We've already looked at the impact that Apple, especially the iPod, had on the audio world over the past 50 years, ushering in portable music listening and speaker docks that eventually led to the wireless/Bluetooth speakers of today.

But when looking back at the history of hi-fi – especially as we're celebrating 50 years of What Hi-Fi? this year – it's usually the 'glory' days of hi-fi, i.e. the '70s and '80s, that we pore over, ogling vintage turntables, the first few CD players, affordable speakers and hefty stereo amplifiers.

What we don't do often enough is to look at the more recent history of the 2000s; it may feel recent, but there is so much technology peppered through the mid-00s that just doesn't exist anymore.

Case in point: iPod docks. It's easy to forget just how rife the things were after the introduction of the Apple iPod. iPod speaker docks and systems came in a variety of shapes and styles, from cheap and cheerful to premium and approaching hi-fi quality. There was something about that post-Y2K era, in the dawn of a new millennium, that allowed audio brands to experiment and be creative with their speaker dock designs.

You had simple, discreet (all Apple-white, of course) models rubbing shoulders with beefy one-box speakers that experimented with all kinds of curves and unique silhouettes, while a surprisingly tall iPod dock speaker existed alongside a valve-based system.

The iPod dock is now extinct, and the original 30-pin connector with it, but it paved the way for the modern Bluetooth/wireless speakers that we use to stream music from our smartphone every day. Here, we've paid tribute to the five iPod speaker docks that stood out to us in that short-lived but exciting era.

1. Bose SoundDock (2004)

£249
4 stars

The original Bose SoundDock was one of the very first speaker systems dedicated to the iPod. Launched in 2004, it catered to all varieties of the iPod with the 30-pin connector in a compact unit, with a credit card-sized remote letting you control playback and volume. It was a slick system. The cons against it were the slightly loose cradle fit, and no aux-in for non-iPod MP3 players.

We praised its impressive musical credentials, calling it "terrific" thanks to its solid, full-bodied sound, with clear, natural vocal delivery. It had none of the thinness blighting poorer-quality rivals; a lively, punchy rhythm, good bass and detail levels completed the set.

This being the 2000s, we did call the white-and-grey, SoundDock "ultra-stylish" and it was the "most sophisticated" iPod dock around.

That was, until...

2. Monitor Audio i-deck (2005)

£250
5 stars

Monitor Audio launched the i-deck in 2005 and swiftly nabbed five stars and a Product of the Year win at that year's What Hi-Fi? Awards. It was the first iPod speaker dock system that truly impressed us in terms of sound quality. We said "it gives you the looks, flexibility and sound quality of a good hi-fi micro system" and praised its "tremendous" sound quality that went loud with composure and offered a healthy-size soundstage.

"Tunes race along with infectious energy and plenty of enjoyment," we said as the i-deck won yet another group test. A drop by £50 in 2006 further cemented its status as a great sound-per-pound value buy, even as new models from Altec Lansing, Jamo and Apple's own iPod Hi-Fi tried to get in on the action.

The i-deck featured swappable bezels to fit the different styles of iPods around at the time, and even came with a 3.5mm mini-jack input to plug in other MP3 players. It's not the most compact system as it involves three boxes, but the beauty is that you can upgrade those speakers for a better pair too.

We also have to give props to Monitor Audio for making one of the most eye-catching designs – the 'tulip' shaped i-deck 100 from 2011 (£200, 5 stars) – which looks more sci-fi than its earlier efforts.

3. JBL OnBeat Xtreme (2012)

£400
5 stars

JBL is ubiquitous with the best Bluetooth speakers these days, so it should be no surprise that the brand had a whole range of iPod dock speakers. In fact, in November 2012, JBL was the very first brand to launch iPod docks with the new Lightning connector – the OnBeat Micro and Venue LT – when Apple ditched its long-lived 30-pin connection.

Before then, the JBL OnBeat Xtreme snagged the best iPod speaker dock Award in 2012. The OnBeat Xtreme could play music from your portable player in two ways: docking it, or be wirelessly streaming over Bluetooth. It brought non-Apple players into the fold, expanding its versatility and becoming a viable replacement for ageing hi-fi microsystems.

The 'crossed-arms' design was eye-catching, with a solid, appealing build quality for the relatively high price. It sounded great – a fun presentation, ample low-frequency heft (impressive, given the relatively small drivers), and plenty of detail in the clear highs and sweet midrange.

There’s certainly no shortage of low-frequency heft here – impressive, given the OnBeat’s relatively small drivers. Instruments get plenty of breathing space and dynamically it's plenty enjoyable. It can go loud enough to be at neighbour-baiting levels, although the midrange could harden up at this point.

The OnBeat Xtreme was so good it not only was the What Hi-Fi? team's office speaker in the old Teddington office for a good few years, but it also beat a legendary icon...

4. Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin (2007)

£400
5 stars

This is the big one. If it wasn't for the iPod, we wouldn't have the now-iconic blimp-shaped Zeppelin speaker dock. When we first reviewed it in the February 2008 issue, it didn't appear in our usual "First Tests" section at the start of the magazine – it appeared in our dedicated "Temptation" section that was reserved for pricier, "most desirable" high-end models.

That's how much of a novelty the premium, luxuriously built Zeppelin was in comparison to the other humdrum iPod docks of the day. It gave permission for other brands to aim higher – the JBL OnBeat Xtreme (above) and NAD Viso 1 both launched at £500 after the B&W.

The distinctive curved, elongated shape isn't just for style points; it helps minimise the cabinet around each driver unit, which improves dispersion. The drivers underneath were ones used by B&W loudspeakers: a 13cm Kevlar bass driver powered by a 50W digital amp is flanked on either side by 9cm midrange drivers and 25mm metal dome tweeters, each powered by 25W amps.

The resultant sound exceeded all our expectations. "You'll be amazed at the Zeppelin's pace, scale, weight, rhythmic ability and timing," we enthused in our five-star review. Its sense of attack and energy was "thrilling", with our only complaint being that it didn't image as well as rivals with widely spaced speakers.

It was also a tactile joy to use, and its combination of style, build quality and sound left us "smitten".

The Zeppelin gave birth the smaller, less expensive Zeppelin Mini a couple of years later, while you can buy a fully hi-res wireless version of the Zeppelin Pro Edition these days.

5. Fatman iTube Carbon v2.0 (2008)

£350
5 stars

If you don't remember Fatman Audio, you're not alone. The brand specialised in combining iPod docks with valve-based systems, and rather successfully, too. The year after the Zeppelin launched to rave reviews, the Fatman iTube Carbon v2.0 got put in a Group Test with the iconic speaker dock in the September 2008 issue... and won.

The iTube Carbon was far from a discreet-looking iPod dock. "Alongside the Zeppelin's sleek, Manhattan-skyscraper aesthetics it does look like a bit of a shanty town," we said, and not everyone was enamoured of a multi-box system that required separate speakers. You could buy the system sans speakers for £100 and provide your own pair, though.

Despite the inelegance, the Fatman was praised for being the best-sounding iPod speaker dock – it had an "endlessly listenable sound". The warm, eloquent valve characteristics gave songs like Steely Dan's Any Major Dude Will Tell You low-end weight and substance, while percussion and vocals were polished and bright enough. The Carbon "integrates and separates the differing elements confidently" and "excels when it comes to stereo focus and imaging" – the benefit of having separate speakers.

The first iteration of this unit was marred by build and reliability issues, even as we praised the the rich musical insight and "stunning" sound for this price; this v2.0 model addressed our concerns and smartened up the cosmetics considerably, and featured a 3.5mm socket alongside RCA stereo inputs.

Versatile, great-sounding and a unique valve-dock design – the Fatman may not be as fondly remembered as more famous iPod docks, but its spark burned bright at the height of the iPod dock's popularity.

Apple's stronghold over the audio world with the iPod and its 30-pin connector faded when it switched to the smaller Lightning connector. Adoption for the new connector was slow, as having to completely re-haul current audio products proved a pain for many brands.

The introduction of wireless AirPlay and rising popularity of Bluetooth around the same time carved a path towards today's wireless speakers that ditch the dock and feature streaming via Bluetooth, AirPlay, Google Cast and more – proving you don't have to be dependent on the whims of one (giant) tech brand.

But if it were not for the iPod, we wouldn't have such daring, creative, fun and, yes, silly designs that were affordable, compact, and made music available for all.

Below, you'll find a gallery of the variety of iPod docks and speaker systems we tested in the 2000s/2010s, straight from the pages of our What Hi-Fi? magazine archive. You can click on the arrow sign in the bottom-left corner to read the full-size text on each image.

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Put that pizza down! Bin those takeaway menus, resist the urge to boot up the Dominos app and do something that your ears, and waistline, will thank you for: spend your money on a brilliant Bluetooth speaker instead.

For about the same price as your Saturday night takeout, you could get yourself a JBL Go 4 for just £27 at Amazon this Prime Day, down from its original price of £40. That's a saving of around 33 per cent on the best pocket-sized Bluetooth speaker on the market.

It doesn't taste particularly good (although we haven't actually tried), but it does sound the business.

Best JBL Go 4 Bluetooth speaker deal

It's remarkable how much performance JBL has managed to wring out of the soap-sized Go 4. It's handsome, well-equipped, durable and, for its size, remarkably talented sonically

The Go 4's IP67 rating means that dust and limited submersion in water will leave no lasting damage, and the general robustness of construction here is truly admirable.

Battery life is up to roughly 7 hours of standard playtime, with two more hours via Playtime Boost.

Playtime Boost will suck out most of the bass from the speaker's presentation, but that aside, the Go 5 sounds remarkably good considering its size and price. Thanks in part to its 45mm driver and that hollow-contour logo, the fifth-gen model is the meatiest, most robust sounding Go that we've yet heard, with a fuller, more powerful reproduction than its fourth-gen predecessor.

As our review stated, the fifth-gen speaker is tuned "to have an innate understanding of how your music should sound. Nothing here is overdone or overly coloured, but it shares its bigger siblings’ ability to go with the flow as we bounce around tracks and genres".

If your budget is limited, the Go 4 is our go-to recommendation – ditch the late night curry and pick one up on Amazon.

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Ah, the humble soundbar. You might not think from first glance that they are anything special. After all, their unassuming designs are usually built to blend into your living room in front of your TV virtually unnoticed.

But these compact champions can play a crucial part in your home cinema setup. If you have the right model, your TV’s (almost certainly) lacklustre audio can be upgraded to deliver immersive yet detailed sound with clear voices.

As with any piece of home cinema kit, there is a huge variety when it comes to quality and price. If you are looking on the more affordable end of the spectrum (take the Creative Stage Pro, for instance), you will rarely find Dolby Atmos support. For those who have bigger budgets, you will find more premium models with the specifications to match.

So which models are worth your time? We have tested oodles of bars over the years since the category emerged in the 2000s, so we know which soundbars are genuinely good sonic performers.

With Amazon Prime Day almost upon us (it officially runs from the 23rd to the 26th June), we have already spotted some stellar bargains on top-performing soundbars. All the models below have been thoroughly tested by our experts, and have achieved either a four or five-star rating.

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In a sea of monochrome black and greige dominating the market, JBL’s Gen Z-friendly wireless headphones stand out by a mile.

Available in a variety of stylish colours – including the bright orange of our review sample – the JBL Live 780NC over-ears offer a playful and youthful contender that still ticks all the right boxes in this heaving market: good design, good sound, good price.

Price

Sandwiched between JBL’s premium Tour series and its more budget Tune range, the Live series of wireless headphones occupy a mid-range price bracket where there is a scarcity of five-star offerings.

At £170 / $250 / AU$300, the Live 780NC are a little over half the price of popular premium wireless over-ear headphones from Sony, Bose, Bowers & Wilkins and Sennheiser, but sit above the stupendously talented and budget Sony WH-CH720N, which can now be found for as little as £75 / $100 / AU$148.

The five-star Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT are available for £129 (around $199 / AU$269), but lack any active noise cancelling, while other headphones at this price – from Philips and Soundcore – haven’t quite made their mark. Plenty of opportunity for JBL to stand out, then.

Build & design

Whereas many affordable headphones around this price can feel rather plasticky and cheap in hand – understandably so to keep costs down – the JBL Live 780NC feel anything but. The materials are light enough to ensure the headphones are comfortable to wear, but also feel pleasantly smooth and high quality to the touch.

There is a mixture of materials and finishes here that could easily have looked and felt garish in less capable hands, but the sheen of the outer earcups and hinges blend with the matte finish of the headband and earcup housings in a subtle, stylish way.

The mix of plastic, metal and silicone here is certainly more premium feeling than the cheaper Sonys and the JBLs look more svelte than the functional Austrian Audios. We particularly like the knurled finish encircling the outer earcups – it’s a nice detail you normally wouldn’t see at this price.

If the orange finish of our review sample is too extrovert for you, there are more subdued green and blue hues, along with sandy, lilac and the standard black and white colours.

The headband feels sturdy, the leatherette earcups are comfortable with ample padding, and the clamping pressure is nicely judged. We perhaps would have liked a little more padding in the headband, but they don’t cause any discernible fatigue over long listening periods.

The metal sliders are nice to use, and there’s enough flex in the earcups to get a comfortable and secure fit for most of our review team.

You can fold the 780NC up into a ball or lay them flat around your neck, and they come with a soft, if somewhat thin, carry pouch.

You get a mix of physical buttons on the earcups – for power, ANC modes and volume – that are within easy reach, while tapping on the shiny outer cups lets you control music playback, calls and voice assistant. We found them all responsive in use, and you can further customise the touch and button controls in the JBL Headphones App.

One small quirk to remember is that the headphones will go into standby mode after a certain period of inactivity (you can choose the time in the app) if you forget to slide the power button to the ‘off’ position. To reconnect the pairing to your phone or device, simply turn it off and back on.

Features

Don’t worry too much if you forget to power-off the cans, though, as their battery life is massive. With active noise cancelling turned on, you get 50 hours, which extends to a whopping 80 hours with ANC turned off. We didn’t even have to glance at the battery level in the app throughout our testing period, and only charged the headphones out of habit after a week or so. A five-minute charge gives you four hours of juice, which meant we were always topped up.

Even more premium headphones such as the Sony and Bose models can only manage 30 hours with ANC activated, with Sennheiser’s Momentum 5 Wireless the only model to beat the JBL at 57 hours, while the HDB 630 goes further at 60 hours. The cheaper Sony 720N can only muster 35 hours with ANC on.

For wireless connections, the JBL headphones run on Bluetooth 6.0 and feature Auracast sharing and LE Audio, as well as the higher-quality LDAC codec when used with a compatible source device. If you prefer a wired connection, JBL provides a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable in the box, so you can connect them to a 3.5mm-toting laptop or music player and enjoy a lossless performance. Just remember to power the JBLs on when listening in wired mode.

The headphones feature Multipoint Bluetooth, which allows you to easily switch between two connected devices, and they have proximity sensors to automatically stop playing audio when you take the headphones off your ears.

Head into the JBL Headphone app, and you’ll find a bunch of features and customisation options that you can tweak to your heart’s desire. Along with adjusting the various ANC modes, you can prioritise audio quality or video (the latter to reduce lip-sync issues), enable spatial audio modes, and there’s even a nifty ‘relax mode’ with nature sounds you can mix to create an ambient background for when you need to focus on writing, for example.

There are preset EQ modes as well as a 10-band equaliser to save your own tuning, and there’s a separate Personi-Fi portal that personalises the sound to your tastes further.

A neat party trick is that if you have one of JBL’s latest Bluetooth speakers, such as the Flip 7 or Go 5, you can use the Auracast button to beam music from the speaker to the Live 780NC headphones, with both playing in tandem.

There are plenty of more useful features to explore in the app, and you can also turn most settings off if you don’t want them.

ANC & call quality

The main settings you should explore are for noise cancelling. There are sliders available for the noise cancelling and ‘ambient aware’ modes, allowing you to choose the intensity of the noise cancelling or how much of the outside world you want to let in. You can also let JBL’s six microphones and real-time adjustment take over with the Adaptive ANC mode, which automatically adjusts the noise-cancelling levels to your surrounding environment.

The Live 780NC’s ANC quality is decent, cutting out much of the low-level deep rumbles of passing cars, train engines and exhaust fans. The noise-cancelling effect tends to focus more on those low-frequency noises, as we can still hear a fair bit of higher engine whines, train announcements and the chatter of people around us. These noises that sit in the mid and high frequency ranges are gently softened, but we’re still aware of them in full ANC mode.

It’s not the end of the world, and there is enough damping of the rumbly surrounding noises that the JBLs’ effect feels adequate at this level.

Call quality is decent for this level, too, with voices coming through with enough clarity, detail and solidity to be heard, although there is a slight hard, mechanical edge to the caller’s voice. Dual beamforming mics and an intelligent noise-cancelling algorithm mean voices should be distinctly heard even in windy, busy surroundings, and we found that surrounding noises didn’t intrude much upon our calls.

One neat thing about the JBL headphones is that, in the app, you can tweak the tone of your and the callers’ voices, as well as choose how much of your own voice you can hear in a call. We prefer keeping the voice settings on ‘natural’, but it’s worth exploring these settings if you’re in particularly noisy environments.

Sound

If we could use one word to describe the Live 780NC’s sound, it would be ‘comfortable’. The headphones’ character is easy to listen to, with a smoothness across the frequency range that is appealing from the moment you slip them on. There are no bright or hard edges at the top; the midrange is focused and detailed; the bass is plump.

Any spikiness at the top being smoothed off means you can listen to many hours of shredding guitars and heavy metal screaming without your ears getting fatigued, as we found by spending a long weekend getting reacquainted with Avenged Sevenfold’s back catalogue on Tidal.

This trade-off does mean that some of the crystal-clear high notes of the delicate piano in Birdy’s Shelter or the ferociously brash and dynamic upheavals of Fontaines DC’s Starburster are a little subdued.

There is enough detail on the bones and satisfying solidity underpinning each note to ensure the music doesn’t get neutered, though. Music flows well through them, with the personality and intent of each track – from A7X to Doechii to Hozier – coming through with plenty of expression in the mix.

Voices come through with ample personality when listening to podcasts and are easy to follow in the soundstage without ever sounding muddled.

There is a richness to the 780NC’s sound that feels as though it’s covered in a layer of thick syrup – but in a good way. It leaves us in a pleasant environment where you’re engulfed in the rich, layered textures, and that smoothness doesn’t work our sonic muscles too hard. The JBL cans have a more refined way with detail than the cheaper Sony 720N, but are less analytical than the Austrian Audios.

The headphones’ bass levels are overly enthusiastic, but you can tone them down a touch using the EQ settings. Basslines are not unsubtle or unwieldy though; they plunge deep and there’s enough bounce in their step as we play through our usual test tracks from Massive Attack's Paradise Circus to Dr Dre and Hans Zimmer soundtracks.

Overall, the 780NC have a good amount of rhythmic talent and dynamic expression to keep us listening throughout. The lower mids and bass frequencies simply could do with a leaner diet to give us cleaner, subtler layers with more satisfying punch.

Go wired and, while they retain the same rich, smooth character, everything sounds a little tidier around the edges, with subtler dynamics, greater solidity and more detail unearthed. The instruments in Khruangbin's Maria Tambien are etched more clearly and with crisper, sweeter highs, even if the bass notes are just as dominating.

Verdict

The JBL Live 780NC aren’t too expensive, aren’t too budget – they’re in that ‘Goldilocks zone’ that, while not perfect, comes very close to delivering everything in a good-sounding, well-designed, feature-packed package.

While not gaining the full five stars when it comes to sound, they’re an attractive pair we have no trouble recommending at this mid-price arena that is starved of exciting contenders. If you’re after a comfortable pair of headphones that you could spend hours with, these playful but capable JBL Live 780NC are worth your attention.

Review published: 16th June 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Features 5
• Build 5

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There have been quite a few candidates vying for the ‘most exciting pair of hi-fi speakers making their grand public debut’ award at this year’s High End Vienna showcase.

Bowers & Wilkins treating the world to the fifth iteration of its 800 Series Diamond range is no small thing, whereas Ruark’s resurrection of its Talisman-R floorstanders is similarly big news but at a significantly lower price point.

Then there’s JBL. The US giant has added twin peaks (sigh) to its five-strong Summit range, with the range-topping Everest and K2 loudspeakers joining the established Summit Makalu, Pumori, and five-star Ama models.

If you want to know what the K2 and Everest are all about, one word springs to mind: big. Both stretch the bounds of both physical size and required cost, with the mighty K2 costing a mere $100,000 and the colossal Everest pushing the needle at a whopping $160,000 per pair.

Big speakers at big prices from one of the biggest names in audio. You know where this is headed – we had to go and give them a listen.

We have already heard the baby of JBL’s Summit range, the effervescent and richly talented Summit Ama standmounts, so as the iPad is unleashed and the test tunes queued up, we’re quietly hoping for those enviable qualities of punch and dynamism to have translated all the way up to the snowy peak of JBL’s mountain-themed roster.

With Mark Levinson’s 626 preamplifier and 631 monoblock stereo amp in tow, it’s time to call in the sherpas and start our trek up that most famous of famous peaks.

As Pete Belsasco’s Deeper blasts out across our reasonably spacious demonstration room, it’s clear that much of the punch and power, not to mention the poise and balance of the five-star Ama, does seem to have translated to these rather more bank-busting pair of Summit range-toppers.

Harman’s engineers quite candidly confess that they would have liked a narrower space in which to work in order to stop sound from dissipating before it reached each side wall, so our usual disclaimer about less-than-ideal test conditions must once again apply here. Show us an ideal demonstration room at a hi-fi show and we’ll show you a talking unicorn.

Deeper is a smooth, jazzy number designed simply to get things started with something relatively undemanding; a move over to Fink’s Trouble’s What You Are In grants a better showcase of what well over $100,000 can get you.

These are big, bold speakers, yet we do sense an admirable feeling of intimacy and closeness to Fink’s acoustic performance as he croons away during a live recording of his aforementioned sampler. What impresses us as we listen more and more is how the Everest seem to switch gears, moving from small-scale sincerity to more dramatic and demanding fare without painting everything with the same broad brush.

JBL is keen to show the depths to which the Everest are capable of sinking, so we turn to the Sound of Silence performed courtesy of Geoff Castellucci’s deep, rumbling baritone.

Thanks in part to those whopping cabinets and JBL’s three-in-one ‘Phase Coherent Manifold’ – wherein a trio of compression drivers are aligned in a balanced symmetrical configuration and mounted to an HDI geometry horn – Castellucci’s ultra-deep pipes plunge to below the basement depths, yet we sense that the speakers’ control and articulation at these extreme low reaches is enough to keep everything sounding remarkably intact.

The Everest come across as powerful and weighty, too, as you might expect from loudspeakers of this size and price. Our demo team want us to “have some fun”, and so Adriatique and Delhia de France’s pulsating rave tune The Future is Unknown kicks things up a gear – bass drum thumps land with proper wallop, vocals feel precise and well spotlighted, while assorted musical decorations are rarely lost amidst the clamour.

Midrange tones don’t appear to be put in the shade by any overpowering bass, either. If anything, those all-important middle frequencies punch through with remarkable gusto, an enthusiasm which sometimes threatens to tip over into hardness or over-eagerness.

Take that minor reservation with a very large heap of salt, though – these are very large speakers playing very loudly in a modest, poorly conditioned space, and such quirks are almost inevitable. Our overall impression is of a pair of speakers that blend fun and muscularity with considerable nuance and restraint, resulting in a demo that, while short, appeals as much to the heart as it does to the head.

The Summit Everest are JBL’s range-toppers in terms of both price and, from the little that we have heard, performance. As we are told during our sampler, the brand’s engineers were told: “don’t worry about the cost, don’t worry about the components, just make them sound as good as you can.”

Such money-no-object speakers don’t come around often, and while we imagine it can be tempting for designers and engineers to throw their cash around without the same care and attention reserved for more modestly priced models, we rarely had a sense of the Everest sounding like a throwaway indulgence. Proper sound is what we expected and, from what we hear, proper sound is what they deliver.

Are they worth their Olympian price tag? We’d need a lot more testing time to find that out.

We wonder if JBL gives out free samples…

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JBL is expanding its mountain-themed Summit range of high-end hi-fi speakers with two new models: the next-generation Everest and K2 loudspeakers.

The two new models join the Summit Makalu, Pumori, and the five-star Ama to round out the five-strong series, a line-up that, says, JBL, "represents the most technically accomplished loudspeakers" the brand has ever produced for domestic use.

As their name suggests, the new 3.5-way Everest are designed to be the peak of the Summit series, acting as the successor to four iterations of JBL's Project Everest loudspeakers. At the heart of each new speaker is a new mid-to-high frequency array consisting of three JBL 5cm dual-diaphragm drivers mated to a large 'Sonoglass' horn, as well as twin 25cm mid-bass drivers and dual 38cm differential drive woofers.

The K2, meanwhile, are billed as JBL's "most accomplished 15-inch 3-way floorstanding loudspeakers", with each housing three 4cm dual-diaphragm drivers, a 25cm differential drive mid-bass driver and a 38cm woofer, all aimed at providing outstanding dynamic precision and emotional immediacy.

