JBL Bar 5.1 Surround Sound Bar - Amazon Exclusive entertainment system, streaming capabilities and subwoofer, compatible with Amazon Alexa, in black

Product Information

The JBL Bar 500 gives you access to over 300 streaming music services via AirPlay, Alexa Multi-Room Music and built-in Chromecast.

Also enabled by default is Smart mode, which adapts the sound to the content and produces sound that spreads more throughout the room.Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Access over 300 online music streaming services with AirPlay, Alexa Multi-Room Music (MRM), and Chromecast. Dialogue is clear and easy to follow, and the Bar brings all the punch and rumble to action-packed scenes.

It does have JBL’s proprietary MultiBeam feature, which attempts to simulate the effects of surround sound. The sound quality favors trebles and bass (and we’ll get into this in more detail later) which meant the echoing chamber of Rey’s reveal in Star Wars felt expansive but not quite real which was a shame.

The JBL Bar 500 is an interesting choice because it combines the features of a soundbar and a surround sound system. In reality, it doesn’t appear to change the sound much to the listener, so that seems to be a good thing – how well it works for others is another matter. The 500 is a newer model that offers better sound quality, with a better stereo soundstage and better stereo dynamics. You have the option to enable or disable the “Smart” and “Pure Voice” modes, but not with a shortcut, but by pressing and holding a combination of buttons for a few seconds. reproduces dialogue with clarity and detail, meaning you can enjoy everything from sitcoms to podcasts to audiobooks.