JBL’s new speakers literally let your music follow you around the house

Multi-room audio sounds great until you actually have to manage it. You want music playing in the kitchen and living room, so you open an app, find both speakers, group them together, and hope everything connects properly. Then you move to another room and have to fiddle with it all over again. JBL’s new Cove speakers are designed to make that whole process a lot less annoying.

The lineup includes three Wi-Fi speakers: the compact Cove M1, portable Cove P1, and more powerful Cove X1. Each can work on its own, two can be paired for stereo sound, or you can place several around your home and connect them together. That idea isn’t new — Sonos and other brands have offered multi-room audio for years. What makes Cove more interesting is JBL’s attempt to make living with several connected speakers feel a little more natural.

Say you’re listening to music in the kitchen and decide to move to the living room. Instead of pulling out your phone, opening an app, and switching speakers, JBL’s Music Follows Me feature lets you press and hold the Moment button to bring your audio with you. It also works with TV audio, which could be handy if you want to keep listening to a game or show while walking into another room.

The JBL One app is still there when you need it. You can use it to set up speakers, create groups, customize their sound, and access supported music services. The important bit is that you shouldn’t have to reach for it every time you move around the house.

The company is also trying to make speaker placement less fussy. Cove speakers automatically tune themselves based on where they’re placed, while Constant Sound Field is supposed to keep the sound balanced as you move around the room. There’s also AI Sound Boost, which JBL says can reduce distortion when you’re listening at higher volumes.

The three speakers serve slightly different purposes. At €229.99 (~ $265), the Cove M1 is the smallest and cheapest, making it a natural fit for a bedroom, office, or kitchen. The €449.99  (~ $520) Cove P1 adds a battery, so you can easily carry it around the house, and also supports Dolby Atmos.

The €499.99 (~ $578) Cove X1 is the big one. It packs four tweeters and two woofers and supports Dolby Atmos, making it better suited to larger rooms where you want more powerful sound.

Connectivity shouldn’t be much of a headache either. The Cove lineup supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, and Roon. Spotify Tap is available through the Moment button, while Alexa+ voice control is coming later this year.

So, if Music Follows Me and the app-optional controls work as smoothly as promised, that could make Cove genuinely useful for people who want music throughout their home without constantly managing where it’s playing. The JBL Cove M1, P1, and X1 will be available in black and white, and an exact availability date hasn’t been announced yet.