
7.7

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 6
Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

2.4GHz & 5GHz
2.4GHz & 5GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
Yes

AirPlay Latency 
 

161 ms
158 ms

Google Chromecast 
 

Yes
Yes

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Authentics 200
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White/Gold
Authentics 200
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
B&H
 
Back to Top

JBL Authentics 500

JBL Authentics 200

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

JBL Authentics 500 vs JBL Authentics 200: Main Discussion

What do you think of these products? Let us know below.


Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.

0 
PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
No comments yet, refresh to see new ones
We make money directly from you via Insider access (which gives you access to extra features) and when you buy a product after clicking a link to a retailer. Learn more about how we work.
We buy our own products, just like you, mostly from the United States. When a product is discontinued or no longer popular, we sell the review units locally. See what products we currently have for sale.
© 2025 9298-5266 Quebec Inc. All Rights Reserved.