JBL launches three new soundbars, for TVs big or small

(Image credit: JBL)

Audio manufacturer JBL has now launched three new wireless soundbars, ahead of its conference at the IFA 2019 expo – all available now available to buy (opens in new tab).

Only a few weeks after JBL released its Google Assistant-enabled soundbar, three sibling products – all of which can connect over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to your phone or TV – have joined the roster for a variety of different audio needs, whether you want dedicated surround sound or just a small boost to your living room audio.

At the top of the range is the JBL Bar 5.1 Surround (£549), is a successor to last year’s JBL Bar 5.1, slimming down the wireless soundbar / subwoofer system to a sleeker 1108mm width – while adding in Airplay 2 and Chromecast support, with 4K passthrough for HDR10 and Dolby Vision too. You likely won’t notice the 10W drop in volume (to 500W), but there has been a significant price drop from the £699 2018 model to smooth it over. There’s still no Dolby Atmos support, however.

Next is the mid-range JBL Bar 2.1 Deep Bass (£299). With a 300W output this soundbar features only two drivers and one subwoofer to put a heavier emphasis on the bass.

At £159, the JBL Bar 2.0 All-In-One is the cheapest model, and only has an 80W output, with two drivers and no subwoofer to help out. It’s aimed more as a supporting speaker for small TVs, rather than something for a truly big movie night, but may offer a suitable halfway house for those who aren’t trying to keep the whole street awake.

  • IFA 2019 is Europe's biggest tech show. The TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new TV, watches and other tech as they're announced.
Henry St Leger

Henry is a freelance technology journalist. Before going freelance, he spent more than three years at TechRadar reporting on TVs, projectors and smart speakers as the website's Home Cinema Editor – and has been interviewed live on both BBC World News and Channel News Asia, discussing the future of transport and 4K resolution televisions respectively. As a graduate of English Literature and persistent theatre enthusiast, he'll usually be found forcing Shakespeare puns into his technology articles, which he thinks is what the Bard would have wanted. Bylines also include Edge, T3, and Little White Lies.