l would like to share my experience after comparing and testing two soundbars – Denon HEOS BAR vs JBL Bar Studio. The Denon HEOS BAR was rated 7, while the JBL Bar Studio has a rating 5. The soundbars are equipped with a different number of buttons, volume down, volume up, sound off for the HEOS BAR and volume down, volume up, power, source for the Bar Studio.
Each of the models under consideration has active amplification type. A noticeable difference is the number of channels that HEOS BAR has 3.0 and Bar Studio has 2.0. The built-in subwoofer is not implemented in any of these models. An external subwoofer can be connected to any of the units in this comparison. Rate 6 out of 10 received the Denon HEOS BAR for audio features and specs, but the JBL Bar Studio received 5 out of 10.
Soundbars do not have AirPlay support. The HEOS BAR can play audio from Spotify.
Both models do not have a wireless Wi-Fi interface. Soundbars from this comparison have Bluetooth support. There are 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs in the Denon HEOS BAR versus 1/0 HDMIs in the JBL Bar Studio. As in the HEOS BAR, so in the Bar Studio there is the HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). Connecting devices via USB is possible in both models. We rated the connectivity of the HEOS BAR at 7 out of 10, while the Bar Studio was rated 6/10. The manufacturer of the HEOS BAR provides a device control application. The Denon HEOS BAR equipped with a microphone. The Denon HEOS BAR may become part of a multiroom system.
Dolby Atmos audio decoder support is not implemented in either the HEOS BAR or Bar Studio. Devices from this comparison cannot process surround sound due to lack of DTS:X. The same score of 5/10 was put to the soundbars for multichannel surround support.