JBL Bar 2.1 vs Sonos Arc review

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I had a chance to test and compare two models: JBL Bar 2.1 vs Sonos Arc and this review should help people who are looking for a good soundbar. The JBL Bar 2.1 was rated 6, while the Sonos Arc has a rating 7. The soundbars are equipped with a different number of buttons, power, volume down, volume up, source for the Bar 2.1 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 2.1 for audio features and specs, but the Sonos Arc received 5 out of 10. The Arc can play audio 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 2.1 versus 1/0 HDMIs in the Sonos Arc. As in the Bar 2.1, so in the Arc there is the HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). We rated the connectivity of the Bar 2.1 at 8 out of 10, while the Arc was rated 7/10.

Features

Both devices have integrated voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant. The manufacturer of the Arc provides a device control application. The soundbars in this review are equipped with a microphone. The models under consideration cannot become part of a multiroom system.

Multichannel surround

Dolby Atmos audio decoder is onboard the Arc. Devices from this comparison cannot process surround sound due to lack of DTS:X. The same score of 4/10 was put to the soundbars for multichannel surround support.

Advantages JBL Bar 2.1 over Sonos Arc

Advantages Sonos Arc over JBL Bar 2.1