JBL Bar 1300

We replaced our stereo Marantz amp years ago by a soundbar. It was a Sonos and we were amazed by its sound. It was so much better. And then 3 years after we ditched everything Sonos in the house because of the software issues and we were amazed again by our JBL soundbars. Sound was again incredibly better. Don’t listen to people saying soundbars are not for music. That was maybe true 10 years ago. It’s the same stupid language that saying vinyl is better than CD and that film photography is better than digital. I would recommend JBL bars. Have the Bar 300 and Bar 1000. Avoid the Bar 1300 first model which has a design issue with the center voice. Bar 1300 MK2 seems tonuave solved this issue. At all cost avoid Sonos. They spend more money influencing social networks than actually fixing their software mess. And it doesn’t sound as good as advertised.

Check JBL too, I replaced all my Sonos Gear with a Bar 300 and a Bar 1000 and it's quite amazing. The Bar 1000 or 1300 MK2 would be great, probably even the Bar 800 too if you are on a budget. Avoid the Bar 1300 first model, it has a design problem making the center channel not so good. The 1300 MK2 has solves the issue and is fine tho.

Indeed JBL is a good option. We have 2 at home and are very happy with it. Incredibly better than our previous Sonos setup we got rid off because of the app issues which are still not solved despite what influencers are telling everywhere. Be aware that the JBL Bar 1300 (the first one not the Mark II) has a center channel issue, making the voices not very clear. This model seems to be avoided. That’s whe we got the Bar 1000 instead.

We are very happy with the 1000 in the living room, it sounds so good we use it for music too. We can even listen to our CD collection using our BR 4k deck. For movies it’s perfect. Voices are really better than with our old Sonos Arc. At first we wanted to get the Bar 1300 but it has issues with the speaker layout and so the center voice is not so good. The 1000 is more than enough for us anyway.

I would avoid Sonos as they are still stuck in software issues since more than 1 year. And they have hardware issues too with the paint flaking from the grids. Anyway it doesn’t support properly DTS which is a no go if you wanna play Blu ray discs except with spexific and more expensive players which can convert some DTS formats. If you only watch streaming services, as their sound is compressed, the sound quality may not be a priority and you can be happy with average sound. I can recommend JBL soundbars. Got myself a bar 300 and a bar 1000 to replace my Sonos Beam and Arc when I ditched it because of the software issues. The JBL does sound incredibly better, more detailed, more vivid, with a superior clarity. Given the Bar 1000 in my living room is amazing, the Bar 1300 MK2 is probably wild ! (Be aware their Bar 1300 MK1 has a design issue with the center channel and is to be avoided - they fixed it in the 1300 MK2)

Can say from personal experience that the 990D is better than the 1300(not mk2). Voices are clearer. Bigger atmos. More precise bass (the JBL subwoofer is ridiculous and there IS NO QUIET MODE on the thing. Also the JBL remote sucks. Having to turn off the enhanced sound mode every time sucks. As does having to remember the “secret combos” to do everything On the remote. The Samsung is a superior product. Supposedly the MK2 improves sound on JBL but the same co trial issues and sub issue remain. Too annoying.

Yeah, but what can you expect for 1000 euros/dollar? It IS a soundbar...playing music is not it's purpose. I have a 990d, a jbl1300 and even my ambeo max of 2500€ doesn't play music well.

Samsung, the JBL is more bass heavy out of the box. But the overall tone and soundstage the Samsung provides is clearer and more full. Just adjust the settings to your liking and the Samsung takes the cake.

I demoed both jbl and sony. I choose jbl over sony. Sony made my head ache and felt very claustrophobic in sound idk how else to explain, it wasn't the most pleasent sound i have heard in a while even my old DAV hme theatre was more pleasing to me. As for jbl it might lack vocal clarity and surround volume, i am optimistic for the Mark 2 to fix all that and provide an even more movie theatre experience

But With 1200w power? It might be a huge upgrade if you love bass. I will get a home demo done before i make any decisions if i were you. As for clarity i found 1300 enough in my home demo, samsung on the other hands lacks punch and was very shrill

I demoed three soundbars today, attaching indian prices: JBL 1300 - 1200 usd Samsung Q990F - 1000 usd LG S90TR (closest demo available, but I’d be buying the S95TR or AR) - 700 usd My impressions: JBL 1300 → Amazing bass, punchy and cinematic, literally vibrates the space. Feels like a movie theatre. Vocals are a bit muddy at higher bass levels, but lowering the bass to 2–3 makes it more balanced and listenable. Max is just too much for dialogue. Samsung Q990F → Clearest, most vocal-driven sound with great separation and detail. Fantastic for music. But… bass was underwhelming, even when maxed out. Felt like it lacked low-end impact compared to the others. LG (S90TR) → Feels right in the middle — Cinema mode sounded excellent with good layering, more punch than Samsung, less overwhelming than JBL. Immersive, but vocals weren’t as clear as Samsung and it cracked a bit at times. For music, Samsung was the best. For bass-heavy content, LG and JBL win. Worth noting — this was in a huge, loud store, so not a real-world home listening scenario. Only JBL is offering me a free home demo, so I’ll try that first to see if it’s clear enough for news/vocals for my family. If not, I might end up with the Samsung for clarity’s sake. My question to you: If you own any of these — are you happy with the bass on the Q990F? Do you feel LG or JBL strikes the best balance for movies and clear dialogue in a living room?

Yeah the surrounds for JBL were a weak spot and so is the vocal clarity at times. And for samsung the bass is very poorly done. Samsung was also very sharp and hurt my ears sometimes. I would pick jbl because i only watch tv for movies while my dad uses it for news and he doesn't care which soundbar we buy. Waiting for MK2 to finally upgrade from a dying DAV

I have the JBL Bar 1300, a great deal, but nowhere near the depth on the sonos sub and arc my dad have. I still think it’s waaay to much to spend for watching movies, where Samsung and JBL is better for cinema for half the price. And sonos is the best for music and only great for cinema experience. And with Mette Frederiksen messing up everyones economy here in Denmark🇩🇰🥲🤣 I would personally go with the smaller Samsung model tbh - unless you have a REALLY big living room and you need the extra watts. Think about how much you actually need to play on max volume…

No, the 1300s only gimmick is the detachable speakers, but they're mediocre at best. The bass and music performance is great (probably better than the 990F), but it is definitely not $400 better. Especially considering everything else that the 990F does better. You'll be more than satisfied with the bass reproduction on the Samsung. Turn sub up to +2/3, and you'll be happy. Then, there's bass boost and an EQ as well to tune it even further to your liking.