JBL - Bar 500MK2

I’ve had one for a while. It is paired with a 55in LG C4 that I bought last year around the same time. For watching TV and movies, it’s….OK….and I do mean just OK… Forget listening to music on it. As many have mentioned, and I saw even before I bought it, there were mentions of underwhelming low end/bass performance. Well, they were all correct. It does well with highs and mids, but bass performance is severely lacking. Also, for reference, I am using this setup in a 12x12 BEDROOM. When I listen to music, I use portable bluetooth speakers that all sound better than this soundbar system and are a fraction of the size. If I had it to do all over again, I would have done more research and got something better. I may still even look into replacing it the next time I get a super profitable business month. I hear really good things about Sonos.

Well for anyone still following along, today I found my missing bass… JBL Bar 500MK2 has replaced the S80TR… losing the rear satellites with this setup but doesn’t really make a difference for me…again, it’s a 12x12 bedroom, and for me it’s worth it to be able to play music through this setup versus having to use portable Bluetooth speakers. So, win for me. Consequently, anyone want to buy a used S80TR? 🤣🤷🏻‍♂️

I have an LG S80TR that I am working on selling. Replaced with a JBL Bar 500MK2. The LG’s are severely lacking in bass and low end. The hardware is capable, but LG has crippled the sub with bad firmware/programming. I’ve tried to reach out to LG to discuss this, but, they don’t care at all.

Is the older friend tech savvy? If not, I'd stay away from the Sonos app. I'm not a fan of it at all. Plus, the Sonos Beam 2 without a sub will be completely underwhelming in a large room. And adding the Sonos mini sub itself is $500, the Gen 3 sub at $600 or the Gen 4 sub at $900. My 3 recommendations for the $500-$600 price point with a subwoofer are: * (1) JBL 500MK2-5.1 (currently at $550) https://us.amazon.com/JBL-500MK2-5-1-MultiBeamTM-Calibration-Assistant-Enabled/dp/B0FHBVS6GC * (2) Klipsch Flexus w/ 10" sub ($599) https://us.amazon.com/Klipsch-Flexus-Sound-System-Subwoofer/dp/B0D1SKD9CJ/ * (3) Samsung Q800F (this is an open-box option for $514) https://us.amazon.com/Samsung-Subwoofer-Q-Symphony-Integration-HW-Q800F/dp/B0DY1XXYT7/ I actually have the Samsung Q800F but if you like something with more bass I would choose the JBL or Klipsch option because they both come with a 10" subwoofer, vs the Samsung's smaller 6.5" subwoofer.. i'm not impressed with it at all as it's too small a sub for the system. All 3 soundbars offer a wireless subwoofer that can be placed anywhere in the room.

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.

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

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'm curious if you didn't have your Sony system calibrated properly. The 7000 plus RS5's sound sublime. Closest thing to my full surround setup that I've ever heard. I ranked it clearly above the Sonos arc with rears and sub, as well as the Samsung Q990. But congrats on the new JBL. I've heard good things and my 500 does the job in another room

Q990c Q800c are really good, don’t even use any of the voice enhancements. My folks both wear hearing aids with the 800c and both say it’s really clear, nice bass too. I also own JBL Bar 500, not as good as the Samsungs, but drop the bass and raise the mids it’s not half bad.

I have the JBL Bar 500 and I think it's pretty good for the price. $400 when on sale at Amazon or JBL web store. Unfortunately, Best Buy has it at $500 at the moment. Dialogue is crisp and sound effects are good (Interstellar and Prometheus spaceship rumble, Prey when hatchet is thunking into trees, Furiosa engine shaking, Blade Runner 2049 and Pacific Rim raining and other scenes). The soundbar is miles better than the default LG C4 tv speakers. The JBL Bar 500 was easy to setup, just HDMI 2.1 cable to C4 eARC. And HDMI from Panasonic UB820 to C4. Went with inexpensive 2-pack HDMI 2.1 Highwings cables from Amazon. Note the JBL Bar 500 has no detachable rear speakers. It simulates surround sound. I went with this soundbar as I'm downsizing. JBL has other (more expensive) models with detachable rear speakers.

The default C4 speakers are so-so. I went with a JBL Bar 500 soundbar and the dialogue is much stronger and clearer. The Soundbars subreddit and [https://www.rtings.com/soundbar](https://www.rtings.com/soundbar) were helpful in choosing a soundbar.

I m using JBL Bar 500 with Sony 55inch and JBL Bar 9.1 with Sony 75inch TV. Both works great with PS5 Games. Full Surround Magic

It's Perfect for 5.1 audio. Support for Atmos and DTS, Surround Sound is insane. 🙃🙂

TBH, Sonos is ok but I think it’s overrated. You pay a lot for the app and they ruined the app. JBL Bar 500 is really good, especially for bass. We get it for a stupid price too. If you really wanna splurge, go Sennheiser amebo plus, or Kef XIO (you can add ANY kef sub to this one) I’ve sold the Kef XIO twice and heard it once, there isn’t a single soundbar that even TOUCHES it in terms of quality.

