BAR 2.0 All In One

Overview

The Bar 2.0 All-in-One is a compact 2019 soundbar from JBL with no separate subwoofer. The bar is 614 mm wide, 58 mm high and 90 mm deep, comes in black and can be wall-mounted with the bracket kit in the box.

JBL lists two racetrack drivers powered at 2 x 40 W (80 W total).

The TV connects over HDMI ARC (an HDMI cable is in the box) or optical. Phones and tablets stream over Bluetooth 4.2. The USB Type-A port plays MP3 and WAV files on the US version; on other versions JBL states it is for service only.

The bar comes with a remote control with batteries, has touch controls on the bar, and also works with the TV remote. JBL lists JBL Surround Sound and a smart sound mode. The box also contains the power cable and the manuals.

What the specs mean

• 2.0 speaker setup: two main channels and no subwoofer. There are no centre, surround or height channels, and the bar cannot be expanded with a subwoofer or surround speakers.
• HDMI ARC: the Audio Return Channel sends the TV's sound to the soundbar over an HDMI cable, and lets the TV remote control the bar. The newer eARC is needed for high-bitrate formats such as Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Atmos, which the Bar 2.0 does not support.
• Audio formats: Dolby Digital.
• No HDMI passthrough: the bar has no HDMI input, so a console or streaming box connects to the TV, and the TV sends the sound back over HDMI ARC.
• No room correction: the bar has no automatic room calibration.