JBL Bar 2.0 All-in-One Sound Bar - in-home entertainment system, with streaming capabilities, in black

Product Information

With the Sonos Ray and Arc also on this list, it’s safe to say we’re huge fans of Sonos and its multi-room brilliance. The latest version of the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is also a superb option that we recommend, but if you want “real” Dolby Atmos via upward-firing speakers, this is one of the most affordable ways to get proper cinematic audio. For everyday TV viewing, the soundbar's strengths are its solid handling of dialogue, noticeable bass delivery and crisp, clean presentation of higher-frequency effects.
With a live football broadcast, the latter helps convey the crowd claps and whistles, and the scale of the stadium. Advertising jingles and TV theme tunes enjoy the extra bass weight so often missing from a flatscreen's speakers. Good looking with an understated grown-up design, the Bar 800 is a brilliantly conceived do-it-all soundbar with wifi connectivity, multi-room music streaming, Bluetooth, Dolby Atmos upfiring speakers, voice control and a beefy 10-inch wireless subwoofer included. There are six speakers here, and while it doesn’t include any upfiring options to help create a greater sense of 3D atmospheric sound, it does enhance audio considerably without sacrificing dialogue for the impact of explosions and action sequences.

Unlike the Sonos Beam, the Bose has two upfiring speakers, which really helps make the most of Dolby Atmos movies. The sense of extra scale here is really impressive given the soundbar’s dimensions. Using Bose’s “TrueSpace” tech, it also does a great job with non-Atmos content, helping boost it to all parts of the room. Bose has a long history of being able to swamp a room using relatively tiny speakers, and here’s no exception. It’s loud, detailed and extremely impressive, with dialogue especially present.

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There’s a snug but well-lit LED panel on the front, and power/volume buttons on the side in the event that you ever misplace the remote. Measuring 50 cm in length, this sits well on smaller cabinets or, like us, the top of a fireplace, but there are also two pre-built holes for wall mounting if you prefer.

Soundbars with this capability will often have upwards-facing (upfiring) speakers to help noise to rebound off the ceiling, as well as ingenious software that splits sounds between different speakers making it feel incredibly real – very clever considering it’s all coming from one box. Before you hit the buy button, it’s worth understanding a little bit of the jargon used and the features available on the latest soundbars. We’ve outlined the most important factors below to help you make the right decision. Connectivity At 115cm wide and 8.5cm tall, it is big. But, it is also sleek and looks superb under our TV, and all that width makes room for 11 speakers, two directed upwards, to create an immersive experience, especially if you’re playing films with Dolby Atmos, which puts you right in the heart of the action. If you thought Disney’s Coco was a tearjerker before, try watching it with the Sonos Arc, and be prepared to sing and sob in equal measure. One of the more important features if you care about surround sound, Dolby Atmos is a cinematic audio format that ensures sound bounces around the room to give you a truly cinema-like, immersive experience. This is measured in wattage. The bigger the wattage number, the more powerful the sound (anything above 250W will be loud enough to wake the neighbours). However, not all brands provide sound output information, as it can easily be confused with sound quality. Dolby AtmosThere’s also AirPlay 2 from Apple devices, which we’ve used to play the same album from our iPhone over a Roku Streambar in the living room, Apple HomePod Mini in the hallway and Sonos Roam outside – all fully synchronised. Weight and dimensions This Denon soundbar doesn’t have wifi connectivity and you can’t talk to it with a voice assistant, but it does have the latest “virtual” Dolby Atmos compatibility (albeit without upfiring drivers) and creates a big, impressive sound for not very much money. If you’re looking to upgrade your TV audio, this is a great place to start. It’s not a soundbar for everyone. This model is too big and cumbersome for many living rooms and TVs, but once in position, you’ll be transported to your own mini multiplex, as 5.1.4 channels of Dolby Atmos flood the senses with a deep and powerful, but controlled performance. Thankfully the set-up was impressively easy, and while it isn’t quite as simple as plug-and-play, it isn't far off. The JBL One app has loads of settings you can adjust and it also features room calibration that helps adapt the sound based on the space you’re in.