JBL Bar 5.1 - Channel 4K Ultra HD Soundbar with True Wireless Surround Speakers

Pros: 1. Easy to set up 2. Truly wireless 3. Amazing subwoofer - shakes the couch/house Cons: 1. Nothing really Summary: We have a large open living room that's open to the kitchen, almost 900 sqft. With a space this large, the built in speakers on the TV are about adequate for listening to the news, and not really good for much else, especially watching movies. Ideally we should have a receiver and multi speaker setup, and maybe one day I'll do that, but I just don't want to spend the money and time running and hiding wires and trying to find surround speakers that I can hide so it's not so obtrusive and obvious. The wife agrees that she wants the surround sound experience, but isn't interested in having speakers all over the living room. We've tried various 2.1 systems that simulate surround sound, but those aren't all that great. And anyways, it's hard to find a soundbar system that can fill this space. We've tried some others, but they've been OK at best. I found this JBL system accidentally and after reading the reviews, I thought I'd give it a shot. The thing that sold me was the wireless battery powered surround speakers. Since we would only use it during movies, for the most part it wouldn't be cluttering up the living room area. We have other JBL wireless speakers that we use via bluetooth when we're outside that work quite well, so I figured these speakers would also perform well. Especially in an indoor setting. I will tell you that if you're on the fence about this system, to give it a shot as you will be pleasantly surprised. The sound quality is absolutely amazing. it's loud and clear and fills our giant living room very well. Some of the other soundbars that I've tried get loud, but the sound gets muddy and distorted. The detachable surround speakers work well, also have great sound, and simply works. They connect automatically without a problem to the main unit, the speaker levels are adjustable on the fly, and you can place them wherever you want. This soundbar system also comes with a calibration speaker, which takes just a minute to balance the sound levels for the exact spot that you'll be sitting. Most impressive is the 10 in subwoofer. It's well designed and does a good job trying to hide into the background with its monolithic simplistic design. However, the sound that comes out of it is nothing short of amazing. We have the volume set at 2/3 of max, and it will shake the couch we're sitting on and rattle the walls. The soundbar also has a night mode, which helps reduce the subwoofer setting and bump up the midrange so I can hear the dialogue and i'm not waking the kids when watching something with lots of explosions and booms. I'm quite happy with the sound quality and loudness, wife is happy that the surround speakers are not permanently sitting around and can be put back on the soundbar, and my bank account is happy that this system only cost $500.

I have to start off by saying I'm not a tech-savvy guy... like not at all. Despite my disability with technology, I was able to have this up and running within minutes. I wanted to summarize my experience with the setup in the hopes it helps you guys out. I should mention I plugged this system into a Samsung TV, which apparently makes the process easier, especially when it comes to your TV remote being able to control the volume on the soundbar. For me, this happened automatically. My TV remote started controlling the JBL soundbar on its own. Awesome! The system includes some hardware to hang your soundbar and also to hang your small rear speakers, which I thought was really cool. Everything was literally plug-and-play. I powered on the soundbar, powered on the subwoofer and they both automatically communicated with each other and paired up without me doing anything else. My biggest complaint about the setup process was the difficulty I had trying to plug in the power cord into the back of the soundbar. The angle is very awkward, but I got it done. There are four HDMI plugs in the back of the soundbar, one of them is labeled HDMI ARC. This is the one you're supposed to use with your TV (Took a while for me to figure that out). I'm also using an optical cable that is also plugged into the back of the soundbar and goes to the TV. Unfortunately, when you turn off the TV and go to turn everything back on, the soundbar defaults back to HDMI ARC, so I had to manually change the source on the soundbar back to OPT. The only fix I saw was to unplug the HDMI ARC and only leave the Optical cable plugged in. This seemed to do the job. Why would I need both sources anyhow? The reason I wanted to go with the Optical cable is because I heard a YouTuber mention that the HDMI signal was not as good for surround sound. In my opinion, the Optical cable sounded crisper. Which every cable you decide to use, just make sure you plug it all the way into the back of the soundbar. Mine looked like it was all the way in, but it wasn't. The other step you have to take is to go into your TV's sound settings and change the source of your sound from TV speakers to either HDMI sound or Optical. For the calibration process, make sure your surround speakers are where you'll want them when you watch TV. Also, make sure your subwoofer is turned on. There is a small calibration speaker with a pin connection that comes in the box. This "calibration speaker" (my term for it) is used to calibrate your speaker's sound for an optimum surround sound experience OR to use as a starting point to then manually improve the settings on your own if you're so inclined. Here is another goof-up I did. Do NOT plug in the pin to the back of the soundbar. It will fit perfectly, but this is NOT where the calibration speaker goes. You'll find the pin connection on the end of the right side of the soundbar. It's hard to see, but it's there. Once I had the calibration speaker plugged in, I placed it in the center of my living room. Using the JBL remote control, press the "calibration" button (the remote labeled it "calibration") for three seconds. WARNING, do NOT do this at night when your family is asleep. My wife wasn't happy when I did my calibration at midnight and she was even less impressed that I was about four vodka and sodas in. Once the calibration starts, you'll hear each speaker individually make an ear-piercing static sound. The calibration only takes a few seconds, but definitely makes a difference with the surround sound performance. I unplugged the calibration speaker and stowed it away in the event I ever have to reset my setting or I decide to move my speakers to a different location. Hope this helped.

