Denon HEOS BAR vs JBL Bar 2.1 review

Votes 1 1
Rating 5 5

Denon HEOS BAR vs JBL Bar 2.1 comparison chart

Denon HEOS BAR vs JBL Bar 2.1 review

Denon HEOS BAR
vs
JBL Bar 2.1

The present review is aimed to compare two soundbars - Denon HEOS BAR vs JBL Bar 2.1 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers. Based on our rating, HEOS BAR has a total rating of 7 out of 10 versus 6 for Bar 2.1. The competitors' control buttons are different: volume down, volume up, sound off and power, volume down, volume up, source, respectively.

Audio features

Both soundbars have active amplification type. A significant difference between the units in the number of channels, the Denon HEOS BAR has 3.0 versus 2.1 for the JBL Bar 2.1. Competitors do not have a built-in subwoofer. Rivals have wireless connection to separate subwoofer. The Denon HEOS BAR got our rating of 6 out of 10, and the JBL Bar 2.1 7 for its audio features and specs.

Streaming services

Soundbars do not have AirPlay support. Spotify support is available on the HEOS BAR.

Connectivity

Only the JBL Bar 2.1 can connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Denon HEOS BAR has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 1/1 of the JBL Bar 2.1. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Both soundbars have a USB connector. For connectivity, the HEOS BAR received a rating of 7/10 versus 8/10, respectively.

Features

Both models support voice control using Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant. App control is available for the HEOS BAR. A built-in microphone is present in each model. Multi-room is only available for the Denon HEOS BAR.

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 Denon HEOS BAR got a rating of 5, and JBL Bar 2.1 4 out of 10.

Advantages Denon HEOS BAR over JBL Bar 2.1

  • Amazon Music compatible
  • Spotify support
  • App control
  • Multi-room support

Advantages JBL Bar 2.1 over Denon HEOS BAR

  • Separate subwoofer in package
  • WI-FI enabled
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Common

Product

Denon HEOS BAR
JBL Bar 2.1

Model

HEOS BAR
Bar 2.1

Brand

Denon
JBL

Reviews

20
548

General

Placement type

table-top, wall-mountable
table-top, wall-mountable

Connection to source

wired, wireless
wired, wireless

Soundbar buttons

volume down, volume up, sound off
power, volume down, volume up, source

Audio features

Built-in channels

3.0
2.1

Amplification type

active
active

Output power, W

300 (overall)

Separate speaker (in package)

0
0

Separate speaker connections

wireless
has not

Subwoofer

Built-in subwoofer

Separate subwoofer (in package)

Separate subwoofer connections

wireless
wireless

Streaming services

Apple Music (AirPlay)

Amazon Music

Spotify

Other streaming services

Pandora, Deezer, TIDAL, Napster, SiriusXM, iHeart
has not

Connectivity

WI-FI

Bluetooth

Ethernet (RJ45)

1
0

NFC

HDMI input/output

4/1
1/1

HDMI ARC

HDMI eARC

HDMI CEC

Optical digital input/output

1/0
1/0

USB

1 (USB 2.0)
1 (USB 2.0)

Coaxial digital input/output

0/0
0/0

Analog audio input/output (RCA)

1/0
1/0

Headphone output

0
0

Subwoofer output

0
0

Features

Voice control

Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant

App control

Microphone

Remote control

Multi-room

Multichannel surround

Dolby Atmos

Dolby (other)

has not
Dolby Digital

DTS:X

DTS (other)

DTS HD
has not

User manual

Manual

Dimensions

Size (Wx H x D), cm/in

109.8 x 7.1 x 14.7/43.3 x 2.8 x 5.8
96.5 x 5.8 x 6.8/38 x 2.3 x 2.7

Weight, kg/pounds

4.8/10.5
1.9/4.1

Other

Release year

2017
2019
Denon HEOS BAR
JBL Bar 2.1
Denon HEOS BAR
JBL Bar 2.1

Soundbars SoundStrokes Art comparison rating

  • better
  • worse
  • 7
  • 6
  • 7Denon HEOS BAR
  • 6JBL Bar 2.1