The two new models share a host of JBL's most advanced speaker technologies, including 'MultiCap' crossover networks with minimised electrostatic resistance for improved power handling and lower distortion, as well as multi-braced, curved-wall cabinets designed to reduce internal standing waves within each speaker.

JBL's own 'IsoAcoustic' isolation feet seek to further preserve sonic purity and promote a tighter bass performance by decoupling each speaker from floor vibrations.

According to David Tovissi, Vice President of Harman Luxury Audio: “With Summit Everest and Summit K2, we are honouring four generations of legendary engineering while introducing technologies that move the state of the art forward. These are reference loudspeakers built for listeners who refuse to compromise and who recognise what it means to own the very best."

The new Summit Everest and Summit K2 are available in either gloss black and platinum or ebony wood and gold finishes. The Everest will set you back $160,000 per pair, whereas the K2 are a little more 'affordable' at a mere $100,000 per pair.

Both will be showcased at this year's High End Vienna showcase (4th to 7th of July), so if you've got tickets, it's worth digging out your crampons and seeking out JBL's latest mountainous marvels.

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We’ve always rather liked Tribit’s Stormbox Micro line of Bluetooth speakers. Tribit isn’t an established name in the same vein as Sony or JBL, yet it has produced a couple of charming, affordable portable speakers which, especially the Micro 2, exhibit real talent in the midrange frequencies. Plus, “Stormbox” sounds like it was named by Thor.

The problem with making a good budget Bluetooth speaker is that you’ve got to follow it up while meeting the challenge of newer, more capable rivals.

It’s no secret that JBL is the name ruling the Bluetooth speaker roost, and with the pocket-sized Go 5 recently earning a glowing five-star appraisal, the third-gen Stormbox Micro is going to have to work even harder than its predecessors if it doesn’t want to be out-muscled by the ever-advancing competition.

Price

You can get your hands on a Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 for around £63 / $65 / AU$130 approx, the same price at which the outgoing second-gen model started life.

At this more budget-friendly end of the cost ladder, the five-star JBL Go 5 clocks in at around £40 / $50 / AU$59 at the time of writing, and if you want to go even cheaper, you can get an older Go 4 for as low as £25 / $30 during sales events.

If you seek something a little more premium, the JBL Flip 7 tends to sit at roughly £110 / $150 / AU$170 at the time of writing, but again, it tends to enjoy decent discounts when the time is right.

Build

Build-wise, the Stormbox Micro 3 hasn’t deviated hugely from its five-star predecessor. Its flat, coaster-like design remains generally unchanged, with the top half of the speaker dominated by a woven textured grille and the bottom half clad in rubber to give you plenty of non-slip grip.

Large, bold volume buttons flank a circular play/pause toggle, which can also be used to summon Siri if held down for a few seconds. Those big, bold buttons do give the Tribit a clean and simple interface, but during our tests at least, we do find that they require quite a forceful press to elicit a response.

Backlit buttons for power, Bluetooth pairing, toggling XBoom and managing stereo mode/party mode are neatly housed on the speaker’s thin front-end, and thankfully, don’t require the same levels of brutish force for us to get them to cooperate.

View it from the top-down, and the new Stormbox is a bit chunkier than its outgoing ancestor, though the difference is slight – you’ll still manage to slide it into a backpack, perch it on the side of your bathtub (it’s waterproof, don’t worry!) or hold it in the palm of your hand without too much trouble. Thankfully, portability is still the name of the game here.

That said, we would’ve liked some kind of carry loop for taking the Tribit on your travels, such as you’d find adorning the side of the JBL Go 4 or larger Bose SoundLink Plus, although the Stormbox Micro 3 does have an elastic rubber strap at its base which Tribit bills as being attachable to bikes, bags and the like.

Forget the elastic strap, though, because what that base also has is magnetic powers. Yes, you can stick the Stormbox to pretty much any magnetic metallic surface you can find, and the novelty never wears off as we spend our time roving our office looking for places to stick our test sample. On the side of the fridge, attached to our boardroom whiteboard, stuck to a metal pillar outside… oh, the fun you can have.

Let’s return to the more technical side for a moment. Within, the Tribit boasts 13 watts of power driving a 48mm driver and dual coaxial passive radiators for producing what the brand describes as "crisp clarity and deep, punchy bass". More on that in a moment.

Features

Credit where it's due, Tribit has really bolstered the battery life for its third-gen Stormbox Micro. The Micro 2 gave you a very admirable 12 hours of playtime on a single charge, but that’s been doubled to a whopping 24 hours, a figure which trounces the roughly 10 hours of the JBL Go 5 and the 16 or so hours of the more expensive JBL Flip 7.

A big bonus for the Tribit and, we envisage, a major part of its potential appeal.

Speaking of battery, the Micro 3 also doubles as a powerbank, meaning you can juice up your smartphone on the go via USB-C – akin to the charging feature you’d find on the likes of the chunky JBL Charge 6. To have charging capabilities on a speaker this small is not something we’ve often seen, so kudos to Tribit for implementing it with the Micro 3.

Elsewhere, the third-gen speaker boasts an impressive IP68 water and dustproof rating, keeping it in line with the major class leaders at this price. Splash it with water or give it a quick soak in the sink, and that water-repellent body does a fine job of keeping those precious insides dry and working as they should.

Tribit has also granted support for True Wireless Stereo pairing with its latest Stormbox Micro, but note that this can only be done with two models of the same generation, so you won’t be able to dig out your old Stormbox Micro 2 and form a stereo pair with the new third-gen model.

Many of the above features can be managed and monitored by the Tribit app which, while not the most in-depth platform you’ll ever come across, is clearly laid out and easy to navigate thanks to its bold, uncluttered menus.

A nine-band customisable equaliser is nice to have as well, or you can select one of Tribit’s seven genre-led presets if you want the legwork done for you.

Sound

Judged on its own terms, the Stormbox Micro 3 is a reasonably capable performer. It’s quite a personable little speaker, and the sound that it produces does have some appeal, especially if you feed it tunes that play to its relative strengths.

The midrange where the outgoing Stormbox Micro 2 excelled, and as we listen to a slice of Nick Cave’s Into My Arms, we discern that those particular talents haven’t entirely skipped a generation. Cave’s voice is fairly rich and full, with the Tribit spotlighting the Aussie crooner nicely as his emotive sincerity shines through.

Tribit’s promise of a fulsome lower end also rings reasonably true, evidenced by the depth of the opening bass plucks on Noisettes’ Never Forget You. Depth and grip go hand in hand, giving adequate shape and texture to what can be, in the care of lesser speakers, amorphous rumbly tones.

At this price, the Stormbox Micro 3 has enough organisational ability to stop music falling over itself or feeling as jumbled as a load of socks flying around inside a tumble drier.

Detail levels across the frequency range – piercing highs, sweet mids and deep lows – are decent for a speaker of this size, even if we do notice some occasional hardness in the upper reaches, such as when we play Rosalía’s complex, operatic Berghain.

The Micro 3 is a decent Bluetooth speaker, then, but it’s simply not a class leading one, a fact that is spotlighted when put up against the JBL Go 5. Practically everything that the Stormbox Micro 3 can do, the JBL can do at least as well, and that’s a real issue when it comes to recommending the former.

After all, why would you buy a Tribit at around £63 / $65 / AU$130 when you could pick up an equally talented Go 5 for cheaper at £40 / $50 / AU$59?

The Go 5 may be smaller in size and price, but sonically, it matches the Micro 3, even when playing at the highest volumes or pushed to challenge tricky tunes such as Berghain or Tool’s Forty Six & 2.

In fact, the JBL often outshines the Tribit, with its more adept rhythmic and dynamic handling bringing out the underpinning beats of Muse’s Madness with more confidence and skill than the slightly sluggish Stormbox.

JBL’s diminutive class leader is just as clear and detailed, too, and that’s again a problem when you consider the price disparity between the two. Switching back and forth between both while playing Debussy’s Sarabande, we find that we prefer the more rounded, punchy sound of the outstanding JBL.

We do like the Stormbox, but if we’re being honest, we like the JBL Go 5 quite a lot more.

Verdict

We had high hopes for the Stormbox Micro 3, especially considering that the two speakers which preceded it both earned five-star ratings. This is by no means a bad effort, and still feels in some ways like an improvement over its predecessors thanks to its bolstered feature set and solid sound.

Sadly for Tribit, the world has moved on. The JBL Go 5 is currently our top pick if you’re after an ultra-portable, ultra-budget Bluetooth speaker, and when it costs a good deal less than the Stormbox Micro 3 but sounds noticeably better, it makes Tribit’s effort a much tougher sell.

Review published: 29th May 2026

SCORES

• Sound 3
• Build 4
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the JBL Go 5

Also consider the JBL Flip 7

Best Bluetooth speakers tried and tested for every budget

It may seem like JBL unleashes a never-ending stream of products every year, and this is partly true.

Just this year, the American brand – which is also celebrating its 80th anniversary this year – has launched the Xtreme 5 and the Go 5 Bluetooth speakers, along with a new Live 4 wireless earbuds range, and the over-ear 780NC and on-ear 680NC noise-cancelling headphones – all in a variety of snazzy new colours.

There's also a brand-new JBL Sound Curve tuning announced for the flagship Tour One M3 headphones, which refines the sound quality to be more balanced and forgiving – and less bass-focused – to adapt to listeners wearing the headphones for longer and prevent them from getting fatigued.

And that's before we even get to the hugely popular Party Box speakers – not a core What Hi-Fi? category, but a big deal for JBL, which dominates 90 per cent of that particular market.

World domination – for the portables and headphones market in particular – is clearly on the brand's mind. I spoke to Jurjen Amsterdam, Harman Lifestyle's director of product marketing (EMEA) at JBL's HQ in Amsterdam (no relation), about the recent launches, anticipating trends, their target demographic, and market domination plans.

Despite the sheer number of products, there is method behind the launch madness. Jurjen Amsterdam says: "We try to manage product lines on a two year cycle. So last year we did the Charge 6 and Flip 7; this year it's Xtreme 5 and Go 5 for portables."

"Next year, most likely, it's going to be two other models... it looks like a lot, but it's always a two-year cycle."

It's an aggressive strategy that points to the brand's ambitions, but even then, JBL seems cautious about simply making products for the sake of it. The product cycle isn't necessary like clockwork, and it relies on the latest technology available, too – and the team also has to decide what not to include. For example, the interval between the JBL Charge 5 and Charge 6 was a good four years (albeit both available in April of those years), and new technologies such as Auracast sharing made way for the whole line-up to be refreshed.

Conversely, the new JBL Sound Curve – an adaptation of parent company Harman's target frequency curve – is currently only reserved for the Tour One M3 to signify their premium status, and hasn't been trickled down to the mid-priced Live range headphones/earbuds to ensure a clean delineation between the ranges.

The regular product cycle also allows JBL to keep its pulse on the ground and adapt to their target audience, as well as keep up with the demands of customers, who "expect us [JBL] to drive the competition and come up with new things".

Fresh new colours of green and orange standout against a sea of greige, black and even blue of its rivals, with some noting that the particular shade of orange chosen by JBL for the Live 780NC/680NC headphones matches the latest iPhone 17's orange finish.

That's not by accident. The product team (which also includes marketing and commercial working in a "triangle") tries to "forsee trends long enough in advance", says Jurjen. "Design trends, technology trends – all the colours that you see in the Live series, they don't have this colour just because we like them. This is part of a longer trend that we're trying to watch in terms of colours."

Despite the proliferation of JBL products, the brand doesn't like making products just for the sake of it.

"No – we don't want to make products because we can. We want to make products because we want to address a certain need from end consumers."

For the Live range, what JBL really wanted to focus on is "lifestyle", and the target demographic is aimed towards "Gen Z and up" – he drills down further to say 15 to around 30s is the target age range.

"It's most likely the price that people want to spend on a [pair of] headphones that will decide whether they go for a Live series or a Tour series."

Not everyone can splash out for the €349 for the Tour flagships, he says, and the gap between the budget Tune range and the Tour is quite a big one. This is where the middle-ground Live comes in: "This is the ultimate compromise of great quality, great noise cancelling, super comfortable and looks really nice," declares Jurjen.

The styling is an important part of the Live headphones and earbuds.

"Of course, a lot of people will buy the black finish," he says, "but we also want to give people the opportunity to buy in white, in blue, in green, in orange, in purple..." As we speak, Jurjen points to the younger influencers around us at the launch who are relishing wearing the colourful headphones and taking photos, as evidence of the brand's target demographic crowd that is "young, energetic, social" and likes sharing music.

"It literally fits the JBL brand – it's the core of the JBL target audience."

Even JBL's Headphones app opens to a montage of faces that run the gamut of identities. It's welcoming, diverse and youthful, but without ever trying too hard. You'd never guess the brand was pushing 80.

Passing the new Live 780NC over-ear headphones – which I decided to nab in its bright orange finish – to my colleagues in the What Hi-Fi? office, the general consensus seems to be that the colourful shade and styling stands out from the sea of plain, rather functional designs we see from other brands, even premium models from Sony and Bose.

Whether JBL's new mid-range model can reach the heights of five-star sound quality their more illustrious rivals achieve remains to be seen, of course. But it's an area what JBL is absolutely gunning for.

"In headphones, we would love to dominate."

Jurjen puts the headphones market into context. "Headphones is way bigger than all of the other things that we do put together. This is a 4 billion market in Europe. If we add portable audio, party box, gaming, wireless speakers, soundbars – if we add that all together, it's still less than headphones."

"In headphones, we're at 10-11 per cent market share. Of course we would like to grow that."

The headphones market is exceptionally tricky as there are over 300 brands vying for a piece of the pie. It's a big market dominated by one key player (Apple, particularly in wireless earbuds, with Sony and Bose in over-ears) that a lot of people spend a lot of money on.

"So we know, even this target audience we're aiming for, we know they have money to spend – because we see that they spend money on some of the higher range models."

"But the aim is to create credibility," he says. "Sony is a great example of that – you get five star reviews a couple of years in a row, nobody thought that Bose would ever lose that position. Sony now has that position. We believe that we equally have a good quality product."

I ask Jurjen if there's any particular trend that surprised him for this current cycle of products, that consumers were clamouring for?

"No. Not really; it's all about audio quality. It's all about design. It's all about wearing comfort." Ultimately, he says, the Live headphones and earbuds are a "very good alternative to what's out there in the market".

We certainly hope that's the case, as we still find there is a general dearth of really great recommendations in this £100-£200 mid-price range. We're currently testing the Live 780NC wireless headphones (£170), so stay tuned for a full review in due course.

MORE:

Two years on, I'm still waiting for this gaping hole in the wireless headphone market to be plugged

Read our JBL Tour One M3 review

The JBL Live 4 earbuds have a better case, new high fidelity drivers and enhanced noise cancellation

Just when you thought JBL couldn’t make its Xtreme portable Bluetooth speaker any more, er, extreme, it goes and blesses us with a fifth-generation model. And this one is not only waterproof and dust-proof – it is now drop-proof too.

The JBL Xtreme 5 can also put on a bit of a show thanks to new colourful, customisable edge lighting, which emits from two strips placed on the front of the speaker.

Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll discover there’s a lot more going on here than just a light show and a newfound sense of invincibility.

Price

The good news for prospective buyers is that the price of the JBL Xtreme 5 hasn’t really changed massively compared with its predecessor. It costs £330 / €350 / $400, while the Award-winning Xtreme 4 started life at £330 / €330 / $380 although it can be found significantly cheaper now, given it launched back in 2024.

It has a close rival in the shape of the five-star Bose SoundLink Max. This, too, originally launched in 2024 for £399 / €400 / $399, but at the time of writing, it can also regularly be found for less than its JBL counterpart.

Design and build

Like a bodybuilder who has bulked up for their first show of the season, the Xtreme has been beefed up by JBL for this latest incarnation.

Placed next to the previous version, the Xtreme 5 comes across as much more of a unit. The changes in proportions are immediately noticeable, and you could almost be forgiven for thinking this was actually a new step-up model.

Compared with the Xtreme 4, the Xtreme 5 is more than 1.5cm taller, just over one centimetre deeper, and nearly five centimetres wider. These figures don’t look like a lot on paper, but see the two together in reality and the difference in stature is obvious.

The 5 is also nearly one kilogram heavier, which you can feel as soon as you pick it up by the carry strap (which you’ll be pleased to know still includes a bottle opener as part of its design).

Speaking of the strap, the floating loops on top of the speaker have more clearance on the new model, making it slightly easier to attach than on its predecessor.

A couple of other design tweaks also enhance the Xtreme 5's broad chest. The built-in stand, which uses rubber bumpers along the front and back edges for stability, has increased in size, while the rubberised ‘fins’, which are dotted around the edges of each end of the speaker, are more robust to offer greater protection should it roll off your picnic bench.

The passive bass radiators at either end of the speaker are also bigger, which means the sense of theatre they offer as they pulse in time with your favourite tunes has a bit more visual impact.

And that’s before your eyes are attracted to those light strips on the front of the Bluetooth speaker. You can change their colour, the pattern they display, or you can turn them off completely.

The control buttons, which used to simply to sit directly on top of the speaker’s ruggedised fabric, have changed position slightly. They are now mounted on a large matte-finished panel on the top of the speaker (together with power, Bluetooth pairing, and Auracast buttons), which we think also adds to its perceived bulk.

Features

But it’s not just at the surface level where changes have been made – there has been a significant overhaul to the driver configuration of the Xtreme 5. Where previous generations used twin tweeters and twin woofers, the new speaker keeps the tweeters but ditches the woofers in favour of a single ‘racetrack’ driver positioned behind the JBL logo.

JBL claims the new driver can better handle the increased power of the new model, a by-product of which is that it can deliver more mid/bass than its predecessor.

The total power output of the Xtreme 5 is a claimed 130W when mains powered, 90W when running off the built-in battery. This compares with figures of 100W and 70W for the Xtreme 4.

The speaker supports Bluetooth 6 and Auracast – the latter allows you to pair two Xtreme 5s together to use in stereo, or to connect multiple compatible JBL speakers together, should you want music blasting throughout your house.

Charging the JBL Xtreme 5 is done through the USB-C connection on the back, and the speaker can power your smartphone or tablet through the same socket. It also supports lossless audio up to 24-bit/48kHz through a wired connection – although for most people that’s a nice to have feature, rather than an essential.

JBL has included a couple of technologies designed to aid sound quality. AI Sound Boost is always on and uses an algorithm to clean up low frequencies and reduce distortion; while Smart EQ analyses what you’re listening to in real time and can adjust the speaker’s delivery to suit, say, if you’re listening to music or a podcast.

In addition to helping you access the six different edge-lighting themes and alter the colours you see displayed, the JBL Portable app also allows you to access a new seven-band equaliser, should you want to tweak the out-of-the-box sound.

You can also form a stereo pair through the app and turn on Playtime Boost, which tweaks the sound so you can extend the battery life by four hours (as standard, you should be good for 24 hours of uninterrupted playtime).

We would steer clear of this particular feature unless you’re really desperate. It dramatically reduces the bass output of the speaker and makes the overall sound leaner and more compressed.

Sound

Avoid that setting, though, and the JBL Xtreme 5 does not disappoint.

Play Ed Sheeran’s Shivers and you can immediately hear that increase in power. As the track bursts into life during those first few seconds, you get a much greater sense of scale and size compared with the Xtreme 4.

You’re not buying a Bluetooth speaker for its stereo imaging, more for its spread of sound, and the JBL takes filling our modestly sized test room in its stride. Take the speaker outdoors and crank it up, though, and things get even more impressive.

The speaker laps up high volume levels and can easily go loud enough to power a summer party or annoy the neighbours, depending on your mood.

There’s plenty of bass weight – even with the Xtreme 5 firing out into the great wilderness, the track’s deep, probing bassline makes its presence felt. Impressively, though, it doesn’t overpower the rest of the track – Sheeran’s expressive vocals still take centre stage.

The other thing that strikes us about the JBL is how much clearer it sounds than its predecessor. It makes the Xtreme 4 sound hazy and cluttered in comparison.

Play Run by Stephen Fretwell, and there’s more separation around the individual elements, so you can hear what each one brings to the music.

You can inspect around the edges of that crisply defined percussion and piano, but the whole presentation remains cohesive, and the track remains confidently knitted together with the lead vocal at the centre. It’s still a hugely musical listen and captures the slow, gentle rhythmic flow and rise and fall of the track.

We switch between battery and mains power, and can hear a small injection of punch and solidity when we tap into that bigger power figure. It’s not a huge jump, though, and we think you’ll be satisfied whichever way you decide to use the speaker.

Verdict

Just when we were starting to wonder how JBL could improve things with yet another generation of Xtreme, it goes and beats what came before.

The Xtreme 5 is a beefier design than previous versions. Not only does it have greater sonic presence, but it also has a newfound sense of clarity, which elevates sound quality to a new level. And that’s bad news for its closest rivals. Bravo, JBL.

Review published: 13th May 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 4
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our Bose SoundLink Max review

Want something cheaper? Check out the JBL Charge 6

Our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers for every budget

With any luck, everyone knows by now that even the best-sounding TVs sound pretty rubbish by home cinema standards.

But we don't all have the space, budget or patience for a full system comprising an AV receiver, speaker package and the cables required to wire everything up.

In truth, even the super-popular soundbar systems that typically combine a bar, a wireless subwoofer and two wireless surrounds (the Samsung HW-Q990H, for example) are “too many boxes” for many people.

So, what’s the solution for those who’ve forked out for a gorgeous, premium TV and want equally gorgeous sound without all of the boxes and/or cables?

The premium solo soundbar, that’s what. In fact, that’s exactly the problem that the soundbar was originally designed to solve.

These days, a premium soundbar is a very sophisticated bit of kit that typically combines svelte styling with effective Dolby Atmos processing for movies and games, plus music streaming, simple operation, and the option to add additional speakers further down the line.

Here, we’re pitching four such soundbars against one another.

The benchmark is the Sonos Arc Ultra – the successor to the multi-Award-winning Arc and now an Award-winner in its own right.

This is a soundbar that really nails the confluence of simplicity and sound quality, and, being a Sonos product, the Arc Ultra also functions as a multi-room speaker for music.

The Sonos Arc Ultra and Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 have met before, albeit in slightly different circumstances, with the Sony priced much higher.

These days, you can usually get it for the same price as the Sonos, making the head-to-head far hotter, especially as the Bar 9 has features that the Arc Ultra does not, such as DTS:X support and HDMI passthrough.

This isn’t a head-to-head test, though: two newer soundbars are looking to disrupt the Sonos vs Sony scuffle.

The first of those is the very fancy LG Sound Suite H7. As the name suggests, this is a component in LG’s new Sound Suite family of speakers, but it’s also a Sonos Arc Ultra-rivalling soundbar in its own right.

Finally, but most unusually, we have the JBL Bar 1000MK2, which, as you may have spotted, isn’t really a solo soundbar.

However, we’ve decided to include it here as the ability to connect the surround speakers to the main bar means it can function as a solo bar – albeit one that also comes with a subwoofer.

Which of these premium soundbars deserves the spot beneath your lovely TV? Let Dolby Atmos battle commence!

Picking a winner

Each of these premium soundbars proves that you don’t need a stack of separates and a room full of speakers to get genuinely enjoyable cinematic sound from your TV.

Of course, they all tackle that challenge in slightly different ways.

The JBL leans into flexibility and sheer spectacle, the LG focuses on design and cutting-edge tech, the Sony majors on immersion and detail, and the Sonos aims to blend simplicity, sophistication and sonic excellence into one sleek package.

4. LG Sound Suite H7

All four are good products in their own right, but there is a clear hierarchy here, and in fourth place is the LG Sound Suite H7.

The H7 is certainly an interesting proposition. Its styling is refreshingly different from the norm, and those who own a compatible LG TV will appreciate the way it integrates visually and functionally with the screen. It’s also packed with features, including Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which will be a real boon if you decide to expand your system in the future.

There’s no denying, either, that the H7 sounds impressive out of the blocks. It goes loud, delivers plenty of bass weight and throws effects around the room enthusiastically enough to create a decent sense of scale.

Ultimately, though, it lacks the refinement and subtlety of the best soundbars here. Dynamics are a little blunt, detail levels aren’t especially high, and there’s a hardness to its delivery that can become fatiguing over longer listening sessions. Dolby Atmos effects are present, but they don’t knit together cohesively enough to fully convince.

It’s a decent soundbar, then, but against this level of competition, decent simply isn’t enough.

Read the full LG Sound Suite H7 review

3. JBL Bar 1000MK2

Third place goes to the JBL Bar 1000MK2 – and this one is perhaps the trickiest to judge.

Strictly speaking, it’s not really a solo soundbar at all, thanks to the inclusion of a wireless subwoofer and detachable surround speakers. But because those surrounds can be physically attached to the main unit, we felt it deserved a place in this test – and we’re glad we included it.

There’s no question that the JBL delivers the biggest and most overtly cinematic presentation here. With the surrounds deployed, it creates an impressively expansive soundfield, and the dedicated subwoofer gives action scenes a level of low-end heft that the true solo bars simply can’t match.

It’s a hugely entertaining listen, too, with a bold, energetic character that makes blockbuster movies enormous fun.

The problem is that it’s not the most nuanced or controlled performer on test. Bass can occasionally become overbearing, subtle details are sometimes overshadowed by sheer bombast, and musicality isn’t really its strong suit. In stereo music playback, particularly, the Sonos and Sony sound noticeably more balanced, cohesive and sophisticated.