I bought this JPL soundbar to replace the one I purchased from Amazon the week before. That “renewed” bar came in a severely damaged box and the unit itself was also badly damaged with two of the subwoofer’s feet broken off, and a dent in one of the surrounds that let-on to internal damage (it rattled). I promptly returned it with the idea of buying somewhere and/or something else. The product showed up again on the Amazon website at a better price (new) so I took a chance. This box did have a rip under the tape, but I opened it and found it to be new and free from damage. I have not experienced home theater since about 2006. New living arrangements meant that I had to put my Yamaha powered B&W 600 series home theater in storage. Two center channels two big floorstanding 640is two rear bookshelf, and a 12” Paradigm subwoofer. Was this JBL going to give me anything like that? Nope, but that’s fine. I wanted to see what 16 or so years of technology with a much smaller footprint could give me. I’m very happy with the JBL for home theater and that is what I have it for. I really don’t care about using it for music, it will happen, but it’s not my real concern. Watched The Incredibles and Cars: lots of great Doppler action, explosions and glass breaking. I’m a big fan of the detachable rear speakers and they will spend most of their working life detached from the bar. I did not want wires trailing along the walls but I did want real surround. The subwoofer is also very good with lots of floor and wall-shaking bass. It doesn’t move nearly as much air as the paradigm nor does it adjust your organs with its hertz, but it played its role very well. Set-up was very easy I am using the ARC connection (never used that before on the TV) and it makes connecting other devices very easy and it sounds great. One day I will set the old system back-up (16 + years of receiver tech should really make for a great sound experience.

Just recently purchased through Amazon. Shipment came fast and with no problems. Packed really well. Setup took around 30 minutes and was very easy. There are many reviews here on Amazon, which I used in making my decision on which sound bar to buy. I’m happy to say that the Sound bar delivers. Many reviews here will talk of the mid range being non-existent. It is there, but can easily be over-powered by the subwoofer which is awesome. It’s probably best to keep the subwoofer below 20 to hear everything clearly. Upon setting it up, it’s important to remember that the wireless speakers do need to be charged. They take 3 hours to charge. What I do is after using the speakers, just plug them in at night before bed, and if you unplug them in the afternoon, you will have more then enough time with them as they last 10 hours on a charge. If you are coming from a 2.1 or below speaker setup, it’s important to change all your media (if they can be changed), to utilize 5.1 audio. This is a true 5.1 setup. It may not be super high end, but it functions like true 5.1. After setup, I tested with several games and movies. One notable movie was Jurassic Park. It’s known to be a staple for good surround and boy did it deliver. The bass rumbled even with the setting below 20, and the surround worked wonderfully. The audio was accurately reflected through the speakers. I heard rain from the movie all around, and in the chase sequence in the jeep with Jeff Goldblum, the T-Rex roared through all channels and you could hear his footsteps with the bass. It was amazing. This was true with other movies as well. Thor: Ragnarok rocked with the music sequences and examples of force on-screen. Again, I have to stress how accurate the sound reproduction was. Every effect was done through the proper channel. I guess proper calibration is key and should be done immediately. I positioned the calibration antenna behind where I would be sitting and seems to work as best it can. Also, you can adjust the surround volume, which I have at +6 which seems to work well enough. Another movie example is: X-men: First Class. The bass kicked in with every example of power on display by Magneto. I had to turn the speakers on “night mode” due to watching it during the day because the bass was so intense. It was appropriate for the scene, but boy did it rumble. I also tested with Pandora and Youtube on various music tracks from rock to classical, and it did not disappoint whatsoever. Instruments sounded great and did not sound muted, and voices sounded very clear through the center channel. Overall, I’m very sastisfied with the JBL Bar 5.1 system. For those of you on the fence: no worries.. you can purchase with confidence. Just be sure to configure it properly and don’t let the bass get too heavy and you’ll be fine. I’ve read online too that this system allows for firmware updates and if so, maybe down the road, JBL can fix the small mid-range issue. I say small because it is. With proper configuration, it’s not really noticeable. Again, can you find a system with better performance of course? But for below $1000? I really don’t think so. Great value, and features for the price. 3 HDMI in.. one HDMI ARC out. Dolby surround as well as DTS. Competition doesn’t offer all this, and it represents a great value. Must buy.

