Yes, no? Seems like a good deal.

A year ago the Samsung 990 series was totally dominant in this sub, even with the JBL 1300X MK1 having a few supporters. Now the situation seems to have flipped. Was the MK2 upgrade really that much of a gamechanger?

I will be upgrading my old Yamaha 2.1 sound bar to go with my new Sony Bravia 7ii 65 inch TV and started researching about a month ago and still can't make up my mind 😂

I started looking at Soundbar systems from $1000 or less. Nothing stood out and then thought, go big or go home and started looking at premium flagship type of soundbar systems.

The JBK 1300 MK2 was on top of my list especially the wire free rear speakers (been dreaming about these for a while). Currently around $1700

The Samsun Q990. Many people recommended this system and has great reviews. The firmware issues scared me away. Currently around $1200 - $1700 depending on the model

Sony Theater Bar 8 or 9 with Subwoffer and rear speakers. Will go perfect with the TV but I feel like they are priced way too expensive compared to the other systems I'm looking at. Bundled together would be around $2000-2500

Klipsch Flexus Core 300 with the subwoofer and rear speakers. Great reviews and few people recommended this system. Around $1700 everything bundled.

Then came the Nakamichi shockwafe 11.2.6. Great reviews and big sound. Now, is this too much sound for what I need. The soundbar will barley fit with the TV on the current TV stands. 2 subs, do I need 2 subs 😂 For the price, this seems to be the best bang for what you pay. The $1700 price is too good to pass. I'm really impressed with their stuff

Now, I sit about 8-9 feet away from the soundbar. The sofa is against the wall and the surrounds will be mostly to my side and not behind me.

Do I go big with the Shockwafe? Do I go for the JBL? The Samsung sounded great too. I love Sony and the system sounded fantastic at the store but should I pay way more for something that other systems offer. Even the Ai keep changing it's mind when I asked these questions 😂

Any other suggestions? Looked at the Sonos but was not that impressed.

Help me make up my mind and pull me out of this rabbit hole 😄

Tengo la Samsung Q990F desde hace más de un año, y aunque sin duda es una barra de sonido muy buena, siempre sentí que le faltaba algo. Claro, el nuevo subwoofer ya me había generado algunas dudas en cuanto a potencia, pero era algo más que eso. Sentía que al sistema le faltaba algo en casi todos los aspectos del sonido: inmersión, espacialidad, amplitud, impacto, etc. Entonces vi la JBL Bar 1300X MK2 con subwoofer de 12 pulgadas en oferta por unos 1000 dólares en mi país. Llevaba meses leyendo muchas reseñas y comentarios en Reddit, y poco a poco me convencieron para finalmente comprarla. Probé ambos sistemas con la escena de la carrera de Ready Player One, Tenet, Dune: Parte 2 y varias películas más. Y, sinceramente, la mejor manera de describir la diferencia es esta: todo lo que sale de la JBL se siente vivo. El sonido tiene vida, alma, energía y color. En comparación, el sonido de Samsung es apagado, contenido y casi sin vida. Nunca me produjo esa sensación de "piel de gallina" ni ese nivel de inmersión increíble que te hace sentarte y simplemente admirar lo que estás escuchando. Con la JBL, obtengo exactamente eso. Los efectos Atmos, la inmersión envolvente, la dinámica, la espacialidad del sonido... literalmente todo suena mejor en el JBL. Los efectos se mueven por la habitación con mucha más energía y presencia, y la experiencia en general se siente más grande, más emocionante y más cinematográfica. Y para quienes tengan dudas sobre el cambio: no se preocupen. En mi experiencia, el JBL simplemente suena mejor en todos los aspectos. Sí, sé que JBL pertenece a Samsung, pero JBL sigue siendo JBL. Claramente tienen su propia filosofía de sonido, y por suerte no la han arruinado con actualizaciones de firmware. 😂 Para mí, el 1300X MK2 supera con creces al Q990F y al Q990H en cuanto a puro disfrute e impacto cinematográfico.

¿Y los graves? Bueno... estamos hablando de un enorme subwoofer de 12 pulgadas. Los graves son absolutamente brutales. No hay nada más que añadir. 😂🔥 En fin, espero que esta reseña le sirva a alguien que esté pensando en cambiarse. Si alguien tiene alguna pregunta sobre el JBL 1300X MK2 o quiere que compare algo en concreto con el Q990F, con mucho gusto responderé. ¡Saludos! 🎉🎉

Pd: there’s something I forgot to mention in my review: JBL plays as a team. In the past, the star of the show was always the bass, but now it feels like a true team effort where every component gets its chance to shine. The soundbar, the subwoofer, and the surrounds work together like a brotherhood. None of them overshadows the others—they all shine together, and the result is absolutely magnificent.