If your priority is maximum home cinema impact with minimum hassle, the JBL remains a very appealing option. But as an all-round premium soundbar package, it falls short of the class leaders.

Read the full JBL Bar 1000MK2 review

2. Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Which brings us to the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9.

When this soundbar first launched, its pricing made it difficult to recommend wholeheartedly, but now that it can regularly be found for around the same money as the Sonos Arc Ultra, it becomes a much stronger proposition.

And it really is an excellent soundbar. Sony has managed to produce an impressively spacious and immersive presentation from a single bar, with Dolby Atmos effects projected with remarkable precision. Its sense of verticality is particularly convincing, and it fills a room with sound more effectively than almost any rival.

It’s detailed and dynamic, too, with crisp dialogue, excellent placement of effects and plenty of punch when movie soundtracks demand it. The inclusion of HDMI passthrough and DTS:X support also gives it a useful edge in the features department.

Ultimately, though, while the Sony is deeply impressive, it doesn’t quite achieve the same all-round balance and naturalness as the Sonos. There are moments where its presentation becomes just a touch forward or forceful, and while it sounds spectacular with movies, it’s not quite as consistently musical or cohesive across all content types.

Read the full Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 review

1. Sonos Arc Ultra

The Sonos Arc Ultra nails the brief.

It delivers Dolby Atmos with scale, precision and convincing height effects, but it never loses sight of subtlety or cohesion in the pursuit of spectacle. Dialogue is crystal clear, effects are expertly placed, and there’s an openness and spaciousness to the presentation that makes movie soundtracks utterly engrossing.

Crucially, it’s also the most musical soundbar here. Whether you’re watching films, gaming or simply streaming music, the Sonos sounds balanced, expressive and refined in a way that its rivals can’t quite match.

The lack of HDMI passthrough will be an annoyance for some, and the Sonos app isn’t quite back to its slick best yet, but many buyers are unlikely to bother with the app after initial setup and the superb performance of the Arc Ultra far outweighs those relatively minor niggles.

The Sonos Arc Ultra will surely be beaten one day – but today isn’t that day.

Read the full Sonos Arc Ultra review

JBL's wireless earbuds might not hold the same kind of sway as Sony or Bose's, but they usually perform well – our JBL Live Pro 2 review was five stars, and three years after launching, they still feature on our list of best wireless earbuds. So a new pair is big news.

The JBL Live 4 series promise improvements all round – a better case giving you more options, new drivers for better sound quality, and improved noise cancellation. You also get more colours to choose from. All of which sounds good to us.

The JBL Live 4 comes in three wearing styles: Buds, Beam and Flex. Buds are a standard wireless earbud design; Beam is a stem design with ear tips; and Flex is a stem design that sits in the outer ear for a more relaxed fit.

The new drivers promise clearer sound and deeper bass, while "new, enhanced algorithms" should enhance the active noise cancellation, though there's no word on by how much.

The Smart Charging Case from the JBL Live Beam 3 returns, and it has some improvements. The screen is bigger, with a new user interface, and it lets you swipe to check notifications, skip songs and change the equaliser (EQ) settings. You can also add your most used features to the home screen for easy access. And you can personalise it with background themes or a picture.

Calls should be clear thanks to the new AI-trained algorithm that should cancel out more background noise to prioritise voices.

Of course, it'll all hinge on how these earbuds sound, and here JBL has a strong track record.

All JBL Live 4 models are available now for £180 (around $245 / AU$340). The JBL Live Beam 4 and Live Flex 4 come in Black, Blue, Green, Silver, Orange, Purple and Sand finishes, while the JBL Live Buds 4 come in Black, Blue, Silver and Sand.

The JBL Live 780NC and Live 680NC that we covered previously are also out today, costing £180 (around $240 / AU$340) and £130 (around $175 / AU$240) respectively.

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Read our JBL Live Pro 2 TWS review

For What Hi-Fi? readers at least, playing music directly from your smartphone may be the most cardinal of all cardinal sins. To take your music and subject it to being squeezed through your iPhone’s tinny little speakers is, to some at least, the equivalent of cooking a dry-aged steak in a microwave and then slathering it in a small mountain of ketchup.

This, in part, is why the JBL Go 5 exists. The fifth generation of JBL’s very affordable Bluetooth speaker is built to be almost as portable as your smartphone itself, but with boosted sonic capabilities that won’t leave your music sounding as though it’s been put through the metaphorical microwave.

The first JBL Go came out back in 2018, and since then, JBL has been steadily refining the line by adding more features, tweaking the dinky design and refining that all-important sonic output. The Go 4 was the former high water mark, but 2026’s new model is now on the scene – and, from what we’ve heard, this fifth-generation model might be the best Go yet.

Price

You can all breathe a sigh of relief because, while the world’s financial markets may be in turmoil, some things are blessedly immune from inflation. The JBL Go 5 clocks in at the same price as its predecessor, once again costing a wallet-friendly £40 / $50 / AU$59 at the time of writing.

If you want something cheaper, your best bet is probably to plump for a now-discounted JBL Go 4, which can sink as low as £28 / $30.

There are a few comparable speakers knocking around at this near-entry-level price point. The five-star Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 tends to hover around the £45 / $46 mark; and you can now grab its less successful successor, the Stormbox Micro 3 for around £63 / $65.

Build & design

Unlike a former child star losing their chocolate box looks once they hit their troubled adolescence, the Go is just as cute as it has ever been. It’s a tiny bit larger than the fourth-gen Go, but the slight increase in size is perceptible only if you place the two generations next to each other.

Once again, we’re dealing with a very small, square(ish) speaker that is only slightly bigger than a pack of cards or a bar of soap.

Times have changed, however, so there are a few extra aesthetic developments beyond mere size. The Go 5’s front-mounted ‘JBL’ lettering logo has been rather cleverly hollowed out, so there should be less impediment to the sound from the driver reaching your ears.

Plus, JBL has added lighting to the party, which you can customise and switch on/off via the JBL Portable app. Twin strips of white lights run parallel across the top and bottom of the main speaker face, with four stock light themes – ‘Bounce’, ‘Loop’, ‘Switch’ and ‘Freeze’ – from which to choose.

Is it strictly necessary? No, of course not. Is it a fun touch for an ultra-portable speaker aimed at people who don’t want their portable audio taking things too seriously? Yeah, we’d say so.

Elsewhere, it’s much the same as before, and that doesn’t raise many complaints from us. Rubberised edging surrounds practically the entire unit, with large play/pause and volume controls housed at the top of the speaker and the power, Bluetooth pairing and Auracast icons spread vertically down the left hand side, all of which are easy to use and responsive to the touch.

At the bottom, JBL’s signature diagonally slanted ridges have been replaced by a rubberised bulge, but we don’t find that has much of a negative effect on how much the speaker grips to horizontal surfaces.

At the top right of the unit is a handy, non-adjustable carry loop, one that we find remains durable and robust no matter how many times we spin it around on an outstretched finger.

In fact, the entirety of the Go 5 just feels so well made that we’d bet a small chunk of cash that, barring a nuclear apocalypse or the battery running dry, it will last for many years to come. That IP68 rating means that an aggressive outdoor hosing leaves no lasting impression, and as our test sample(s) accompany us from the bottom of a backpack to the end of the garden, they take everything cheerily in their stride.

Features

Considering how small and cheap the Go 5 is, you’re not exactly starved of features. If you have the latest Flip 7 or Charge 6 speakers, many of the same features have been carried over to the fifth-gen Go, and there are even a few new tricks that are exclusive to the smallest member of the portable JBL family.

Check this out for a party piece: the Go 5 is capable of ‘AirTouch’ stereo pairing, and it really is exactly as described. Get two Go speakers together, tap them together end to end and, almost unfailingly, they’ll emit a chime of approval and form a stereo pair. You can also do this in the provided app, but what sort of fun is that?

Stereo pairing is easier than ever to set up and use, and the technology seems to have been improved since we tried it last. Our JBL Go 4 review griped that we would have liked slightly better sound synchronisation between our two speakers when playing in stereo, but we don’t now detect a noticeable delay from one speaker to the other when music is being shared by two speakers.

There’s a lot more packed into the teeny tiny Go 5. Auracast Bluetooth compatibility is back, bringing the Go 5 in line with the current JBL Flip 7, Charge 6 and new Xtreme 5 models and letting you connect multiple compatible JBL speakers together either via the on-unit button or via the JBL Portable app.

Battery life has been bolstered just a little, with the Go 5 squeezing out roughly eight hours of standard playtime, with an additional two hours via Playtime Boost. This is an increase over its predecessor’s seven hours of standard time and maximum of nine with Playtime Boost.

Do be aware that Playtime Boost should be seen as a ‘last resort’ option, as this feature will suck out most of the bass from your speaker’s output and make things sound unbalanced and rather thin. More of a ‘break glass in case of emergency’ kind of a thing if you desperately need to extend your power use.

Sound

JBL’s palm-sized Go 5 promises improved audio with a fuller, deeper bass than its antecedent, thanks in part to its 45mm driver and that hollow-contour logo working in tandem to “level up sound output and performance”.

“Level up” is a rather nice way to put it, and as we flit between the older-generation model and 2026’s fresh-from-the-oven fifth-gen iteration, it’s clear that this is the most sonically capable Go yet.

The Go 4 was a wonderful sonic surprise, but its successor does enough to trump it, treating us to a fuller, meatier reproduction that simply sounds more rich and engaging than its predecessor. There’s unquestionably more depth in the bass, too, though not to the extent that the lower end unnaturally dwarfs the rest of the frequencies and threatens to throw the entire reproduction off balance.

The Go 5 doesn’t try to do too much – instead, it gives us a hearty and surprisingly musical upgrade on anything that our tinny smartphone speakers could hope to muster. Relatively simple tunes, such Muse’s Madness, sound clean, composed and impressively clear through the midrange, while Turnstile’s crunchy rock anthem SLOWDIVE is dispatched with confidence and muscle as we shift things up a gear.

This is a speaker that can fit in the palm of your hand, yet it’s genuinely remarkable just how punchy and effusive the Go 5 is capable of sounding. Ludwig Goransson’s POSTERITY brims with energy when played via the JBL, and while this isn’t a speaker that will grant such a layered composition a huge amount of space, the feeling of rhythmic intent and cinematic drama comes through with real gusto.

Like almost all of the more recent JBL portables we’ve tested, the Go 5 is tuned to have an innate understanding of how your music should sound. Again, nothing here is overdone or overly coloured, but it shares its bigger siblings’ ability to go with the flow as we bounce around tracks and genres.

Is Nick Cave’s Avalanche the most well-organised and cinematic rendition you’ll ever hear? Of course not. Does the Go 5 capture the essential character of what Cave is trying to convey? Absolutely it does. Will bigger speakers offer more textural detail when playing Hans Zimmer’s The Battle? Undoubtedly. Do we ever feel as though the Go 5 is failing to communicate the inherent drama of the piece? No. In all honesty, we don’t.

The good news keeps coming, as the Go 5 steps in line with its latest-gen JBL counterparts by supporting 24-bit/48kHz lossless playback via USB-C. Hold down the speaker’s ‘play’ button as you plug in a USB-C cable and a happy sound will inform you that you’re now in wired playback mode.

We test lossless playback with Tidal playing on a connected iPhone 15, and find that our music sounds a touch clearer, crisper and more detailed when going wired compared with Bluetooth.

Just be aware that JBL doesn't tend to supply an in-box USB-C charging cable any more (as is increasingly standard for most brands, in a bid to minimise electronic waste), but we imagine most users will have a spare one knocking around these days, so that shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Verdict

Laurel resting doesn’t seem to be JBL’s thing at the moment, especially when it comes to its strong line of portable Bluetooth speakers.

The Go 5 is the best Go yet, thanks to its handsome feature-set, stylish portable design and, for a speaker of its size and price, excellent audio quality. If you’re still playing your music through your phone’s speakers, it may be time to consider upgrading to one of JBL’s pocket-sized dynamos, because the Go 5 really is the real deal.

Review published: 8th May 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 5

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Check out the best Bluetooth speakers we've tested

Right around this time last year, I was packing for a rare holiday abroad, and I thought it would be a great idea to pack a little Bluetooth speaker.

With my Sonos Roam having failed a few months earlier, I had to buy something with my own money.

On a near-zero budget, I of course headed over to our list of best budget Bluetooth speakers and ordered the cheapest option – the JBL Go 4.

My, what a brilliant little speaker it is! Despite the super-low cost of just £30ish and the pocketable dimensions, the Go 4 sounds clean, controlled and surprisingly weighty. It goes much louder than I expected, too.

Needless to say, the Go 4 was a hit on our holiday, and it’s had plenty of use since, particularly in the garden, where it hangs handily off one of the utensil pegs of my barbecue.

I’ve recommended it to lots of people, too, including my dad, who also bought one and thinks it's brilliant.

Quite incredibly, though, I recently found a Bluetooth speaker that makes the JBL look expensive. That speaker is the smallest model in Ikea’s (yes, that Ikea) Vappeby range, and it costs just £10.

A tenner for a Bluetooth speaker from a reputable brand? That’s nuts. So nuts, I just had to buy one.

Unboxing

The Vappeby doesn’t hide its cheapness particularly well.

Thicker and more cube-like than the JBL, it has a hard plastic finish and no branding. A bit “My First Speaker”, but not without charm – the perforated front is neat, and the striped strap is really rather fetching.

And it looks cheap because it is cheap, which is perfectly fair enough.

The little Vappeby is waterproof, too, which is pretty generous for a speaker costing only a tenner, and it charges via USB-C – although it’s worth noting that you don’t get a cable with it, let alone a full charger.

Charging isn’t something you’ll need to do often, at least, because Ikea claims a fully charged Vappeby will play music at 50 per cent volume for 80 hours. Impressive stuff.

Sound quality

The problem, though, is that even just 20 minutes of listening to the Vappeby is too long.

Even the sound effects that play when you power the speaker on or put it into pairing mode are shrill and tinny.

Play some actual music and the rendition is small, thin and congested. Voices are reedy and sibilant, while instruments blur together into a bright, indistinct mix.

I kid you not, listening to music via my iPhone’s built-in speakers is actually preferable overall to listening via the Vappeby.

The little Ikea isn’t a complete bust: it goes fairly loud for a dinky speaker, and even at full volume it still has some headroom left to deliver some dynamic range.

A £30 benchmark

But it’s completely demolished by the Go 4 in every way. JBL’s even smaller speaker is coherent, smooth, relatively bassy, detailed and natural-sounding. It’s actually a joy to listen to, which the Vappeby decidedly is not.

And that’s the problem for the Ikea speaker: it’s a really unpleasant listen.

It might seem that I’m being harsh on a little speaker that costs just £10, but why would you want to spend £10 to make your music sound even worse than it does coming out of your phone?

You wouldn’t, is my guess. So don’t buy the Ikea Vappeby, is my advice. Save a little more and buy the JBL Go 4 instead – you won’t regret it.

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Check out our full JBL Go 4 review

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Famed American brand JBL has been making all sorts of audio products for its impressive 80-year lifespan.

In that time, an absolute raft of speakers, amplifiers and portables have been served up by one of the most dominant and productive names in audio, with JBL growing from making domestic loudspeakers to pouring out a host of hi-fi, headphones and portable speakers to become one of the most respected brands of its type in the world. Chances are, you own at least a JBL Bluetooth speaker – or you know somebody who does.

Yet across almost all categories of consumer audio, competition has rarely been so fierce. Apple continues to dominate the wireless earbuds space, whereas myriad novice brands are using aggressively priced, feature-laden offerings to upset the market and undermine the established order.

It’s a scary, ever-changing world out there, so how does JBL reflect on 80 years in the business, and how does it plan to ensure that it makes it to at least 80 more?

To find out, we headed to the company’s Los Angeles headquarters to speak to Sharon Peng, Senior Vice President of Harman, and Mikael Herje, Director of Global Headphones, to talk about the past, present and future of JBL.

Ahead of the curve: JBL’s audio philosophy

To understand JBL’s sonic philosophy, it’s useful to have a little historical context. When James B. Lansing (hence ‘JBL’) started speaker and driver production in 1946, he did so at a pivotal moment in audio history wherein loudspeakers were becoming more ingrained into both the public and private listening spheres.

In 1946, JBL produced the D130 driver, the company’s first mass-produced loudspeaker unit which was used in cinemas, hi-fi systems, guitar amplifiers and even concert systems. By the 1960s and 1970s, it was producing the likes of the C38 Baron, a compact enclosure for domestic use, and the L100-A, the iconic ‘Quadrex’ grille-fronted speaker designed to bring modern acoustic engineering into the home.

At the same time, JBL speakers were soundtracking some of the biggest events in musical history. The 1969 Woodstock festival, perhaps the most famous live music event of all time, used JBL speaker components to power the likes of Jimi Hendrix and The Who, while 1974’s Cal Jam festival saw JBL part of the loudest sound system ever assembled at the time.

JBL’s sound, therefore, was informed by both home and large-scale use, with two very different use cases – public and private – feeding into one unified sonic philosophy. Music had to sound, according to JBL, energetic and alive, but it also had to retain the clarity and intimacy of the original recording. Straddling that particular line has been integral to 80 years of the company’s sonic philosophy.

The famous Harman Curve, meanwhile, continues to be the anchor point for the tuning of JBL’s audio output.

The curve essentially offers a specific target frequency response, based on Harman’s own series of controlled tests. And, for example, with the newly adjusted JBL Tour One M3 flagship over-ears, the brand has added around 3-5dB to the 4-8kHz range and refined the low-to-mid range for a “cleaner, more natural soundstage”.

The Harman Curve continues to guide audio production, but it isn’t the only way of ensuring consistent audio quality. “We have a core panel of people with all different kinds of backgrounds,” says Sharon Peng, including R&D sites in China, Denmark and a large engineering team in Northridge, Los Angeles.

These 40-strong panels are trained to listen to each JBL product critically, ensuring consistent, in-depth feedback during the research and development stages of production.

Competing with giants

It’s a tough question, but somebody has to ask it: how does JBL plan to compete with its heavyweight rivals? Especially in those product areas which are so heavily dominated by certain, seemingly immovable brands. For Bluetooth speakers, it is, perhaps, not such a problem – JBL is easily the market leader in both the US and Europe, with a 34 per cent volume share of the market in 2019.

In other categories, though, it’s trickier to carve out such success. A US study from 2022 found that Apple or Apple-owned brand Beats accounts for roughly 50 per cent of all wireless headphones/earbuds sold in the US, with JBL holding firm with around 11 per cent. That’s a strong showing, no doubt – but it could be stronger.

How? According to Mikael Herje, the answer still lies not only in JBL’s commitment to constantly improving its sound, but in the brand’s versatility. In terms of headphones, “We lead with a headphone that fits everyone, but also on the universal play part – you can connect to any device from any source – that’s kind of unique to us.”

JBL has to offer something unique to the market, all while staying true to its own audio philosophy. For Sharon Peng, that philosophy is expressed in three words: “It’s powerful, it’s dynamic, it’s energetic. For each category, we’re trying to set the bar higher.”

A willingness to adapt to the market doesn’t hurt, either. Changes in the Harman Curve showcased on the tweaked Tour One M3 came about due to changes in users’ listening habits.

With listeners wearing products longer than before, the desire to produce a more forgiving sonic signature became important in order to prevent user fatigue. So the brand aimed for a more balanced sonic signature with less emphasis on bass reproduction.

An exciting new space

Spatial audio is set to be an important thread in JBL's future.

The company’s Harman-owned headquarters feature entire rooms dedicated to the development and refinement of spatial technology, including a bespoke mixing studio and an immersive demonstration room which uses a multi-speaker array to showcase JBL’s development in this exploding area.

We are treated to a demonstration in partnership with Flux’s ‘SPAT’ technology, a creative engine which helps sound engineers design, perform, and deliver immersive audio for live events. And it’s hard not to be impressed by both a bespoke demonstration video and a rendition of Elton John’s Rocket Man as it bounces around the in-built speaker array above, in front of and behind our heads.

JBL is going big on spatial audio – which it sometimes refers to as ‘immersive audio’ – as a means of taking sound beyond the limits of mere audio resolution. According to Sharon Peng, spatial audio “stimulates more areas of the brain than traditional stereo”, boosting the music’s emotional impact and placing the listener “in a believable environment”.

Headphones and earbuds such as the JBL Tour Pro 3 and JBL Tour One M3 have already implemented spatial sound within their specification lists, with JBL keen to push the tech further into the future.

For Mikael Herje, spatial audio isn’t for everyone, but its implementation in certain areas is only going to grow as time goes on. For gamers, for instance, “the spatial feature is very important for the gamer to feel like they’re immersed in the situation. Our R&D team is doing some advanced research, focusing on gaming headphones and our premium sector of the Tour series [of wireless headphones].”

80 more years?

80 years is an impressive milestone for any company, but you can bet that JBL will want to be celebrating quite a few more anniversaries in the future. The world of audio has changed profoundly since James B. Lansing helped develop JBL’s first mass-production drive unit back in 1946, and you can guarantee that it will change even more as technological innovations continue at an increasingly frightening pace.

Where, then, does JBL fit into that future? And, more importantly, how does it plan to shape it? For Harman CTO Armin Prommersberger, AI and cross-platform integration are going to be integral to near-future development.

Harman’s CTO sees a world of audio that is far more connected, with a smart ecosystem of devices communicating and communicating across speakers, headphones, mobile devices and even car audio.

What about that AI? For Prommersberger, it’s a big deal: “The future speaker analyses what you’re playing, how loud you like it, and then adjusts it in real time,” meaning hardware can push beyond physical limitations to create a sound that is more attuned to the user’s individual needs.

JBL has already used its real-time ‘Sound Boost’ audio processing technology that uses AI algorithms to maximise speaker performance for the likes of the Charge 6 and Flip 7 portables, with the same tech now coming to the upcoming Xtreme 5 and Go 5, too.

Sharon Peng agrees that AI is already taking JBL’s sound beyond the limits of physical hardware: “With AI, you can go to the limit to get better sound. We have AI for voice clarity for the soundbars, so you will hear much clearer voice communication. Dynamically, we’re using an AI model to enhance the human voice.”

Whatever happens, keeping the consumer in mind remains a core priority, with both Peng and Herje emphasising the need to keep that signature JBL sonic philosophy at the heart of every product, be it a pair of £100 wireless earbuds or a high-end set of hi-fi speakers.

“The thing is, our standard is the same, but there is a limitation on the physical side depending on hardware,” says Peng. “But in our mind, the standard is the same".

“It has to be consistently repeatable across all the production levels. All of those design principles and system optimisation need to converge. We want to make sure we reach a certain level, subject to materials.”

80 years is a long time to be in the game, and in that time, JBL has produced some legendary products, from its legendary JBL L100 icons to its ever-dominant series of Bluetooth speakers. Whatever the future holds, we're excited to see what the next 80 years has in store for JBL.

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Spatial audio can be a divisive issue for hi-fi and audio fans.

The burgeoning technology has gained huge traction over the past few years, with various forms of surround tech – Dolby Atmos being perhaps the most prominent – seeking to redefine the listening experience by going beyond traditional two-channel stereo and placing musical elements more precisely across an immersive, three-dimensional space.

Sometimes the effect is thrilling. Sometimes it leaves your music feeling pulled apart and strained; or else simply lacking the intended effect of giving songs or movies that truly cinematic, all-surrounding feel.

Multiple factors, such as the quality of the product you’re using and the signal processing tech used to render that spatial experience, naturally have a profound effect on how much you’re going to get from the experience. A pair of cheap wireless headphones is going to struggle to replicate the full effect of a multi-channel surround system, for instance.

Speaking of which. As part of JBL's 80-year anniversary celebrations, I recently went on a tour of the famous Larrabee Sound Studios in Los Angeles. The site has played host to the likes of Michael Jackson and Fleetwood Mac, with multiple recording studios helping to birth hit after heady hit.

It’s a fantastic facility for lovers of musical history, but one room in particular grabbed me by the ears. Studio 4 is Larrabee’s dedicated Dolby studio, designed to mix songs specifically in Dolby Atmos by placing sounds, or ‘objects’, across a three-dimensional spatial field rather than simply rendering them across left and right stereo channels.

This is a properly dedicated facility, a specialist space designed to make spatial audio shine. If you’re not going to become a prostrated convert here, in all likelihood you’re not going to become one at all.

The setup in this room includes Augspurger cabinets as the main monitor system, as well as Meyer Sound Ultra X20 surrounds and Meyer Sound Ultra X23 overheads. If you want the full equipment list, you can find it on Larrabee's official website.

The demonstration I receive is brief, but it’s enough to leave a lasting impression. Breezy indie-funk hit Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man pumps out through the multi-speaker system, with the monitors at the front handling the bulk of the cargo as those sprinkled musical elements – bass guitars, backing vocals, the occasional one-off musical effect – bounce and fly behind and above me courtesy of the on-wall monitors dotted around the room.

The rendition is one of the most impressive implementation of Dolby Atmos I have heard. Forget soundbars and wireless headphones – this is the technology being used as the engineers intended. And that really shows in how precisely each sonic element is placed within its particular location.

