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CES 2021: JBL Bar 5.0 Multibeam unveiled

A soundbar with Dolby Atmos for just under 400 Euros – is that possible? JBL has taken up this challenge. The JBL Bar 5.0 Multibeam is supposed to be a compact soundbar that perfectly complements a TV. Those who don’t have room for many individual speakers should still be able to secure Dolby Atmos – of the virtual nature, at least.

Virtual Dolby Atmos

With suitable home theater sound, it is such a thing. Ever since Netflix started broadcasting many of its movies and series with the sound reference “Dolby Atmos”, loyal cineastes swear by this sound experience. But not all Dolby Atmos is created equal. Surely you know a classic surround system with 5.1 speakers. Here, two speakers each are used on the left and right in the front and back. These are supplemented by a center speaker and the subwoofer. This is not enough for Dolby Atmos.

This is how a Dolby Atmos system can look according to Dolby. (Image: Dolby)

Here you need at least a 5.1.2 setup. Really ambitious home theater experts even build a 24.1.10 setup. It is therefore quite understandable that virtual Dolby Atmos is wearily smiled at among experts. After all, a surround sound is simulated here by radiation from the wall and ceiling, which can probably in no way keep up with that of a real Dolby Atmos system.

Compact dimensions

Even if said virtual Dolby Atmos can probably in no way keep up with a true 3D sound, JBL brings a decisive advantage to the table here. The dimensions of the small soundbar are the ace up its sleeve. After all, not everyone wants to distribute several speakers in their living room when even a single one can do the job. Besides the compact dimensions, the design of the JBL Bar 5.0 Multibeam is also exceedingly respectable. An attack on the competition without virtual Dolby Atmos is clear here. If you look at the dimensions, the US company is obviously aiming at Sonos. The Swedes have had an extremely popular and equally compact soundbar on the market with their Sonos Beam for quite some time.

Specs promise good sound

We will only be able to find out whether the Virtual Dolby Atmos sound is convincing in a detailed sound test. But a look at the technical specifications of the JBL Bar 5.0 sounds quite promising. The sister company of Harman Kardon installs four passive speakers, which are supposed to provide decent bass even in action scenes. However, these passive radiators make one thing clear. A separate subwoofer, which we already know from other soundbars from the company, is not supposed to be available here. The same also applies for additional rear speakers. According to JBL, you should not even need them. The proven MultiBeam technology is supposed to provide the surround sound. This comes from the parent company Harman and promises home theater sound from a small box.

JBL includes a practical remote control with the Sounbar. Thanks to eARC, however, you should also be able to control the JBL 5.0 MultiBeam with the TV’s remote without any problems.

As with the Sonos Beam, we can also find multi-room options here. Here, JBL relies on an integration into Alexa Multi-Room Music (MRM). But that is not all in terms of flexibility. On top of that, the soundbar relies on good communication in the most common ways. Besides Apple’s AirPlay 2, Google’s Chromecast is also supported. You can also establish a classic connection via Bluetooth. By the way, the soundbar also features eARC. Thus, the JBL Bar 5.0 forms a real symbiosis with the TV – provided it is compatible. Everything can be controlled with a remote control and both devices are switched on and off simultaneously. Thanks to the modern audio return channel, the soundbar also feeds through media in the HDR format Dolby Vision, according to JBL.

Price and Availability

The soundbar is expected to launch this spring. When exactly this will be the case, however, we do not know yet. JBL wants to charge an MSRP of 399 euros for the Bar 5.0 Multibeam. This also puts it in direct competition with the Sonos Beam in terms of price. Compared to other competitors that can offer real Dolby Atmos, the JBL 5.0 Multibeam is a bargain. The Ambeo soundbar from Sennheiser cost a hefty 2,499 Euros at market launch.

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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