Bose Solo 5 vs JBL Bar 2.1 review

Votes 21 21
Rating 4 4

Bose Solo 5 vs JBL Bar 2.1 comparison chart

Bose Solo 5 vs JBL Bar 2.1 review

Bose Solo 5
vs
JBL Bar 2.1

The present review is aimed to compare two soundbars - Bose Solo 5 vs JBL Bar 2.1 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers. Based on our rating, Solo 5 has a total rating of 4 out of 10 versus 6 for Bar 2.1.

Audio features

Both soundbars have active amplification type. A significant difference between the units in the number of channels, the Bose Solo 5 has 2.0 versus 2.1 for the JBL Bar 2.1. Competitors do not have a built-in subwoofer. The Bose Solo 5 got our rating of 5 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 not implemented in both soundbars.

Connectivity

Only the JBL Bar 2.1 can connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. Only the Bar 2.1 supports HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). For connectivity, the Solo 5 received a rating of 3/10 versus 8/10, respectively. App control is available for the Solo 5. A built-in microphone is present only on the Bar 2.1. 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 Bose Solo 5 over JBL Bar 2.1

  • App control

Advantages JBL Bar 2.1 over Bose Solo 5

  • Separate subwoofer in package
  • WI-FI enabled
  • Audio return channel (HDMI ARC) support
  • Microphone
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Common

Product

Bose Solo 5
JBL Bar 2.1

Model

Solo 5
Bar 2.1

Brand

Bose
JBL

Reviews

13457
548

General

Placement type

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

Connection to source

wired, wireless
wired, wireless

Soundbar buttons

has not
power, volume down, volume up, source

Audio features

Built-in channels

2.0
2.1

Amplification type

active
active

Output power, W

300 (overall)

Separate speaker (in package)

0
0

Separate speaker connections

has not
has not

Subwoofer

Built-in subwoofer

Separate subwoofer (in package)

Separate subwoofer connections

wireless

Streaming services

Apple Music (AirPlay)

Amazon Music

Spotify

Other streaming services

has not
has not

Connectivity

WI-FI

Bluetooth

Ethernet (RJ45)

0
0

NFC

HDMI input/output

0/0
1/1

HDMI ARC

HDMI eARC

HDMI CEC

Optical digital input/output

1/0
1/0

USB

1 (USB 2.0)

Coaxial digital input/output

1/0
0/0

Analog audio input/output (RCA)

0/0
1/0

Headphone output

0
0

Subwoofer output

0
0

Features

Voice control

Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant

App control

Microphone

Remote control

Multi-room

Multichannel surround

Dolby Atmos

Dolby (other)

Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital

DTS:X

DTS (other)

has not
has not

User manual

Manual

Dimensions

Size (Wx H x D), cm/in

21.6 x 2.8 x 3.4/54.9 x7 x 8.6
96.5 x 5.8 x 6.8/38 x 2.3 x 2.7

Weight, kg/pounds

1.7/3.7
1.9/4.1

Other

Release year

2016
2019
Bose Solo 5
JBL Bar 2.1
Bose Solo 5
JBL Bar 2.1

Soundbars SoundStrokes Art comparison rating

  • better
  • worse
  • 4
  • 6
  • 4Bose Solo 5
  • 6JBL Bar 2.1