JBL BAR 500 5.1-channel soundbar with MultiBeam™ and Dolby Atmos®

The JBL Bar 500 is a 5.1 setup released in 2023. It comes with the manufacturer’s signature Smart Mode sound enhancement tool designed to bring a wider and more immersive feel to your audio content. It’s turned on by default, so you hear it right out of the box, as well as any time you reboot the soundbar, which isn’t ideal if you don’t like the way it sounds.

Still, you can always turn Smart Mode off if you prefer. As the bar’s name suggests, though, it doesn’t come with as many features as more premium models from the manufacturer.

The JBL Bar 500 is excellent for dialogue-centric podcasts and TV shows. With its discrete center channel, this soundbar can improve the overall vocal clarity in the mix.

It’s Pure Voice dialogue enhancement feature ensures that you never miss a conversation on screen, either. You don’t have to worry about lip-synching issues since the bar also offers low latency.