Feel It Still doesn’t sound simply like a spatialised or processed rendition, but rather a wholesale reinvention of a familiar track that shines anew and grants the tune an entirely new aspect. Not only does everything sound distinct, but the spatial effect seems to transform the listener’s perspective. For perhaps the first time, I am hearing music not as an observer but, it feels, like an active participant.

It’s a strange sensation, but a thrilling one. As musical strands fly and float around their various locations across the soundstage, the boundary between music and listener seems far more permeable than when listening from a fixed source.

Perhaps it’s the nature of being in the middle of the storm, perhaps it’s the multi-thousand dollar equipment in play, but this feels like Dolby Atmos doing what it's supposed to do – dropping you into the heart of the music itself.

Spatial performances can often sound confused, muddled or simply incapable of producing the intended ‘immersive’ effect, but Larrabee’s facility seems capable of genuinely fooling the ear into believing that sounds are emanating from their intended location.

Sometimes, the effect is even exaggerated, so that distant echoes appear to be emanating from a space far beyond the confines of what is still a modestly sized listening space. For instance, when an instrument is supposed to sound ‘distant’, it really does appear as though it could be coming from another room entirely.

Okay, not everyone can afford to rent out one of the most renowned recording studios in the United States, but what Studio 4 at Larrabee does demonstrate is just what this controversial tech is capable of when it’s really firing.

So many renderings of spatial audio tech are aiming for something they don't really achieve, like a sketch artist trying to remember a painting from scratch. At Studio 4, however, this is a canvas being drawn exactly as the artist intended, with all of those particular elements appearing exactly where they are supposed to.

Spatial audio isn’t going anywhere, with many manufacturers (and quite a few sound engineers) doubling down on the technology. JBL’s SVP of Global Engineering, Sharon Peng, seems to think so, describing spatial audio as “more than surround sound”, and as something which is “dynamic, adaptive and emotional”.

The phrase “future of audio” was even uttered during our guided tour – though not by Sharon herself, we should point out.

The lesson here is that spatial audio can, in the right hands, be genuinely transformative. It’s still got a way to go if the tech is to trickle down into mind blowing headphones implantation, but the idea of immersive sound elevating music beyond the gains wrought by strides in audio resolution does seem to have some credibility.

Before, I wasn’t entirely convinced that that could be the case; now, I’m in danger of becoming a genuine convert. I just need to move to LA…

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Check out the best wireless headphones we've reviewed

It’s fair to say the quality of JBL’s flagship wireless headphones has been increasing gradually over the years, even if they haven’t been quite able to match their biggest rivals in the space such as Sony, Bose and Bowers & Wilkins.

We’ve already tested JBL’s current Tour One M3 over-ear flagships and deemed them solid four-star performers. And JBL will be hoping its latest move will go one step further in catching up with the competition.

So what has happened, exactly?

There’s been an interesting development, which looks like it’s ushering in a new direction for sound quality from the brand’s top headphones, starting with the Tour One M3.

JBL has tweaked what it calls its sound curve, which is a given target response that its headphones have been designed to meet.

According to JBL, users can expect “a sound that is clearer, more balanced, and truer to the artist”. It also claims that the updates will be “setting a new benchmark for precision and clarity”.

So, how do you get the new, improved audio quality? The sound curve change is available as a firmware update for the over-ears from today, 23rd April.

"The way people listen has fundamentally shifted with better hardware, higher-quality content and smarter streaming, making today's ears more discerning than ever.

"We are always striving to push the boundaries of sound performance and saw this as the perfect moment to refine the JBL sound curve for our premium headphones,” says Carsten Olesen, President of Consumer Audio at Harman.

With the change coming as a result of a firmware update rather than a hardware update, it will be interesting to hear how the sonic character changes and if it is indeed for the better.

JBL is also updating the interface of the Smart Tx transmitter, which is an accessory for the Tour One M3 over-ears and the interface of the charging case for its flagship Tour Pro 3 earbuds. They share many similar features and functions.

It’s promising a new menu system with horizontal and vertical scrolling, better graphics, larger icons and more intuitive layouts designed to make for a smoother user experience.

Last, but by no means least, the headphones and earbuds are also getting a new green finish (see above), complete with copper accents. It has been “Inspired by heritage British motorsport and modern luxury trends” and looks particularly striking in the images we’ve seen so far.

The new finish will be available from mid-May in select retailers and from JBL’s website, with pricing for the JBL Tour Pro 3 at £279.99 / €299.99, the JBL Tour One M3 £329.99 / €349.99, and the JBL Tour One M3 with Smart TX £379.99 / €399.99.

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Read our JBL Tour One M3 Smart Tx review

And our JBL Tour Pro 3 review

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By JBL’s own reckoning, the Summit Ama is the best standmounter it knows how to make. Let that sink in a little. JBL was founded back in 1946, and the decades of knowledge gained by making all sorts of speakers for use at home, in cinemas and concert venues, and for recording studios around the world, has led here. Few, if any, rival speaker manufacturers come close to this depth and breadth of experience

The Summit Ama is the smallest and only non-floorstanding option in JBL’s trio of Summit high-end speakers. All three are named after Himalayan mountains (the others are called the Summit Pumori and Summit Makalu). They all sit below the company’s well-established range-topping Everest DD67000 (£79,999 / $82,500) and K2 S9900 (£49,998 / $68,000) tower models in price and size.

Design & build

The Summit range’s technical highlight is undoubtedly the horn-loaded compression tweeter. JBL has decades of experience making such drivers, and the engineering in the D2815K unit used here in the Ama is impressive.

It uses dual 38mm annular Teonex diaphragms, two motor systems and is loaded by the company’s HDI (High Definition Imaging) horn.

The HDI horn is made of Sonoglass, a fibreglass-based material, and is carefully shaped to ensure that high frequencies disperse in a controlled way, both horizontally and vertically. The horn’s unusual profile also aims to reduce the distortions that are traditionally inherent in such designs.

Below the tweeter sits a 20cm triple-layer carbon fibre/cellulose hybrid composite mid/bass unit. This driver’s diaphragm sandwiches a closed-cell foam core between the carbon fibre/cellulose layers to achieve the balance of stiffness, low mass and internal damping that JBL’s engineers required.

The mid/bass’s motor system uses a ferrite magnet and has a cast aluminium chassis for rigidity. This driver is claimed to deliver high sound pressure levels with low distortion and good power handling. Its low-end output is tuned by a large, flared rear-facing port that sits just above the chunky set of biwire terminals on the back panel.

The Summit Ama’s two drivers are integrated by a carefully calibrated crossover network that swaps traditional large value capacitors for multiple smaller ones; a choice that reduces ESR ( internal resistance) and is claimed to result in lower distortion, increased power handling and better dynamics.

Physically, this JBL is a chunky design, standing almost 48cm tall and around 31cm wide. The cabinet depth is pretty substantial at 34cm, and when mounted on their dedicated supports, the speakers will certainly dominate in most typical small rooms in the UK.

Build quality is excellent. The Ama’s cabinets feel rock solid and nicely damped. They are substantial at just over 26kg each, so they need care in installation. There are two finish options, black or ebony veneer, both in high gloss. The overall effect may be a touch brutish for some tastes, but there is no denying the care taken in fit and finish.

Those aluminium stands are substantial affairs with twin pillars and isolating IsoAcoustics soft feet rather than the spikes we normally see. Some thought has been given to cable management to keep things tidy, which is something we wish more manufacturers would take seriously. The Summit Ama bolt onto the stand to keep things secure.

Compatibility

JBL quotes the Summit Ama’s sensitivity at 84dB/W/m and its nominal impedance as 4 ohms, which suggests that a high-quality amplifier with plenty of power is probably the way to go. Our experience reinforces this idea. We get great results with our 180-watt-per-channel Burmester 088/911 MkIII amplifier combination.

There is no point in spending so much on a pair of speakers if the partnering system is in any way compromised. Our sources are Naim’s ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and a Technics SL-1000R/Kiseki Purpleheart record player feeding the aforementioned Burmester pre/power or a PMC Cor high-end integrated. Cables are premium options from Chord Cables and Vertere Acoustics.

The Summit Ama prove relatively unfussy about positioning in our 3 x 7 x 5m (hwd) test room. They need a bit of space to breathe, so don’t be tempted to put them close to a wall or corner, as you’ll never really hear just how good they can sound.

After a bit of experimentation, we end up with them around 90cm into the room with just a little angling towards the listening position. It is worth taking some time to optimise the toe-in angle, as getting the best balance between solid stereo image focus and good soundstage width requires a little work.

Sound

Once properly set up, these speakers generate a huge sound that belies their relatively modest (by price standards) size. We are listening to 65daysofstatic’s Heat Death Infinity Splitter and are stunned by the wall of sound these JBLs produce. They sound bold and confident, generating a sense of solidity and authority that’s rare among high-end standmounters in our experience.

They sound earthy and physical, maybe lacking a touch of spaciousness some rivals produce, but compensating with a brawny, outgoing character that’s so easy to love. This muscular presentation is built on the foundations laid by the speaker’s weighty yet still pleasingly articulate bass performance. These standmounters delve deep and true at low frequencies, delivering a fullness and power in the bass that is unusual for a speaker of this size.

We find we’re listening much louder than usual. That’s because these JBLs retain their smoothness, refinement and composure even when pushed hard. Their highs may not be the sweetest we’ve heard, but there is no trace of unwanted tizz or edge, and the level of resolution is excellent.

Dynamics, both high and low level, are delivered with conviction. Not many alternatives are as good at resolving dynamic contrasts, and even fewer remain as interesting to listen to at low volumes. These JBL standmounts remain an entertaining proposition right down to whisper volumes, though it has to be said, they actively encourage the listener to turn the wick up.

All the work on optimising the horn shape works well. The Summit Ama’s sound remains surprisingly consistent as we move away from our main listening position. Their expansive imaging stays decently stable over an unusually wide listening area. We have no complaints about focus or the way these speakers layer the soundstage.

As we work through our most demanding test recordings (The Dark Knight OST by Hans Zimmer, Massive Attack’s Mezzanine and Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring), we can’t help but be impressed by the Summit Ama’s sonic unflappability. Their ability to retain control through the musical drama is excellent, as is the way they dig up so much information yet manage to organise it in a cohesive and musical way.

Tonally, we find they err on the side of richness; they sound pleasantly full-bodied and robust. This character trait gives voices and instruments an appealing palpability. We love the way they render instrumental textures and the skill with which they convey Nina Simone’s emotion in Sinnerman.

They are sure-footed rhythmically and convey musical momentum well. These speakers want you to have a good time with appropriate music, but feed them with Olafur Arnald’s Found Songs, and they are equally capable of getting introspective.

Verdict

The Summit Ama are one of the costliest standmounters we’ve ever reviewed, but their breadth of talents is hugely impressive. That they can rock should be no surprise to anyone familiar with the brand’s heritage, but it's their blend of insight, dynamic expression and finesse that marks them out as something special.

If you view your hi-fi as an analysis tool to dissect recording and production quality, there are alternatives which will serve you better. However, if you just want to have fun and get lost in the music, these JBL standmounters should be right at the top of your shopping list.

Review published: 20th April 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 4

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Two of JBL’s stalwart Bluetooth speakers are getting a major refresh.

The new JBL Xtreme 5 follows on from the Award-winning Xtreme 4 we tested back in the summer of 2024. The other end of the size (and price) spectrum is covered by the JBL Go 5, the box-fresh successor to the dinky five-star Go 4.

Both Bluetooth speakers tease upgraded sound and a refreshed look as part of their next-generation revamp, as well as new features and improved usability.

The far larger of the two, the boombox-esque JBL Xtreme 5, teases 10 per cent deeper bass and louder sound than the previous generation model, with a revamped acoustic design consisting of dual tweeters and a subwoofer in pursuit of “powerful sound” and minimised distortion.

The palm-sized Go 5, meanwhile, also teases improved audio with deeper bass than its antecedent, in part thanks to a new hollow contour logo which is designed to “level up sound output and performance”.

New features are on the horizon for 2026, too. Both speakers make use of AI-powered ‘SmartEQ Mode’ which automatically optimises your sound settings for music or speech if, say, you’re listening to music and then switch over to a podcast.

The titchy JBL Go 5, meanwhile, makes use of new ‘AirTouch’ tech, which allows for stereo pairing simply by touching two Go 5 speakers together. Now that does sound clever.

As we have seen with the Award-winning Flip 7, the two new additions to JBL's line-up grant USB-C audio for lossless playback up to 24-bit/96kHz.

The JBL Xtreme 5 teases around 24 hours of playtime on a single charge, with an additional four hours courtesy of ‘Playtime Boost’, which is roughly the same as the numbers boasted by the fourth-gen model. The Go 5, conversely, promises around eight hours of playtime with an additional two hours via Playtime Boost, a small increase over its predecessor.

As is the case with pretty much all newer JBL Bluetooth speakers, the fifth-gen arrivals support Auracast Bluetooth tech, essentially allowing you to pair multiple speakers together in stereo or hook up multiple compatible JBL units, either via an on-unit button or through the provided JBL app.

On the outside, the new speakers have enjoyed something of a design refresh, with both now sporting ambient edge lighting which can be customised across multiple modes. In terms of durability, the Xtreme 5 boasts an IP68 water and dustproof rating, as does the Go 5.

According to Carsten Olesen, President of Consumer Audio at Harman: “JBL is known for its portable speakers, and we are always looking for ways to improve and evolve them. First we brought in AI Sound Boost for clearer, louder sound for less distortion in your playback, and now with the introduction of Smart EQ Mode on Xtreme 5, we continue to develop innovative ways to deliver the best possible listening experience.”

The JBL Xtreme 5 will be available in black, blue and camo finishes from April 2026, priced at £330 / €350. The JBL Go 5 will be available in seven colours from April 2026, priced at £40 / €50.

Those are the same sorts of figures for the Xtreme 5 and Go 5 as their outgoing predecessors – nice!

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Sonos is in need of a win at the moment. The US giant isn’t in quite the same desperate need as poor old Tottenham Hotspur are at the time of writing, but it’s hard to escape the fact that the past couple of years have been a little rough for one of audio’s most recognisable names.

The company’s much-covered app update was infamously poorly received, while patchy form on the audio front – from the middling debut of the Ace over-ear headphones to the disappointing Roam 2 Bluetooth speaker – struggled to win us back around.

Now entering this tricky landscape is the Sonos Play. The brand describes the Play as a “compact portable smart speaker”, with the new model blending streaming smarts with voice control, Bluetooth powers and a built-in battery to cover as many bases as possible in a bid to give Sonos that much-needed win.

There’s a lot on the Play’s shoulders, then: the ‘Play’ name is a throwback to Sonos’ older line of superb speakers, so is this the speaker that puts Sonos back on the right track?

Price

The Sonos Play comes with a premium price tag. Still, at £299 / $299 / AU$499, it’s a good chunk cheaper than its larger Move 2 counterpart was at launch (£449 / $449 / AU$799), hovering around the same sort of territory as the Apple HomePod 2 smart speaker (£299 / $299 / AU$479) and its WiiM Sound rival (£299 / $299 / approx AU$499).

If you’re after something that’s focused purely on portability, the Award-winning, Bluetooth-only JBL Charge 6 can be yours for at most £170 / $199 / AU$200, although it doesn’t have the same extensive arsenal of features as the Sonos or its smart speaker counterparts.

Closer to the Play’s price, you can also get the much larger JBL Xtreme 4 Bluetooth portable for around £230 / $299 / AU$329.

Build & design

The Play is something of a middle child for Sonos’ established range of portable and semi-portable wireless speakers.

It’s larger than the Toblerone-esque tubes of the slimline Sonos Roam and Roam 2, and puts us in mind of a scaled-down version of the rather bulky, wide-fronted Sonos Move 2. If you’re not so familiar with the established Sonos range, imagine a decent-sized hardcover book or a scaled-down bathroom bin and you’re most of the way there.

Either way, this is a Sonos product through and through, and in general, that’s a good thing. Sonos is not known for its slipshod approach to product design, and while you might find that it tends to err on the side of rather understated, utilitarian aesthetics when designing its speakers, this is unquestionably a well made product

The speaker is weighty in-hand (1.3kg is hardly feather-light for a portable unit), with the main body comprising a wrap-around grille topped by a rubberised top section, which feeds into another rubber strip running along the backside.

That rubber top hosts four physical buttons – two for volume, one for muting/unmuting your voice assistant and a play/pause toggle – while the spine houses a Bluetooth pairing control, a microphone toggle and a large power button. You’re also furnished with a removable, but sadly not adjustable, “utility loop", which you can hook around your finger for easier carrying.

A small LED display at the front gives you various status indicators, though we’d echo our sentiments from previous Sonos models that having a larger light would make this easier to see from afar.

The Play is designed to be portable, so there’s mettle and grit hiding beneath that rather unassuming facade. The speaker boasts a very solid IP67 rating to keep it protected from dust ingress and submersion in water, with garden hose splashes and a quick dunk in our office sink seeing the Play prove its all-terrain credentials with relative ease.

Two finishes are available – black or white – though we’d mention that, while our black sample shows little signs of the rigours to which we subject it during our tests, we wonder if its pristine all-white counterpart might be more susceptible to showing stains and scuffs after a time. If you plan on taking your speaker on outdoor adventures rather than keeping it cooped up inside or going as far as the back garden, the black option might be the one to pick.

Features

It’s best to think of the Sonos Play in the same way you might regard the established Move 2: a portable speaker that can also plug into the mains and slot into your home wi-fi network and, if you wish, integrate within your Sonos multi-room system.

As such, the Play offers Bluetooth 5.3 for when you’re roaming about and just need a quick and simple wireless connection from your smartphone, with pairing swift and stable during our tests.

It also has a very healthy 24 hours of battery life from a single charge. That’s a decent number, matching the standard lifespan of the JBL Charge 6 and the Sonos Move 2, and easily outstripping the 10 or so hours you’ll get from the smaller Roam 2.

Wi-fi compatibility offers you a more comprehensive streaming suite than most standard Bluetooth speaker rivals, with the Play granting support for the likes of Spotify Connect, Apple Music, Tidal via the Sonos app, as well as AirPlay 2. There’s no playing ball with higher quality Bluetooth codecs such as aptX HD or LDAC here, but the Sonos Play is capable of streaming files up to 24-bit/48kHz from most mainstream streaming services over wi-fi.

This being a Sonos speaker, multi-room capabilities act as a major feather in the Play’s proverbial cap. Grouping the speaker together with compatible Sonos devices, such as other Plays, the larger Move 2 or the slimline Sonos Roam 2, is a simple process – you can use the app to drag devices into your preferred group, a process which we find simple, intuitive and easy to navigate.

That simple process is done via the Sonos app, which, when it works well, is in-depth, easy to use and impressively comprehensive. Our problem is that too many times during our testing, the app suffers from usability glitches, often refusing to perform basic functions without explanation. We attempt to link Absolute Radio to our Sonos account, for instance, and only on the third attempt do we achieve a successful pairing – our first two tries are thwarted by an unhelpful error message. We hope these kinks are smoothed out with a firmware update.

Charging is performed using a supplied charging dock with USB-C cable, but there’s no power adapter in the box, so you’ll need to buy one separately (£19 / $19) from Sonos if you don’t already have one. There’s a USB-C port at the back of the speaker, either for charging or to connect an external audio source like a music player or turntable via a line-in adapter.

On the subject of charging, you can use the Play like a portable power bank by simply plugging a USB-C cable and keeping your smartphone juiced up on the go.

There are further tricks to be found to make usability easier, too. You can connect twin Sonos Plays via the app or simply by using Bluetooth – pressing the play/pause button for around two seconds on your Sonos Play will group it together with the speaker that’s currently playing Bluetooth audio. That’s a handy bonus if you’ve taken a few Plays out on your adventures and need a quick and effective way of getting stereo sound without wi-fi or app access.

Speaking of twins, you even get dual voice assistant support for your Sonos speaker, with Sonos’ own voice assistant sitting alongside Amazon’s ever-clever Alexa AI. You’ll need to set up and confirm permission to use Alexa via the separate Amazon app, but once that’s done, she’s easy to summon with a quick call of “Hello Alexa”.

Sound

Sonos never divulges the power rating of its speakers, but we know that the Play sports three Class H amplifiers powering two angled tweeters and a mid-woofer driver, as well as dual force-cancelling passive radiators which aim for deep bass and minimised vibrations.

The resultant sound is impressive in many respects. The Play covers the sonic basics admirably, and while that might sound like damning with faint praise, it’s no guarantee that a speaker of this size and type can put music together as convincingly and cohesively as our test sample manages.

As we pump out a recording of Ramin Djawadi’s The King’s Arrival from the soundtrack to Game Of Thrones, the Play gives the composition an appropriately regal feel – poised, clear, controlled, and with ample muscle to spare, it’s a powerful and convincing opening salvo.

Unlike Game Of Thrones, which really went downhill as its run came to a close, the Sonos Play doesn’t suffer a disastrous drop off when we switch to something completely different. Massive Attack’s Atlas Air gives the Play a new challenge, with the speaker striking a fine balance between weighty punch and composed control as it tackles the track with a professional, capable precision.

There’s ample bass muscle, but the Play’s clear, controlled character and disciplined signature stops that lower end from spilling out all over the place – instead, it sounds taut and punchy, evidenced by the Play firmly handles those opening drum thumps on Michael Jackson’s iconic Billie Jean.

How does the Play stack up against its key rivals? When placed side by side with Apple’s five-star HomePod 2 and with both speakers playing via AirPlay, it’s clear that the Sonos Play’s clear, punchy yet precise sound contrasts with the airier and more free-flowing temperament of the HomePod 2.

The mains-powered HomePod 2 is also a little more nuanced in how it handles instrumental timbres, granting more subtlety and texture to instruments – rich violin strokes, tumbling drum fills, tinkling pianos – making for a more natural listen than the ever-so-slightly mechanical Play.

We also find that the Sonos can tend to paint music with the same brush. Capable and controlled as it sounds, we do sometimes feel as though the speaker isn’t that flexible in its delivery – whether it’s The King’s Arrival or Elvis Costello’s Veronica, everything tends to sound a little uniform no matter the genre.

Veronica is a thin, zippy recording with a character all of its own, but some of that inherent leanness is lost as the Sonos just slightly imposes its own style on Costello’s bittersweet ditty when we listen over Bluetooth.

The five-star, cheaper JBL Charge 6 may sound harder and less forgiving when also playing via Bluetooth, but it brings out the essence of various musical styles – be it Costello, Chappell Roan or Chris Cornell – with greater expressiveness and insight.

Still, our overall impressions of the Play remain positive. Whether pumping out some Gorillaz in the garden or streaming a slice of Stevie Wonder in the sitting room, its clear, confident and controlled sound is rarely a chore to listen to. We’d like it to bend and flex to accommodate different musical styles and genres more readily, but sonically, this remains an admirable effort.

Verdict

The Sonos Play has a lot going for it. It’s hugely versatile and undeniably talented, while its ability to bridge the gap between home and outdoor use potentially saves the need for buying two separate speakers. In that regard, the Play is more than capable of justifying its reasonably lofty price tag.

If you simply need a dedicated specialist – be it a purely portable pal or a static wireless smart speaker – more sonically talented rivals are available. That said, if you’re seeking a do-it-all speaker that’s as happy slotting into your multi-room set-up as it is being taken down to the seaside, the Play makes a good deal of sense.

Review published: 26th March 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Features 5

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Best Bluetooth speakers 2026: tried and tested for every budget

Before I launch into my latest soundbar musing, let me introduce myself. I'm Robyn, a staff writer here at What Hi-Fi?, and I'll be your guide for today's adventure in AV.

I review soundbars for a living, which means I spend a lot of time in our test room listening to a huge variety of new models. That ranges from affordable ’bars all the way to top-of-the-range premium systems.

And in the past few months alone, I have noticed a common factor tying many of the new soundbars together: their unconventional designs.

Take, for instance, the JBL Bar 1000MK2. Costing £1000 / $1200 / AU$1600, this soundbar system sports an unusual feature that caught my eye as soon as it entered the test room.

It includes detachable speakers that can be removed from either end of the main soundbar, where they are connected via magnetic ports. These can then be moved just behind the listening position to transform into wireless rear satellite speakers to deliver surround sound for movie viewing.

The JBL set-up also offers a nifty Broadcasting feature, where you can take the surrounds out of the room while the sound from your TV or Bluetooth device continues to play.

This clever design gives users a versatility that is rare for soundbar systems, and is a stand-out feature for the JBL model. Its audio performance didn’t impress us quite enough to receive a five-star rating, but it received a more than solid four stars for its exciting sound and clear vocals.

This isn't the first time we've seen a JBL system with this feature – the OG Bar 1300 made its way into our testing room a couple of years ago with the same ability. But I'm surprised that I haven't seen more soundbars “borrow” this nifty (and practical) option since then.

That JBL isn’t the only model to surprise us with its unconventional build. The Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 also presents an odd design. The system launched at £499 / $798 / AU$1199, placing it in the entry-level Dolby Atmos category.

While the main soundbar is directly wired to the subwoofer, the surround speakers are not. Instead, the sub wirelessly transmits the surround-sound information to a receiver box at the back of the room that is in turn wired to the two surround speakers.

