Sonos Beam vs JBL Bar 5.1 review

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It makes sense comparing Sonos Beam vs JBL Bar 5.1 because they both are able to give some premium features. Based on our rating, Beam has a total rating of 6 out of 10 versus 7.2 for Bar 5.1. The competitors' control buttons are different: volume down, volume up, microphone, play/pause and power, volume down, volume up, input, respectively.

Audio features

Both soundbars have active amplification type. A significant difference between the units in the number of channels, the Sonos Beam has 3.0 versus 5.1 for the JBL Bar 5.1. Competitors do not have a built-in subwoofer. Rivals have wireless connection to separate subwoofer. The Sonos Beam got our rating of 6 out of 10, and the JBL Bar 5.1 8 for its audio features and specs.

Streaming services

The Sonos Beam has support AirPlay 2, and its competitor in our comparison has AirPlay. Spotify support is available on the Bar 5.1.

Connectivity

Only the Sonos Beam can connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Sonos Beam has 1/0 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 3/0 of the JBL Bar 5.1. Only the Bar 5.1 supports HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). For connectivity, the Beam received a rating of 6/10 versus 8/10, respectively.

Features

App control is available in every soundbar. A built-in microphone is present only on the Beam. Soundbars do not have Multi-room support.

Multichannel surround

None of soundbars equipped with Dolby Atmos multichannel audio decoder. The soundbars do not support the surround sound technology DTS:X. For multichannel surround, each of the opponents received 4 points out of 10.

Advantages Sonos Beam over JBL Bar 5.1

Advantages JBL Bar 5.1 over Sonos Beam