If you’re looking for a great Cyber Week deal on a new soundbar, look no further. The JBL Bar 5.0 Multibeam is 50% off — a $200 savings that brings the price of this Dolby Atmos soundbar down to just $200. And while the Bar 5.0 won’t replace a full home theater system, it’s a great choice for small-to-medium-sized rooms.
Most compact soundbars lack major features when compared to some of their bigger competitors. With the Bar 5.0 Multibeam, JBL focused on putting as many features as it could into a single speaker that’s small enough to fit into any space.
Its wireless audio support is excellent, with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, including Apple AirPlay 2, and Google Cast (formerly known as Chromecast), and it works with Alexa Cast too. In fact, this speaker can be controlled by Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa, and each of these smart home systems will let you add the Bar 5.0 as part of a multiroom system.
Surprisingly for a smaller soundbar, you also get a 4K/Dolby Vision compatible HDMI input and an optical input, in addition to the standard HDMI ARC/eARC connection. Even Bose’s and Sonos’ best soundbars don’t offer these features.
As I mention in my in-depth JBL Bar 5.0 Multibeam review, I’m also a fan of the big, easy-to-read digital display that lets you see volume level and the currently playing format — no need to decipher color LEDs.
But the real draw is the sound. The Bar 5.0 excels at filling smaller spaces with very convincing surround sound for movies and shows, whether you’re playing 5.1 sources or Dolby Atmos content. It’s especially rewarding to listen to Dolby Atmos Music if you have a compatible device like an Apple TV 4K for Atmos playback from services like Apple Music or Tidal.
You can use the included remote (or your TV’s remote) to control the system, and JBL includes wall-mount brackets in the box.
The only caveat is that the Bar 5.0 is very much an all-in-one product. You can’t expand it with external subwoofers or surround speakers. And while the Bar 5.0’s bass is a serious step up from any built-in TV speakers, it’s not going to deliver a truly cinematic rumble. As long as you’re OK with this limitation, I think the is a great Cyber Week deal.