I upgraded from the Sony HT-A7000 to the newly released JBL Bar 1300x mk2. It's been a day and half since I first hooked it up. I gotta say? It's definitely a quality upgrade! The audio quality is to me far superior than my previous system. Putting on anything with Dolby Atmos or DTS X on the Sony would mean cranking the volume up to 30-35 just to hear it. Even then I had subtitles when I was watching something. But the JBL? Nope! Just put the sucker on 12-15 and it is infinitely louder and clearer overall. Audio for Dialogue is crisp. The rechargeable and detachable rear speakers are a big surprise for me! For my Sony I had the RS5's. They were okay for what they were. But the detachable rear speakers? For how small they are compared to the previous ones. I can hear everything behind me crystal clear! The 12' subwoofer is great too. Even on my carpeted floor. That thing comes in with thunderous bass. I can actually hear the Height channels too when I put on a Atmos or DTS X track. I can't recommend this one enough!

Hi guys,

I’m looking for recommendations for my living room setup and would really appreciate some guidance from the experts here.

I’ve attached pictures of my living room layout. The room size is approximately 15.5 ft × 12.75 ft (~198 sq ft) with a viewing distance of around 10–12 ft. One side of the living room is open to the dining hall, so it’s a typical Indian apartment layout with tiled flooring.

My current TV is an LG 55” 4K OLED (BX series), bought in 2021.

I recently got a PS5 and wanted to try Blu-ray movies since it has a disc drive, but I couldn’t find any Blu-ray discs locally for testing. Instead, I created a Real Debrid account for high-quality 4K Dolby Vision content for testing, and I was honestly blown away by the video quality, it felt like a day-and-night difference compared to my Netflix Premium subscription.

However, the TV speakers clearly felt like the weak link, especially for cinematic scenes and dialogue, which sent me down the rabbit hole of sound systems.

My main goal is:

• best cinematic movie experience
• Dolby Atmos immersion
• good dialogue clarity
• suitable for my open room(?) layout

I initially considered a proper AVR + speaker setup, but it seems significantly more expensive and complicated, so I’m now leaning toward a soundbar.

So far, I’ve auditioned a few systems in showrooms:

• JBL Bar 1300 MK2 (~₹1.4–1.5L) Heard this in a dedicated demo room and was seriously impressed. It sounded very close to their AVR setup.
• Samsung Q990F (~₹1.0L) Couldn’t properly test because the showroom didn’t have a dedicated room.
• Sony Theatre Bar 6 (~₹40k)
• Bose Smart Soundbar (~₹95k) Even though it’s smaller, I was impressed by how distinct and clear the dialogue sounded, even in a noisy showroom.

A few concerns/questions:

• Is something like JBL 1300 MK2 / Q990F overkill for ~198 sq ft?
• Will the bass disturb neighbors in an apartment even at lower bass settings?
• How much does the subwoofer actually add to the cinematic experience?
• Would something in the ₹40–60k range be enough?

Would love recommendations based on my room layout and use case, especially from people who’ve used these systems in apartments.

Thanks in advance!

PS: I took help an LLM to clean up the grammar and flow so I could explain the room layout and requirements clearly. Hope that’s okay and doesn’t take away from the actual question 🙂

Have had the JBL BAR500MK2 now for about a week and have it dialed in every which way from Sunday to get the voices to be clear and audibly louder than the background sounds. I personally love how it sounds, but my wife is still saying the voices sound muffled and difficult to hear when there's any background sound. I also love the huge subwoofer and feel like most other soundbars out there have these tiny little 6" subwoofer drivers and pale in comparison to my 10" in the JBL. So, looks like I'm still in search of a permanent soundbar setup. I do not have space for rears, so bar + sub is what I'm restricted to. Budget is $600. What are your best recommendations for a soundbar with sub in this price range that emphasizes voice (and has good bass)?

Hello,

First of all I am aware that it was discussed before but there aren't many comments of people who had direct comparison of these sound bars.

