JBL - Bar 500MK2

I have the jbl 5.1 sound bar. I was so impressed I bought 2 more so I have 3 total in my house. Now here’s the catch: I paid 200-250$ for each one vs the 5-600 they normally sell for. I don’t think it’s worth that much. The replacement for the 5.1 is the jbl 500, same basic design newer speaker packaging which looks better and you can find it factory refurbished for the 300$ range. I got this sound bar because the sound stream technology that reflects off the walls to give you a 5.1 experience actually works really well. Is it ever going to replace a real Atmos system? No. I’m in the process of selling my house that had an in ceiling 5.2 system, so using the network I’d play music on the main denon receiver and then the 3 sound bars… 2 in a bedroom, one of them in the loft upstairs and the whole entire house was filled with rich, clear sounding music So when I downsized, I obviously couldn’t take my inceiling system with me but for a smaller room/apartment like I live in right now that JBL sound bar… it’s amazing.

I have the jbl 5.1 sound bar. I was so impressed I bought 2 more so I have 3 total in my house. Now here’s the catch: I paid 200-250$ for each one vs the 5-600 they normally sell for. I don’t think it’s worth that much. The replacement for the 5.1 is the jbl 500, same basic design newer speaker packaging which looks better and you can find it factory refurbished for the 300$ range. I got this sound bar because the sound stream technology that reflects off the walls to give you a 5.1 experience actually works really well. Is it ever going to replace a real Atmos system? No. I’m in the process of selling my house that had an in ceiling 5.2 system, so using the network I’d play music on the main denon receiver and then the 3 sound bars… 2 in a bedroom, one of them in the loft upstairs and the whole entire house was filled with rich, clear sounding music So when I downsized, I obviously couldn’t take my inceiling system with me but for a smaller room/apartment like I live in right now that JBL sound bar… it’s amazing.

Don't get the JBL Bar 500, dialogue sux. Back to subtitles..

I have the JBL 500 in my bedroom. No complaints, produces clear vocals and deep bass. Haven't read much positive about the Hisense models.

I have the JBL 500 with the 10 inch subwoofer...It's awesome, only thing missing is support for DTS X surround sound..The Dolby Atmos is good at creating sound with no up firing speakers..I got it for a steal for $300!!

JBL bar 500 is a solid choice

JBL Bar 500mk2 is pretty damn good.

So I purchased my first soundbar recently due to me being tied of just TV speaker audio when I am so used to studio monitors and good quality headphones for consuming and listening to content. I did some research on the best soundbars I could find at about $500 USD or less. My needs were simple. I wanted a soundbar to not disrupt my roommates but that can produce a decently balanced and enjoyable sound. I stumbled across a few good options and this recent Best Buy sale happened to put me even more options within my budget. I’ve noticed a lack of people comparing these two soundbars after a lot of me trying to compare the JBL BAR500MK2 and the Sonos Beam Gen 2, so I took the plunge and got the Sonos. I tested it briefly at my mom’s and at Best Buy beforehand, so I had an idea on what to expect. It just sounded fine but I liked how it could be upgraded with extra speakers if I did enjoy the sound. I purchased the soundbar, got home, set it up, and did multiple TruePlay calibrations to get it to best fit the room. It was just okay. I found the low end to be relatively slow and boxy, lower mids to be inflated, upper mids to be a bit shouty, and the treble to be straight up fatiguing. Maybe I was being too critical and had to let my ears to adjust to a bar of sound vs speakers. But it was fine enough. I’ve never used a sub for my studio monitors and felt satisfied so I figured this could do good enough and the low end it could produce was impressive. The stereo imaging seemed good for what it was and the soundstage felt slightly wider than I expected. Then I booted up Metroid Prime 4 for the first time to test it out with a friend. I’ve never heard the score or audio design of this game beforehand but I could tell what it needed to sound like and it just didn’t sound right. I had the EQ at bass -2 and treble to +3 to balance things out along with enabling and disabling other settings. But I just wasn’t happy after a few hours of playing. This is when I tapped out. So off to Best Buy I went and tested the following systems: Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6, Klipsch Flexus Core 200, Samsung HW-S700D, JBL BAR500MK2, and the Sonos Beam again for good measure. The JBL was best by a landslide to my ears followed by the Sony and it wasn’t even close. The huge removed 10” downfiring subwoofer was a concern to me but it really did free up the other frequencies to not get overburdened and to really shine. It even worked well on reflective tile flooring. Sure I could have spent $500 for a Sonos sub mini, doubling my budget, to pair with the Beam. But if I’m not happy with the Beam on its own, then what’s the point? To my ears, everything about the JBL is better from an audio standpoint. The soundstage is substantially wider, the sound feels more balanced with just a mild need for a bass reduction in the EQ, and it feels more full and lively. But the bass is tight, full, and punchy. It really has the same characteristics I love about my JBL LSR305 monitors. I didn’t expect much from a consumer grade piece of audio hardware from JBL but it really is good. And yes, it has a proper EQ with 7 bands vs just bass and treble on the Sonos to really fine tune your sound. Plus the room correction tool maybe 10-15 seconds and was perfect on the first try. I will say, the button Konami code type combinations for the remote kinda such to enable things like Night Mode that isn’t visible in the app and the Sonos app generally felt more refined and was enjoyable to use on iPad, unlike JBL One. But I prioritize the sound over this and the sound is far better in the JBL for me. If you have a Beam 2, and like it, I’m thrilled for you. But if you’re disappointed, maybe JBL or Sony could be a better route for the price.

