BAR 2.1 Deep Bass

Overview

The Bar 2.1 Deep Bass is a 2019 soundbar from JBL, sold with a wireless subwoofer. The bar is 965 mm wide, 58 mm high and 85 mm deep, comes in black and can be wall-mounted with the bracket kit in the box.

JBL lists four racetrack drivers and two 1-inch tweeters in the bar, and a 6.5-inch driver in the subwoofer. The bar is rated at 2 x 50 W and the subwoofer at 200 W, 300 W in total.

The TV connects over HDMI ARC (an HDMI cable is in the box) or optical, and an HDMI input takes one more source. 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 for a wider sound without extra speakers. The box also contains the power cable and the manuals.

What the specs mean

• 2.1 speaker setup: two main channels plus a subwoofer channel. The ".1" is the wireless subwoofer in the box. There are no centre, surround or height channels, and the system cannot be expanded with 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 2.1 Deep Bass does not support.
• Audio formats: Dolby Digital.
• HDMI passthrough: a console or streaming box connects to the HDMI input, and the bar passes the video on to the TV through its HDMI ARC output. JBL lists HDMI version 1.4.
• No room correction: the system has no automatic room calibration.