It’s a strangely retro approach. We don't see many wired surround sound systems these days – full-on home cinema surround speaker packages apart, of course.

The idea is that while all of the speakers themselves are wired, no cables are running from the front to the back of your room. These wires make the design feel like somewhat of a throwback to the “home cinema in a box” systems of the early 2010s, and the inclusion of a receiver box gives the Sony soundbar a peculiar look overall.

In terms of its sound, however, the Bravia Theatre System 6 really shines with its superbly punchy bass and cohesive surround sound. So much so, that it received a shining five-star rating from us.

I have a sneaky suspicion that we will continue to see more unconventional soundbars pass through our test room in the next few months as well…

This week, for example, we have been testing the Majority Halo Bowfell Atmos soundbar system. The 5.1-channel model might not appear that odd at first, offering as it does two small surround speakers, a subwoofer and a main soundbar.

But once we unpacked the box, we were taken aback by the size of the package. It’s tiny. The main soundbar measures just 6.2 x 40.5 x 9 cm (hwd) – that’s not even the length of a full baguette.

That’s certainly a pro for those short on space. And, considering it retails at the jaw-droppingly low price of £170 (around $225 / AU$320), it’s a wallet-friendly option too.

Our review of the Majority soundbar is incoming but – spoiler alert – it is a pleasingly cinematic and energetic performer.

With these quirky soundbar models joining the ranks with pretty high success rates, I’m excited to see which oddball bar will come into the test room next. And who knows? It might knock a more conventional model off the top spot in its category.

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This is our review of the JBL Bar 1000MK2

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Despite plenty of competition in the wireless headphones space, JBL is one brand that shows no sign of slowing down on the product front.

It has just launched two additions to its Live series of headphones, both of which boast battery life that rivals such as Sony and Bose still struggle to deliver.

The JBL Live 780NC and Live 680NC are over- and on-ear designs, respectively, and each uses a 40mm dynamic driver to deliver sound.

Compared with previous Live models, JBL has refreshed the design, opting for sleeker looks, smoother surfaces, and metallic accents this time around.

Both pairs are fully foldable with soft-touch ear cushions and both customisable button and touch controls which can be tweaked through the JBL Headphone app.

The headphones also feature JBL’s True Adaptive Noise Cancelling 2.0 with real-time noise filtering; the processing power has been given a boost, so background distractions are reduced even more than with previous iterations.

Both pairs also use two beam-forming mics combined with an “an enhanced AI-trained noise-cancellation algorithm”, in an attempt to enhance call quality and more efficiently remove traffic, wind and background hum.

Battery life is claimed to be 50 hours with ANC on and around 80 hours with ANC off. That’s even more than what both the flagship Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) can muster.

JBL Spatial Sound is included for those seeking extra immersion from their music and movies, and both pairs of headphones offer LE Audio and LDAC support for higher-quality Bluetooth streaming. There is also Multipoint Bluetooth, which allows two devices to be connected to the headphones simultaneously.

Available in five different finishes (which sees new green and blue colours added to the standard Champagne, White and Black options), the JBL Live 780NC and JBL Live 680NC are available to order now for $249.95 and $159.95, respectively. UK availability is TBC.

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If you’re on the lookout for a soundbar system to take your home cinema experience to the next level, the search can feel like wading through a sea of endless models with no realistic landfall in sight.

Lucky for you, then, that our team of experts have tested a huge variety of soundbars at a range of price levels to make sure you spend your hard-earned cash only on models worth your time.

And we have just spotted a tempting discount on the JBL Bar 1000MK2, one of the most recent soundbars to enter our test room.

You can pick up the Dolby Atmos soundbar system for £899 at Peter Tyson, saving you a decent £100 off its original price. It received a more than solid four-star rating, impressing us with its nifty design and clear vocal performance.

The highlight of the JBL Bar 1000MK2's design is its wireless speakers, which can be connected to the main soundbar via a magnetic port or used wirelessly to perform as separate rear surrounds.

That gives you plenty of options for setting up your soundbar package to suit your room. The JBL model also offers a neat party trick with the surrounds: they can be moved to another room while the sound from your TV or Bluetooth device continues to play, transforming it into a wireless speaker.

This works by selecting either a mono or stereo downmix via the accompanying app, then taking one or both of the speakers to a different room to deliver the chosen mix. It's a great option if you want to pop into the kitchen to make a cup of tea, say, but don’t want to miss any of the action.

The system has four HDMI sockets, including three inputs and the output/eARC. There is no 4K/120Hz support, but the HDMI passthrough supports signals up to 4K/60Hz as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

When we put it through its paces in our test room, we found that the 1000MK2 delivers an exciting yet reasonably detailed sound that enhances our listening experience.

While watching Blade Runner 2049, for instance, the soundbar shows off its sense of movement and precision. We say in our review that “drones whizz past the viewer with an energy that will have you double-checking you are not sat next to a Replicant.”

That being said, the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra delivers a more immersive overall audio experience. That model is currently available for £999 at Richer Sounds so, if you have the budget, we recommend giving it your consideration as well.

This JBL soundbar package offers a smarter design and more set-up options, though, so it’s quite the temptation, especially at the discounted price of £899 at Peter Tyson.

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Here is our review of the JBL Bar 1000MK2

Check out our thoughts on the step-down JBL Bar 300MK2

And these are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars right now

In the past few months alone, we have seen a whole army of soundbars march into our test room to compete against the class leaders. The JBL Bar 300MK2, for instance, gave the Award-winning Sonos Beam Gen 2 a real run for its money with its room-filling, bassy audio performance.

So it was only fair that its senior sibling, the JBL Bar 1000MK2, got a turn. Launching at £1000 / $1200 / AU$1600, the Dolby Atmos package is directly up against another Sonos model, the Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799).

Where the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra is an all-in-one model, though, the JBL is made up of a main soundbar, two wireless detachable surrounds (more on those in a moment), and a subwoofer.

It boasts a 7.1.4 configuration and is driven by a total power output of 960W. But does the JBL Bar 1000MK2's extra kit mean it takes Sonos’s crown?

After my colleagues and I put the package through its paces, the JBL is held back from greatness by two issues – but it is still a worthy competitor to our Award-winner.

Versatile design

First off, the soundbar’s innovative build really stands out from the crowd. It features battery-powered speakers, which can be connected to the main soundbar via a magnetic port, or used wirelessly to perform as separate surrounds.

JBL also offers a Broadcasting feature, allowing you to put the surrounds into another room while the sound from your TV or Bluetooth device continues to play, transforming it into a neat wireless speaker. This works by selecting either a mono or stereo downmix via the accompanying app, then taking one or both of the speakers to a different room to deliver the mix you have chosen.

The speakers offer a claimed 10 hours of battery life, and can be charged either by plugging them into the mains or just connecting them back to the main soundbar.

That's all quite an stand-out proposition, with the JBL model offering a versatility that most soundbars simply cannot match.

Exciting yet detailed performance

But how does it perform beyond this versatile design? Well, the JBL Bar 1000MK2 manages to deliver an energetic, exciting sound that is a massive improvement over the vast majority of built-in TV speakers.

This is helped by the soundbar’s sense of movement and precision. When watching Blade Runner 2049, for instance, futuristic drones whizz past the viewer in a way that will have you double-checking you are not sat next to a Replicant.

Thanks to the soundbar’s up-firing speakers, there are decent height effects that add to the immersive viewing experience. With Spider-Man: Homecoming, we note: “As Tom Holland’s Spider-Man clings on for dear life to a cloaked plane, we hear its engine sounds move around with precision.”

The separate subwoofer also adds an extra oomph to movies, without being distractingly overpowering.

Subwoofer lacks finesse

That being said, the subwoofer does struggle to deliver bass with subtlety and detail. When we first take it out the box, the JBL low-level frequencies are strong but distract from the rest of the frequencies. That means we reach for the JBL One app to adjust the settings, from which you can access the EQ controls.

After fiddling with the settings, we settle on a less floor-shaking bass that feels better balanced – but it’s still not as detailed as class leaders such as the Sonos Arc Ultra.

The JBL delivers more a powerful bass than the Award-winner, but the Sonos counters with a punchier and precise overall sound that is particularly impressive when we switch to music.

We note in our review when listening to the main theme from Jurassic Park with Qobuz Connect: “The low-level dynamics are delivered with excellent subtlety and finesse that build with the swell of the whole orchestra effectively.”

Surrounds fail to shine

The separate detachable surrounds also don’t pack the punch we were hoping for with the JBL model.

Despite their practical design, they don’t create as much scale as those from rival systems, and they struggle to generate a truly immersive dome of sound above us even when cranked up to their maximum volume.

We also test the surrounds when they are connected to the main soundbar to compare, but this understandably makes the sound field less immersive. Using the soundbar with this layout means it loses the benefits of its clever design, however, so we can’t imagine many people listening like this unless they are charging the surrounds.

With the Sonos Arc Ultra, however, the all-in-one model manages to create a more convincing surround-sound experience that outdoes the JBL Bar 1000MK2 even without the separate speakers. Ultimately, the extra kit cannot compete with the Award-winner's more organised and cohesive audio performance, meaning its crown remains firmly in place.

MORE:

Here's our review of the JBL Bar 1000MK2

Check out our thoughts on the Sonos Arc Ultra

Two things stopped this plucky Dolby Atmos soundbar from beating Sonos’s reigning champ

Looking for a home cinema sound solution? You’ll find two paths branching before you: one leads to an AVR and surround sound speaker package, the other to a Dolby Atmos soundbar.

You might think that these devices could live in harmony, but we often see people claiming soundbars to be inferior and incapable of delivering cinematic sound that even remotely rivals that of the best AVRs.

While there is a modicum of truth to that – we have tested hundreds of soundbars, AVRs and surround sound speaker packages in total and find that a true surround sound system will almost always beat the soundbar experience – there is actually plenty of nuance to the matter.

Convenience is the main draw of a soundbar – and the reason I use one myself. Not everyone, especially those in pokey city flats or shared houses, has the space to deploy a full 5.1.2 (or greater) system; and attempting to route cables around a rented property is a concept that sends a shiver down my spine.

There is also the financial aspect: when it comes to budget considerations, a Sonos Arc Ultra for £899 is a far more appealing all-in-one Dolby Atmos solution compared with an AVR and 5.1.2 speaker package, which can cost upwards of £2000.

Put simply, soundbars have their place in this world, and we are fans of them regardless of whether or not they are deemed to be “true home cinema” audio solutions.

But that doesn't mean there isn’t room for improvement.

Relatively speaking, soundbars are much newer than AV amplifiers. Yamaha introduced the first soundbar, the YSP-1, back in 2004, while Denon is credited with introducing the world's first AV amplifier back in 1985 with the AVC-500. That's a 19-year difference, and as we know, a lot can happen in the world of AV in almost two decades.

With that in mind, I feel soundbars could learn a thing or two from their elders, and that sentiment is felt with the current crop of soundbars and AVRs on the market.

Don't be stingy with the HDMI ports…

While soundbars have been improving in this regard in recent years, we are still seeing some models launch without the most important connectivity options. HDMI passthrough – which (I have recently lamented) Sonos and LG have not included in their latest soundbars – is a feature I think every soundbar should include.

AVRs have, understandably, featured an abundance of HDMI sockets for connecting Blu-ray players, streamers, games consoles and more to your TV or projector for quite some time. As such, AVRs have become the beating heart of many home cinema setups, acting as the central interface which manages connected devices and home cinema sound alike.

We have to give the likes of Samsung, JBL and Sony kudos for including full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets on their flagship soundbars; and Sennheiser and Harman Kardon also earn my favour by including HDMI sockets on their ’bars, even if they tend to be of the 2.0 standard and therefore don't support quite as many gaming features.

If a soundbar is going to take up a precious HDMI 2.1 socket – many TVs only have two of these, by the way – then it's only fair that it should give something back.

Fewer apps, more on-screen setups…

I have lost count of how many soundbar apps are currently clogging up my iPhone's storage – and I would rather drop the majority of them. While this isn't a blanket issue, I have tested many soundbars which have less-than-ideally optimised apps, and connectivity is usually the first hurdle to overcome.

I’ve had soundbar apps flat-out refuse to connect to their respective soundbar, and that has locked a handful of crucial features, including calibration, access to sound modes and input selection, leaving them to be handled via a remote control handset or on-device buttons and interpreted by either a dot-matrix display or a confusing array of flashing LEDs.

All of this could be avoided if more soundbar manufacturers included an on-screen setup, one which would allow us to adjust settings without having to rely on an app.

We have recently seen this included on the Yamaha True X Surround 90A, which was a welcome addition, while many AVRs have offered on-screen setups for quite some time. Denon’s range has supported this for a while, and we even saw a trimmed-down (yet surprisingly functional) version included on the JBL MA7100HP, which made setup and operation a lot easier.

Considering many soundbar manufacturers also produce TVs (think Sony, LG and Samsung), an on-screen menu system that ties into their respective smart platforms would be a rather nice touch.

Get serious about sound customisation and calibration…

I think this is where people place the most emphasis on the differentiation between AVRs and soundbars. A soundbar is essentially a plug-and-play device; sure, there are often various sound modes, and most Dolby Atmos-supporting soundbars include a method of calibrating them, but there aren’t often many ways to customise deeply the sound of your soundbar.

Vague EQ settings aside, I understand why soundbars aren’t as in-depth as AVRs when it comes to sound customisation. They are usually aimed at people who have no interest in the complexities of a full home cinema speaker system; for them, the ease of use and immediate sound payoff are the primary concern. That being said, a deeper customisation menu for enthusiasts would go a long way to winning over staunch audiophiles.

Calibration, on the other hand, could easily be improved on many soundbars. We often see soundbars use a built-in microphone, or utilise the microphone in your smartphone, to take measurements and calibrate the sound to your room.

While this is usually pretty effective, I much prefer the accuracy of an AVR calibration system, which usually involves hooking up an external microphone (often included in the box) and placing it in your main seating position, to best tailor the sound to the place you will be watching your movies or TV shows.

We have seen this once on a soundbar – the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max launched with an external microphone for this very purpose. But very few soundbars sporting this feature have passed through our home cinema testing room since.

A more accurate and thorough method of calibrating the sound could negate some of the criticism surrounding the notion that soundbars “don't do real Dolby Atmos”. If you’re spending in the region of £1000 on a flagship model, an included microphone shouldn't be out of the question.

MORE:

Check out our full Marantz Cinema 30 review

As well as our Sonos Arc Ultra review

Here is how to set up and get the best sound out of your AVR

As a home cinema expert, I review a whole lot of soundbars. While no model can quite match the truly immersive experience of a good, full-fat multi-speaker setup, the category has grown considerably over the years, and for good reason.

When soundbars were first introduced in 2005 with the Yamaha YSP-1, they boasted an all-in-one, compact design that packed surround sound into a single product that sat neatly in front of your TV. And there's a lot to like about that simplicity.

But I have been testing more and more soundbar packages that are adding extra elements to the mix. One of the most extreme examples is the Nakamichi Dragon soundbar package, consisting of two subwoofers, two surrounds and a main soundbar which creates a whopping 11.4.6-channel configuration.

You may think that adding extra subwoofers and surround sound speakers would immediately make for a more immersive listening experience. I've tested my fair share of soundbar packages, however, and the most recent system to be put through its paces proves that this is not always the case.

As always, the devil is in the details, and it depends heavily on the specific models you're considering.

Enter the JBL Bar 1000MK2, which sports one of the most versatile soundbar package designs we have had in our test room.

The Dolby Atmos soundbar launched at £1000 / £1200 / AU$1600, although in the UK you can pick it up for £900 at a variety of retailers.

Offering a 7.1.4-channel configuration, the JBL model features two detachable surrounds that deliver “immersive, cinematic surround sound” for movie viewing, according to the brand.

Inside each surround, you will find one up-firing driver as well as a racetrack driver.

They can also be used with JBL's Broadcasting feature, which means you can take one of the surrounds into another room and transform it into a surround speaker, so you don't miss out on the action.

The speakers provide a claimed 10 hours of battery life, but when you need to give them some juice, you can connect them to the main soundbar's magnetic ports on each side.

This all makes them sound great. But upon actually using it, the JBL shows that having lots of clever functionality and wireless surrounds doesn't garuntee it's the best product available, or that it'll be better than equivalently priced single bar solutions.

While the 1000MK2 delivers a reasonably precise and wide soundstage with its detachable speakers, they fail to pack the punch we were hoping for.

We say in our review: "Even when they are cranked up to their maximum volume, they don’t create as much scale as rival systems and struggle to generate a truly immersive dome of sound above us."

Their versatile design is still a big draw, giving the package a flexibility that rivals simply don’t have. But class-leading single soundbars can offer a more immersive listening experience without the extra kit.

Take the Sonos Arc Ultra, we compared it against, for example. The Award-winner comes in at roughly the same price as the JBL model, costing £999 / $999 / AU$1799.

When we put the two soundbars head-to-head, the Sonos surprisingly manages to produce a more convincing surround-sound experience, despite it being just one soundbar. While watching Thunderbolts with both models as gunshots fire all around the soundstage, the Sonos delivers a wider yet more precise experience that the JBL can't match.

Despite including a clever, innovative design with its detachable speakers, the JBL's surrounds don't make enough of an impact, especially when compared to the Sonos' more compact build. It seems that less is more, in this case. Which is why I felt the need to pen this warning, letting readers know, just because something has surrounds, doesn't make it automatically better. Trust me, I've done the side-by-side comparisons to check.

MORE:

Here's our review of the JBL Bar 1000MK2

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And this is our review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

You are watching the game of the season, but that food you put in the oven is almost ready. Do you pause or make a frantic dash to rescue your meal before you miss the winning goal?

Well, the JBL Bar 1000MK2 offers a possible solution with its latest mid-range soundbar package. It features two detachable surrounds which can be taken to another room while the sound from your TV or Bluetooth device continues to play, transforming it into a neat wireless speaker.

This works by selecting either a mono or stereo downmix via the accompanying app, then taking one or both of the speakers to a different room to deliver the mix you have chosen.

That’s ideal if you don’t want to miss any of the action. And this is just the party trick of the JBL model, as these detachable surrounds also deliver “immersive, cinematic surround sound” for movie viewing, according to the brand.

It’s a tempting proposition, but can the soundbar deliver on such a promise?

Price

The JBL Bar 1000MK2 launched at £1000 / $1200 / AU$1600. We have seen this price drop slightly since its release, though. In the UK, you can pick it up for £900 at a variety of retailers.

At this price, the JBL is up against some stiff competition in the form of the Sonos Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799). This Award-winner impresses with its clean, three-dimensional sound as well as its excellent level of detail. It is an all-in-one design, contrasting with the JBL package, which consists of a wireless subwoofer, detachable surrounds and main soundbar.

The Samsung HW-Q990F is a closer match to the JBL in terms of design – a system also including a subwoofer, two surrounds and a main soundbar. Although it launched at almost double the price, it has dropped to around £850 / $1600 / AU$1399 (from £1699 / $1999 / AU$1999).

The Samsung snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award last year, scoring highly for its articulate bass and its dynamic overall performance. Tough competition for the JBL, indeed.

Design

This JBL’s design highlight is its versatile battery-powered rear speakers, which can be connected to the main soundbar via a magnetic port, or used wirelessly.

They have a claimed 10 hours of battery life, and can be juiced up by plugging them into the mains or just connecting them back to the main soundbar. JBL also provides plastic covers to hide the rather unsightly ports on the soundbar ends when the surrounds are disconnected.

The surrounds are light, weighing just 900g, and feel reasonably solid and well-made, as does the rest of the package. As a whole, this JBL system looks unassuming, though neat enough to blend into most rooms. The various units in this package may be predominantly made out of plastic, but that’s par for the course at this level.

Turning to the main soundbar, there is a nifty LED display at the front, something that is often lacking in models at this price. The display makes it easy to tell when you are changing the output or switching between modes, allowing for a more intuitive and simple experience.

The 1000MK2’s soundbar’s drive units are arranged in a 7.1.4-channel configuration and driven by a total power output of 960W. Under the hood, there are six racetrack drivers, two tweeters and two up-firing full-range drivers. Inside each surround speaker, you will find one up-firing driver as well as a racetrack driver.

The subwoofer is fairly hefty in size, measuring in at 40 x 33 x 33 cm (hwd), but is easy to move around as it weighs a reasonable 9kg. There is a single 26cm downward-facing drive unit, which is driven by an internal 300W amplifer.

Many users choose soundbars because they are compact, but when there is more kit in the mix, this inevitably means more clutter. In this case, it’s worth making sure you have enough space for the surrounds, as well as ensuring you can place the sub reasonably close to the main bar to help with integration.

This soundbar package can be controlled in two ways: via the JBL One app (more on this later) or by the handheld remote. The design of the latter is a simple affair, with a smooth shape that fits in the palm of the hand. From here, you can turn the soundbar on or off, adjust surround-sound and bass levels, turn on Bluetooth, and change the output and volume.

Features

The soundbar offers both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support, which is good news for movie fans wanting surround sound options.

Around the back of the bar, you will find a range of physical connectivity ports. Very unusually, there are four HDMI sockets – three inputs and the output/eARC. While there’s no 4K/120Hz support, the HDMI passthrough supports signals up to 4K/60Hz as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

The JBL One app acts as a hub where you can adjust the soundbar’s settings. You can access EQ controls, change the bass levels from 1 to 5, turn down the volume of the surrounds and connect to streaming services.

The app offers a variety of streaming support, including Tidal, Amazon Music, and Qobuz. Additionally, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect are supported by the soundbar. You can send music to it using Bluetooth 5.3 as well.

There are three sound modes available: Movie, Music and Standard. Movie and Music are optimised for their intended purpose, leaving Standard as a bit of a third wheel that doesn’t shine in either scenario.

A Night mode is on offer, which mutes the surround speakers to keep noise disturbance to a minimum. This should benefit those with neighbours or housemates who are sensitive to noise.

There is also the option to calibrate the package to your room, although this is only available when the surrounds are used separately from the main bar. This is done by placing the surrounds in your listening position and playing a test signal, then moving them to their position just behind the viewer’s head and repeating. The microphones are built into the system rather than relying on the one in your phone.

After calibrating the soundbar, we can hear there is an extra sense of spaciousness and a more even tonal balance to the sound. It’s worth noting that the subwoofer is not being calibrated throughout this process, so it relies on you adjusting the bass by ear.

Sound

Straight out of the box with the surrounds positioned carefully behind us, the JBL delivers powerful bass that certainly makes an impact, but distracts from the rest of the frequencies. It also sounds a bit overblown, so we reach for the JBL One app to turn it down a notch.

After fiddling with the settings, we settle on a less floor-shaking bass that feels better balanced. It is still not the punchiest, but the subwoofer adds an extra oomph to movies, making for an exciting overall listening experience without being distractingly over-powerful.

Watching Spider-Man: Homecoming on 4K Blu-ray, the smash of the villainous Vulture’s punches and the roar of Iron Man’s suit thrusters is impactful yet detailed with a good amount of authority.

Turning to the soundbar’s performance with voices, JBL offers the PureVoice 2.0 feature, which it claims “automatically raises or optimises the dialogue, based on both ambient sound in the scene and your soundbar's volume”. While this feature makes vocals more prominent, they sound less natural and draw the focus away from the rest of the sound. For that reason, we opt to keep it off.

Voices are still clear with PureVoice disabled and, even with busy action scenes filled with explosions, you can make out every word thanks to the well-projected midrange.

The soundbar’s height effects work well but are bettered by class leaders, with the sound reaching to around the same height as the top of our TV’s screen. As Tom Holland’s Spider-Man clings on for dear life to a cloaked plane, we hear its engine sounds move around with precision.

Switching to Blade Runner 2049, we also get a sense of the JBL’s ability to create a wide soundfield. We watch as raindrops fall around Officer K and his digital companion Joi, and feel the downpour just behind the listening position. This track also shows off the soundbar’s sense of movement, as drones whizz past the viewer with an energy that will have you double-checking you are not sat next to a Replicant.

The separate surrounds could be pulling more of their weight here, though. Even when they are cranked up to their maximum volume, they don’t create as much scale as rival systems and struggle to generate a truly immersive dome of sound above us.

But what if you keep the surrounds connected to the main bar? This obviously makes the soundfield less immersive, but still keeps the frequencies nicely balanced. Using the soundbar with this layout means it loses the benefits of its clever design, however, so we can’t imagine many people listening like this unless they are charging the surrounds.

Jumping to Music mode and playing the Jurassic Park theme via Qobuz Connect, we still opt to knock the bass down a level to keep the frequencies more balanced. Once we do this, the soundbar keeps the first French horn solo clear and emotive. It builds to the well-known chorus with a tuneful and energetic feel.

It does not quite deliver the dynamic delicacy required for the start of the track as deftly as we would like, diluting the emotional impact that the music should have with these quieter moments.

We compare the JBL Bar 1000MK2 with the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra. Given the separate subwoofer, it comes as no surprise to find that the JBL is the stronger performer when it comes to generating powerful bass. When watching Thunderbolts, as an explosion rips through a secret government hideout, the JBL delivers more of floor-shaking impact than the Sonos model.