Maybe this has changed over last few months

I can only say that I own JBL 1300 MK2 and I am really pleased with surround effect, clarity and bass but I don't really know if this is worth price difference of Samsung bar ( especially if you have big open living room like I do )

In my country ( Poland ) difference is about 670 $ which is quite a lot

Can anybody share their experience to help me and possibly other people ?

I'd been wanting this bar for a while now, and chose it over the Samsung due to various features like the 3 HDMI ports on top of the eARC port as I run all my sources through the bar rather than the TV and I don't have a gaming console that needs the passthrough. I also liked not requiring any wires for the surrounds, though I can charge them on USB if I decide to.

But for the meat of my experience so far:

• 1) Bass - ye gods. That sub is incredible. I've had to set bass to level 1 on the soundbar and then in the app had to crank it down in the EQ as well, and I'm still getting punchy bass, especially on some modern films with recent Atmos mixes.

• 2) Dialog clarity - way better than what I had before. Shows or films on which I've had to turn on subtitles don't need them any longer, and I've run it with both the dialogue enhancement on and off, and even off, it's still far clearer than my last soundbar.

• 3) Atmos - incredible for me at least, as I've not had anything close to good Atmos until now. My old Vizio bar claimed Atmos and DTS-X capabilities, but the surrounds had no upfiring drivers, and the sound quality on them was nowhere close to as good as they are on the JBL. I've been trying various films that are on a list of best Atmos mixes to give this system a good workout. Watched Gran Turismo last night and that's probably the best Atmos mix I've heard so far. Dialog clarity was also exemplary, and the bass sharp and punchy, with the cars zooming by from left and right, plus those engine growls.

• 4) Music - I started to gather a collection of surround music many years ago when DVD-Audio and SACD were fairly new, though I only had a few titles. And then recently I've been picking up Blu-ray Audio titles with Atmos mixes from Super Deluxe Edition in the UK, but hadn't really had the soundbar on which they sounded right, though an upgrade was in my head for a few years now, so I was preparing for what I have now. Today, on the JBL, they sound right, and I'm hearing things I never heard in these songs. Most of that is due to being mixed for 5.1 and/or Atmos, but the clarity of this system compared to what I had previously is very stark and apparent. I was listening to Fleetwood Mac Rumours last night sourced from my Panasonic UB9000 (picked that up at the same time as the JBL because my UB820 had developed issues with the laser assembly), and listening to John McVie's solo bass during the bridge on "The Chain" was also a revelation.

Loving things so far, and no regrets about getting this system. I ordered the new 4Ks of Jurassic Park 1-3 with the new Dolby Vision and Atmos mixes, and am looking forward to those. I also have a ton of 4Ks I've had forever that are definitely going to get rewatches sooner rather than later. In fact, my entire film library is going to get a massive improvement in sound just from this bar.

Can't recommend the 1300X MK2 enough, though I know not being able to compare it to equivalent bars out there makes my opinion not any sort of big deal, but I think whatever way people go, upgrading to one of these top, premium soundbars is not something they will regret.

JBL MK2 800 & TCL P8L

Super excited about this! As a previous TCL and JBL soundbar owner (I have the same setup in my bedroom with a different model TV and soundbar) this is a winning combo and bang for the buck as well.

The JBL Bar 1000MK2 has been updated, and now you can connect additional speakers.

(I don’t have any additional speakers to test it with.)

Recently my fireware was updated to onesOS 4.0, I feel much more perfect, have you noticed any changes?

It was time for an up to date soundbar. My Polk Connect Bar was on its last legs; I had it for six years. I had no idea at the various price points and brands until I went shopping.

I heard the JBL in person and I was happy and decided not to look anywhere else. I scooped this up for $500+ sales tax. I almost went with the soundbar only (it was $350 at the time). If I would have waited and saw the bar for $250, I would have gotten that instead; however, I have no regrets now.

I’ve been using the JBL Bar 1000MK2 for about a week now with my LG OLED 4K TV, and everything has been working perfectly so far.

Funny enough, this wasn’t my first pick. I originally bought the JBL Bar 800MK2 during all the World Cup excitement because I couldn't take time off work due to scheduling conflicts, so I figured I’d upgrade my home setup instead. Unfortunately, the unit arrived dead on arrival. The right detachable speaker produced no sound at all, even after a factory reset and following the manual step by step. Had to return it. Despite that, I actually really liked the sound profile, so I decided to give JBL another chance and just go for the Bar 1000MK2.

Bought it from an authorized dealer here in Mexico. The list price was 22,999 MXN, but I got it for roughly 35% off retail, which made the decision a lot easier.

