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JBL Bar 500 review

Soundbar + sub. Priced at $750.

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CHOICE Expert Rating

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What is the CHOICE Expert Rating?

CHOICE Expert Rating

This is the product's overall performance score, based on key tests conducted by our industry experts in the CHOICE labs.

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Good points

The product's best features and benefits

Bad points

Drawbacks or issues you need to know about
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Type View more details.

Models listed as 'soundbar' do not include a subwoofer. A soundbase includes a built-in subwoofer and some models also include rear speakers.

Soundbar + sub
Recommended View more details.

We recommend soundbars with an overall score of 75% and above. 

CHOICE Expert Rating View more details.

The CHOICE Expert Rating, our overall score, is made up of music quality (30%), multi-channel (movies) quality (30%), voice quality (10%), ease of use (20%), remote (5%) and standby energy use (5%). The voice assessment was not conducted on the Polk Magnify Mini and Panasonic SC-HTB688 so music and multi-channel each contribute 35% to the CHOICE Expert Rating instead.

Music quality score View more details.

Audio experts listen to two songs to assess music quality. This contributes to the stereo listening panel score.

Voice quality score View more details.

Audio experts listen to a newscast to assess voice quality and clarity. This contributes to the stereo listening panel score.

Multi-channel audio quality score (movies) View more details.

Audio experts listen to 5.1 channel film audio with video in a small lounge room environment to assess multi-channel (surround sound) immersion and audio quality. This includes assessing surround sound on soundbars with less than 5.1 channels e.g. stereo, 2.1, 3.0 and 3.1.

Ease of use score View more details.

We check how easy it is to use the connections, calibration options, on-screen and front panel displays, as well as the manual and any other instructions that come with the product.

Remote score View more details.

We assess the remote control to determine how easy it is to use for common functions including key size, shape, colour and grouping for ease of understanding.

Standby energy score View more details.

We measure the amount of power the soundbar uses when in standby mode. Models drawing 2W or more in standby earn a 0% rating.

Month and year tested View more details.

Our stereo audio listening panel assesses music and voice which makes up the stereo listening score. Models tested prior to June 2022 display the stereo listening score which contributes to the CHOICE Expert Rating. Models tested after and including June 2022 display separate music and voice scores which each contribute to the CHOICE Expert Rating instead of the stereo listening score. The method is unchanged so results are directly comparable.

2024 (August)
Availability View more details.

'Tested model' means you should be able to find this soundbar in stores. We check availability every time we test. Discontinued models may still be available online or in second-hand retailers.

Tested model
Price View more details.

Recommended retail price at the time of testing. We suggest shopping around where you can to find more competitive prices from retailers.

$750
Annual standby energy cost View more details.

Running cost per year based on 40c/kWh with the soundbar in standby mode for 19 hours per day.

$10.1
HDMI inputs View more details.

Multiple HDMI inputs allows you to connect different devices into the soundbar such as a PVR, Blu-ray player or games console and switch between devices to listen to and watch on the TV.

1
Subwoofer speaker orientation View more details.

Subwoofer speaker orientation is the direction in which the subwoofer points, which may limit where you can put it in your room.

Down
Multi-channel claim View more details.

Multi-channel claim is the number of channels the soundbar can mimic according to the manufacturer.

5.1
Internal speakers
7
Soundbar dimensions (cm, H x W x D)
6 x 102 x 10.5
Subwoofer dimensions (cm, H x W x D)
44 x 30.5 x 30.5
Soundbar weight (kg) View more details.

This is the weight for the soundbar only, not the sub or rear speakers.

3
Subwoofer weight (kg)
10.5
Website
jbl.com.au
HDMI ARC support View more details.

Audio Return Channel (ARC) reduces cable clutter by sending video and audio to and from the TV using a single input/output.

Yes
Video switching View more details.

Automatically switches the content shown on the TV based on which HDMI connection on the soundbar is receiving a signal.

Yes
Bluetooth View more details.

Bluetooth is handy for a direct connection with a smartphone to play music.

Yes
NFC View more details.

Near field communication (NFC) allows your smartphone to connect to the soundbar speaker by simply tapping the smartphone on the NFC area to create an instant pairing. Apple iPhones do not support NFC connectivity between devices, but most of the latest Androids do.

No
Wi-Fi View more details.

Wi-Fi connections allow your speaker to be incorporated into a wireless home network to play music stored on your local drive, in the cloud or on your smart device, as long as it's also connected to your home network.

Yes
Dolby Atmos View more details.

Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology that creates a spherical audio space to add a sense of height to the mix. It's designed to be more immersive than 5.1, 7.1 etc. Atmos enabled soundbars can process the signal and simulate the effect by bouncing audio off the walls and roof.

Yes
DTS: X View more details.

DTS:X is a surround sound technology that creates a spherical audio space to add a sense of height to the mix. It's designed to be more immersive than 5.1, 7.1 etc. DTS:X enabled soundbars can process the signal and simulate the effect by bouncing audio off the walls and roof.

No
Alexa support View more details.

Built-in support for Alexa so you can issue voice commands via the soundbar. This may require a smartphone and dedicated app. This is a new addition to our test which is why we haven't looked for these features in some previously tested models.

No
Google Assistant support View more details.

Built-in support for Google Assistant so you can issue voice commands via the soundbar. This may require a smartphone and dedicated app. This is a new addition to our test which is why we haven't looked for these features in some previously tested models.

No
Automatic room calibration View more details.

A microphone and clever smarts is used to identify the angling needed to recreate the surround sound experience. The soundbar companies call it automatic room calibration.

Yes
Wall mountable
Yes
Wireless subwoofer View more details.

A wireless sub offers more positioning choices, particularly if you can't run the speaker cable under the floor or through the ceiling. But you'll still need access to a power point.

Yes
Wireless surround speakers View more details.

A few soundbars come with independent rear speakers. Some of them communicate with the soundbar wirelessly, while others resort to a traditional wired connection.

N/A
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