But the Sonos is more organised and rhythmically adept with both music and movies. With the Jurassic Park track, for instance, the low-level dynamics are delivered with excellent subtlety and finesse that build with the swell of the whole orchestra effectively. It also, perhaps surprisingly, manages to produce a more convincing and immersive surround-sound experience, despite it being just one soundbar.

Verdict

The JBL Bar 1000MK2 offers a clever and versatile design that stands out from the rest, giving the package a flexibility that rivals simply don’t have.

If they could apply this ingenuity to its sound as well, to deliver better dynamic finesse and a more effective surround sound experience, then JBL would be on to a real winner.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Features 5
• Build 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

Also consider the Samsung HW-Q990F

Read our Hisense AX5125H review

Best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts

We're only three months into 2026, and I've already spent most of my year listening to more soundbars than I can count from the likes of Sonos, LG, Samsung, JBL and Harman Kardon.

By that metric, I’ll have listened to hundreds of soundbars by the time 2027 rolls around. But after my latest stint with the LG Sound Suite H7, it doesn't matter how a manufacturer pitches their flagship performance if there are connectivity shortcomings.

While the wireless connectivity options found on the Sound Suite H7 are bountiful, including Bluetooth 5.4, wi-fi, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, wired connectivity options are slightly less well served.

In fact, that soundbar has a single wired connection option, and that is HDMI eARC. This is an output socket only, and it isn't backed up by any sort of additional HDMI passthrough sockets.

In our full review of the new LG flagship soundbar, we noted that the lack of any additional HDMI socket "feels like a missed opportunity considering LG has prided itself on featuring four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets on its TVs for quite some time".

Now, this isn't an issue that's exclusive to the LG Sound Suite H7, as its main competitor and notable What Hi-Fi? Award-winner is also missing this feature.

The Sonos Arc Ultra, which is a superb Dolby Atmos soundbar by all our metrics, is also missing an HDMI passthrough socket. Now, this is easily the best soundbar that we have on hand, and I look forward to listening to it every time I'm reviewing one of its many competitors, but I'm not sure if I could live with it day to day.

HDMI sockets are a precious commodity in my house. My Sony OLED TV is already limited in that it only has two HDMI 2.1 sockets, and the four in total that I do have are currently occupied by a PlayStation 5, a Sony UBP-X700 4K Blu-ray player, a Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus, and a Sky Stream box.

That leaves the rest of my AV devices (I admit I probably have more than the average Joe), such as my Apple TV 4K and Nintendo Switch, without an HDMI socket to call home; so, I rely on the very useful HDMI passthrough sockets built into my Sennheiser soundbar to pick up the slack. It's taking up a precious HDMI 2.1 port, so providing a couple of sockets in return is the least it could do.

There are some limitations, such as the fact that these sockets are HDMI 2.0 and don't support the latest gaming functions; however, my ageing Nintendo Switch doesn't support VRR or ALLM, so I'm not too fussed.

We've seen plenty of other soundbars on the market that provide HDMI passthrough sockets too. I have to give Samsung some kudos here: the HW-Q990F offers two HDMI inputs, both rated to support up to 4K/120Hz signals and Dolby Vision and HDR10+. Now that's more like it.

While I really do rate the Sonos Arc Ultra highly, I think Sonos should really consider upping its game in this specific area.

We've seen comments and feedback from various online platforms, with people venting their frustration to Sonos and, more recently, to LG about the lack of HDMI passthrough.

The really frustrating part is that the last LG soundbar that we reviewed, the mid-range, four-star S70TY, featured an HDMI 2.1 passthrough that supported 4K/120Hz gaming. It therefore feels like LG has taken an unnecessary step backwards in this regard.

Controversially, I'm at the point where I probably wouldn't even consider a soundbar unless it had HDMI passthrough.

That might sound extreme, as sound performance is and always will be paramount, but people (myself included) are expecting more from their soundbars these days.

Therefore, functionality is becoming as important as performance, and I think a few soundbar manufacturers need to recognise that.

MORE:

Read our full LG Sound Suite H7 review

As well as our Sonos Arc Ultra review

And check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Believe it or not, Bluetooth speakers haven’t been around for ever. Go back 13 or 14 years, and the market was just starting pick up steam.

One of the brands that helped to drive it and continues to push it along is JBL.

The tech giant had already impressed us with its iPod speaker docks (who remembers the JBL OnBeat Xtreme?!) when the first JBL Flip landed in our test rooms.

This diminutive Bluetooth speaker struck an immediate chord with its eye-catching cylindrical design and ear-catching sound quality.

Our original JBL Flip review was full of praise. We said, “A sensational blend of portability and performance makes the JBL Flip a belting Bluetooth speaker.”

And it wasn’t a one-hit wonder. We are now onto the seventh generation of Flip, so I thought it might be interesting to dust down the original, to see just how far this Bluetooth speaker has come.

And flippin’ heck, it’s been fun.

Design

Placing the original next to the Flip 7, I’m impressed with how similar they actually look – even if they feel quite different when you hold them in your hand.

That cylindrical shape has really been the speaker’s defining feature over the years, and it’s pretty obvious the Flip 7 is still cut from the same cloth.

It might appear a little dated, but I think the original Flip still looks smart for the time, although it is perhaps a bit more functional than fun – especially when compared with the jazzier appearance of the more modern model.

The Flip 7 has grown in size and stature compared with the original, but not by much. More notable is the contrast between the materials used and the design language.

The original now feels a little cheap in comparison, but you have to remember that, at the time, this is how many of its key rivals stacked up at this level too.

JBL made the switch to using more ruggedised materials with the Flip 3, and that’s when I think the Flip really found its identity.

That iteration also happened to see the introduction of bass radiators at either end of the speaker, which really helped with sound quality. But more on these differences later.

The build quality of the Flip 7 is really impressive. It feels solid, sturdy and capable of dealing with life’s bumps and bruises without any complaints. It knows exactly the type of person it’s trying to appeal to.

It also leans even more heavily into being properly portable, thanks to its neatly integrated and switchable carry loop which can be switched out for a carabiner. It’s design touches such as this which really cement this Bluetooth speaker as one you can throw in a bag and forget about.

By contrast, the original Flip came with an old-school neoprene carry case to protect it from dinks and scratches.

Features

The original Flip certainly feels more vulnerable to the elements, where the Flip 7 appears to be built to withstand everything a backpacking holiday can throw at it.

Its lofty IP68 rating means it is dustproof and can handle long-term submersion at certain depths. I haven’t seen many Bluetooth speakers that can play music and float at the same time – it’s certainly something the original Flip wouldn’t survive.

13 years is a long time in tech, and as you would probably expect, there have been further advancements in terms of the features which JBL now offers with the Flip.

The most obvious is a jump in battery life – I was surprised to be reminded that the original Flip was good for only around five hours of play time.

In contrast, the Flip 7 offers not only 14 hours per charge, but it also has a USB-C connector on the back, which isn’t just for charging the speaker; it can also be used for wired audio.

The original came with a power adapter for charging and had a 3.5mm auxiliary input.

You could actually make and take phone calls on the old speaker (the controls were located on the left side of the speaker, or the top if you had it positioned upright). I always found this a strange feature to offer on a budget Bluetooth speaker, and it was actually removed for the fifth generation Flip.

By contrast, on the Flip 7, JBL does a nice job of blending the playback controls into the surface of the speaker, while you have additional controls for pairing, power and Auracast, which JBL uses to enable you to pair compatible speakers together, something you couldn't do with the original.

Sound

The way the two JBL logos are positioned on the original Flip encourages you to use it either horizontally or upright.

In our original review, we did actually note that JBL sounded best standing up, “we found the angle of attack for the listener to be better with the speaker on the vertical – this way it’s angled slightly up towards your ears.”

Putting it through its paces 13 years later, the Flip does sound clearer with better separation when standing upright. Horizontally the speaker injects a tiny bit more weight, but the mix of different elements when listening to Dry Your Eyes by The Streets sounds messier and cloudier.

It’s still a fun, engaging listen, though, with an expressive midrange and crisp highs – these areas are where this speaker’s strengths most certainly lie.

It’s not the weightiest of sounds and I can still hear the slight thinness at the top end that we noted in our review first time around, but it’s not too distracting.

I switch to the JBL Flip 7, and the difference is immediate and seriously impressive; it’s not that much bigger in terms of physical size, but the sound is on a completely different scale.

The difference in bass weight blew me away, with the Flip 7 just sounding so much more substantial and powerful. It makes the original sound seriously lacking in that department.

Playing Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy and the bassline struggles to make any impact when listening through the original – it feels as though you’re getting more of a faint outline, whereas the Flip 7 hits you with weight and solidity and doesn’t let up.

That thinness of the original has been filled in. It feels as though the DSP is making more of a concerted effort to deliver a much more even balance.

I can also push the latest iteration much harder. The original starts to distort and beg for mercy at higher volumes, whereas I can practically hear the Flip 7 goading me on, asking if that’s all I’ve got? I’m reminded that it punches well above its weight, size and price.

The Flip 7 still has the framework and foundations of the original – it still sounds entertaining, lively and fun, but it's obviously so much more grown up now.

Verdict

After spending time with both, I can’t help but be impressed with how far the Flip has come. Some products struggle for longevity, but it’s testament to the JBL team that the speaker has evolved into something so capable and desirable at that level.

After testing the original, we said “Listen to the JBL Flip and there’s a good chance you’ll fall head over heels for it”. That phrase rings as true now as it did back in 2013.

MORE:

Check out our pick of the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy

Read our full JBL Flip 7 review

And our original JBL Flip review

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025: JBL is still the portable king, while Apple and Audio Pro cement their wireless speaker credentials

Competition in the entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar category has been heating up in the last twelve months.

I know that, as I've helped review some of the most interesting challengers to our reigning champ, the multiple-Award-winning Sonos Beam Gen 2.

The JBL Bar 300MK2 came close to knocking it off its podium when we had it in our test room late last year, earning a five-star rating, but not quite having the finesse to finish the job.

More recently, the Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 also scored a coveted five-star review while offering more kit for your money with a complete soundbar package, but not quite having enough detail to outright beat the Sonos.

So many close attempts, but no knock-out blow. Hence why I was eager, even excited, when a new challenger entered the ring (our test rooms). Specifically, the Harman Kardon Enchant 900, which aims to pack a clever 5.1.4-channel Dolby Atmos experience into a tiny single soundbar package.

It originally launched at £430 / $560 / AU$800, but the price has crept up slightly at most UK retailers to £449. That’s challenging the Sonos model directly, which launched at £449 / $449 / AU$649.

In terms of connectivity, the soundbar offers two HDMI connections – one dedicated input and an output that can also receive sound from your TV via eARC. That’s better than the Sonos Beam Gen 2, which only includes a single HDMI eARC output.

But does it outdo our Sonos reference model in terms of audio? Spoiler alert – two issues mean not quite, but there is still a lot to like with the Harman Kardon entry. And if they got fixed in the next model, we may have a fight on our hands.

Starting with the positives...

Energetic, powerful sound

Right out the gate, the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 presents us with an exciting audio performance that is an immediate step up from our TV’s sound.

This sense of energy is helped massively by the soundbar’s wide and expansive audio presentation.

When watching Dune: Part Two in our test room, Timothée Chalamet’s Paul watches on as a huge sandworm leaps out of the sand. With this scene, the soundbar presents a more spacious soundstage than the TV’s speakers, offering an immersive sound that fills the room.

You can employ Harman Kardon’s surround sound processing feature, which makes the soundstage wider and more enveloping. We do find that it loses a touch of focus compared to when it is off, where we get a narrower but snappier sound.

The scale to focus compromise is worth it in this instance, as the improved sense of cinematic scale is worth the slight softening of the sound, so we leave it on.

It certainly outdoes the Sonos Beam Gen 2 in this respect, which cannot reach the same level of immersion and expansiveness.

Clear vocals

It’s a common complaint when watching TV at home that we often cannot hear what characters are saying on the screen, forcing you to crank up the volume or switch on the subtitles.

You won’t have that issue with the Enchant 900, though, as it delivers clear yet emotive vocals that make it hard to miss a word.

This is made clear when we switch to Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, when the motley ship crew is attacked by their enemies.

Despite competing with the sound of booming canons and the splintering of the ship’s wood, vocals are remarkably clear while still maintaining a good amount of character and emotion, which makes for a reasonably balanced overall performance; one of the best we've heard at this level recently.

But not the most subtle

But, even though it delivers a room-filling sound while keeping vocals balanced, the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 cannot be described as a subtle soundbar.

When switching to music via the streaming platform Qobuz, we get a good example of this. Aurora’s Churchyard starts soft and delicate, with only her ethereal vocals kicking off the track.

The soundbar manages to create a good sense of anticipation by building from the quiet vocals to the bass-heavy chorus. But the rendering of her vocals is harsher than it should be, and lacks the subtle presentation that we find in bars such as the Sonos Beam Gen 2.

This may not be a problem for those looking to deliver a bombastic home cinema experience, but those on the hunt for subtlety would be better served by the Award-winner.

Not the strongest performer with treble or bass

This slightly coarse presentation continues when it comes to its treble performance, particularly when pushed to extremes.

During Unbroken, for instance, the whining of the plane’s engines sounds coarse and can somewhat overwhelm the rest of the soundtrack at the loudest moments. This contrasts with the Beam’s more finessed and authentic overall sound that balances each frequency with more control.

You can turn down the treble via the app with the Enchant 900, but this disrupts the balance between the frequencies.

Additionally, while its bass delivery is floor-shaking and engaging, it struggles to reach the same level of precision as rivals such as the JBL Bar 300MK2. We say in our review: “What’s more, the slightly cheaper JBL Bar 300MK2 delivers a more controlled bass that offers greater impact during tense action scenes, thanks to better detail in the lower frequencies.”

This all meant that the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 scored a respectable four-star rating overall, with the JBL and Sonos models delivering a better bang for your buck.

Still, it’s a solid choice for those looking to add extra spaciousness and excitement to their audio. Here's hoping the firm fixes our two gripes with the next model!

MORE:

Here's our review of the Harman Kardon Enchant 900

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And these are the best budget soundbars

Home cinema amplifiers are a personal favourite category of mine. Despite being one of the most awkward products to set up and test in our home cinema room, the cinematic sound payoff is, more often than not, a total joy to experience.

It's been far too long since we've had an AVR to test in our home cinema room, which is a shame considering we've had a handful of impressive surround sound speaker packages from the likes of KEF and Fyne Audio.

In fact, 2025 was a pretty disappointing year for new AVRs, as new reveals were slim to none. Sony, Denon, JBL, Arcam and Yamaha were all suspiciously quiet, whereas Marantz did show off a high-end pre-amp and power amp duo, but that's about it.

Thankfully, 2026 immediately seems to be off to a better start, and we have an inkling that it could be the start of a much bigger year for the product category.

This confidence has been inspired by the announcement of Arcam's absolutely stunning-looking Radia AV range, which includes no less than three new AVRs and a processor/power amp combo. If these AVRs sound as good as they look, we're in for a total treat.

Arcam seems to be targeting the upper-mid-range AVR market with its new AVA15 (£2599 / €2999 / $3000), whereas its two more premium models – the AVA25 (£4499 / €4999 / $5000) and AVA35 (£5999 / €6999 / $7000) – look to covering the upper price range and, most importantly, challenge the Award-winning Marantz Cinema 30.

With a plethora of HDMI 2.1 sockets, a 6.5-inch glass-bonded full colour display, and between 12 and 16 channels of amplification depending on the model you choose, this new AVR range already has me on the edge of my seat.

While it's great to see Arcam take the first step in launching new AVRs in 2026, what I'm really hoping for is that this new range of AVRs will be a sign of things to come from other manufacturers for later this year.

I've already mentioned that many AV amplifier brands have been suspiciously quiet for over a year. Denon unveiled its last AVR, the exceptional AVC-X6800H, back in 2023, whereas Yamaha has remained tight-lipped regarding new AVRs since its last launch in 2021.

The less said about Sony, the better; I'm still waiting for another model to accompany the repeat Award-winning TA-AN1000 after it hit the market back in 2023.

While I won't get my hopes up for Sony currently, as it has bigger fish to fry with its new home entertainment partner, TCL, I do hope that Denon, Yamaha and JBL are priming new models as we speak.

We're overdue for new ranges from all of those mentioned above, and I think that my patience will be rewarded later this year. An AVR renaissance is on the cards for 2026; I just hope that it comes to fruition.

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Arcam’s Radia AV line of home cinema amps promises serious movie magic

Read our full Marantz Cinema 30 review

And check out our picks for the best AV receivers

JBL has launched limited edition L100 Classic 80 speakers to celebrate its 80th birthday, promising a modern take on the iconic line of noise makers.

The speakers are the latest reimagining of the firm’s longstanding L100 line, which first launched all the way back in the 1970s, and have been tweaked and updated constantly over the decades.

They aim once again to offer a modern spin on the range, mixing elements of the L100’s wonderfully retro design with modernised internals.

These include the instantly recognisable oak-wood veneer finish and black satin wood baffle frame. In fact, the only big difference we have spotted, visually, is that the Classic 80 have only one foam grille finish, brown Quadrex (which makes it look a bit like a giant chocolate bar).

The older L100 Classic came with three choices of grille finish, including a rather fetching orange, which quickly became a marmite factor among the What Hi-Fi? reviews team.

Under the hood, the L100 Classic 80’s three-way speaker design features a cast frame, housing a 30.4cm pulp-cone woofer, a 13.3cm polymer-coated pulp-cone midrange unit, and a 60mm titanium-dome tweeter.

Turning the speakers around, you’ll find two sets of gold-plated binding posts that can be used for bi-wiring or bi-amping.

According to the US manufacturer, they deliver JBL’s “lively, engaging sound signature” along with the “clarity, scale, and emotional impact expected from a modern high-performance audio system.”

We haven’t heard them yet, but the L100 range does come with a pedigree. Past models impressed our reviewers when we put them through their paces in our listening rooms.

We gave the L100 Classic five stars back in 2019, praising its impressive dynamics and taught, but powerful low end.

We didn’t manage to get our hands on the L100 Classic MKII after they were launched in 2023, but we are hopeful that the Classic 80 can live up to the series’ previous success regardless.

Be warned, however: if you want a pair, you will have to act fast. The new JBL L100 Classic 80 will be available from February, priced at $7499 (roughly £5400) per pair. But production is limited to just 800 pairs.

If you are lucky enough to get one before stocks dry up, there are a few added goodies bundled with them. Each comes with an individually numbered commemorative plaque that bears the signature of principal system engineer Chris Hagen. Each pair is also supplied with JS-150 speaker stands and packed inside a commemorative wooden crate.

Let us know what you think of the special edition speakers, or if you have any questions about them, in the comments section below!

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These are the best floorstanding speakers we have tested

Our picks of the best speakers

We rank the best standmount speakers

We’ve already covered new open earbud launches from the likes of JBL, Huawei, and Shockz in the last couple of months, and now it’s time for Sony to throw its hat into the ring with the launch of the LinkBuds Clip.

As you can probably tell from the model name, these wireless earbuds use a clip or ‘cuff’ design to secure themselves to your ear, with the main tip resting just outside your earhole and firing sound into it.

This open design allows outside noise in, so you’re less isolated compared to when using a conventional, burrowing in-ear design.

Sony has already had a couple of stabs at open earbuds before, first with the original LinkBuds, the WF-L900 and then the LinkBuds Open (WF-L910) in 2024. But this is the first time we've seen a clip design from the brand.

Interestingly, the LinkBuds Clip also come with what Sony calls ‘fitting cushions’, which claim to give the buds a more secure fit around the ear. The cushions attach to the connector band, which runs between the two parts of the earbud. It's an interesting design detail which we haven't come across before.

Inside each earbud, you’ll find two mics for taking calls, and the Sonys also use bone conduction tech to help isolate your voice on a call. They work with dedicated AI Noise Reduction processing, and the result should be that you come through loud and clear to the person on the other end of the line.

To help cope with the demands of different outdoor environments, Sony has included three sound modes to choose from: Standard, Voice Boost and Sound Leakage Reduction.

Standard does what it says on the tin, while Voice Boost claims to raise vocal clarity and volume for busier environments. Sound Leakage Reduction reduces the amount of audio that leaks out of the earbuds – think listening in quiet spaces such as an elevator.

According to Sony, this mode “removes some high frequencies”, so it wouldn’t be the recommended mode for normal listening. For that, you’d stick to the standard sound mode.

The headphones also feature Sony’s DSEE sound enhancement engine to boost low-quality music files, a ten-band EQ, and a more user-friendly ‘Find your equaliser’ setting, which you’ll find in the Sony Connect app.

Battery life is claimed to be nine hours per charge, with total battery life, including the case, topping out at 37 hours. The LinkBuds Clip also include touch controls for playback and switching sound modes, and they are also IPX4 splash-resistatnt, so they could be an option for the gym or running outdoors.

Sony’s claiming a “natural, expansive sound” from its new buds, and, given its recent form in the wireless earbuds market, we're hoping for big things. Could they be the first pair of open earbuds we've found worthy of five stars? You'll be the first to know.

The Sony LinkBuds Clip go on sale this month for £180/€200 and are available in four finishes: 'greige', black, lavender and green.

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JBL’s clip-on open earbuds could be a stylish, comfortable alternative to traditional wireless buds

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JBL makes some of the best Bluetooth speakers around, but one of its best features isn't that well known. There are a couple of good reasons for that: PartyBoost only launched a few years ago, replacing a very similar feature; and you need more than one compatible speaker in order to use PartyBoost.

JBL hasn't helped itself here. It's changed its wireless pairing technology every few years, leading to much confusion and a lot of compatibility issues. You would think if you had bought speakers exclusively from JBL for the last decade they would all work together, but you would be wrong.

PartyBoost replaced Connect+, but is now being replaced by a non-proprietary technology called Auracast on newer JBL speakers. This means that certain generations of JBL speakers won't work with older or newer models.

Confused? We don't blame you.

But don't worry, we'll tell you everything you need to know about PartyBoost, Connect+ and Auracast, and explain which speakers work with which.

JBL PartyBoost

What is JBL PartyBoost?

PartyBoost is a way of wirelessly pairing multiple JBL speakers together to enhance the sound. Once paired, you can either listen in Stereo mode or Party mode.

Stereo mode uses two speakers, each of which acts as either the left or right channel. Party mode can pair up to 100 speakers, all of which play the same audio for maximum volume and effect.

However, Stereo mode only works with two of the same compatible devices. So you can use stereo mode when you pair a Flip 6 with another Flip 6, but not if you pair a Flip 6 with a Flip 5. Nothing's ever easy.

PartyBoost has two advantages over the Connect+ technology it replaced: a stronger connection and wider range, so you can spread your speakers over a larger area and still connect them together wirelessly.

Which JBL speakers have PartyBoost?

Some of JBL's most popular speakers have PartyBoost, though it is being phased out in favour of Auracast.

• Flip 6
• Flip 5
• Charge 5 (but not the Charge 5 Wi-Fi)
• Pulse 4
• Boombox 3 (but not Boombox 3 Wi-Fi)
• Boombox 2
• Xtreme 4 (which has Auracast as well)
• Xtreme 3

How to pair using JBL PartyBoost

Press the Bluetooth button on the speaker to put it in pairing mode, then tap on the speaker's name in your device's list of Bluetooth devices.

Open the JBL Portable app on your device, and you'll see the speaker you're connected to. Press the connect button on each speaker you want to connect, and they will appear within the JBL Portable app.

Just select Stereo mode or Party mode, and hit play. Voila, your speakers will respond accordingly.

To disconnect PartyBoost, just press the connect button again on the relevant speaker(s).

JBL Connect+

What is JBL Connect+?

Connect+ is JBL's earlier technology for connecting its speakers together wirelessly. Though it wasn't its first – Connect+ followed JBL's Connect tech, though that's too old to feature here.

Which JBL speakers have Connect+?

Being an older technology, Connect+ features on older JBL speakers, some of which are still on sale despite being succeeded by newer models. You might find the others secondhand or refurbished.

• Charge 4
• Pulse 3
• Xtreme 2
• Boombox

How to pair using JBL Connect+

You can pair JBL Connect+ speakers together without using an app.

Connect your phone to your speaker by pressing the Bluetooth button on your speaker and tapping on its name within your phone's list of Bluetooth devices.

Play music, and press the connect button on all the other speakers you want to hook up using Connect+. They should all connect within 30 seconds.

However, you can also use the JBL Portable app when pairing to give you a greater degree of control over the speakers. This was previously known as JBL Connect, but it still retains the ability to use Connect+.

Auracast

What is Auracast?

Auracast is the wireless pairing technology found in the newest JBL speakers. Unlike PartyBoost and Connect+, Auracast is a little different, because it's wasn't created by JBL. Rather, it's a third-party technology that's also used by other manufacturers.

That means you can pair your JBL speakers with those made by other manufacturers (as long as they have Auracast, that is). Which you can't do with Connect+ or PartyBoost.

Because Auracast works via Bluetooth LE, it has a wider reach and is less of a battery drain than other technologies. And it can pair an unlimited number of devices, whereas Connect+ and PartyBoost are limited to 100. Though if you're pairing more than that, you might want to warn the neighbours.

You can find out more about the technology in our What is Auracast? guide.

Which JBL speakers have Auracast?

Auracast is restricted to newer JBL speakers. As well as the below, it features on the four-star JBL Tour Pro 3 wireless earbuds.

