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Sonos Era 300 vs JBL Authentics 500

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

Sonos Era 300
JBL Authentics 500

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Mar 19, 2026 04:20 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Nov 25, 2025 02:39 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon
Sonos Era 300 Picture

Track

JBL Authentics 500 Picture

Track

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
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Our Verdict

Sonos Era 300

JBL Authentics 500

The Sonos Era 300 and the JBL Authentics 500 are both premium home speakers with built-in voice assistant support. Some listeners may prefer the JBL's retro design. But if you already own Sonos products, you can integrate them with the Sonos Era, which is a nice feature.

GIFT THIS COMPARISON

0 

Variants

  • Era 300 (Black)
  • Era 300 (White)
  • Authentics 500 (Black)

Review

See Sonos Era 300 Review
See JBL Authentics 500 Review
14 
9 

Check Price

Black
Era 300
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
Amazon
White
Era 300
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
JBL
 
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
B&H
 
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 
 

0.0
0.0
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Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Sonos Era 300 Style Photo Sample

SAMPLE

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for pictures & test results

JBL Authentics 500 Style Photo Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

RGB Lights  

Locked
Locked

Portability 
 

N/A
N/A

Dimensions Photo  

Sonos Era 300 Dimensions Photo Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

JBL Authentics 500 Dimensions Photo Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

Volume 
 

Lock in³ (Lock cm³)
Lock in³ (Lock cm³)

Weight 
 

Lock lbs (Lock kg)
Lock lbs (Lock kg)

Power Source 
 

Locked
Locked

One-Hand Carry 
 

Locked
Locked

Build Quality 
 

N/A
N/A

Build Quality Photo  

Sonos Era 300 Build Quality Photo Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

JBL Authentics 500 Build Quality Photo Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

Material Quality 
 

Locked
Locked

Water Resistance 
 

Locked
Locked

Dust Resistance 
 

Locked
Locked

Impact Resistance 
 

Locked
Locked

Floats In Water 
 

Locked
Locked

Controls 
 

N/A
N/A

Controls Photo  

Sonos Era 300 Controls Photo Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

JBL Authentics 500 Controls Photo Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

Controls Photo 2  

Sonos Era 300 Controls Photo 2 Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

JBL Authentics 500 Controls Photo 2 Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

Ease Of Use 
 

Locked
Locked

Feedback 
 

Locked
Locked

Music Play/Pause 
 

Locked
Locked

Call Answer/End 
 

Locked
Locked

Volume Up/Down 
 

Locked
Locked

Track Next/Previous 
 

Locked
Locked

Microphone On/Off 
 

Locked
Locked

Additional Controls 
 

Locked
Locked

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Sonos Era 300 In The Box Photo Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

JBL Authentics 500 In The Box Photo Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

N/A
N/A

Frequency Response Graph  

Sonos Era 300 Frequency Response Graph Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

JBL Authentics 500 Frequency Response Graph Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

Slope 
 

Lock
Lock

Std. Err. 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

Lock Hz
Lock Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

Lock kHz
Lock kHz

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

Sonos Era 300 Raw Frequency Response Graph Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

JBL Authentics 500 Raw Frequency Response Graph Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Join Now
Join Now

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Join Now
Join Now

Soundstage 
 

N/A
N/A

Directivity Graph  

Sonos Era 300 Directivity Graph Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

JBL Authentics 500 Directivity Graph Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

Directivity Index 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Stereo 
 

Locked
Locked

Dynamics 
 

N/A
N/A

Dynamic Range Compression  

Sonos Era 300 Dynamic Range Compression Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

JBL Authentics 500 Dynamic Range Compression Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

Lock dB SPL
Lock dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Active Features

Battery 
 

N/A
N/A

Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power Saving 
 

Locked
N/A

Charging Port 
 

Locked
Locked

Battery Powered 
 

Locked
Locked

Voice Assistant 
 

N/A
N/A

Alexa 
 

Locked
Locked

Google Assistant 
 

Locked
Locked

Speakerphone 
 

Locked
Locked

Siri 
 

Locked
Locked

Voice Assistant 
 

Locked
Locked

Voice Activation 
 

Locked
Locked

Microphone Mute 
 

Locked
Locked

Far-Field Performance 
 

Locked
Locked

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Locked
Locked

App 
 

N/A
N/A

App Picture  

Sonos Era 300 App Picture Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

JBL Authentics 500 App Picture Sample

SAMPLE

Join Now

for pictures & test results

App Name 
 

Locked
Locked

iOS 
 

Locked
Locked

Android 
 

Locked
Locked

EQ 
 

Locked
Locked

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Locked
Locked

Party Mode 
 

Locked
Locked

Multi-Room 
 

Locked
Locked
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

Locked
Locked

USB Audio 
 

Locked
Locked

Other Ports 
 

Locked
Locked

Bluetooth 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth 
 

Locked
Locked

Bluetooth Version 
 

Locked
Locked

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

Lock ms
Lock ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

Lock ms
Lock ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

Lock ft (Lock m)
Lock ft (Lock m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

Locked
Locked

Wi-Fi 
 

N/A
N/A

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Locked
Locked

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

Locked
Locked

Wi-Fi 
 

Locked
Locked

Apple AirPlay 
 

Locked
Locked

AirPlay Latency 
 

Lock ms
Lock ms

Google Chromecast 
 

Locked
Locked

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Check Price

Black
Era 300
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
Amazon
White
Era 300
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
JBL
 
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
B&H
 
Black
Authentics 500
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Back to Top

Sonos Era 300

JBL Authentics 500

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 2 years ago

Sonos Era 300 vs JBL Authentics 500: Main Discussion

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