Upgrade Your Home Theater Audio: JBL Bar 500 Soundbar Now $399
Amazing picture quality is fantastic, but come on, the built-in sound usually leaves much to be desired. If you're willing to upgrade your home theater audio without breaking the bank, we've found a deal that you'll appreciate.
The JBL Bar 500 soundbar system is receiving a nice price drop on Amazon as well as retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. Typically running you about $599, you can pick it up right now for just $399. That's a solid 33% discount, bringing excellent sound to more affordable levels.
This isn't the lowest price ever offered (that appeared briefly on Black Friday), but it's close and helps to make the Bar 500 a very compelling option in the sub-$400 category.
What Does the JBL Bar 500 Offer?
So what is the bundle for your money. You get a 5.1 channel system, that means the main body itself plus one wireless subwoofer for deep bass rumbling. This setup goes to a total power of 590 watts, which will certainly fill most living rooms without much problem.
The important features are:
- Dolby Atmos support: Immersive experience with height effects (simulated).
- MultiBeam technology: Assists in the creation of a broader soundstage.
- Dedicated subwoofer: A must for serious movie explosions and music.
- Clear dialogue: Reviews consistently rave about it making voices clear and easy to hear.
- Room correction feature: Assists in customizing the sound for your room's acoustics.
Things to Remember
It's always nice to know what you're getting, and what you're not. While the Bar 500 does indeed support Dolby Atmos, it's a virtual height effect created by its MultiBeam technology – it doesn't have physical upward-firing speakers. So the Atmos effect won't be quite as intense as on more premium soundbars with discrete height channels.
Also, this model lacks manual treble or bass controls, so you'll need to rely on the preset sound modes and the room correction feature.
Is It Worth It for Under $400?
As $399 is the going price for the JBL Bar 500, you can see it as quite the tempting option. The difference in quality should be quite tremendous, especially if you've been using just the speakers built into the TV, as this has tremendous punchy bass and quite intelligible dialogue. The Atmos isn't "properly" upward fired, but certainly adds an extra layer of immersion. The overall package is good value for money.