I bought this JBL 5.1 Surround Sound Bar system to go along with the refurbished 65” LG C8 OLED TV I also bought on Amazon. I think this sound system is phenomenal! I love the wireless detachable speakers, as they pack a lot of sound for their size. I see people complain that you have to charge them on the sound bar, but I don’t find it to be an issue at all. I just reattach them after I’m done watching TV, it only takes like 15 seconds to do! The bass is incredible on the sub woofer. If your TV has HDMI ARC capability, make sure to plug your HDMI cable from the sound bar into the HDMI ARC input on your TV. This allows you to turn the JBL system on/off and allows you to adjust the volume with your cable or TV remote, which is extremely convenient! When I turn my TV on, boom the JBL system turns on right with it! They supply wall mounts in the box for the sound bar and for the wireless detachable speakers, which were easy to setup for a completely inept handyman like myself. Make sure that you use the calibration antenna that they give you. At first I thought the speakers were terrible, but after I followed the instructions for calibrating, it made the system work how it is supposed to. After calibrating, here are the settings I found to give me the best sound quality: The “Movie” sound mode gave me the best treble/bass/mids for every type of media I watched on my TV. I always keep the wireless speakers at +6 setting, which is as high as they can go. I keep the sub woofer at 20 out of 30, and that is plenty enough of bass for me. As far as volume goes, anywhere between 18 - 27 is great depending on what you are watching. It goes all the way up to 47, so that tells you just how loud these speakers can get, they are LOUD. I highly recommend the JBL 5.1 Surround Sound Bar. Make the purchase, you won’t regret it!

Update: it's been months since I bought this. Unfortunately I had to send it back to JBL for replacement because it kept losing subwoofer sync and would crackle. The satellite speakers did the same thing. I practically begged them to allow me to pay the extra to upgrade to the Bar 9.1 as that doesn't seem to have the same issue but incredibly they refused. What company doesn't want more money? Oh, JBL doesn't. Because of their incredibly restrictive policy on returns we will have to do this dance over and over with their return and warranty policy police again until we finally get something that works. Please don't buy this product. I wish I'd sent this back after my Day 1 experience.... Day 1: Just unpacked it and set it up. I switched it on expecting to hear no midrange from all the reviews. Couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, I found that the midrange was WAY too high. Trebles sound flat. Bass overwhelming. The out of box experience leaves a lot to be desired. I played some music, while at the same time hunting for the manual equalizer settings to control this. There are none. How does a $500 sound bar have zero manual equalizer controls? Or an app to control settings with? It's 2020 right? All you get are the preset modes to choose from, none of which really tame the midrange. So I switch from music to a movie. This is now making more sense. As a sound bar to watch movies and TV on it's fine. But without the ability to control the equalizer properly makes it difficult to recommend for music. Heck, even their portable speakers have an app via bluetooth to change settings. I'm strongly tempted to send this back and get the Bose 700... Day 4: It took a lot flip flopping but I think I made the decision to keep it. With any of these soundbars, it's a serious tradeoff of price against features. Lots of soundbars seem to focus on wifi streaming, app support etc with a tradeoff on sound quality. Others focus on the sound quality with little to no capabilities on wifi streaming, apps etc. This is the latter. Here's my thoughts on its strengths and weaknesses: Strengths. 1. It really does have good sound quality, particularly in TV shows and Movies. I found that only two sound settings are viable - 'Movie' and 'Sports'. The rest sound terrible. 2. Forget the reviews that complain about the midrange. There's stacks of midrange. IMHO there's too much midrange. 3. For those that are restricted with cabling the innovative capability to have truly wireless surround speakers is fabulous. This is the primary reason I bought it and the primary reason I'm keeping it. 4. The bang for buck on audio performance is difficult to beat at $500. The subwoofer is super powerful and rich. When you use the 'movie' or 'sports' setting, the audio is crisp and clear. Weaknesses 1. It really is such a shame, and a MASSIVE miss on a $500 sound bar to not even have manual EQ settings aside from the bass on the sub. I'd go so far as to say the product manager that designed this should be fired for it. Vizio does WAY better in this department. I'm shocked that they didn't provide some kind of app that could interface via Bluetooth to change it. I wouldn't be surprised if the functionality was actually there, but the cheap @sses who bought (previously way better) JBL de-invested from proceeding with it. 2. No wifi streaming or app support. So why didn't I get the Bose? I didn't want to spend $1000 more. Bang for buck, if you can stream to it via your TV or Apple TV, then this wins.

