JBL Bar 9.1 vs Denon Home Sound Bar 550 review

vs

An affordable soundbar is always a good option to consider, so JBL Bar 9.1 vs Denon Home Sound Bar 550 comparison definitely makes sense. Based on our rating, Bar 9.1 has a total rating of 9 out of 10 versus 7.4 for Home Sound Bar 550.

Audio features

Both soundbars have active amplification type. A significant difference between the units in the number of channels, the JBL Bar 9.1 has 9.1 versus 2.1 for the Denon Home Sound Bar 550. The output power is different and equal to 820 (overall) W for the Bar 9.1 versus 53 (overall) W for the Home Sound Bar 550. Competitors do not have a built-in subwoofer. The Bar 9.1 has a wireless connection to separate subwoofer, and the Home Sound Bar 550 - wired. The JBL Bar 9.1 got our rating of 9 out of 10, and the Denon Home Sound Bar 550 4 for its audio features and specs.

Streaming services

Spotify is available on each of the soundbars. Both devices can play streaming audio from Pandora, SoundCloud.

Connectivity

These models have the ability to connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. Each soundbar has 1/1 HDMI inputs/outputs. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Both soundbars have a USB connector. For connectivity, the Bar 9.1 received a rating of 10/10 versus 8/10, respectively.

Features

App control is available in every soundbar. A built-in microphone is present in each model. Multi-room is only available for the JBL Bar 9.1.

Multichannel surround

Both devices have support for Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the Home Sound Bar 550. For multichannel surround JBL Bar 9.1 got a rating of 7, and Denon Home Sound Bar 550 6 out of 10.

Advantages JBL Bar 9.1 over Denon Home Sound Bar 550

Advantages Denon Home Sound Bar 550 over JBL Bar 9.1