JBL - Bar 1300XMK2

If you're looking at the Sonos arc ultra I imagine you're going to want the sub as well. At that point the JBL bar 1300 mk2 comes out cheaper. I got the 1300x mk2 here in the US for $1200. The sound and bass fill my open concept house with 10 ft ceilings just at 33% max volume. The dialogue is the clearest I've ever heard from a soundbar and I love that the rear speakers are detachable for movie night and can be put anywhere I want. I cannot recommend this system enough. Rtings doesn't have a review of the mk2 refresh yet but neverenoughtech has a great comparison to the Samsung q990f and puts the JBL on top.

The 1300x mk2 is a beast. I got mine 2 weeks ago and am confident I got the best sound bar on the market right now. It's very clear, loud, and the bass shakes.

JBL 1300x MK2 is better than Samsung Q990F.

https://youtu.be/lPXz9X-5LIc?si=ShJr1dw1G3Dpd90i I got the JBL 1300x mk2 2 weeks ago. The dialogue is crystal clear and the bass is amazing. I highly recommend you get it.

I got mine last week. I was a little surprised at the size of the subwoofer, it fits fine in my living room though and the system is awesome. I have an open concept living room that connects to the kitchen and adjacent sitting room (dining room for you boomers) with 10 ft ceilings. The dialogue is very clear and the bass can be felt. I haven't even tried to max out the volume yet!

JBL 1300x MK2 100%

Yes the JBL 1300 first Gen is a no go. The MK2 was a massive evolution for the bar.

Below is from Gemini when comparing the two systems with a room your size. I was fortunate enough to get the JBL 1300x MK2 on Black Friday for $1200. I have an open concept home, living room, kitchen and a sitting room are all connected with 10 ceilings and I'm very happy with the JBL. The dialogue is crystal clear and the bass shakes the house. I have no desire to upgrade for as long as this system continues to work. Let me know if you have any specific questions. In a 30-square-meter room (roughly 320 square feet), you are in a "sweet spot" where both systems will perform well. This size allows both bars to effectively use room reflections for surround sound. The Polk MagniFi Max AX SR is often cited as a perfect fit for rooms between 25–35 square meters, providing excellent value and clarity. However, the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 is a more powerful, higher-end system that offers a more immersive 11.1.4 experience and a much more capable subwoofer. Which one fits your 30m² room better? The Polk MagniFi Max AX SR is ideal if your priority is clear dialogue and a balanced soundstage. It won't overwhelm a 30m² space, and its VoiceAdjust technology is excellent for hearing speech over loud movie effects. It is a more "polite" system that fits naturally into a standard living room layout. The JBL Bar 1300X MK2 is the better choice if you want a true theater feel. The 11.1.4 channels create a much larger "bubble" of sound, and the 12-inch sub provides deeper extension that you can actually feel. Its automatic room calibration is also superior, helping it adapt precisely to the unique acoustics of your 30m² area. Recommendation: For a room this size, the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 is the superior performer if your budget allows. It offers more headroom and a cleaner setup thanks to the fully wireless rears. If you want a great experience for a significantly lower price, the Polk is a very respectable runner-up.

Get the JBL 1300x MK2 . Everyone is sleeping on this awesome sound bar probably because the Rtings review isn't up yet for the MK2. Watch the neverenoughtech review. I got the the 1300x MK2 last week and it's amazing. https://youtu.be/lPXz9X-5LIc?si=08sQIdVs7j8fK30H

I have the JBL 1300X MK2 in an open concept house with 10 ft ceilings. I got it black Friday and it is absolutely amazing. This system is ridiculous, the base shakes my house and I haven't gotten close to max volume. Movie nights are so much fun. The dialogue is crystal clear and I love the detachable rears. You can also put the detachable rears in broadcast mode to further spread the music across the house or outside. Get the JBL and don't look back, you'll be happy for a long time.

They haven't reviewed the JBL 1300x MK2 yet

Seconding that the JBL 1300x MK2 is a beast of a system. I have no doubt I will be happy with it for 10 years to come until the next generation technology arrives.

If you want the most powerful setup in a sleek package with no wires, JBL 1300x MK2 all day.