• Xtreme 4 (which has PartyBoost as well)
• Charge 6
• Flip 7
• Go 4
• Clip 5
• Grip
• Boombox 4
• Tuner 3
• PartyBox Stage 320
• PartyBox Club 120
• PartyBox Ultimate
• PartyBox 720
• PartyBox 520
• PartyBox Encore 2
• PartyBox Encore Essential 2

How to pair using Auracast

Connecting your JBL speakers via Auracast is much the same as with Connect+ or PartyBoost. Connect your device to the first speaker as you would with any Bluetooth device, then press the Auracast button on the speaker itself. You will hear an 'Auracast On' tone to indicate it's activated.

Next, press the Auracast button on any other speakers you want to connect. Make sure they're all within range and set to broadcast mode.

And that's all there is to it – your speakers will connect and play the same music as the first.

To disconnect, just press the Auracast button again. If you press it on the first speaker you connected, music will stop playing on all the speakers.

FAQ

MORE:

Which JBL speaker should you buy? Find out here

Check out JBL Charge 6 vs JBL Charge 5: which is better?

And the JBL Xtreme 4 vs JBL Xtreme 3

The JBL Soundgear Clips are a new set of lightweight open-ear headphones that use air conduction technology to deliver “high-quality sound”.

Launched at CES 2026, the Soundgear Clips have been designed with comfort in mind. The earbuds are secured in place via a soft TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) arc that allows the buds to be clipped around the listener’s ear, wearing the buds like an ear cuff.

These clip-on or ear cuff-style designs seem to be something of a growing trend for open earbuds, with Huawei starting it off with the FreeClip (and continuing with the recently announced FreeClip 2) and other models joining the fray, such as Bose’s more premium Ultra Open Earbuds.

The Soundgear Clip’s open-ear design means listeners can remain aware of their surroundings while listening to music, as they don’t use eartips to sit inside the ear canal. But JBL has also equipped them with several features to enhance sound quality.

JBL OpenSound, the US audio manufacturer’s proprietary open-ear audio technology, is on board, and this uses air conduction to enhance sound quality without blocking the ear canal.

According to JBL, the Clips’ “SonicArc” shape positions the 11mm dynamic driver for optimum bass performance, while preventing sound from leaking out. To enhance audio further, these wireless earbuds also use an adaptive bass boost algorithm.

Equipped with Bluetooth 5.4, these wireless in-ears support multipoint functionality, so listeners can switch seamlessly between different audio devices.

There are four mics on board to improve call clarity, while the buds offer up to 32 hours of listening time when used with the charging case, with eight hours on a single charge.

The buds have touch controls, while the JBL Headphones App allows you to tweak the EQ settings to your liking. The earbuds are IP54 rated, so they are protected against dust and water splashes, too.

They come in a choice of five translucent finishes with a metallic tint: blue, black, white, purple or copper.

The JBL SoundGear Clips are already available in the UK for £120 (with many finish options now available for just £94), but they will launch in the US from March 2026 for $150.

In comparison, the JBLs are a fair bit cheaper than the Huawei FreeClip 2, which cost £179 (approx $241).

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CES 2026 live: we’ve got the inside scoop on new OLED TVs, Dolby Atmos treats and more

Check out our picks for the best wireless earbuds

IP ratings explained: how waterproof are your headphones?

This is the mark two version of JBL’s top-tier soundbar solution, making it the biggest and most powerful of a newly-released range which rises from simple solo soundbars through soundbars with subwoofers up to soundbars like this, with ends that come off and turn into real wireless rear speakers.

And this rangetopping JBL Bar 1300Mk2 is the update of a product which won our Sound+Image Soundbar System of the Year for 2023. Much remains the same, or similar, in the new package. This is a good size of soundbar with a paired wireless subwoofer, and its very particular trick is that the two ends of the soundbar can be removed and resituated at the back of the room, where they instantly become battery-powered wireless rear speakers delivering genuine (rather than virtualised) surround sound. Not only surround indeed, also height – and with
real (or at least ceiling-reflective) height drivers at front and rear. So you can hope for true immersion from Atmos soundtracks that support it.

And there’s plenty more for the updated bar to do than merely deliver a banging movie soundtrack. The ‘JBL One’ app connects to the bar to enable music streaming, in addition to its control and customisation options. Also new to the Mk2 is a raft of new and improved technologies within the bar’s powerful processing – there’s not only simple EQ in this soundbar package but things like ‘SmartDetails’, PureVoice 2.0, and the inevitable ‘AI Sound Boost’.

The JBL bar is also generous in its rear connectivity – notably a full three external HDMI inputs in addition to the HDMI eARC TV connection, plus optical in. There’s Bluetooth, and networking to enable Google Cast, AirPlay, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, even Roon, for which the app offers a 60-day trial.

There’s also an entirely new subwoofer design here, as well as new drivers in the bar, more power all round – and still that remarkable claim for the overall delivered channel count: 11.1.4.

Countdown

That channel count of 11.1.4 for this soundbar system is quite the claim. But then look at the ‘X-ray’ picture above right, showing the astounding array of drivers ranging from the soundbar’s centre section to those removable ends. Some are angled; some aim upward.

There might be multiple possible ways to allocate channels among these many drivers. And we love a puzzle. But there didn’t seem quite enough information to be sure of what was happening.

Across the centre front section, facing forwards, there is a central tweeter flanked by no fewer than eight race-track drivers, four to each side, and another tweeter on each side beyond them. The three tweeters – all the tweeters here – are 25mm silk-dome units: these have gained neodymium magnets since the first version, neodymium being a much more powerful type of magnet, which thereby gives designers a choice of better control from the same size of magnet, or the same control from a smaller magnet.

Eight 75×50mm racetrack drivers is a heck of a lot for L, C and R channels, but they are accompanied by only three tweeters along that front surface, so it seemed unlikely that any hidden channels would lie between them. With our ear up to the bar, a centre test signal seemed to activate only the centre tweeter and a single pair of racetracks.

Beyond this extended LCR complement sit drivers for the side-surround channel, right at each end of the central bar section. More 25mm silk-dome tweeters for this, here angled outward, aiming to create a beam (JBL’s MultiBeam 3.0, to be precise) of side surround that will bounce off your side walls. This tactic generally works well in a long thin room, less effectively in a wider or acoustically unbounded one, but the two separately-angled drivers here may be designed to take this into account during the bar’s calibration process.

On top of the central bar section, near each end, are a pair of 75mm drivers for each front height channel, seemingly differentiated slightly in their upward firing angles, perhaps to create a wider arc of front height sound.

So on the main bar section, that’s L, C, R, SL, SR, HLF, HRF – five ‘floor’ channels and two height channels.

Then there are the ends that pull off, or rather now lift off from the Mk2. We like this lifting off; the new design requires a little more effort to remove, but it’s a lovely bit of engineering, with slots and rows of gold contacts locking together. The new method is also less likely to accidentally move the bar as you replace or pull off the ends.

You can then carry the ends to rear positions behind your listening area. Each end piece has two larger 90×50mm racetrack drivers, one forward-facing and one side-firing, with a little 50mm driver angled between them, plus an upfiring 75mm driver to match the height drivers of the bar.

Our initial assumption was that each end piece was providing one surround rear channel and a height channel. But that would tot up the full system to only 7.1.4. Where are the other four floor channels?

So of course we asked Harman, who had sent us the review unit, and they asked something called the BU, from which we were surprised to receive a response that “Due to confidentiality, we’re unable to share detailed information on the exact channel positioning beyond what has been communicated in our product materials.”

This worried us that there might be ‘virtual’ channels. We’ve seen systems recently which have counted ‘virtual’ speakers as part of their channel count. This is a total furphy: you might as well announce infinite virtual speakers. Any stereo system could be described as creating an infinite number of virtual channels. So when checking a claimed channel count, there’s a simple question: does every claimed channel have at last one specific dedicated driver?

We did suggest a possible solution here, where those end pieces might cover a separate surround channel with each of their drivers — three surround channels and one height channel in each little lift-off piece. It didn’t seem likely, but thanks to some much appreciated effort by the local Harman team, who seemed as keen as us to understand the count, JBL confirmed that yes, “for the 11 surround channels, the main bar in the front plays 5 channels with beamforming and each detachable speaker plays 3 channels.”

Add in the subwoofer, plus the four height channels, and the 11.1.4 channel count is genuine: nothing virtual, with at least one physical dedicated driver per channel.

Bass & power

The ‘point one’ of that figure, the bass channel, gets a new and rather impressive subwoofer, in some corners referred to as the ‘One Commander’. This is a rounded tube design, like a slice from a giant licorice stick; it replaces the single 10-inch driver of the Mk1 version with dual opposed 8-inch drivers firing out from either side of the cabinet.

Opposed drivers have the key advantage of physical stability, hugely reducing potential cabinet movement and vibrations. This is also a sealed design, with no ports, making it easier to accommodate; Harman’s team says they’ve been using it inside a cabinet, though you’d want a bit of space either side. And we didn’t realise until we later saw in one of JBL’s pictures (below) that it can be used upright, though on a small stand, since one of the opposed drivers will then be firing at the floor.

Without making accurate driver measurements (and the subwoofer is very sealed!), we can only estimate the Thiele-Small equivalent single driver in a way, but it would be something like a single 10.5-inch to 11-inch driver.

Sealed cabinets have some useful advantages: they can have a better handover to the higher frequencies, a smoother roll-off to lower frequencies, and the potential for delivering tighter and more accurate bass. The trade-off is the need for power, as sealed cabinets need far more driving than ported cabinets, and JBL says there is 1200W of power available to the subwoofer here. (All power figures, for sub and bar and rears, are quoted with 1% THD.) The complete power for the system is quoted at 2470W.

We should also mention that in the box you get a wall-mounting kit and template, as well as end caps to go on both the bar and the rear speakers when you remove them.

Rear versatility

JBL is not alone in offering wireless rears to expand a soundbar system into the realms of true surround and/or height, nor was it the first to come up with pulling the ends off a soundbar, as Philips pioneered the idea in its Fidelio soundbars a decade earlier.

But we can certainly say we know of no system where the removable/wireless ‘rears’ offer such versatility. Let us count the ways you can use them.

Firstly, of course, you could leave them in position on the bar, where they add power and potentially width to the soundbar’s presentation of TV or music playback.

Secondly you can remove them and place them behind and wide, to operate as rear and height speakers; they are also wall-mountable for this purpose via a screw-mounting point. Their internal batteries recharge automatically when they’re in place on the bar, a process which initially takes some four hours; it’s not clear how long they will last (it obviously depends on how loud you run the system), but the JBL One app usefully shows their remaining battery power, and if the battery power runs dry, “DOCK REAR SPKR” appears on the soundbar’s front display. Besides, you could choose to give them permanent power in their rear positions (especially if wallmounting them), via their USB-C power socket.

This power provision also enables their third function: each end unit can be taken away for use as a standalone Bluetooth speaker to be used anywhere you like. Press their Bluetooth pairing button, connect your phone (or tablet or computer), and off you go.

As a fourth option you can pair the two ‘rears’ together and play into them via Bluetooth as a stereo pair.

Numbers five and six are, we think, brilliant pieces of innovation. Firstly there’s ‘Broadcast’ mode, an option in the app: this simply extends the normal audio to the two ‘rears’ so you can, for example, take one with you into the kitchen (you have to stay within a reasonable range) and hear the TV perfectly in there. Like we say, brilliant.

And finally ‘Night Listening’: this initially confused us, as the explanation in the app reads: “Mute the soundbar and subwoofer to create a quiet environment.” Very quiet, you’d think – wouldn’t it be silent? Most such ‘night’ systems just stop the bass from the subwoofer. But no, it does mean zero sound from the front bar or sub, and instead the system plays entirely through the two detached ‘rears’. Of course this is a much reduced sound, but a great solution for playing TV at night without disturbing the rest of the home. That can often be a problem with big soundbar systems, especially their subwoofers.

This implementation goes significantly far beyond rivals, including the systems by JBL’s own parent’s parent Samsung, and even the new Yamaha TrueX package where the wireless rears double only for mono Bluetooth use. A real gold star to JBL for the implementation options of the rears here.

Setting up

It’s a good length of bar when the ends are attached – 140cm, the centre section about a metre wide, each end piece adding 20cm. It’s only 56mm high, so easily fits below most TV screens; we added some Sorbothane feet to lift it above the centre stand of the Samsung TV with which we were using it.

A first alert while unpacking – be careful when removing the bar section from the chair-shaped packaging. It is wrapped without either its removable ends or little end stops attached, and if you pick it up by its ends, as we did, your fingers can puncture the exposed domes within the open horn at the end. Our long fingers pressed into the dome at one end, but realising what it was, we avoided any damage.

Other than that, it was easy enough to position the bar and sub; the main limit on the subwoofer positioning may be the limited length of the 1.5-metre mains cable; we needed to switch this out for a longer one.

With the rears, firstly you have to position them correctly – an app animation usefully shows how to move them to the rear positions without turning around and swapping them; they also have clear ‘left’ and ‘right’ markings. You maintain left as left, right as right, but you spin them around so that their front drivers now face forward, towards the TV.

There’s also calibration onboard here, to employ once you have the detachable ends in their ‘rear’ positions. This is confusingly presented in the app because there’s no indication or acknowledgement of where your speakers should be at the end. The app’s instructions tell you to place them first immediately either side of the listening position, as on a diagram in the app (left screenshot above), and letting them whoop around for a while. Then for the second calibration, a second picture shows you where to place them “adjacent to the regular listening area” (right screenshot). More whoops.

But then if you move the rears to where you actually want to put them, how does the calibration know where they are?

The answer is in the full instruction manual (not provided; it’s online only). For the second calibration you should not put the rears where the app diagram shows, but instead put them wherever you’re going to be actually using them. In many rooms this might be non-ideal positioning – but the local Harman team confirms that the calibration can adapt for this. So unless they tweak the app, we’d say stick with the online full manual for the calibration process.

Does the calibration work? We can’t really tell you, as there’s no way to toggle it off and on again, to hear what it’s doing. The only way to cancel your calibration would be to do it again, or completely reset the bar.

An on/off toggle for the calibration setting would be a useful addition, if only to confirm it’s made things better, rather than worse.

Other technologies are also ‘always on’, with two of the three key new technologies in the Mk2 version Bar 1300 being simply part of the presentation, not selectable options. There is ‘SmartDetails’, a new Harman technology “engineered to reproduce even the subtlest audio nuance, from a soft footstep to the creak of a floorboard”. This was described to us as ‘AI detail enhancement’, bringing forward key sounds when there’s a lot going on; an example was given of hearing the keys jangling in the ignition of the Aston Martin in No Time To Die as Bond does some doughnuts.

Second is ‘AI Sound Boost’, described as delivering “powerful sound with less distortion”, likely related to some subwoofer control processing to avoid overdriving.

These can’t be selected or deselected: they’re just always working to optimise the bar’s performance. So again there’s no way for us to hear what they achieve, positive or negative. Neither technology even gets a mention in the full user manual.

One option is user-selectable: PureVoice, here in version 2.0. This is said to provide “clear, natural dialogue without compromising immersive audio effects”, so we expected the usual voice-enhancement feature which cuts bass and background and adds irritating sibilance to the speech in the hope of giving it cut-though. We generally advise people to avoid voice enhancement and rather get a better bar that doesn’t need it!

But JBL says this is different. Previously yes, that’s how roughly it worked, but now it’s far more intelligent, considering what’s going on in the whole soundtrack and only isolating and boosting dialogue when it needs it. Select it during a scene of dialogue only, and you can’t hear its effect. But select it when people are talking over action sequences, and it kicks in more obviously.

So this is a voice enhancer which could make a lot more sense. Kudos to JBL, then, for putting this ambient content consideration not only on this top-of-the-line soundbar, but across the whole range (JBL refers to this as their ‘Gen 4’ soundbar range).

And since we’ve already strayed into sonic reportage, let’s get some sounds playing and get into the real listening sessions.

Listening sessions

For casual listening, you’ll likely have the full bar playing at full width, with its end/rear sections attached. Obviously there’s then no rear surround delivery (and we’re promised that the Bar 1300Mk2 doesn’t slip into any Atmos virtualisation from the front only). MultiBeam delivery of side surround must meanwhile be limited by having one pair of the angled drivers covered by the end pieces.

But you still have more drivers up front overall, and still front height available, and certainly the bar does a great job of simple TV viewing where you don’t want things going whizzbang around you. There was a slight sibilant edge to morning TV speech, and surprising bass content in game shows and adverts (as is common with subwoofer-paired bars), so we found ourselves trimming back the bass level for such scenarios. The JBL One app puts a seven-band equaliser at your fingertips on the main page, so such tweakery is easy. (Multiple user memories might be a nice addition, for different types of usage.)

Volume control is also easy in a number of ways: via the small remote control provided, or via the TV’s remote control (this worked even when watching external sources through the bar’s inputs), and we were most surprised to find that our phone’s volume buttons also controlled the bar’s volume when using the JBL One app.

Watching the evening news proved the perfect time to pop off an end piece and try that ‘Broadcast’ system, taking one away to the kitchen to hear the news while cooking. It worked so well; we love this option!

There are some other buttons on that little remote, which don’t tie in with any options in the app. There’s an alternate bass control, which steps the bass through levels 1 to 5. There’s a rear level control for when the rears are in position: this does double up on an app adjustment that provides four levels of rear level, including off. Presumably this adjusts all three of the rears’ channels at the same time.

And there’s a button on the remote we didn’t understand at first; the button has a little ‘Dolby’ logo and again shuttles through settings for Low, Med, and High (no ‘off’ here). This is explained in the main manual as controlling the height channel levels, so ‘height’ might be a better label, given that Dolby does not mean only Atmos, and Atmos does not mean only height. Besides, it also works for DTS:X soundtracks, with which the JBL is compatible, even if there’s so precious little DTS:X in the real world that some soundbar brands, like Bowers & Wilkins, are saving on their licence fees by omitting it.

Full and powerful as the bar sounds up front, you’re buying this system for its ability to deliver genuine surround, so let’s lift off those end sections and put them in the positions to which we calibrated the system.

Their effect was immediately obvious, with sound coming from the rears even as we watched some tennis through the TV, a spread of atmosphere to the rears. And over the crowd noise we tried the PureVoice 2.0 again – now we could hear it raising the commentary just slightly over the crowd noise, just as needed, and no overbrightness. A cleverly implemented function, it seems.

Why was there surround? This was a stereo TV broadcast of the tennis, so the bar must have been creating the surround. So there is virtualisation, creating rear and height content all the time. Again no way to turn this off, but no worries: if you don’t like it, just notch the rears down to zero.

But when it comes to real Atmos, we reckon you’re more likely to be turning them up. As we’ve heard before on similar systems, the trick for a truly immersive soundfield is that you use real Atmos material, and you play it loud, or at least moderately loud. This was clear immediately when we played some Atmos music, which often gives quicker pointers as to what’s happening than the more artificial world of movie soundtracks.

Atmos music

We played Atmos music two ways, from Atmos Blu-ray discs playing into the bar from a Blu-ray player via HDMI, and Atmos streaming from Apple Music via an AppleTV 4K plugged into another HDMI input on the JBL bar (all those useful inputs!).

Apple Music also hosts some useful Atmos test tracks, especially those from 2L’s Morten Lindberg; his 7.1.4 test confirmed rear surround channels to be discreet, while the side surround channels of 7.1 were split between rear and front drivers.

We listened to some Beatles Atmos tracks, of which Giles Martin has now served the world in such quantity. When playing at only middling levels, the separation between the bass from the subwoofer and the sounds from the rears was too entire, and the immersive soundstage didn’t meld together. Even with the rears notched up, the bass was restricted almost entirely to the front staging. So McCartney’ bouncy bassline on Lady Madonna came firmly from the front, while rear content was rather too jangly and bright, the rear claps, voices and percussion emerging seemingly heavily tilted toward their treble contribution (of course of the eight channels crammed into those two rears, two channels have only a two-inch driver to support them).

But turn things up, and the system delivers much more of a whole picture; the bass steps up to fill the room, and the value of the Atmos mix becomes clear. Atmos music is magnificent through a full system, but it has to be a balanced system, and it’s common for systems intended primarily for movie soundtracks not to be balanced in that way, especially when using small satellite rears, rather than full-sized speakers; music suffers, and surround music fails. But here the JBL system proved a musically-adept performer, as you might hope from such a long-established hi-fi brand! Once turned up it could deliver an Atmos music mix impressively well. With our musical tests the subwoofer seemed a little soft on leading edges, and again with everything set flat it was generally too dominant in the mix for our tastes. But we just kept the app’s EQ tailing off the bass (this in a medium-sized room) to provide the best music balance.

With everything set nicely we could enjoy some new Atmos gems: a nicely-effective new Atmos mix of Eminem’s Stan (from ‘STANS’) with thunder crashing in the rears; two wonderful Atmos remixes of 1973 and 1975 albums from Roberta Flack, including a massive yet realistic bass pedal delivery on Killing Me Softly (“What’s that banging?”, shouted the missus from downstairs, somehow sensing the subwoofer’s dual-opposed contribution). Again the bass impact was slightly softly served compared with a hi-fi system delivery – yet overall still highly musical by soundbar standards. Listen to those strings on Flack’s Jesse!

We also used Spotify Connect and AirPlay to send music to the bar, which it handled (with or without its ends in place) nicely musically in stereo as well. There are also natural effects like ‘Forest’ and ‘Rain’ which can be allocated to the ‘favourite’ button on the remote, but you can also put a playlist or a favourite radio station under that button.

So it’s good for stereo music, but Atmos music is a whole new world; don’t miss it!

Immersive movies

But of course, for most users of the bar, it will be movies getting cranked through this all-dancing range-topping bar. There’s no ‘info’ screen available in the app to show what signal is coming in, so it’s a bit hard to know exactly what’s arriving, but it’s incredibly useful that when Atmos does arrive, the hidden display on the right side of the bar scrolls ‘DOLBY ATMOS’ across its four letter positions (and DOLBY SURROUND for lesser Dolby).

So it’s easy to know when Atmos is there for real, rather than simulated. Though it’s usually very obvious anyway, just by listening.

Take the ‘Snowman’s Coming’ opening to Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, with its golden titles, wide atmospherics, and then the massive Vegas opening sequence: this must have used every driver the JBL has to offer! All speech was exceptionally clean in the front, even during the dramatic wildness of this montage; no ‘PureVoice’ required, though when we tried it, it did make speech slightly cleaner, again without messing with the complex soundtrack – an excellent implementation.

And it really could be cranked, despite complexity; the soundstage filled in, in every direction, and even rotating effects were fairly well swung around. Yet it could be subtle: we loaded the UHD Blu-ray of A Star Is Born, and during the café songwriting sequence the JBL system wove a real environment: radio playing in the background, traffic outside.

There’s a big volume lift in this movie between such scenes and the live gig sections – we needed the volume control close to hand while scene skipping! – but again the concert footage was delivered musically and impressively scaled, the rears providing atmosphere to the opening vocal on Shallow, then bringing up crowd effects as Ally walks to the mike. We will say that we’ve heard this sequence demonstrated on many a full home cinema set-up, and on the best of these you can hear her footsteps on the stage with utter clarity and even a sense of the wood she’s walking on. There’s none of that here – you hardly hear the footsteps at all, even when the volume’s well up. So that’s the difference between even the best soundbar systems and a full surround system that will cost many multiples of the price. True Atmos clarity, true linearity, costs a lot more, and requires a dedicated room. What JBL does here is to push a lounge-friendly form factor to impressive Atmos heights.

The soundtrack to Oppenheimer is a bastard: it fades up slowly from the beginning, so you set your levels accordingly, and within 45 seconds on top of a quiet contemplative rainy-night sequence it suddenly drops a sound-bomb underneath Oppy’s vision of atomic fire: we saw this in the cinema and it nearly took out our ears. If ever there was a soundtrack that needs dynamic compression in a real-world lounge-room setting, this is it – especially as director Nolan never redubs dialogue so speech is often slightly recessed, against bangs which are as big as bangs get.

The JBL system offers no level compression to flatten highs – and to be fair we don’t normally approve of this anyway. But it does mean you need to be ready for some big bangs if you set levels for audible dialogue. From that first sound-bomb, the subwoofer was mad with rumble; the one adjustment we returned to frequently was to tweak the bass balance depending on material. The default after calibration seems high, as if the new subwoofer isn’t taken into account, or just to maintain JBL’s reputation for the deep stuff.

But bass control aside, the JBL’s immersive Atmos sound drew us back into Oppenheimer so that we watched it again all the way through, still unteasing some of the political undertones as well as enjoying the wildly varying acoustic environments. The effect of the Los Alamos team all stomping on the boards to congratulate a successful Oppenheimer was massively effective through the full Bar 1300Mk2 system.

The ends alone

We also listened to the rear/end pieces alone, taking them away to play music. Unlike for some other systems, such as Yamaha’s True X,
taking them away reduces the main soundbar’s abilities; a compromise for those left listening to the uncapped bar. But they’re easy to slot back into place.

As compared with the bar’s networked capabilities for Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Wi-Fi streaming via Google Cast and AirPlay, the ends alone are restricted to Bluetooth, and only the same SBC and AAC codecs as on the main bar.

