JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam Review

With mid-level performance at a mid-level price, the JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam has something for everybody, including WiFi connectivity, laggless Bluetooth, Apple Airplay, and support for both Alexa and Google voice assistants. Setup is quick with an HDMI connection, though sound customization is limited to adjusting the bass level via the not-so-intuitive remote.

Performance Comparison

Sound Quality

We've reviewed many portable speakers from JBL and are generally impressed with their sound quality, especially considering their size and price. With their mid-priced Bar 5.0 MultiBeam, JBL ups the ante, approaching the quality of the big dogs like Sonos and Bose. Well-balanced mids and highs make for excellent dialogue clarity, but this model struggles when it comes to the low-end.

Cinematic quality

This soundbar has an impressive sound stage when playing Dolby Atmos-supported content. We could easily discern sounds coming from above, directly in front, and moving in three dimensions. The effect is more dramatic than the less expensive soundbars in our review and does a decent job of showcasing the Atmos Technology.

While this model lacks any dialogue enhancement settings, dialogue sounds excellent in general, cutting easily through a busy and chaotic mix of explosions and gunfire found in every action sequence viewed during our tests. Unfortunately, this soundbar struggles to produce the powerful low-end that adds excitement and emotional gravitas to the home theater experience.

Music

Thanks to this model's compatibility with Chromecast, Amazon's Multiroom music, and Bluetooth connection, there are a lot of ways to blast your favorite tunes through this soundbar. In terms of quality, its strengths and weaknesses fall in line with our viewing experience, though when listening to particularly bass-heavy music, with the lows sounding muddy and ill-defined. This can be remedied somewhat by cycling through one of the five different bass levels.

Ease of Use

This soundbar has a quick and simple set up process, but possesses few customization options. Connectivity is strong in this one, and you're in luck if you enjoy using smart speakers from Google or Amazon.

Set up

The JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam is a great option for folks who like going from unboxing to enjoyment in as little time as possible. If you aren't looking to tool around with any customization settings, you can be on the couch enjoying an immersive home theater experience in around 10 minutes. All you need to do is plug in the HDMI connector and you're ready to go. Connecting to WiFi and enabling voice assistance is somewhat more involved and depends on which app you are using, but not especially difficult or time-consuming.

Connectivity

WiFi connectivity allows this soundbar to communicate with your Google or Amazon smart speaker, while the super-fast Bluetooth 5.2 ensures a laggless connection to your laptop, projector, or phone.

Sound Customization

This model is sorely lacking in customization options, and what adjustments you can make aren't intuitive to find via the simple-looking remote. There aren't any modes to enhance dialogue or optimize the settings for home theater or listening to music. As we mentioned, there are five levels of bass, but to toggle through them, you need to hold down the “TV” button on the remote for 3 seconds, then press the “-” button as described in section 6.2.3 of the owner's manual. Not exactly intuitive.

Volume

Plenty powerful to get your living room rockin', this bar is capable of 92 dBa when cranked all the way up. This is plenty of power to fill a living room, even at 80%, creating a real feeling of “being there,” especially when play content with Dolby Atmos.

Design/Style

The JBL Bar 5.0 looks great with its sleek all-metal housing. This makes it feel a little heavy, but you shouldn't need to move it around once it's set up, and the metal is very durable and easy to clean. We much prefer this to the cloth covering found on cheaper models.

Value

Despite some quality sounds, great connectivity and nice housing, this soundbar isn't a killer deal. We've had the pleasure of purchasing several other models that wowed us just as much for a much lower price.

Conclusion