The JBL Bar 5.1 Soundbar with 10″ Wireless Subwoofer is a powerhouse audio system designed to transform your home entertainment experience. With an impressive 550 watts of total power output, this soundbar delivers dynamic and room-filling sound for movies, music, and gaming.
The 10″ wireless subwoofer produces deep, thrilling bass, adding an impactful low-end punch to every scene. JBL Surround Sound technology creates an immersive 5.1 virtual surround experience without requiring additional speakers or wires, ensuring a clean and clutter-free setup.
Enjoy seamless audio-visual quality with 4K HDR10 and Dolby Vision pass-through, providing stunning picture resolution paired with exceptional sound clarity. Built-in Chromecast, AirPlay2, and Bluetooth connectivity allow you to stream music wirelessly from your favorite devices or apps. Plus, with Alexa Multi-Room Audio support, you can integrate your soundbar into your smart home audio setup effortlessly.
The soundbar features HDMI connectivity, ensuring easy and high-quality connection to your TV or other devices. With a sleek, modern design in classic black, the JBL Bar 5.1 is a stylish addition to any entertainment space.
Whether you’re watching a blockbuster movie, listening to your favorite playlist, or gaming with friends, the JBL Bar 5.1 Soundbar delivers powerful, immersive sound that makes every experience unforgettable.
Sonos has no repair program, and I"m not about to drop 1k for their newest sound bar. So i got this.
How does it compare? Well... it kind of doesn't to be honest, but for the price its pretty freaking good!
Pros:
- You get a sound bar and a sub for $300!
- It has bluetooth! (Sonos didn't). It also works with airplay through iPhone or Android.
- Has a smart audio adjustment to tailor it to your room, which works great. Separation between voices and background music is pretty good, allowing you hear speech over explosions or music when watching movies.
- 5 levels of bass
- Doesn't need WiFi to work! (looking at you sonos)
Cons:
- Sound EQ could be better, the smart thing works okay but you have no control over it. But again, I had a working Sonos system right before this one so its not a fair comparison at all.
If you are on a budget, you cannot do much better than this JBL for the price. Its seriously that good.
It had all of what I needed for a decent price. Wife got it for me for Christmas last year. Been using it on the living room main TV since then. It's a great unit, and I'm glad I went with this one that comes with the larger wireless sub. The sound quality is very good for its price point. But if you are an audio quality snob you may want to look elsewhere and be prepared to spend a few hundred more at least. The Bluetooth works well and allows me to connect to all the TVs around the house. The Wi-Fi music streaming (Spotify) works from every device we have tried so far (phones, tablets and PCs). The information display is nicely hidden behind the mesh grill on the right side. It has a digital audio input that allows for auto-on with TV. The only issue I've had is every now and then it will lose its Wi-Fi connection and display failed on the information display. A restart always fixes it. Overall I really like it and would buy it again. My wireless router did cause interference with the sub (connection would drop in and out) so I had to move it. That's something to keep in mind when planning.
So far, I'm fairly impressed with this bar, though the sound quality has been slightly underwhelming (more on that later.)
Installation:
Quite simple! Plug in power, plug in the optical cable, and you're essentially set! If you want to get fancy, there is more to do, and the manual is okay at guiding you through it. I will mention here that controlling the tone (equalizer) settings seems tough? You have to install an app, I think(?) unless I'm just not seeing the way to do it onboard? I got it to work through the Alexa app (after a few tries) and it works okay (just simple bass/treble/mid).
Look:
Looks nice! Very clean/modern. LCD display is inobtrusive yet functional. I guess I would have appreciated a wider LCD screen, so there was less scrolling with longer messages. I also like the streamlined remote.
Bluetooth:
Works great! This was a nice feature that my old system did not have. I can connect my phone directly to the speaker with ease.
Sound: This is where I was a little surprised. I always liked the audio of my old mini system, but I still expected this to be an upgrade; it was in some ways, maybe not in others. Now, the bass is CLEARLY an upgrade - it's pretty clean and punchy for such a small package. Not the same as a big old dedicated sub, but nice! On the other hand... the mids/highs seem a little muted/muddy, IMHO. I realize that the Daytons are great speakers, but still, I thought a soundbar of this price would be on par with these cheap bookshelf speakers and a 25-year-old mini receiver... not necessarily. Maybe I just need to tweak it more - I can update if I find the sweet spot that brings up the quality. All this said, the sound certainly isn't bad, just not quite as crisp/clear as I'd like. If you're upgrading from just the TV's built-in audio, you'll be VERY impressed, I'm SURE of that!
Overall, this is a solid sound bar and certainly a nice upgrade from your TV's built-in sound, especially for bass-heavy movies and the like. However... if you're a tinkerer/Craigslist-pro, and don't mind a much more cluttered footprint with way more wiring, you might be able to get even better results (besides the bass) with an old, high-quality mini-receiver and a set of Dayton B652s, for maybe 1/3 the price. But that's not for everybody!
Recommended, with some slight reservations!