New JBL Cove Wireless Speakers Seem Like a Worthy Sonos Alternative

Sonos is the big name in whole-home wirelesss audio, but JBL is taking another crack at it with its new Cove Wi-Fi speaker line. There are three models at launch: the Cove M1 ($229), Cove P1 ($399) and Cove X1 ($449). The Cove P1 is the only model that’s portable and has a built-in rechargeable battery, though all three speakers have both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. They’re available for preorder now and ship Sept. 13.

While I haven’t tried the speakers in my own home, I got a taste of them in action at a JBL demo in a swanky loft in New York, and I was impressed by what I saw and heard. As part of the demo, JBL played each speaker on its own and then linked them together with other Cove speakers. It also created a stereo pair using two Cove M1 speakers, which can be used as rear channels when linked with JBL’s Bar Series MK2 soundbars.

The Cove P1 in white.David Carnoy/CNET

The system works a lot like a Sonos system, with speakers grouped by room (or on their own) using the JBL One app for iOS and Android. There’s an automatic self-tuning option, as well as AI Sound Boost technologies that “work to optimize performance based on where and how you listen.” They also have built-in microphones and are Alexa-enabled.

Needless to say, the X1, which has four tweeters and dual woofers, delivers the biggest, richest sound with the strongest bass performance (it’s comparable to Sonos’ $470 Era 300 speaker). But the M1 and P1 deliver big sound for their size, too, and seem to stack up well against their Sonos counterparts. They’re also priced similarly, though the Sonos speakers cost a little more (for example, the Sonos Move 2 portable speaker costs $499 while the P1 is $399).

The Cove X1 is the current flagship speakerDavid Carnoy/CNET

Back in the day, I liked JBL’s now-discontinued Link Series Wi-Fi speakers, which were released in 2017. They were fairly affordable and sounded decent, but just weren’t as well-designed as Sonos speakers, nor did they have the most user-friendly setup or as polished an app as Sonos’.

At first listen, its new Cove platform seems like a worthy alternative to Sonos, but I’ll have to A/B test those Cove speakers side by side with Sonos’ offerings to really get a sense of how their audio quality measures up. It’ll also be interesting to see where street prices for the Cove speakers land, and whether JBL will offer any discounts on speaker bundles. If they sound as good or even slightly better than their Sonos counterparts and cost less, that would certainly help them find a foothold in the whole-home audio marketplace.

David Carnoy

Executive Editor / Reviews

Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Kobo e-books and audiobooks. See full bio