JBL
Bar 700
JBL Bar 700 (2023): 5.1 Dolby Atmos soundbar system with detachable battery surround speakers, 10-inch wireless subwoofer and HDMI eARC.
Released 2023
MSRP $899.95
Check price on AmazonShop prices can differ.
- 5.1 speaker setup
- Dolby Atmos (virtual)
- HDMI eARC
- 1 HDMI input
- Wi-Fi
- AirPlay
- Chromecast
- Room correction
- Wireless sub
- Wireless surrounds
Overview
The Bar 700 is a soundbar system from the JBL Bar series that HARMAN announced at CES 2023 for the US. A 10-inch wireless subwoofer and two detachable, battery-powered surround speakers are in the box. The bar is 884 mm wide, 56 mm high and 120 mm deep (1174 mm wide with the surround speakers docked at its ends), comes in black and can be wall-mounted with the kit in the box.
JBL lists three racetrack drivers and three 0.75-inch tweeters in the bar and one racetrack driver in each surround speaker: 240 W for the bar, 2 x 40 W for the surrounds and 300 W for the subwoofer, 620 W in total. The surround speakers run up to 10 hours on their batteries and recharge when docked. The TV connects over HDMI eARC or optical, and one HDMI input takes a console or player. Over dual-band Wi-Fi the bar supports AirPlay, Chromecast built-in, Alexa Multi-Room Music and Spotify Connect; Bluetooth, Ethernet and a USB port (MP3 playback on US units) are also built in. Setup runs through the JBL One app.
What the specs mean
- 5.1 channels: JBL's spec sheet lists a 5.1-channel system: left, centre and right in the bar, two surround speakers and the subwoofer. HARMAN's launch release lists it as 5.1.2; the owner's manual describes a virtual Dolby Atmos design, and the spec sheet lists no up-firing drivers, so this site uses 5.1.
- Dolby Atmos (virtual): the bar decodes Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital and creates the height effect in processing. DTS:X is not supported, per the release.
- HDMI eARC: the enhanced Audio Return Channel sends the TV's sound to the soundbar over one HDMI cable, with enough bandwidth for Dolby Atmos.
- 4K passthrough (HDR10, Dolby Vision, HDCP 2.3): a source on the HDMI input passes its 4K HDR picture on to the TV.
- PureVoice: JBL's dialogue enhancement keeps voices clear when effects get loud.
- Room correction: the calibration measures the listening zone and the position of the surround speakers.
- TV remote: over HDMI-CEC the TV remote controls volume, mute and power; the bar can also learn IR commands from a TV remote.
Which soundbar is right for you?
| JBLBar 700 (current soundbar)MSRP $899.95Check price on Amazon | LGS90TRMSRP $899.99Check price on Amazon | JBLBar 700MK2MSRP $899.00Check price on Amazon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall value A rough features-for-the-price score, compared with every soundbar listed. Bars gain points for things like Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi and room tuning, and lose points without them. Dolby Atmos with up-firing speakers earns more than virtual Atmos. Cheaper bars lose fewer points, or none, for missing premium extras (Dolby Atmos, HDMI eARC, up-firing speakers). 100 is the best deal listed. Based on specs only, not on how it sounds. | 61 | 92 | 66 |
| Price-band value Like Overall value, but each soundbar is compared only with soundbars in its own price band: up to $300, $300–500, $500–800, $800–1,200 or over $1,200. 100 is the best deal in that band. Based on specs only, not on how it sounds. | 66$800–1,200 | 100$800–1,200 | 72$800–1,200 |
| Speaker setup | 5.1 | 7.1.3 | 7.1 |
| Dolby Atmos | Virtual | Up-firing | Virtual |
| Form factor | Bar + sub + surrounds | Bar + sub + surrounds | Bar + sub + surrounds |
| Audio support |
|
|
|
| Available inputs |
|
|
|
| HDMI inputs | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Streaming support |
|
|
|
| Virtual assistants | None |
| None |
| Soundbar dimensions | 884 × 56 × 120 mm | 1250 × 63 × 135 mm | 854 × 52 × 128 mm |
Specifications
Overview
- Overall value
- 61
- Price-band value
- 66$800–1,200
- Speaker setup
- 5.1
- Dolby Atmos
- Virtual
- Form factor
- Bar + sub + surrounds
Expandability
- Is extendable
- No (full setup included)
- Has wireless surrounds
- Yes
- Has wireless subwoofer
- Yes
Connectivity
- Available inputs
- Bluetooth
- HDMI
- HDMI eArc
- LAN (RJ-45)
- Optical
- USB
- WiFi
- Streaming support
- AirPlay
- Chromecast
- Spotify
- Virtual assistants
- None
- Controllers
- On Device
- Remote Control
- TV Remote Control
- App required
- Not stated
- Same-brand TV features
- Not stated
Audio & video
- Audio support
- Dolby Atmos
- Dolby Digital
- Room correction
- Yes
- Dialogue enhancement
- PureVoice
- Night mode
- Not stated
- Passthrough
- 4K* (Refresh rate not stated by the manufacturer)
- HDR10
- DV
- HDCP 2.3
- HDMI inputs
- 1
Design
- Soundbar dimensions
- 884 × 56 × 120 mm
- Wall mountable
- Yes
- Colors
- Black
- What's in the box
- Batteries
- Booklets
- HDMI Cable
- Power Cable
- Remote control
- Subwoofer
- Surround speakers
- Wall mount
- Wall mount template
Sources
- https://news.harman.com/releases/jbl-expands-soundbar-line-up-with-five-new-options-featuring-3d-and-dolby-atmosR
- https://www.jbl.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-masterCatalog_Harman/default/dwb60340df/pdfs/JBL%20BAR%20700_%20Specsheet_EN%20(1).pdf
- https://www.jbl.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-masterCatalog_Harman/default/dwa82b2f8c/pdfs/JBL_HA_Bar%20700_OM_V7_EN.pdf
- https://web.archive.org/web/20230223140536/https://www.jbl.com/soundbars/JBLBAR700PROBLKAM.html
- https://www.hdmi.org/spec21sub/enhancedaudioreturnchannel
Updated 2026-10-22