The JBL Bar range of soundbars has a name whose simplicity is like the products themselves. These bars do not offer any compatibility multi-room, network connectivity or other advanced functionality: they only seek to improve the sound of a television with discretion, for an affordable price. Let’s see how well the Bar 2.1 fulfills its mission.
Simple, inexpensive and offering some interesting ergonomic features, the JBL Bar 2.1 may be suitable for those who are only looking to improve the sound of a television at a lower cost. A Razer Leviathan certainly does better in terms of pure audio performance, but the JBL has on its side a stereophonic width, a remote control and connectors that make it much better suited for use in a living room… as well as an aesthetic much more versatile.
Strong points
- Balanced sound.
- Lots of energy from the low mids to the highs.
- Discretion, reduced dimensions.
- Very practical “Soundshift” mode for Bluetooth use.
- Easy access to audio delay adjustment.
Weak points
- Poor subwoofer performance.
- Unbecoming sound for music.
- No real virtual surround.
- Slight distortion, “pungent” sound which can tire the eardrums.
NB: The reported price drop is calculated by comparing the lowest price of the day with the average of the lowest prices charged by all merchants for the product last month, with security rules to exclude prices from shops whose the VAT policy is not clear (known as “grey” shops, typically in the case of imports from China).
Alternatively
The Yamaha YAS-109 certainly does not keep all its promises when it comes to the quality of its bass and its surround virtual. But we can’t really hold it against it, since it nevertheless offers more than adequate performance for its price range, satisfactory both for listening to music and watching movies – on the only condition of remaining wise on the sound volume.