These powerful, compact wireless speakers pioneered the combination of JBL’s lauded sound quality and Google Assistant.

The range debuted in December 2017, and it was a landmark release because it was the first-time consumers could have voice-activated speakers with JBL pedigree and Google Assistant.

To say the range proved popular is an understatement. Sales of the LINK 10 and LINK 20 went ballistic both here and overseas.

Seizing the day, HARMAN and Samsung who own the JBL brand, went to work designing a third pair for the LINK series.

The newbie LINK is called the LINK 300, and it's available now at selected retailers and from JBL Australia’s website.

Harvey Norman is already taking preorders for the LINK 300 and the price is $348.

So what does this amount of money get you?

It buys the most powerful of the LINK range of speakers equipped with a hands-free, voice activation feature provided by the built-in Google Assistant software.

JBL Australia goes to some length to describe that the LINK 300’s voice control is far-field capable. And yes, you can fire questions from across a large room and the JBL LINK 300 will dutifully respond.

Audio decoding is also up-to-the-minute and you can Chromecast stream directly from the cloud, and that data is crunched through at a rate of 24-bit/96kHz.

Take it as given, the LINK 300 has Chromecast built into its slink waterproof cabinet. So streaming your music choices quickly from radio, podcast or smart device to your speakers becomes a pleasurable experience rather than a chore.

Speaking of speakers in the plural suggests you can use the Chromecast mode to stream to other Chromecast equipped speakers around your home or office.

Using the Google Home App that is available for iOS and Android, gives you a step-by-step guide to setting up your gear and streaming music.

LINK 300 supports 2.4Ghz and 5GHz Wi-Fi connections. The latter will come in handy in areas of your home where Wi-Fi reception is average.

Alternatively, you can wirelessly stream from your smart devices via Bluetooth.

Michael Mauser, President of the Lifestyle Audio Division at HARMAN said:

We are thrilled to pair JBL’s incredible legacy of award winning sound with a growing line up of voice controlled speakers.

This suggests more models to come. But with the voice-controlled speaker marketplace growing by the second, you’d think garden-variety brands would find it hard to get a shoe-in.

When you have the legacy and prestige of a brand the calibre of JBL, success soon follows.

For more information visit JBL Australia.

Originally published as JBL Launches Link 300 Smart Speaker with Google Assistant