The MK2 I’ve heard has a much tighter and faster low end response. I don’t have any personal experience but as a snobby person, I do like the 500 Mk2 a lot for what it’s trying to do

I’ve only tested the 200 and I found the 500 Mk2 to be substantially better. Plus the EQ to tune the 500 was nice but I do think it’s still worth testing them out if you can. Though your room can substantially affect the final results. The 210 could be killer for all I know though

I’ve read about the infamous update they pushed out and I decided to pull the trigger regardless while knowing I can return it. I haven’t had any issues with the app personally, but I read somewhere that someone compared Sonos to Bose and it clicked for me. It’s all features first and sound second with the sound being more muddy than I expected. I just couldn’t see the Beam sounding more worth it than $200-300 but I’m glad it did, since that led me to try other options. I’ve always looked down upon soundbars but this JBL really changed my mind. I’m curious how the Bar 300 stacks against Sonos for future recommendations. I will say, Sonos’ ecosystem seems impressive and the ability to add and mix so many speaker options is pretty cool. Even their IKEA partnership to build speakers into (less than attractive) lamps is pretty cool. I just wish their products sounded better.

This sub has a weird obsession of the Q990x series…I tried both in my room, few weeks apart before getting a Nakamichi Dragon, and the JBL Mk2 was better overall for me than the 990F. The 12” subwoofer helps a ton, the Atmos was *slightly* better in some instances with the q990; but overall, I appreciated and liked the Mk2 much more. Being able to place the surrounds wherever I wanted was huge, and I liked the JBL app more too. The room correction and calibration it does is pretty good as well, biggest thing with all of them is providing the correct input so they can give you the correct output. Playing music through my Samsung tv via iPhone vs playing through Apple TV 4K was completely different. If you want to spend some coin and get something that will really blow you away, check out the Dragon. The price/performance ratio isn’t the greatest, but it’s the closest thing I could find that could match my old actual home theater 7.2.2 setup short of the sub stage. I went with the one that came with the quad 8’s, and have modified it a ton lol basically just using the 8’s amps for inputs to a Crown XLS2502 that’s driving the 8’s for 200hz-80hz, and using dual 600w Monoprice 15’s modified to have a 15” passive radiator instead of their port for 70hz and down. Sub stage ran through an Anti-Mode 2.0 for full room correction and EQ. I like to tinker with stuff too much and it’s definitely not healthy. Don’t go down this path, nothing is ever sufficient 🤦🏻‍♂️😂

I know it's all personal preference but I wouldn't count on JBL for longevity personally. I am sorry to hear that tho, def a bummer. It's the JBL Bar 500? Same model they have out now or an older version? Jw. Also, I have personal experience and have heard some others report bad connections between LG sound bars and subwoofers. My sister's setup is very confused where the crossover is and decides to cut out entirely for minutes at a time. So I lean away from LG for audio personally. If looking at $500 roughly for price point I'd suggest the Denon S517, The newer Klipsch Flexus Core 200 line, Polk Signa S4/S4D.. If you can get one for the steal snag a Sony A5000 before they're all gone as they bring in the Bravia 8/9 bars etc. That A5000 is a beast at its price point imo and the system is buildable. I set my parents up with it for their family room cu they have a proper basement theater, so they use it with no sub nor rears, but you can always add both or either of them later. Sony is really in a good place rn imho hardware-wise. I was aiming for that bar for them for Bravia Sync to maximize the use of their brand new TV in a new home, but I didn't expect to be so thoroughly impressed with Sony's virtual surround capabilities rn. They're doing something right. Stinks to have to replace that that soon tho 2 years is a joke. Edit: +1 any device from any brand can fail early or malfunction before too long or even right out of the box. But I did wanna say my personal 2 cents on JBL. I think the brand has its place, just longevity in home theater systems isn't my first place I'd give them points. Their portable and more rugged speakers tho that are more designed asking to take a beating, that's where they shine imo. Pretty much every other application there's another product I'd prefer. But again, that's just my preference! I won't say I have never been impressed by their sound. I may often find some of their tuning a bit bassy, but it depends on the exactly product really.

I bought the JBL 500 last week and love it. It packs a punch with the Bass for sure which you have level 1-5. 2 is enough honestly. 5 will rattle your windows. The clarity works great for me. For the price it’s a great system. Upside is you can shut the system off which i had the Sonos beam and mini sub and was frustrated that u couldn’t turn the system off so even the news had bass which sucked. I am very pleased with the purchase. It def makes you feel like you’re in a movie theater. My Sonos didn’t sound this good and now I have xtra $ for something else lol. I am still researching if I can add extra speakers which I was told by the sales guy that I couldn’t but I’m still searching. Either way I love it.

I got the Sonos beam and mini sub for Christmas. It didn’t pair the first day on Christmas but the next day it paired perfectly. It sounds great but I’m going to return it as you cannot shut it off. How stupid? The only way to turn it off is unplug it or shut off your WiFi. Love it but I don’t want it on all the damn time. Looking for other options now.

I returned mine and purchased a much cheaper option the JBL500. Bass is unbelievable def better than the Sonos. Got it for $375 from $500 and it’s 5.1 and Dolby Atmos. Best part is I can just press the power button to turn it off and my tv speakers come alive again. Much happier now and so is the wife lol.

Reverts right back to the soundbar when I click tv audio. I want to turn it off as I have the sub as well and don’t need it listening to the news.