The best deal on the best soundbar you've never heard of

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

This soundbar might have flown under the radar since launching in 2023, but its latest discount is certainly eye-catching. The JBL Bar 1300 is now better than half price, dropping a huge £650 to just £649 at Peter Tyson.

That's its lowest price ever, and over £150 cheaper than its previous low of £800 last month. Proof that sometimes, it pays to wait.

JBL Bar 1300 Black Friday deal

JBL Bar 1300 was £1299 now £649 at Peter Tyson (save £650)
This JBL scored four stars in our review last year. With detachable rear speakers, a wireless subwoofer and 15 audio channels, it's a versatile, highly capable beast that serves as a one-stop-shop for all your home audio needs.
Read our JBL Bar 1300 review

<p><strong>Price check: £699 at <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=40397&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2Fdp%2FB0C61VT1PZ%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26th%3D1%26psc%3D1%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21%26geniuslink%3Dtrue"><strong>Amazon

The JBL Bar 1300 isn't your typical soundbar. It has two detachable speakers that can either stay attached to the 'bar, or be taken off and placed around the room to act as satellites. They can even work as standalone Bluetooth speakers, playing back whatever's on your phone.

They have rechargeable batteries, so you don't need to run power cables to them, and there's a wireless subwoofer too for adding some low-end grunt.

The detachable speakers feature the same type of drivers as the main 'bar, providing uniformity of sound. JBL's Multibeam tech is onboard, alongside Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to create virtual surround sound.

So how does it sound? Very good indeed. Dialogue is clear and direct, with none of the flatness inherent to some soundbars. High frequencies are handled admirably, as are textures and incidental sounds. Crank it up loud and a little abrasiveness starts to creep in, making the dialogue less clearly intelligible. But that's a minor gripe.

Given that the rear speakers don't contain side-firing drivers, the soundfield is impressively seamless and three-dimensional. "Even with the rear speakers disengaged, the bar is very capable of projecting audio with a sense of spaciousness," we wrote in our review.

The sub integrates with the soundbar well, with no unpleasant separation between low-mid and bass frequencies, though it could sound a little more precise.

Overall, this is a great sounding, versatile system that should do you proud. And now it's just £649 at Peter Tyson, it's better value than ever.

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Joe has been writing about tech for 20 years, first on staff at T3 magazine, then in a freelance capacity for Stuff, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine (now defunct), Men's Health, GQ, The Mirror, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and many more. His specialities include all things mobile, headphones and speakers that he can't justifying spending money on.