I have the JBL 1300x MK2. It is a major upgrade from the JBL 1300x. Dialogue is crystal clear. I imagine once RTINGs comes out with their review, the 1300x MK2 will be finally considered the new king and we'll see less Samsung q990 fanboy posts.

The detachable speakers are a big positive for me. They sound great attached, and I like to detach for movie nights and not worry about wires and speaker stands. They are also great when I want to play music around the house or in the backyard or garage. The bass is incredible and the overall system power is more than I'll ever need. I think the volume goes to around 35 and I haven't needed or wanted to go above 22.

If you got the money is say go for the 1300x, has even more drivers and a much bigger sub with dual 10" woofers

I use my jbl1300xmk2 mainly for playing 4k blu rays through the Panasonic 820 (which I have hooked up straight to the soundbar itself) I watch a host of different codecs from atmos to DTS hd 5.1 I can say that the neural upmixer for DTS content is very much improved on the mk2 vs the last generations 1300x. I really cannot recommend this bar enough. The Samsungs flagship for our living room and lifestyle just wouldn’t work. We have small kids so having the rears needing to be plugged into an outlet at all times just wouldn’t work as our youngest would mess with them constantly. However just being able to put the rears onto the table behind the couch when we are watching a film is an absolute game changer. I think for the 1699 (and we got it on sale last month on Amazon and it’s bound to be on sale again come Black Friday) this is probably the best in its class. Short of having a dedicated surround setup. Side note we owned last generations 1300x for 2 years before purchasing the mk2 last month and I will say the volume is much louder this generation on top of the clear audio 2.0 is a great improvement. I suppose the only downside is the lack of 2.1 passthrough. It’s not an issue for me as I have the ps5 going straight into the tv and then my 4k player straight into the soundbar and this works perfect for my setup.

If you have an unlimited budget, the JBL Bar 1300x or the 1300x mk2 variant. 1300x is on Woot right now (refurb) for under $900. It's phenomenal.

If it's available in your country. The JBL bar 1300 mk2

I got one of my own. It's loud man! I turn mine up to just 12-15 in my bedroom and that's plenty. It's blasting. It sounds great and the surround speakers are detachable and chargeable. It's very versatile as a soundbar system. The one I have is for North America and it's subwoofer is a 12' single driver that's down firing.

Can't say much for samsung. But I got the JBL bar 1300x Mk2 (North American version) and it's great!

I just installed the JBL 1300X MK2 (US version) and it is great so far! Way more louder and easier to hear than my Sony A7000

Quite a bit honestly! For how small they are. They are incredibly powerful for what they are! They are also easier to hear than my previous rears. You'll really like it if you get it man!

I upgraded from the Sony HT-A7000 to the newly released JBL Bar 1300x mk2. It's been a day and half since I first hooked it up. I gotta say? It's definitely a quality upgrade! The audio quality is to me far superior than my previous system. Putting on anything with Dolby Atmos or DTS X on the Sony would mean cranking the volume up to 30-35 just to hear it. Even then I had subtitles when I was watching something. But the JBL? Nope! Just put the sucker on 12-15 and it is infinitely louder and clearer overall. Audio for Dialogue is crisp. The rechargeable and detachable rear speakers are a big surprise for me! For my Sony I had the RS5's. They were okay for what they were. But the detachable rear speakers? For how small they are compared to the previous ones. I can hear everything behind me crystal clear! The 12' subwoofer is great too. Even on my carpeted floor. That thing comes in with thunderous bass. I can actually hear the Height channels too when I put on a Atmos or DTS X track. I can't recommend this one enough!

The 12' subwoofer is available here in North America. Though I would love to see what that 8' dual driver one sounds like! I heard it's got a 1000 plus watts of bass!

That's understandable! The 12' subwoofer is down firing. So you can definitely the "BOOM" aspect

I got the JBL bar 1300x mk2 myself. It's a great overall soundbar for what you want to use it for. Music sounds great on here Especially if it's mixed in atmos. Movie and tv show watching is fantastic on here too. I was watching the show "Untamed" on Netflix and it sounded great! I would recommend it myself.