I'd personally pick Samsung over both. My dad still has his Bar 3.1 system & it's alright. I had the JBL Bar 500 & it was honestly a disaster to my ears. Subwoofer was surprisingly bad sounding compared to the Bar 3.1 which is older, & The bar was noticably more distorted sounding than the older Bar 3.1. Which was realllllyyyy disappointing. But even with the Bar 3.1 I still wish they did better on the subwoofer. Doesn't play nearly as deep as I think it should considering it's a 10" subwoofer. Sony on the other hand is kinda starting to get better. I used to have a full Sony SEN-R5520 5.1 AV system. Shit rocked. But Sony soundbars I've experienced just don't even come close to the same experience (I know AV isn't a comparison to a soundbar, but it still shouldn't feel like 2 different brands of systems). Sony desperately needs to release an all new lineup of subwoofers cause that SW5 is absolutely laughable for the price, performance & size of it. Doesn't get very loud, & doesn't play very deep either. I have the S2000 bar & the SW5 & it's definitely disappointing. Only good thing I can say about it is that the bar can get quite loud, but it's definitely not very clean sounding, & honestly I have a hard time believing I'm even listening to a Sony system. I have had a brief listening of the new Bravia theater bars & they're definitely sounding more like how a Sony should sound to me. But again they really need a new subwoofer lineup so badly. I expect so much more from Sony it's honestly sad to me that this is what we get for soundbars.

Flexus Core 200 by LITERAL MILES!!! I have no experience with the apple home pod. Had the Q600C briefly, bar sounds alright but the subwoofer sounds like shit. Had the JBL Bar 500 & it was just a sloppy system all around, crappy subwoofer & distorted bar. & The Beam 2 is eh. Quite weak & very dull sounding. If I can comfortably listen to a movie at 60%+ volume, that sucks in my book. Hell I even had it at 100% in my bedroom before & I was just like "that's all this things got???" I also thought the Arc was too soft for me as well. The Core 200 bar by itself is just fantastic! 2 4" subwoofers that really hit hard. It's such a full sounding bar it's amazing! Dialogue enhancement works pretty well too if needed, + a 3 band bass mid & treble equalizer. Choice of either the Sub 100 or Sub 200 (10" or 12") & you can run 2 subs regardless of which sub you buy, unlike Sonos where you can't run 2 sub minis, only 2 full size subwoofers. I sold my Arc, Era 100's & sub mini for my Core 200 + Sub 100 & I don't regret it at all. The soundstage is impressively wide sounding considering the lack of side firing drivers. I've had scenes in movies where it sounds like there's something at the side of my room, beyond the soundbar!

Bose Smart 600 + BM700. The subwoofer is just madly powerful and honestly sits alone in my opinion. It plays very deep, possibly deeper than any other soundbar subwoofer right now, and has absolutely plenty of power so having enough bass shouldn't possibly be an issue. And the bar although small, is incredibly clean and detailed at any volume like you wouldn't believe. It's got a good amount of power in it too so it most likely won't seem like it's falling behind the subwoofer, unless of course you want it to, then just turn up the subwoofer, or buy a 2nd subwoofer if you're a true bass head. The new MK2 JBL soundbars might be a good one to look into as well. Different subwoofer than previously so hopefully they made improvements. JBL will provide you a lot of bass for the price, good but not excellent soundbar quality. But the subwoofer might not sound incredible either. The first generation JBL Bar 3.1 had a loud & clean subwoofer. The JBL Bar 500 I tried had a slightly different subwoofer that I somehow ended up thinking sounded noticeably worse than the Bar 3.1. Hopefully they improved the subwoofer this time.

Yes I looked it up and that has the "oval" shape I'm referring to. My bar 500 had that subwoofer design and I absolutely hated how it sounded. Somehow felt like they made the subwoofer worse than the previous design.

1000% the Bose setup. I had the Q800B myself before (not quite the 990 but it's the same subwoofer design), it was pretty good. I had the Bose Smart 600 + BM700 later, the BM700 absolutely blows the Samsung subwoofer away. It plays a little deeper than the Samsung, I bet it's louder at max volume too. And you can always add a 2nd subwoofer if you want to later on which you can't do with Samsung or JBL. As for the JBL, it's definitely a strong and loud ass subwoofer, but i guarantee it doesn't play as deep as the BM700. I've had many soundbar setups ranging from the JBL Bar 3.1, Bar 500, Sonos Arc + Sub Mini, Samsung Q800B, Sony S2000 + SW5 (garbage), & a few others. My 2 favorite subwoofers were definitely the BM700 & the Sonos Sub Mini, followed by the Samsung but pretty far behind. If you're after bass, I think Bose is quite possibly king, but there's one I do think could be a contender for that title too, but it's a little more expensive... The Sennheiser Ambeo Plus is a fantastic sounding system, I've only heard demos in stores but the demos are madly impressive. I have read about the Ambeo having a few minor bugs though so maybe consider trying it out with a way to return it easily. But the reason I bring them up is that they let you pair up to 4 Ambeo 8" subwoofers!! Yes FOUR subwoofers! I'd be putting one in each corner of the room if that was my setup. It's a really tough call for me to decide if the 4 Ambeo subwoofers can be louder than the 2 BM700's, but I kinda lean towards the 4 Ambeo subwoofers cause it's more cone area (32" with 4 Ambeo's vs 20" with 2 BM700"s). 2 BM700's will play a little deeper, but I think 4 Ambeo subs will be a little louder. But it's a tough choice for me cause it's also 2 ported subs vs 4 sealed subs..... Either way you'll have ridiculous amounts of bass!