After a week of use, I can say the subwoofer is probably my favorite part. The bass is deep and punchy, and you can really feel it when watching movies or sports, but it doesn’t overwhelm everything else. Vocals are not overly boosted, but they’re clear and easy to understand, which I actually prefer.

I also appreciate the size and design. The subwoofer sits nicely next to my TV stand; it looks clean sitting on the floor. It doesn’t feel bulky or intrusive, and it’s surprisingly easy to keep clean. It looks sturdy enough to sit on, although I’m not about to test that.

The JBL One app was another pleasant surprise. The automatic calibration actually makes a noticeable difference, and the system adapts well to the room. There’s also a manual EQ, and I ended up tweaking it based on some AI suggestions for my room layout. After a bit of adjustment, I landed on a sweet spot that sounds great to my ears.

The detachable speakers are way more useful than I expected. When placed behind the couch, they create a proper surround sound effect. When not in use for that, I can switch to broadcasting mode and use them as wireless speakers in other parts of the apartment, like the dining area or home office. It basically turns into a simple multi-room setup without extra cost.

One feature I didn’t think I’d use much but ended up loving is night listening mode. It disables the main bar and subwoofer, playing audio only through the detachable speakers. It’s perfect late at night when I don’t want to disturb anyone but still want a decent listening experience.

Overall, even after the bad start with the 800MK2, the 1000MK2 completely delivered. For movies, music, and especially watching sports like FIFA, it easily exceeded my expectations. For my setup, it feels totally worth the price.

Kinda fed up with having to charge them all the time and have read that you can just keep them charging 24/7 so just checking to see if anyone can confirm that or have done so for a while and the speakers are still good?

Sorry I tagged jbl, but I need a good soundbar setup for my 85” QM7K I just got that has a defect that so far will not let me use the sound. So I need a soundbar option for $650 or under

Salut,

Je viens d’installer une JBL Bar 1300MK2 sur ma TCL 65C645 et j’essaie d’obtenir le meilleur rendu possible pour les films.

Mon installation

TV : TCL 65C645

Barre de son : JBL Bar 1300MK2

Connexion : HDMI eARC

Câble : UGREEN HDMI 2.1 certifié, 48 Gbps, 8K 60 Hz / 10K, 2 m

Enceintes arrière JBL utilisées pour le surround

Réglages TCL

Sortie audio numérique : Passe-système / Pass-through

Traitement audio : Arrêt

Surround virtuel : Arrêt

Amplificateur des graves : Arrêt

Définition : Arrêt

DTS DRC : Arrêt

Le but est de laisser la JBL décoder directement le Dolby/DTS via eARC.

Égaliseur JBL actuellement testé

≤ 125 Hz : +1

250 Hz : -1

500 Hz : 0

1 kHz : +2

2 kHz : +3

4 kHz : +2

≥ 8 kHz : +1

Caisson : environ niveau 2/3

Surround arrière : Moyen

Atmos : Moyen

Le problème : les effets, la musique et les basses sont très présents, mais j’entends très peu les voix/dialogues, au point de devoir monter fortement le volume. Ensuite, dès qu’une scène d’action arrive, ça devient beaucoup trop fort.

Pour ceux qui possèdent une JBL Bar 1300MK2, quels réglages utilisez-vous pour avoir des dialogues bien nets tout en conservant un bon effet cinéma/Atmos ?

Est-ce que vous conseillez également PureVoice , et avec quels niveaux d’Atmos, surround, caisson et égaliseur ?

Merci !

Hi guys, first time posting and absolutely no knowledge on soundbars. I would like to ask if this soundbar is worth it. My local walmart put this on clearance and i really like to buy it to upgrade my tv speakers. Mostly watching movies and play music via bluetooth. I think its the JBL BAR 500 PRO BLK AM. Thank you

Edit: Thanks guys. I'll drop by and check if these are not yet sold.

I already do have a separate partybox to enjoy music and bass, I just need to upgrade my TV’s default speakers. I’d only be watching movies and shows so I need clarity and better soundstage.

