JBL BAR 500 vs Sonos Arc review

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I had a chance to test and compare two models: JBL BAR 500 vs Sonos Arc and this review should help people who are looking for a good soundbar. The JBL BAR 500 was rated 8.6, while the Sonos Arc has a rating 7. The soundbars are equipped with a different number of buttons, power, volume down, volume up for the BAR 500 and volume down, volume up, play/pause, microphone for the Arc.

Audio features

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. Rate 7 out of 10 received the JBL BAR 500 for audio features and specs, but the Sonos Arc received 5 out of 10. Each of the competitors can play content from Spotify.

Connectivity

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 500 versus 1/0 HDMIs in the Sonos Arc. As in the BAR 500, so in the Arc there is the HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). We rated the connectivity of the BAR 500 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 models under consideration cannot become part of a multiroom system.

Multichannel surround

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 500 was rated 7/10, while the Arc received a mark of 4/10 for multichannel surround.

Advantages JBL BAR 500 over Sonos Arc