This. Recently bought the Bar 500 myself. The sound is incredible and the subwoofer packs a punch. I can’t even have it past level 2 due to neighbours 😅 But some amazing movie choices listed here. I second these!

I just got this one for 300$ on Black Friday. Works great for my bedroom. Super easy to set up and sounds great. I don’t think I would pay full price for it, but worth it if you can find it on sale.

I have that same T.V I end up buying JBL 500. I bought it on sale Black Friday for $349.00. I’m pretty happy with it

I have a JBL bar 500. No complaints here.

I think your expectations were a little skewed. Are you watching downloaded movies or good quality ones? I have the bar 500 and it definitely feels surround soundish on mine.

So… by chance I ended up with a JBL Bar 500 which is right in the middle of your price range, the sub is mean, bro, I love it. It does come with a weird quirk though: so changing the bass level via remote actually just adjusts the sub 125 band on the 7-band EQ, and im pretty sure the actual crossover to the sub is much higher, potentially up to around 400-500 (haven’t really tested), so I notice much more richness “upping the bass” through the EQ. But listening to music on it is awesome

I know this is an old comment, but you saved me! I bought the Polk on Black Friday for $299, but your comment made me look up the Bar 500, and it was $350 at the time, so I ordered both with the intent to return one, and the difference is really night and day! Not only the bass extension, but the midrange clarity of the bar 500 is just so much better! I could only recommend the Polk if you just literally did not have the space for something a bit larger.

I had one of these alongside a JBL Bar 500 and I'm sorry to rain on your parade here, but the Polk Mini pales in comparison where as the JBL cost only a bit more and gives you literally twice the sound quality with an infinitely better sub. I was actually quite disappointed in the Polk as it had gotten a great review by Andrew Robinson and that was what swayed me to go with it.

The JBL is better in every single aspect, especially in terms of clarity. You're tripping if you think otherwise, or you simply haven't tried them side by side.

Same TV and I just picked up the JBL bar 500 and am very happy with my purchase

Is this different from the Bar 500 5.1? Specs seem the same, but it looks different. I have the bar 500 and the bar doesn't look like that. New model?

Ahh gotcha. With that being said, I have 2 of these systems. Like others have said, extremely bass heavy if you want it to be. I absolutely love them, and for the price, I feel it can't be beat.

I had the JBL 5.1 multibeam for years and wasn't that happy with the subwoofer, now I got the Samsung HW Q995D and it just sounds like a cinema. They've reworked it a bit, but I think the thing still doesn't sound as good as the Samsung one. I only got it back then because it was 10 inches

I wish JBL offered there older bars with a 12” like there 1300 models do but there 10” sub sounds better then most. Ill use sound bars in my bedrooms and office i also got all mine stupid cheap when they were all fairy new or been out a year or so. A vizio m512a in office if came w an 8” sub wouldve been nice. Then 2 Nakamichis a 7.2 with dual 8” subs for 200$ was 1500$ or so new at time and 250$ for a 9.2.4 eArc 10” subs which was over 1600$ on Amazon back then. Both Geek squad had lost connection with sub which took out both surrounds on 1 and both subs and 4 surrounds on the other. Both Customers didn’t even try to fix them apparently because i messaged Nakamichi on each system they sent me out thumdrives for subs to try for free which worked on the 7.2 but lastthing they tried on the 9.2 was sent out new sub plates to try and if worked then id send mine back to them with a shipping label they also sent out. That actually worked out I couldn’t believe it for free in under 2 weeks and both sound better then other bars at the time especially in bigger rooms. Then some crack head was selling a JBL 5.1 multibeam w/ 10” sub for 175” I offered 125$ didn’t think id see a response but he messaged back a week or so later to sell BestBuy was selling it new for over 600$. I use it as a blutooth system in my garage off basement and sounds mint mostly because of the sub. Most sound bars I don’t think music sounds good at voume the Nak 9.2.4 still sounds decent id like to hear the 1300Pro just check Marketplace sometimes be surprised what you find sometimes.

I got the JBL and it sounds pretty good, I went down from a 5.2.2 to this and still pretty impressed, the bass is really good.

I have the Jbl 5.1 and I higy recommend you if you want a big sub. My friend has had his for 6 years. I had to go and pick one up. It was $250 which is 50% off at best buy . His still sounds like mine does and his is 6 years old. [https://www.bestbuy.com/site/jbl-5-1-channel-soundbar-with-wireless-subwoofer-black/6395190.p?skuId=6395190](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/jbl-5-1-channel-soundbar-with-wireless-subwoofer-black/6395190.p?skuId=6395190)

Personally, I thought the mutlibeam 5 by JBL was punching well above it's weight for something so small and relatively affordable price. There was a discount going on though.