If you have already decided that you want to buy a new soundbar, but still don’t know what exactly you want, the JBL Bar 5.1 vs Bose TV Speaker comparison is here to offer you two decent solutions. The JBL Bar 5.1 was rated 7.2, while the Bose TV Speaker has a rating 5.
Each of the models under consideration has active amplification type. A noticeable difference is the number of channels that Bar 5.1 has 5.1 and TV Speaker has 3.0. The built-in subwoofer is not implemented in any of these models. An external subwoofer connects to the Bar 5.1 via wireless, but TV Speaker has wired connection type. Rate 8 out of 10 received the JBL Bar 5.1 for audio features and specs, but the Bose TV Speaker received 5 out of 10. The Bar 5.1 can play audio from Spotify.
Both models do not have a wireless Wi-Fi interface. Soundbars from this comparison have Bluetooth support. There are 3/0 HDMI inputs/outputs in the JBL Bar 5.1 versus 1/0 HDMIs in the Bose TV Speaker. As in the Bar 5.1, so in the TV Speaker there is the HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). Connecting devices via USB is possible in both models. We rated the connectivity of the Bar 5.1 at 8 out of 10, while the TV Speaker was rated 7/10. The manufacturer of the Bar 5.1 provides a device control application. Soundbars in this review are not equipped with a microphone. The models under consideration cannot become part of a multiroom system.
Dolby Atmos audio decoder support is not implemented in either the Bar 5.1 or TV Speaker. 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.