So I went from a Bose Cinemate 2 (2 speakers and a sub), to a fully wired surround sound system (Onkyo HTS 7700), then had downsized to a Yamaha YAS 207 (FANTASTIC for dialogue), to this awesome JBL Bar 5.1. My biggest reason for going to this is because we wanted to minimize, but I also really wanted surround sound. This thing is AMAZING. Not only does it sound great, but it's just so awesome to show off. If you're thrown off by the whole battery part, don't be. Not only do they last long enough for a party, BUT they do have micro usb inputs that you could use to keep them powered. This means if you wanted to keep them "wireless", you could. I say "wireless" because you don't have to have them plugged into the soundbar or sub, but if you wanted to leave them unplugged, you'd have to power them somehow (micro usb). So it's awesome that you have that option. I thought I'd want to keep them unplugged and leave the surround sound around me, but I really only do that for movies or intense shows. It's super easy to take the speakers apart and put them WHEREVER you want. It automatically configures itself to be 5.1 when you separate the speakers. -Setup: Extremely easy and quick. The hardest part was unwinding the microphone. You just take the 2 speakers off, place them where you would usually want them to be, then put the microphone a little behind where you would sit. In my case, on top of the back part of my couch. Then you hit the button on the remote and in less than a minute it's done. Your system is good to go. -Ease of use: If your tv doesn't have an ARC HDMI port, upgrade to one that does. This is a life saver. Now you can control the volume with your tv remote. You'll only need the JBL remote when you want to configure the settings (calibrate, adjust volume specifically for the surround speakers, adjust base). I did all the adjustments I wanted, so I'm good to go with just the tv remote. -Sound Quality: My wife and I always have trouble hearing dialogue (we're in our 20s/30s), so we usually have subtitles on to make sure we don't miss anything. That's why I LOVED my Yamaha YAS-207 soundbar. Unfortunately our ceiling and walls are too far apart to get the digital surround effect. This system does an incredible job at delivering clear dialog, along with strong (easily controllable) base, and great surround sound. -Features: You can adjust everything with the remote. They made it super simple and dummy proof. There's been times where we were eating at the dining table with the tv on, and for fun I took the speakers off and put them on both sides of the table. Worked great, and it's just super cool to do. It's definitely a fun party trick that delivers. I've only had it for a week, but I'll be sure to update this after using it more. I got it on sale for $599 and got the square trade protection for $20. All in all, I'm very happy with this system.

After drooling over the Sonos 5.1 (Beam) system at Best Buy, and trying/returning a couple other sound bars not worth mentioning, I was really hoping not to love JBL 5.1 so much- but for almost 1/3 of the price of Sonos (found a great Amazon warehouse deal), how can I not keep this! The biggest shocker is how great music sounds through the bar with the satellite speakers attached (not so much in surround mode but who cares). You can play around with different sound modes and find a setting to suit your taste. The music mode is a bit thin for me, but standard and movie modes sound thick and rich which brings me to my next point... The subwoofer is sick in an overkill kind of way like a drunk bass player who won’t turn his amp down. You really have to reign it in to keep from overpowering the mix. Thankfully, there’s a bass button on the remote to adjustments on the fly depending on content. The remote could be better. Backlighting and treble controls would be great additions, and it feels a little light and cheap in the hand. Functionally, it’s great. I also appreciate the surround speaker volume controls. I’ve found lowering the surround level to 4 out of 6, keeping the sub under control, and boosting the bar volume provides for a well-balanced sonically pleasing experience. For me to get to point where I can get lost in the all enveloping soundscape without thinking about what needs to be tweaked is a major feat the JBL has accomplished. For the best results, you need to calibrate which is super simple and takes all of 30 seconds. It’s fun to play around with different placements to get the best effect. Out of the box, all the components auto sync and get along swimmingly. Reconnecting for recharge is breeze, and we fast-settled into a nightly routine where we put the little satellite speakers in their discreet places just behind and to the right and left of us, then plug them back in the morning to recharge. The bar in 2.1 mode is great for regular tv and any kind Bluetooth streamed content you can throw at it. Compared to most other bar systems out there, the amount of HDMI inputs on this thing is opulent- 3 plus an ARC HDMI out which is the “input” from an ARC compatible TV. We have the the cable box and Blu-ray player going into the Samsung then out to the ARC port to the JBL. It’s great to have volume control through the tv remote for times you just want to turn on the TV and not mess with other remotes and settings. In summary, don’t let the “lack of midrange” reviews scare you away. The dialogue comes through crystal clear and all styles of music shine through. Is the Sonos better? Probably, but I can’t say for certain because I haven’t lived with it and put it through the paces. For us, the JBL system more than meets our needs and expectations, and I appreciate the fine tuning capabilities of the remote which is lacking with Sonos where you have to program your tv remote to function with it along with using the app. I wholeheartedly recommend this system to those who want something that’s a dream to set up, easy to adjust to your liking, and truly delivers to even the most discerning audio freaks out there.