But hey, JBL is the world’s leading maker of Bluetooth speakers, so perhaps it’s no surprise that they sound great. Even one end piece alone sounded remarkably powerful, delivering a beefy bassline and solid vocals up to medium levels; crank them high and some distortion creeps in, a little harshness when there’s treble complexity, but still great for their size, and genuinely musical. We had a JBL Flip 4 (several gens old) with which to compare it, and the single rear soundbar speaker absolutely trounced the Flip for power and scale of sound.

Two is even better. Pairing the two ‘rears’ in stereo wasn’t easy; it took us five times to get the connections to work (big thumbs, maybe). But it was worth it; it’s a bit more than twice as good as the one speaker alone, because these things usually are. During our travails getting this to work, we accidentally connected them via Auracast, our first Auracast/LC3 codec experience at home! (One day Auracast may take over the world, though we rather hope LC3 doesn’t.) This connection can also be used to link the ‘rears’ with other Auracastable JBL speakers, though all connected speakers will play in mono.

Verdict

We were pleased JBL finally explained its claimed channel count, so we can be confident there are genuine drivers here for each surround and Atmos height channel, including side-bouncing beams on the bar and a big new subwoofer, so that JBL’s Mk2 edition of the Bar 1300 most definitely produces genuinely immersive soundtracks.

The system delivered best when playing at least moderately loud, and since it can go very loud without notable problems, this is how we enjoyed it! The further ability to tweak bass, height and rear levels on the fly from the remote control makes tweaking to specific material easy, while the bar’s musical abilities make its direct music streaming useful.

And you have several bonuses from the detachable rear sections – not only surround and height, but the options for standalone Bluetooth music, kitchen listening, and night listening.

This premium soundbar market is not without impressive competitors, one notable example coming from JBL’s parent’s parent Samsung (which owns Harman), which designs its soundbars at a hi-fi-style laboratory in California just down the road from JBL’s HQ. Do they share ideas? Rather less than you might think, we reckon. The JBL Bar 1300Mk2 and the wider range shows how hard JBL has been fighting back to fully compete on sound quality, genuine immersion, bass (perhaps a little much of that) and especially musicality, a potential trump card for a hi-fi brand. This is a cracking soundbar system for the price, with intelligent features that keep its use relatively simple, while achieving thrilling immersive movie and music delivery.

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Christmas has come (slightly) early for home cinema fans, as one of the best AV receivers that we've tested is currently subjected to a deal that knocks thousands from the price tag.

The JBL Synthesis SDR-38 is an enthusiast option for dedicated cinephiles with deep pockets, and we awarded it five stars at its launch price of £7300.

That is an unquestionably steep asking price, and we highlighted that in our full review of this amplifier. Thankfully, Richer Sounds has come to the rescue, as a deal has surfaced that makes this AVR a must-buy for anyone looking to get serious about home cinema sound.

It's being offered for just £3999 at Richer Sounds currently; that's still a fair chunk of change; however, it's a meaty £3301 discount nonetheless.

The JBL Synthesis SDR-38 won't appeal to the masses thanks to its high price tag and enthusiast-leaning setup and operation, but the sound it provides is guaranteed to win over even the pickiest of audiophiles.

Beneath its stylish and premium chassis, the SDR-38 features 180W of Class G amplification with all seven channels driven, and seven HDMI 2.1 sockets which feature the full 48Gbps bandwidth. It also supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X for immersive home cinema sound.

Furthermore, it supports a plethora of wireless connectivity options, including Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Google Chromecast, Apple AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth with the aptX HD codec.

Onto that all-important sound performance, and the Synthesis SDR-38 is an absolute dream thanks to its "excellent detail and clarity", alongside its impressive handling of big dynamic shifts. It delivers a sound with oodles of warmth and richness, and music is also handled with "rhythmic precision and a rich vocal presentation".

Despite it being nearly identical to the SDR-35 it replaced, we found that JBL improved the bass response on this upgraded model, meaning low-end effects are handled with extra low-end oomph and sensational control.

It's seriously difficult to pick holes in the SDR-38's sound performance, hence why we were so complimentary towards it in our full five-star review. It excels at everything from large dynamic shifts (such as explosions or soundtrack crescendos) to hushed conversations, making it a top-notch choice for home cinema aficionados.

It's undoubtedly still a pricey option, but at a £3301 discount at Richer Sounds, it becomes an even more enticing AVR. Be sure to sign up for Richer Sounds' VIP Membership to access the full savings; it's a free and easy process that's well worth doing to score this huge saving.

MORE:

Read our full JBL Synthesis SDR-38 review

As well as our Denon AVC-X6800H review

And check out our picks for the best AV receivers

When I joined What Hi-Fi? three years ago, I signed myself up to join a long, hard, epic quest on a par with Galahad’s search for the Grail.

A dangerous one that has driven many a staff writer and editor to madness in the cold, dark depths of our home cinema review rooms.

Editor’s note: There’s still one room we don’t open in the basement, in the dark, where he who can not be named continues his mania, repeatedly blasting Groundhog Day at full volume, using an ever-growing pile of three and four-star cheap soundbars…

Specifically, the search for a great-sounding, cheap Dolby Atmos soundbar to dethrone the tyrannically good Sonos Beam (Gen 2).

Why do the team and I hate the Beam (Gen 2) so much that we want to see it fall off its pedestal, you ask?

The truth is, we don’t. What we hate is that it has been unchallenged so long that the affordable Dolby Atmos soundbar market has started to feel a little stagnant and, well, boring.

The Beam (Gen 2) is good and has lasted surprisingly well, but there’s been a lot of innovation in the top-end and mid-range market since it launched, which is begging to trickle down a little further. And that’s before we mention the general improvements in audio quality we’ve enjoyed over the past three years on even moderately more expensive units.

Which is why we keep hunting, ever hopeful that three years on, there’s still room for improvement in the affordable end of the market.

And this year, while we didn’t achieve our goal, we found two excellent devices that came darned close in the shape of the Hisense AX5125H and JBL Bar 300 MK2 – the first sub-£350 soundbars good enough to earn five-star ratings since I joined What Hi-Fi?’s noble cause.

The Hisense AX5125H is the bigger deal of the two. First, because it’s cheaper, second, because it’s not just a soundbar, it’s a soundbar system that packs two wireless satellites and a cable-free subwoofer.

Getting that much tech for less than £350 is impressive, but what sets the Hisense apart is that it actually sounds good. As we said in our Hisense AX5125H review:

“The Hisense AX5125H caught us completely off guard. Most solo soundbars that cost this sort of money are seriously deficient in terms of audio quality.

“[But that’s] simply not the case, though. This remarkably affordable system delivers Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks with room-filling, sofa-shaking exuberance, and while it of course has its limitations, it’s a vast upgrade on the sound of any TV we’ve tested.”

Hence why we gave it a trophy at the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025. However, despite its perks and price, while it's the best cheap system we've tested, its audio isn't quite as finessed as the Beam's. Its nature as a system also means it will take up a lot more space, which is another factor some buyers will need to consider.

The second, freshly reviewed JBL is more of a direct rival to the Beam. While the full-width bar is not an Award-winner, it came a hair’s breadth from defeating its arch-rival during our head-to-head shootout.

Offering a bombastic performance, it may not be as refined as the Sonos, but it’s still an easy five-star recommendation and excellent alternative to its smaller, more established rival. As our noble testers said in our review:

“Ultimately, the Beam’s greater precision, detail and dynamics – and its musical ability – make it the better choice overall, but the JBL’s weightier, more bombastic and more room-filling sound will win it many fans.”

With two such close shots fired across the Beam (Gen 2)’s bow, I can’t help but think that’s a win regardless of whether the reigning champ keeps its crown, and I can get a little excited about 2026, where I’m hoping we’ll see yet more great-sounding soundbars appear.

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Recently, I’ve found myself in the grip of, no, not a tyre fitter’s hand, like the brilliant band Budgie once proclaimed, but a Bluetooth speaker with a name that seems incredibly apt for several reasons: the JBL Grip.

When unveiling this new addition to JBL’s hugely successful portable Bluetooth speaker lineup this year, the brand said that the Grip’s biggest selling point was its compact dimensions and upright positioning, which make for easy one-handed use.

And whilst this explains its given name, the Grip’s performance does just as much as the convenient design to lure you into its thrall.

I got my hands on the JBL Grip a few weeks ago and have since been thoroughly enjoying the step up from my Anker Soundcore Bluetooth speaker, which I bought for £30 back in 2021.

Considering the JBL Grip is brand new and costs £90 and the Soundcore was first released in 2014, I’m of course expecting a step up in performance – but my experience with the new speaker has been even more enjoyable than I initially expected.

One of the things I noticed from the off was the extra detail and improved clarity when using the Grip. Whilst playing The dB’s Black and White, it became clear I’d gotten so used to the Soundcore that I’d begun to assume that this is just what some songs are supposed to sound like through a Bluetooth speaker.

But after playing through the Grip, I realised just how much detail was being lost.

Instruments I couldn’t hear or that were getting lost in the Soundcore’s comparatively muddled presentation were now there for me to pick out at will. It was almost like hearing a different song, one that felt so much more complete.

Another thing that has impressed me is the depth and quality of the bass, along with the handling of dynamics.

When playing Friction & K-Tee’s remix of Jonny L’s Back to Your Roots, the Grip rumbles away nicely on my dining room table, while the medley of kicks, snares and hi-hats sound crisp and clear.

There is a vibrancy that makes my old Anker seem dull in comparison, while tracks that almost felt like homogenous entities have become journeys with clearly defined stops.

For a speaker that measures just 6.5cm wide and fits into your hand, the Grip is also surprisingly loud.

I’ve mostly had the volume around 40% - occasionally taking it over halfway for songs I feel warrant a good cranking – when listening at home, and it’s been more than loud enough to hear individual track elements clearly. I’ve very briefly taken the volume to max level and the audio didn’t appear to distort too much either.

I like the JBL Portable app you use with this Bluetooth speaker, too. After a quick download from the App Store and subsequent update, I changed the Grip’s light to a vibrant red that I think looks rather dashing. There are other light colours and patterns available, but this one stood out most for me.

The app also provides a selection of EQ presets and an option to tweak the equalisation yourself.

I’ve mostly used JBL’s signature setting so far, which gives the Grip a nicely balanced sound. The energetic preset I briefly tried was a little overenthusiastic in the bass department for my liking, although I’m sure it has its fans.

The only thing the Grip seems to be slightly lacking so far, compared to my Soundcore anyway, is battery life.

Once the Soundcore has a full charge, it feels like it just goes on and on. It’s advertised as having 24 hours of battery life and I’ve charged it so few times in the time I’ve owned it that I’m pretty sure this is on the money.

The JBL, on the other hand, supposedly offers 12 hours of battery life, although there is Playtime Boost setting in the app that extends this to 14 hours while simultaneously boosting playback volume. I toggled this on for a brief period and appreciated how the volume boost didn’t seem to throw the EQ out of sync.

The app lets you know how much charge the speaker has left and after turning on Playtime Boost once the battery dropped to around 10%, it certainly seemed as if the Grip’s playtime was extended.

While we’ve not had a chance to officially review the JBL Grip yet, the brand’s current run of five-star Bluetooth speakers – such as the Flip 7, Charge 6, Xtreme 4, Go 4 – shows that the Grip is in good company.

Regardless of what star rating the Grip ends up with, my first impressions are that it’s an excellent portable speaker for its size and price, particularly if, like me, you’re upgrading from an older, cheaper speaker.

I’ve already belted out a few Christmas songs through it and I’m looking forward to ramping this up even further over the festive break.

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Which JBL speaker should you buy in 2025? Charge 6, Flip 7 and more compared

You don't have to buy a JBL Bluetooth speaker, you know. Much as we herald them as some of the best Bluetooth speakers of their size, type and class, it's nice to have alternatives to cater to different tastes. Let it never be said that we favour one given brand to the exclusion of all others.

The Pure Classic Aura is something a bit different. Shaped like a radio, portable like a Bluetooth speaker and with the funky ambient lighting of a modern gaming soundbar, its unique roster of talents make it a charming alternative to the JBL stable, especially now that the price has dropped from £119 to just £89 at Amazon. Did we mention those ambient lights..?

Best Pure Bluetooth speaker deal

Around £90 generally gets you a portable Bluetooth speaker that has been designed to be chucked in a bag or on a backseat to accompany you on your travels, such as the Award-winning JBL Flip 7 or the eminently likeable Bose SoundLink Flex.

The Pure Classic Aura, however, is designed to be plonked onto your desk or kitchen worktop, even if its lightweight build and removable rubber carry strap mean you can move it easily between rooms and/or residences. An IPX2 rating, meanwhile, means it should survive being briefly sprayed with water if you're a bit careless with your kitchen tap.

Its party piece is the collection of small circular LEDs on the rear panel that shine a variety of colours (both static and dynamic), creating an attractive halo of coloured light behind the speaker that work best when it's placed near a rear wall.

Bluetooth 5.3 support is on the menu, which offers the only means of connection aside from a 3.5mm auxiliary input, while a built-in battery pack offers 30 hours of playback on a single charge.

Pure didn't forget to make a speaker that sounds the part. Thanks to its 40-watt output, the Classic Aura is happy to go loud when you push the volume dial, serving up an impressively wide, open soundstage with pleasing detailed and nuance, particularly through. Dynamics are nicely handled, too, with the classy speaker conveying shifts in intensity and volume when required.

All in all, the Classic Aura has serious substance to go with all of that style. Check it out and its new deal price at Amazon.

MORE:

Also consider the JBL Flip 7

A big year ahead? 6 pairs of wireless headphones and earbuds I'd love to see in 2026

Best Bluetooth speakers tried and tested for every budget

If you've followed What Hi-Fi? for a while now, you might be sick of hearing us recommend JBL's expansive roster of Bluetooth speakers. Whenever a deal rolls around, we're usually pretty quick to point it out, urging you to snap up a fantastic Flip 7 or a charming Charge 6 as a matter of urgency. Hey, it's not our fault they're great speakers.

That doesn't mean we're not keen to give rivals their due. The Sony ULT Field 1 might not have been untouchable at its full price of £119, but now that it's fallen to £69 at Amazon and Sevenoaks in the runup to Christmas, it could be the perfect stocking stuffer for those buyers seeking something just a little different this festive period.

JBL might have the market monopoly, but the ULT Field 1 has enough up its sleeve to make it worthy of an audition, if it matches your particular set of criteria.

Best Sony ULT Field 1 deal

The Sony ULT Field 1 is actually a really interesting beast. It often gets forgotten amidst a wave of five-star JBLs, such as the Flip 6 and the Award-winning Flip 7, but the Field 1 is something of a wildcard that, if it's up your street, can actually represent a very attractive proposition on paper.

There are two ways of listening to Sony's slimline speaker: with the bass-boosting 'Power Sound' profile switched on or off. If you switch it on, you'll get a punchy, powerful sound anchored by a considerably weighty lower-end reproduction which goes beyond what you might expect from a unit of this size.

Switch it off and the ULT Field 1 becomes leaner, tauter and nimbler, making tracks feels sharper, freer and capable of clipping along with a sprightly sense of propulsion and rhythmic drive. Neither profile is perfect, but the Sony is notable for teasing out detail than its JBL Flip 6 rival, and that's not something to be sniffed out.

The Field 1 scores highly in other areas, too. Battery life is a respectable 12 hours if you're reasonable with your listening volume, while an IP67 is more than enough to keep the Sony speaker protected from the sand and the sea. Hands-free calling is also available, while stereo pairing is on hand for getting twin Field 1s firing together.

As an intriguing, super-discounted alternative to the class-leaders, the Sony ULT Field 1 is worth an audition. Check it out at Amazon or Sevenoaks.

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A big year ahead? 6 pairs of wireless headphones and earbuds I'd love to see in 2026

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And the best Bluetooth speakers, too

For years, if you checked our best Dolby Atmos soundbars guide, or yearly list of Award winners, you'd have seen one recommendation for buyers on a budget: the Sonos Beam (Gen 2).

While we applaud its longevity, variety is the spice of life, which is why we've continued hunting for an affordable soundbar capable of dethroning it, but to little avail. Perhaps, until now.

Yes, this month, a new challenger has stepped into the ring, in the shape of the JBL Bar 300MK2. Brandishing some pretty comprehensive specifications and a bombastic sound, the soundbar earned our hallowed five-star rating, which may lead you to justifiably ask: which one should I buy?

We’ve got you covered. We've compared them in detail to help you decide which one is worthy of your home set-up.

JBL Bar 300MK2 vs Sonos Beam Gen 2: price

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 costs £449 / $449 / AU$649, while the JBL Bar 300MK2 comes in at £350 / $450 / AU$549.

That’s nearly the same price in the US, but there is a bit of a difference in the UK. The Beam certainly isn't immune to price drops, and we've recently seen it go as low as £335, but it usually costs the full £449.

This puts both soundbars in the entry-level Dolby Atmos category, with more pricey mid-range models such as the Sonos Arc at £799 / $799 / AU$1399.

At this price, both models also have stiff competition with the Hisense AX5125H, which costs £249 / $350 (around AU$500). The soundbar package consists of a main soundbar, subwoofer and two small surround speakers.

This is our only other five-star entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar recommendation. Inevitably, it takes up more space than the single soundbars we are looking at today.

But with this match up, while the Sonos model has seen some significant price drops recently, the JBL bar takes the crown.

**Winner: JBL Bar 300MK2**

JBL Bar 300MK2 vs Sonos Beam Gen 2: build

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a compact model, measuring 7 x 65 x 10cm (hwd). It’s got quite a stylish design, sporting rounded ends with a perforated polycarbonate grille facing the listener. There are two colour finishes available – white and black.

That contrasts with the JBL’s longer, more plastic-looking build that measures 5 x 94 x 10 cm (hwd), and is only available in black.

This means the JBL is much longer but also a little less tall than the Sonos Beam, so it's even less likely to block the bottom of the TV. It might not be the case if your TV has feet rather than a stand, so that is worth keeping in mind when your setup.

Unlike the Beam, there’s an LED display at the front of the bar, which is a pleasant surprise at this price and makes volume and output changes instantly visible.

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 does not come with a remote control, but it can be operated via the Sonos app (more on this later) and the TV remote.

With the Bar 300MK2, we get a remote that closely resembles the soundbar itself. It’s long, thin, simple and entirely black apart from the symbols on the buttons. From here, you can turn on Dolby Atmos and Bluetooth, change the output, adjust the volume, and crank up the bass from 1 to 5. You can also use the accompanying app to control the soundbar.

Both soundbars feel sturdy and well-built, and which one you prefer will be down to personal preference and practicality.

**Winner: draw**

JBL Bar 300MK2 vs Sonos Beam Gen 2: features

But what are the soundbars hiding under their shells? Starting with the Sonos model, the 5.0 bar features one central tweeter and four elliptical mid-woofers each powered by Class D amplifiers.

Within the JBL’s slender body are five mid/bass racetrack drivers and four 0.75-inch tweeters, which also create a 5.0 sound system. Neither model includes up-firing speakers, so Dolby Atmos is delivered virtually.

On top of the Beam’s body are touch-sensitive buttons, LEDs, and far-field mics for voice control of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. At the back of the bar, you will find sockets for power, ethernet, and a single HDMI eARC as well as a connect/reset push button.

JBL’s model offers a dedicated HDMI input as well as an HDMI eARC port. That's a draw for those with lots of sources who don’t want to lose an input when they connect their soundbar. That said, this input doesn't support 4K/120Hz signals from a games console.

Both the Sonos and the JBL soundbars can be controlled by an app. These act as an all-in-one hub for the bars, with access to EQ controls and more advanced sound settings.

The apps also offer room calibration to fine-tune the sound to your space, but it's worth noting that the Beam's calibration requires an iOS device – Android devices aren't compatible.

Both soundbars have wi-fi and support music streaming via platforms including AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and Amazon Music Ultra HD.

As wi-fi is included, you can stream using platforms such as Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and Amazon Music Ultra HD with both soundbars. You can expand the Sonos with wireless surrounds and a subwoofer if you wish. This isn’t an option with the JBL model, however.

It’s tough to decide a winner here as both soundbars are relatively well matched, but the JBL Bar takes it for that extra HDMI connectivity.

**Winner: JBL Bar 300MK2**

JBL Bar 300MK2 vs Sonos Beam Gen 2: sound

Now for the main event: how do the soundbars compare in terms of audio performance? It’s evident from the outset that they are taking quite different approaches.

The JBL Bar 300MK2 produces an immersive and room-filling sound in our test room, massively outdoing the audio quality of the majority of TV speakers and producing a wider soundstage than the Sonos Beam Gen 2.

We say in our review while watching Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning: “As the camera follows the progress of the helicopter in the sky, the sound stretches into the room, along the ceiling, to a point just above the listening position.”

It packs a lot of punch with the bass, too, which adds to the overall immersive experience. When the helicopter flies overhead, for example, we can feel the thrum of the chopping in the soles of our feet.

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 doesn’t reach the same impactful bass levels and weightiness as the JBL, but it counters with a more precise and controlled overall sound. It balances each frequency with expert finesse, creating an impressively detailed sound considering its compact size and lack of up-firing drivers.

When watching Roma, for example, we say: “In the incredibly stress-inducing scene in which the father painstakingly parks his car in the family’s narrow driveway while smoking a cigarette and blasting classical music, the rapid editing from interior to exterior, above the car to below the bumper, is expertly matched by the Beam Gen 2’s rendering of space and dynamics.”

This controlled performance continues with music, as the Sonos model offers clear vocals along with good cohesion between the different frequencies.

The JBL Bar 300MK2’s bombastic performance lends itself less well to music, though. It’s still bassy and immersive, but with Aurora’s Your Name, the soundbar struggles to separate each frequency, which leads to a slightly clogged delivery.

Although the JBL Bar 300MK2’s punchy performance will win it many fans, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 takes the crown for its more cohesive and detailed overall sound, which works well with both music and movies.

**Winner: Sonos Beam Gen 2**

JBL Bar 300MK2 vs Sonos Beam Gen 2: verdict

The JBL Bar 300MK2 and Sonos Beam Gen 2 are both excellent five-star Dolby Atmos soundbars, and either would make a worthy addition to your home cinema system.

JBL’s sleek-looking soundbar offers an immersive, room-filling sound that gives your movie viewing experience a great sense of excitement and scale.

Sonos’ model, on the other hand, delivers a more controlled overall performance with an excellent sense of precision that the JBL can't match.

That makes the Sonos Beam Gen 2 our top recommendation for most people, and means it keeps the top spot as the best entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar for now. Though the JBL definitely gave it a decent, and welcome, run for its money.

**Overall winner: Sonos Beam Gen 2**

When it comes to entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbars, regular readers will be well aware that the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is the top dog in our books.

After all, it snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award for the fifth time running earlier this year, and holds the top spot as the best Dolby Atmos soundbar in multiple soundbar guides.

And that's all for good reason. When we first reviewed this model, it delivered a rich and clear sound performance that blew us away.

We note while watching Bohemian Rhapsody: "The sound of each instrument feels natural and unprocessed, no matter where it sits in the shot, and when the camera flies over the audience there’s a real wide-sweeping sensation of movement and expanse."

It is impressively immersive as well, considering its compact dimensions of 7 x 65 x 10cm (hwd). The Sonos manages to balance more subtle sounds with decent precision, while also producing a convincing Dolby Atmos effect.

That all results in a "warm, refined sound" that ultimately earned the soundbar a five-star review. It launched at £449 / $449 / AU$649 and, although we have seen this price drop during sales events such as Black Friday, it has remained roughly at this price since launch.

Now, five years after the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) burst onto the scene, we have found a model that gives it a genuine run for its money.

Enter the JBL 300MK2, a Dolby Atmos soundbar that packs a big punch.

The JBL Bar 300MK2 offers a tempting alternative

The JBL comes in slightly cheaper than the Sonos model, and will set you back £350 / $450 / AU$549.

It offers an unassuming design, featuring rounded edges with a plastic grille on the front. There's an LED display at the front of the bar, which is a pleasant surprise at this price (the Sonos doesn't have a display of any kind) and makes volume and output changes instantly visible.

Around the back of the bar, there are two HDMI connections – one dedicated input and an output that can also receive sound from your TV via eARC. While there’s no 4K/120Hz support, the HDMI passthrough does support Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

But what makes it such a worthy rival? First off, the 300MK2 offers a room-filling Dolby Atmos presentation that is a massive improvement on the majority of TVs' audio. We find while watching Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, for instance: "As the camera follows the progress of the helicopter in the sky, the sound stretches into the room, along the ceiling, to a point just above the listening position."

It can tackle low frequencies excellently as well, producing a weighty sound that you can feel in the soles of your feet with the most booming soundtracks. That doesn't mean the vocals are forced into the background, though, as the sparkling midrange keeps voices in check.

Compared with the Beam, the JBL does truly challenge our reigning champ. Where the Sonos delivers a more cohesive sound overall with top-class control and finesse, the 300MK2's weightier, more bombastic and more room-filling sound will win it many fans.

That's the closest any Dolby Atmos model at this price has got to dethroning the Beam (Gen 2) and, trust us, that's high praise indeed.

MORE:

Here is our review of the Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

And this is our full review of the JBL 300MK2

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