JBL Link 300

Google Assistant voice control. Reasonably powerful, balanced sound. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Google Cast.

Not portable or rugged. Mono.

Just as the JBL Link 10 presents a very strong alternative to the Google Home, the JBL Link 300 is a solid foil to the Google Home Max, or the Amazon Echo Plus. It doesn't have the benefits of portability or ruggedness that the Link 10 offers, but it's...

Big and natural sound in a small footprint ; Responds promptly to your requests to find music, time a cooking session, or unlock the front door ; Plays well with other voice-activated speakers in the Google Assistant family

Gets the jitters if simultaneously linked to a network streaming service and a Bluetooth-connected device ; Nondescript industrial design evokes Hi-Fi aesthetics of the 1970s ; Unlike true Google Home speakers, it can't make voice calls

Synching music to play across a multiroom system is easily done with any other powered speaker that supports Chromecast, either onboard or “ready” to add with a dongle (as some Como Audio products now allow).

Decent sound quality ; Ability to mix n’ match other Google Assistant/Chromecast speakers for a whole-home audio solution ; Reasonably priced ; IPX7 water resistance (Link 10, Link 20)

Can’t cast audio from iOS devices to multiple speakers, only Bluetooth to one at a time ; Sound is a bit low in volume

Bluetooth-enabled ; Good sound ; Multi-room operation with speakers from other manufacturers ; Google Chromecast built in

No battery ; Lacks wired input ; Calls not possible

The JBL 300 and 500 are smart speakers with a slight emphasis on "speaker" over "smart". You can expect Google Assistant features to roll out a little slower to these units that Google's own, and you can't make calls, but in return you get a louder,...

Booming bass and full vocals ; Wide sound field ; Gets really loud

Lacks crisp treble tones ; Can't make phone calls

The JBL Link 300 delivers most of the features you want in a smart speaker along with above-average sound — especially if you love bass.

Gets loud and offers tons of bass ; Physical buttons ; Good value

Tonal balance is too warm ; Can’t make calls ; Mediocre voice detection

The JBL Link 300 is a great sounding Google Home speaker that gets loud and pumps out loads of bass. While not everyone will like the warm tonal balance, the speaker represents good value compared to the competition. We hope Google and JBL can work to...

The Google Assistant-enabled JBL Link 300 has Google Chromecast built in and can be linked to other Link and Chromecast speakers to create a multiroom set-up. It delivers excellent sound for its size and has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

There's a little bit of presence boost, aka treble push.

For the money, the JBL Link 300 matches up well against the Sonos One and Apple's HomePod.