Review: JBL Bar 500MK2

The subwoofer is no joke, at about 13 x 16 inches and 18 pounds, but it’s not something you’ll need to move once you get it set up, and it contributes massively (pun intended) to the depth and breadth of the Bar 500MK2’s sound. With a 10-inch driver, it’s more than enough to get to its claimed 40-Hz floor.

Controls on the bar are minimal, with volume and input buttons hidden in the center of the matte black bar, and an included remote that lets you adjust settings. There is a convenient LED screen hidden inside the right front of the grille that tells you in plain English what is going on, which is a nice departure from many brands’ variety of lights and colors.

Jamming On

The impressive 750 watts of claimed total output of the speaker and subwoofer really are a bold departure from any built-in TV speakers. In fact, for a small bar, the Bar 500MK2 filled my testing room with some of the most immersive sound I’ve heard from a bar that doesn’t include rear surround speakers.

It has an uncanny ability to bounce sounds around you in a way that makes it feel like they’re genuinely coming from the sides or rear, especially when playing Gran Turismo 7 on PlayStation 5 Pro.

Dolby Atmos effects in movies are equally impressive. While watching my 4K Blu-ray copy of Ford Vs. Ferrari, cars zipped by my head in such lifelike detail I sometimes felt like I needed to lean out of the way. When listening to music like Agave Fire Pit’s “Goodnight,” I was impressed by how cleanly it is able to render the vocal effects right in the center of the stereo image.