If you’re looking for a sleek, well-armored, and powerful-sounding Bluetooth speaker, JBL is the way to go. Whether you’re an aspiring audio engineer, home cinema connoisseur, or the average listener who just wants a durable and weatherproof Bluetooth speaker that sounds great, JBL has reliable audio products that satisfy nearly every niche. When it comes to versatility, JBL is truly a jack of all trades and even the master of a few. Faltering a bit through the ’80s and ’90s, at least in terms of mass-market appeal, Samsung acquired Harman Kardon in 2017, which brought about a major resurgence for the JBL label. Sold to Harman International in 1969, the following year JBL would hit pay dirt with its legendary JBL L-100 loudspeakers, as well as its prolific line of professional studio monitors.

The best Roku TVs of 2023: which should you buy?īest AirPods Max accessories for 2023: cases, stands, and moreįast-forward 25 years or so to the ’70s, and JBL is bigger than ever. After a series of developmental collaborations with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s sound division, the tragic 1939 death of Decker in a plane crash, and a 1941 buyout from Altec Service Corporation (later changed to Altec Lansing), James Lansing left Altec in 1946 after his contract with the company ended, where he went on to found his own brand once more: Lansing Sound, and later JBL Sound. With origins dating back to 1927, James Lansing and his business partner, Ken Decker, started in the radio business, producing drivers for at-home radio hardware. Lansing Sound (JBL) has seen a number of peaks and valleys in its many decades as a recognizable name in audio. JBL Accessibility meets performance The JBL Charge 5 Bluetooth speaker Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends For each name, we’ve provided a brief history, some notable products, and accolades, along with what we consider to be the best singular speaker (or pair of speakers) from each company. We asked ourselves that question too, and after many long hours of research and testing, plus years of experience in the world of A/V consumer tech, we’ve come up with this list of the best speaker brands on the market right now.

Diamond v stream wireless reviews