Yamaha YAS-109 vs JBL Bar 2.1 review

Votes 19 19
Rating 2.4 2.4

Yamaha YAS-109 vs JBL Bar 2.1 comparison chart

Yamaha YAS-109 vs JBL Bar 2.1 review

Yamaha YAS-109
vs
JBL Bar 2.1

The present review is aimed to compare two soundbars - Yamaha YAS-109 vs JBL Bar 2.1 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers. Based on our rating, YAS-109 has a total rating of 6.8 out of 10 versus 6 for Bar 2.1. The competitors' control buttons are different: power, volume down, volume up, input, microphone 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 Yamaha YAS-109 has 2.0 versus 2.1 for the JBL Bar 2.1. The output power is different and equal to 120 W for the YAS-109 versus 300 (overall) W for the Bar 2.1. Only the Yamaha YAS-109 has a built-in subwoofer. The YAS-109 has a wired and wireless connection to separate subwoofer, and the Bar 2.1 - wireless. The Yamaha YAS-109 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 YAS-109.

Connectivity

These models have the ability to connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. Each soundbar has 1/1 HDMI inputs/outputs. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Both soundbars have a USB connector. For connectivity, each of the soundbars received a rating of 8/10.

Features

App control is available for the YAS-109. A built-in microphone is present in each model. 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 Yamaha YAS-109 got a rating of 6, and JBL Bar 2.1 4 out of 10.

Advantages Yamaha YAS-109 over JBL Bar 2.1

  • Built-in subwoofer
  • Amazon Music compatible
  • Spotify support
  • App control

Advantages JBL Bar 2.1 over Yamaha YAS-109

  • Separate subwoofer in package
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Common

Product

Yamaha YAS-109
JBL Bar 2.1

Model

YAS-109
Bar 2.1

Brand

Yamaha
JBL

Reviews

766
548

General

Placement type

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

Connection to source

wired, wireless
wired, wireless

Soundbar buttons

power, volume down, volume up, input, microphone
power, volume down, volume up, source

Audio features

Built-in channels

2.0
2.1

Amplification type

active
active

Output power, W

120
300 (overall)

Separate speaker (in package)

0
0

Separate speaker connections

wired, wireless
has not

Subwoofer

Built-in subwoofer

Separate subwoofer (in package)

Separate subwoofer connections

wired, wireless
wireless

Streaming services

Apple Music (AirPlay)

Amazon Music

Spotify

Other streaming services

has not
has not

Connectivity

WI-FI

Bluetooth

Ethernet (RJ45)

1
0

NFC

HDMI input/output

1/1
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

1
0

Features

Voice control

Amazon Alexa
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant

App control

Microphone

Remote control

Multi-room

Multichannel surround

Dolby Atmos

Dolby (other)

Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II
Dolby Digital

DTS:X

DTS (other)

DTS Virtual:X
has not

User manual

Manual

Dimensions

Size (Wx H x D), cm/in

89 x 5.3 x 13.1/35 x 2.1 x 5.1
96.5 x 5.8 x 6.8/38 x 2.3 x 2.7

Weight, kg/pounds

3.4/7.5
1.9/4.1

Other

Release year

2019
2019
Yamaha YAS-109
JBL Bar 2.1
Yamaha YAS-109
JBL Bar 2.1

Soundbars SoundStrokes Art comparison rating

  • better
  • worse
  • 6.8
  • 6
  • 6.8Yamaha YAS-109
  • 6JBL Bar 2.1