I had a chance to test and compare two models: JBL Bar 5.0 vs Sonos Arc and this review should help people who are looking for a good soundbar. The JBL Bar 5.0 was rated 8.2, while the Sonos Arc has a rating 7. The soundbars are equipped with a different number of buttons, power, source, volume down, volume up for the Bar 5.0 and volume down, volume up, play/pause, microphone for the Arc.
Each of the models under consideration has active amplification type. The built-in subwoofer is not implemented in any of these models. An external subwoofer can be connected to any of the units in this comparison. Audio features and specs of considered models we rated 5 out of 10 in our ranking. Each of the competitors can play content from Spotify.
Both models have a wireless Wi-Fi interface. Soundbars from this comparison have Bluetooth support. There are 1/1 HDMI inputs/outputs in the JBL Bar 5.0 versus 1/0 HDMIs in the Sonos Arc. As in the Bar 5.0, so in the Arc there is the HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). We rated the connectivity of the Bar 5.0 at 10 out of 10, while the Arc was rated 7/10. Each of the soundbars can be controlled using the application. The soundbars in this review are equipped with a microphone. The JBL Bar 5.0 may become part of a multiroom system.
Manufacturers equipped both units with Dolby Atmos audio decoder. Devices from this comparison cannot process surround sound due to lack of DTS:X. The Bar 5.0 was rated 7/10, while the Arc received a mark of 4/10 for multichannel surround.