Sonos has even more competition in the Wi-Fi speaker game, and this time it’s coming from JBL. The JBL Cove speakers are home speakers designed to be used in a connected system like Sonos or Bose’s Lifestyle Ultra.
The smallest of the bunch is the JBL Cove M1, which has three tweeters and one woofer but no battery, so it has to stay plugged in. Then there’s the P1, which has four tweeters—one of which is up-firing—and one woofer. The P1 does have a battery, which JBL says lasts for 14 hours and can be charged via the included dock. Finally, there’s the X1, which is also wired and has the same driver configuration as the P1, but instead of one woofer there are two. Only the P1 and X1 support Dolby Atmos.
All of the speakers are compatible with stereo pairing if you want to couple them together, and they all come with JBL’s AI Sound Boost feature, which uses AI to optimize sound and minimize distortion.
When it comes to Wi-Fi speakers, the hardware is really only half the equation, so JBL is coupling the Cove series with the JBL One app, where you’ll be able to manage speakers and group them together. One interesting feature on this front is that you can change the speaker group directly from the speakers by pressing the “Moment” button. This automatically switches where the audio is played from without having to pull out your phone.
As for connectivity options, the Cove series has all of what you’d expect: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Roon Ready, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and Qobuz Connect.
The JBL Cove speakers will be available in white and black starting Sept. 13. The JBL Cove
M1 debuts at $229.95, while the JBL Cove P1 costs $399.95, and the flagship JBL Cove X1 will run you $449.95.
