JBL has revealed its latest line-up of soundbars, completely overhauling the line-up with its Mk2 models.
Made up of five new soundbars, the new home cinema contenders are: Bar 1300MK2, Bar 1000MK2, Bar 800MK2, Bar 500 MK2 and Bar 300MK2, the biggest number is the premium, flagship soundbar while the lowest number is the most affordable.
Before you get too excited, not all the new models aren’t available just yet. While the Bar 1000MK2, Bar 800MK2, Bar 500 MK2 and Bar 300MK2 go on sale June 2025; you’ll have to wait until September to clap your eyes on the Bar 1300MK2.
Most powerful JBL soundbar yet
credit: JBL
Starting with the flagship Bar 1300MK2, this JBL soundbar boasts some startling specs for a soundbar system.
Like the original JBL Bar 1300 we gave 4.5 stars to, it’s a modular soundbar with detachable speakers that could be used as surrounds to place around your room. It supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive audio at launch, and features a smaller, redesigned dual 8-inch subwoofer.
The soundbar system uses JBL’s AI Sound Boost to deliver more power with less distortion across the frequency range so you can hear more detail.
It features 11.1.4 channels of sound, matching parent company Samsung’s HW-Q990F. Where it rather walks over the Q990F soundbar system is in the amount of power it doles out. It will be able to produce 2470W of power at its peak. Quite simply, that amount of power is unheard of.
And the rest of the JBL Bar MK2 line-up
The step down Bar 1000MK2 is a 7.1.4 sound system with two upfiring drivers and a 10-inch subwoofer. Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are supported, and this model does have the detachable surround speakers.
The subwoofer is the same across the rest of the range aside from the Bar 300MK2, which is a compact soundbar that doesn’t come with an additional subwoofer. It’ll be looking to challenge the likes of the Sonos Beam Gen 2, Denon Home 550 and Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini.
credit: JBL
The JBL Bar 800MK2 is intended for smaller spaces than the 1000MK2, but doesn’t come with upfiring speakers, instead using virtual Dolby (and eventually DTS) sound to fill a room.
The JBL Bar 500MK2 has similar specs to the 800MK2, but channel support drops to 5.1 from 7.1, power is 750W rather than 780W, and does not feature the detachable speakers that come with 800MK2.
Upgrades and new tech
The new Bar Series will continue to make use of Harman’s MultiBeam technology, now onto its third-gen incarnation, to create a surround sound experience from a single bar (our previous experience with this technology has found it to be quite useful).
New is Harman’s SmartDetails, which JBL says can reproduce the “subtlest audio nuance” to make sure you’re hear everything that’s in a Hollywood blockbuster soundtrack. The PureVoice 2.0 technology looks to enhance dialogue for crystal clear deliver; while the aforementioned AI Sound Boost is only available on the Bar 1300MK2.
All the soundbars are integrated with the JBL One app platform, which offers access to music streaming services and customisation through a 7-band EQ to the Moment button that allows you to play your favourite songs and playlists from a single button press.
The One app also allows the JBL soundbars to be updated over time, and one of the first upgrades will be the addition of DTS Virtual:X processing to the JBL Bar 800MK2, 500MK2 and 300MK2 in late 2025.
More performance – same price
When it goes on sale in September, the Bar 1300MK2 will be priced at £1299 / $1499.
The JBL Bar 1000MK2 is £899 / $999. The Bar 800MK2 at £799 / $899, the Bar 500MK2 £499 / $599 while the Bar 300MK2 is £349 / $399.
And those prices are the same as first-gen Bar models three years after they launched.
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