The rear speakers on the 1300x MK2 is very good. Thats also on sale right now.

If you live in the U.S. you can get the JBL BAR 1300X MK2. I have one myself and it fills my whole bedroom at just 12-15 volume. It's got detachable rear speakers that you can also as regular Bluetooth speakers. Its on sale right now for black Friday on their site right now and they even have a code where you can get it even cheaper. https://preview.redd.it/br1224kj7m1g1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b5e451980fde59ebaeda04cf001372af23233686

Jbl 1300x mk2 (jbl 1300 mk2 if you live internationally). That has terrific voice clarity! I just turn it up to 10-15 and it fills my bedroom with ease!

The 1300x mk2 is more powerful the than 1000mk2. It's definitely louder and clearer. I would know this cause I got the 1300x mk2 myself. If anything I would go and grab the 1300x mk2 right now. Especially if it's on sale.

Keep the JBL bar 1300x mk2. I got one myself and it is fantastic man!

He chose the JBL 1300X MK2 over the Q990F. All the points he made about the jbl was on point. Cause I got the same thing and it is fantastic!

I was actually thinking about getting the Samsung when upgrading. But I wanted to try the versatility of the JBL. Very happy I chose this instead! You have a great about this reddit sub being very pro-Samsung. Nothing bad liking it but... it's real popular on here lol 😂 Thanks man! I hope you have a good day! If you ever upgrade. I recommend this to you! 😉

I second that as well! I got the same soundbar as you (1300X MK2 ) and it's fantastic!

The JBL bar 1300x mk2. It's an 11.1.4 channel soundbar system. It's loud and clear. 1570 peak watts of power. And one of the best parts of it. The rear speakers can be charged on the sides of the main bar by docking them in. And they are actually wireless. https://preview.redd.it/91tygc85o4ag1.jpeg?width=8160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8738be0c1a52e35a8efcbe6e07dcf6ecc88d316 That's what the detachable rear speakers look like.

Jbl is owned by Samsung but it is better tuned for music which surprisingly you can also tune q990 through the app to match.

It's named 1300xMK2 instead — with a 12" subwoofer. I believe it sounds great. I've gotten the 1300x Bar last week at a little discount; I'm enjoying that a lot. As I'm in Brazil the MK2 would arrive much later.

Nakamichi Shockwafe if you really want to spend that kind of money. https://www.bestbuy.com/product/nakamichi-shockwafe-wireless-11-2-6-ch-2300w-dolby-atmos-soundbar-w-dual-10-subwoofers-6-height-channels-31-punktkilde-drivers-black/BL3FV2F95P/sku/10513210?sb_share_source=PDP&ref=app_pdp&loc=pdp_page I have the JBL Bar 1300XMK2 and it sounds great as well. Got mine for $999 shipped. It has a 12" subwoofer and detachable truly wireless rear speakers. No complaints (other than the Harmony app not recognizing it yet?) I tried out the Samsung HW-Q990D and didn't like it. I sent it back to Samsung.

I got the Q-990D from Samsung earlier this month and ended up just sending it back due to distortion from dialogue. I then bought the JBL Bar 1300XMK2 and it's awesome! Much better than the Samsung as far as clarity and I love the rear speakers that don't need to be near an outlet.

I have the 1300x mk2 and it’s amazing

4K Disc make a HUGE DIFFERENCE because they aren’t compressed like streaming is with the audio and video. I watch 4K Remux movies on plex and they are the exact 1:1 copy of the physical disc just in a streaming format and 4k blu-ray remuxes can range anywhere from 50mbps to 100mbps and they sound great on my jbl bar 1300x mk2

Get the 1300x if it's an option. People that are saying it isn't immersive are just lying to you. The Atmos can be better in some situations in my opinion, but watching movies like John Wick and horror movies or anything in that realm is very realistic, especially in a smaller room. My room is a 15x25, and I feel no loss in audio loudness and definitely not bass if you set it up the right way. Use proper speaker stands and set them up correctly. It’s almost perfect in my opinion. I wouldn't recommend it over a true home theater, but for a soundbar, it's one of the best in my opinion.