Yamaha YAS-109 vs JBL Bar 2.1 review

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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

Advantages JBL Bar 2.1 over Yamaha YAS-109