Every TV is made better by pairing it with a soundbar. That’s a hill I will die on. As powerful as some of the best TVs’ built-in speakers are getting, nothing beats a dedicated sound system as far as clarity and audio depth are concerned. JBL, one of the better known brands in this space, has launched a new range of soundbars, including a whopping 17-channel second-gen version of the Bar 1300.
Packing a beefy 2,470W of power, the 11.1.4 JBL Bar 1300 MK2 includes an eight-inch subwoofer and two detachable wireless speakers to augment your home cinema setup. Six of its channels fire upwards, supporting Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound formats.
One of the interesting additions for the second-gen soundbar is a separate wireless connectivity box. Dubbed the JBL One Commander box, it connects directly to your TV, and then wirelessly talks to the sound system.
Like the One Connect Box used by some Samsung TVs, JBL’s unit aims to make cable management easier. Hooking up cables to a wall-mounted TV or a small cabinet can quickly get messy. JBL’s box cuts back on wires, with the unit handling all of the soundbar connectivity. It’s similar to recent tech JBL used with the Tour One M3 headphones, with a separate unit acting as a mini wireless hub.
At this stage only the JBL Bar 1300 MK2 comes with the JBL One Commander box. As such, and with the soundbar’s high-end specs, the overall package costs $2299.95 in Australia.
The next step down is JBL’s Bar 1000 MK2, a $1,599 7.1.4-channel soundbar system with a 960W output. After that comes the JBL Bar 800 MK2 ($999.95), JBL Bar 500 MK2 ($769.95), and JBL Bar 300 MK2 ($549.95) models. Each one supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, including the ability to cast audio from phones via AirPlay 2 and Google Cast technology.
At launch the JBL Bar 1300 MK2 is exclusively stocked by Harvey Norman, while the rest of the range is available at a wider range of local retailers.
