JBL - Bar 500MK2

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.

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!

I'd say grab the JBL Bar 500 MK2. From what I've seen these new MK2 soundbars are the real deal this time. NeverEnoughTech on YouTube actually gave the 1300X MK2 the win over the Samsung 990F in his comparison. I'll leave a link, I think you should watch it. Obviously the 1300X will have a ton more power and better bass than the 500, however the sound signature in the bar should be very similar. I'd even tell you to grab the JBL Bar 500 MK2 over the Samsung Q800F which is $750. https://youtu.be/lPXz9X-5LIc?si=A4lOPwOXwvmT1Bqm

I'd definitely pick the JBL Bar 500 MK2. From what I've heard these MK2 systems are a legit step up from before. So much even I'm considering JBL one more try, which is something I never thought I'd say, but the fact that NeverEnoughTech actually picks the 1300X MK2 over the Samsung Q990F was shocking to me and a madly impressive feature for JBL to be proud of. And I'm no stranger to JBL, had 3 myself. I still have the old Bar 3.1 for the last almost 8+ years now. I thought the Bar 500 MK1 was okay, nothing spectacular but it did have some stuff that stood out to me like it's soundstage being incredibly wide sounding, and I think the EQ settings worked quite well, and I think I saw an improved EQ on these new MK2's which is another bonus. I didn't like the MK1 subwoofer at all but these MK2 subwoofers look closer to the original 10" sub design so there's high hope for a good subwoofer. I say it's a no brainer here, get the Bar 500 MK2.

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'd even tell you to grab the JBL Bar 500 MK2 over the Samsung Q800F which is $750. I 100% agree. I returned my Samsung Q800F. It was so underwhelming and thin sounding with almost no bass response due to the tiny sub. I just noticed the JBL Bar 500 MK2 is on sale right now for only $450. IMO, you won't find a better soundbar + sub combo at that price point. https://www.amazon.com/JBL-500MK2-5-1-MultiBeamTM-Calibration-Assistant-Enabled/dp/B0FHBVS6GC

I've listened to the new 500 MK2's many times now and it seems like an improvement. Of course this is at numerous different box stores where there are many different factors impacting the sound. I had an old JBL Bar 3.1 system for almost the last 10 yrs and it was decent for what it was. I got it super cheap so my expectations weren't much. Their soundbar has significantly improved from that era. I'm kinda torn on rTings. I am a paying subscriber and their glowing reviews of the 800F swayed me into buying it, lol. I ended up finding a great deal on a Sonos Ultra Arc and Costco Gen 2 sub. After listening to just about every soundbar and sub combo, I kept coming back to the Sonos system for the overall music, movies, TV dialogue sound. Very happy with it.

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

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.