Product Comparison: JBL Bar 3.1 vs JBL Bar 5.1

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JBL Bar 3.1 Channel 4K Ultra HD Soundbar with 10” Wireless Subwoofer

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JBL Bar 5.1 4K Ultra HD 5.1-Channel Soundbar with True Wireless Surround Speakers

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General Specifications

Brand

JBL

Model

Bar 3.1

Bar 5.1

Origin

China

About the Product

Featuring 450W of total system power, a dedicated center channel and a 10" Wireless subwoofer for thrilling bass, and Voice clarity, The JBL bar 3.1 sound bar with JBL Surround sound and Dolby digital lets you immerse yourself in best-in-class surround sound audio.

The JBL Bar 5.1 transforms from a soundbar into a true wireless 5.1 home theater system for an epic movie and music–listening experience. The soundbar features two detachable battery–powered wireless surround speakers with 10–hours of playtime, 510W of total system power, a 10” wireless subwoofer, three HDMI inputs to connect 4K devices.

Key Specs

Minimum Frequency Response

35 Hz

Maximum Frequency Response

20 kHz

Power Output

450 Watt

510 Watt

What customers say about "Key Specs"

JBL Bar 3.1 Channel 4K Ultra HD Soundbar with 10” Wireless Subwoofer

Hooked it up to our TV, sounds great. Good response at high and low frequency.
Amazing bass. Decent mid range and tweets. Clear sound, i am happy! Recommended.
The high end sounds very clear and the massive subwoofer really fills in what the soundbar lacks.
Yes, the sub-woofer kicks... a lot. Watching scenes from Infinity War almost knocked pictures off the wall.
There's no balance to richness to the sound. You have deep, intense bass and extremely high and glass-like treble. No mid-range frequencies, none.

JBL Bar 5.1 4K Ultra HD 5.1-Channel Soundbar with True Wireless Surround Speakers

The sound is adequately clear and crisp; it probably won't beat high-end systems such as Bose when it comes to sound quality, but once again I had no complaints.
The bass rumbled even with the setting below 20, and the surround worked wonderfully.
I heard rain from the movie all around, and in the chase sequence in the jeep with Jeff Goldblum, the T-Rex roared through all channels and you could hear his footsteps with the bass. It was amazing.
We do have an occasional problem when we disconnect the small speakers. It echoes in weird ways or sends off weird frequencies on occasion!
Кesponse around 30Hz is way too high, and if you dial down the bass, you end up turning down 120Hz-180Hz.

Size & Weight

Color

Black

Height

2.3 in.

Width

40 in.

45 in.

Depth

3.1 in.

3.7 in.

Weight

5 lbs.

8.6 lbs.

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

JBL Bar 3.1 Channel 4K Ultra HD Soundbar with 10” Wireless Subwoofer

The sound bar itself is startlingly small, but it puts out whopping sound. Currently, as I'm writing this, I'm feeling my desk vibrate from it and it isn't even on the desk I'm using.
Overall the speaker and subwoofer are large in size, but if you want the power, it's fantastic.
I defenitely love this product and love the size, look and convenience of it!
I will start by saying I do enjoy the sound quality from this setup. The subwoofer has great bass for its size.
It seems as if soundbars all lack the midrange frequency due to their small size, becaud most of the ones I heard seem that way.

JBL Bar 5.1 4K Ultra HD 5.1-Channel Soundbar with True Wireless Surround Speakers

I love the wireless detachable speakers, as they pack a lot of sound for their size.
Overall the speaker and subwoofer are large in size, but if you want the power, it's fantastic.
We love this product and love the size, look and convenience of it! Highly recommended.
I would recommend this system to anyone wanting a 5.1 system with a small footprint.
Lots of sound for such a small setup! Easy plug, play, synch and sound adjust.

Features

Type

Tabletop

Installation Type

Stand-alone, Wall-mount

Wall-mount, Stand-alone

Number of Channels

3.1

5.1

Sound Enhancing System

Dolby Digital

Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS

Extras

Promising voice clarity by dedicated center channel, Thrilling bass from a 10” (250mm) wireless subwoofer, True 4K connectivity

JBL SoundShift, True 4K connectivity, Detachable, battery-powered wireless surround speakers

What customers say about "Features"

JBL Bar 3.1 Channel 4K Ultra HD Soundbar with 10” Wireless Subwoofer

The center channel is good in the living room or home the home theater. It is easy to set and is a Best Buy.
Synchs to the TV ARC system so I don’t even need the remote. I can control volume for the whole set up with a fire tv 4K stick remote!
Got it about a week ago and everything works as advertised. Love the center channel. This is an undervalued feature that makes all the difference in clear speech during movies.
The bass hits really nice and deep whether when listening to music or during action packed scenes.
Incredible bass, and I don’t just mean it’s loud. It’s accurate! The bass is clean and responsive with theater-like lows.

JBL Bar 5.1 4K Ultra HD 5.1-Channel Soundbar with True Wireless Surround Speakers

The “Movie” sound mode gave me the best treble/bass/mids for every type of media I watched on my TV.
Surround is easy to place and set up using the calibration mic. Separate sub and rear levels lets you easily customize each program source.
The bass in this setup will be impressive from the moment you turn it on, with a night mode to ensure you don’t annoy the neighbors too much.
You can adjust the bass and surround sound separately from the actual volume on the sound bar as well. It even has a night mode to keep the bass lower for when others are sleeping in the other room.
Once I discovered the "sound mode" feature, I was pleased with the warmth and quality of sound using the "movie mode" setting.

Setting

App-Controlled

Equalizer Settings

Surround sound control, Bass, Sound mode, Night mode

Bass control, Music mode, Movie mode, Sports mode, Voice mode, Standart, Night mode

App-Controlled

Connectivity

Wireless Connectivity

Blueetoth

Bluetooth

Interfaces

Analog audio, Optical audio input, USB, HDMI Output x 1, HDMi Input x 3

HDMi Input x 3, HDMI Output, Digital optical audio, Analog audio, USB

What customers say about "Connectivity"

JBL Bar 3.1 Channel 4K Ultra HD Soundbar with 10” Wireless Subwoofer

No connectivity issues at all. I like the display on the bar. I like the 4K pass through. I like the hdmi-arc.
The Bluetooth sub automatically paired with the soundbar so there were no troubles there. I really think everyone will enjoy this system.
I haven't tried bluetooth, so I can't speak for the quality of it, but as far as wired connections go, it's stellar.
Lovin' the bass! Easy to dial down for network tv but up it goes for movies and bluetooth music.
The bluetooth is utterly useless. It is able to connect to a device once, then if you turn it off it won't.

JBL Bar 5.1 4K Ultra HD 5.1-Channel Soundbar with True Wireless Surround Speakers

HDMI ARC allows you to turn the JBL system on/off and allows you to adjust the volume with your cable or TV remote, which is extremely convenient!
Great value, and features for the price. 3 HDMI in.. one HDMI ARC out. Really good!
Unlike other sound bars, this one synced up perfectly with my LG OLED 4K TV through the HDMI ARC connection -- no adjustments needed.
The system met my expectation in turns of its excellent sound quality. It was easy to set up and it connected with ease to all my devices.
I dont like the loud sound that it makes when connect to the bluetooth .Also it keeps turn on itself once you on bluetooth .

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

Certifications