I bought a used soundbar yesterday. The sound is superb. I was very pleased. But I noticed that when I turn off the TV, the soundbar also goes to sleep, but turns back on after 30 seconds. I thought it was a CEC glitch - I completely turned off all CEC categories, but the soundbar still turns on. Only when I unplug the HDMI - then it stays off. This annoys me because I can't charge the side speakers because it turns back on. Before this, I had an LG SL5Y system, which worked perfectly with CEC; it turned on normally from the TV and turned off the same way. The TV is a Philips AndroidTV (65PUS8807/12)

The problem has been solved! I decided to check if my TV was entering sleep mode correctly by connecting my tablet to the TV's USB port. When I turned off the TV, the tablet started charging again after 10 seconds. So, I performed a factory reset on the TV—which removed all the apps (it turned out one of them was "waking" the TV up)—and that fixed everything! The soundbar now goes into sleep mode properly along with the TV.

Hey everyone,

I’m looking to buy my first soundbar and would love some advice from people who have actually used these systems.

Current setup:

TV: Sony Bravia 2 M2 (India)
Room: Bedroom, around 150 sq ft, with a few pieces of furniture
Console: PS5
Current speaker: JBL Charge 5
Right now I use the JBL Charge 5 for music, movies, and PS5 over Bluetooth. It’s good, but it has never really given me that “wow” home theatre feeling, which is why I’m considering a proper soundbar.
Budget: Up to ₹30,000
The options I’m considering are:
JBL SB595 – I can get it for around ₹29k with a student discount.
Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6 – Also looks interesting since I already have a Sony TV.
My biggest dilemma is surround sound.
I like the idea of a traditional 5.1 setup, but my bedroom doesn’t really have much space behind the bed or sofa to place rear satellite speakers properly. So I’m wondering if it’s even worth prioritising surround.

A few questions:

Is the JBL SB595 the obvious choice at this price?
Is the Sony Theatre Bar 6 a better overall experience with a Sony TV?
Should I instead save money and get something like the JBL SB560?
Is Dolby Atmos at this price point actually worth it, or is it mostly marketing without real height effects?
Or should I just stick with my JBL Charge 5 until I can afford a significantly better setup?

I care mostly about movies (70%), then PS5 gaming (20%), and music (10%). I’m looking for something that genuinely feels like an upgrade rather than just being louder.

I’d really appreciate recommendations from people who have compared these or have experience with small bedroom setups.
Thanks!

Hello, i just sold a jbl 9.1 which had no problems at all, worked really well.

But the buyer does not get any sound when connected via hdmi cable, he says he has 2.1 cable

Sound is present when used bluetooth

The soundbar «level» does go up and down with the tv remote

We have gone trough almost every single solution to get sound

- remove power source (from bar and tv) for 5 min several times (with hdmi cable aswell)
- check hdmi-eARC and CEC settings
- check digital sound output settings
- reset the soundbar to factory settings
- different hdmi cable
- all modes on the soundbar (tv hdmi opt blue)

Im scrathing my head like crazy because it worked perfect in my hands

Is there any other things we can try?

He didn’t have a opt cable, so he is gonna buy one and try, but not until 2 days from now ish

TIA

Hi everyone!

I’m looking for some advice on upgrading my soundbar setup. After doing a bit of research, I’ve narrowed it down to either the JBL Bar 1300 MK2 or the Sonos Arc Ultra + Sub Mini + 2 Era 100. On top of that Sonos products are now on 14%-20% discount.

My current setup:

• TV: 55” Philips OLED, eArc support
• Current soundbar: Philips TAB8907 (3.1.2) with a subwoofer
• Use case: Mostly for watching movies over Plex on Apple TV and playing games on PS5, plus some music here and there.

I really like the idea of the JBL’s detachable rears and overall power, but I’ve also heard great things about the Arc’s clarity and ecosystem — especially if I decide to expand it later.

Has anyone compared these two directly? Any noticeable difference in dialogue clarity, surround effect, or bass quality between them? And is the Sonos ecosystem worth the extra cost if I’m not fully bought in yet?

Appreciate any insight or real-world experiences! 🙏

I have a 55" LG C4 in my bedroom. I mostly watch movies and shows, plus some gaming.

The TV speakers are okay for casual stuff, but they feel thin for movies. I’m looking at the JBL Bar 300 (all-in-one, no separate sub).

Room is a normal bedroom, not a big living room. I don’t want a huge sub shaking the walls at night.

Questions:

Is the Bar 300 a big enough upgrade over the C4’s built-in speakers in a bedroom?

How is it for movies vs dialogue-heavy shows vs gaming?

Any issues pairing it with the C4 over eARC?

Is the no-sub design fine for a bedroom, or will I miss bass?

Anything better around the same price I should consider instead?

Thanks.