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