JBL Bar 500 MK2: https://geni.us/GC-JBLBar500MK2
Sony Theater Bar 6: https://geni.us/GC-SonyTheaterBar6
Sony Bravia 5 TV: https://geni.us/GC-SonyBravia5TV
So if you’re looking for a mid sized soundbar for a medium sized living room that’s going to deliver a very big bang for your buck… then I feel that both the Sony Theater Bar 6 and JBL Bar 500 Mark 2 are good options to consider. However these two systems do have their key differences, in both sound quality and connectivity. So today we’re going to compare these two systems and lets see which one is right for you.
Regarding pricing, I think both of these systems are pretty fair. The JBL bar 500 Mark 2 has a retail price of $650, but since this is a JBL product, I do expect it to go on sale on a regular basis. And then there’s the Sony Theater Bar 6 which has a retail price of $700 but it likes to go on sale for $550… or the same price as one Bose Smart Soundbar. Nonetheless if you want to pick either of these two systems up they’ll be linked down below, or you can always press on the YouTube shopping button, and if you want to further support the channel then you can always watch some of the related videos in the description below.
Now first there’s the design of these two systems. Now both of these systems come with a soundbar and an external subwoofer cause the soundbar itself doesn’t produce its own bass. If you’re looking for a fully self contained soundbar, something that doesn’t require an external subwoofer, maybe for your bedroom, then you either want to look at the Bose Smart soundbar which is my top recommendation for bedrooms, or even at the Sony S2000, not to be confused with the Honda S2000. But nonetheless, with both of these subwoofers, they are wireless so you can place them or hide them where you want… and when it comes to power, they both plug in via an AC and they don’t have an external power brick that you have to worry about.
And powering the soundbars themselves is the same, they both plug in via an AC port and there are no external power bricks that you have to worry about. But the HDMI ports on these systems are a little different. With the Sony, it only has a single HDMI port, where as with the JBL, it has two. One that goes to your TV and the other you can plug in your playstation, or gaming console into. Now having an HDMI in port on the JBL is nice cause it good for any power user out there that might have multiple gaming consoles… so this way you can save an HDMI port on your TV. But more importantly, both of these systems come included with and HDMI cable, and no you don’t need to go out and buy some over priced HDMI cable that’s cinema or audiophile grade… they do nothing. And if people swear to you that they do something, they’re lying.
But overall, both of these systems are easy to wire and power into your home theater set up. And both of these soundbars weigh in at a little under 7 pounds so if you plan on wall mounting them, they shouldn’t tare down your new construction homes. Now the JBL does come included with wall mounting brackets, where as with Sony you can use any screws. The wall mounting brackets on these systems aren’t sold separately like with either Bose or Sonos.
Now both of these systems are going to work well with any TV out there. However with the Sony Theater Bar 6, if you use it with a Sony TV, like the Bravia 5 that we have here, then you’ll be able to more easily adjust your sound settings directly from the tv menu, which I personally really like. But regardless with both of these soundbars, you’ll be able to adjust their sound settings through their app… or you can always use their included remotes. Now I think its a nice touch that you still get these remotes, but personally I never use the included remotes that come with soundbars.
Now when it comes to streaming audio to these soundbars, the JBL has airplay 2 support where as Sony’s system doesn’t. But personally I don’t think that matter cause if I am going to stream music to my soundbar, ill just stream to the TV that’s connected to it. But more importantly, both of these systems have bluetooth so you can still share your soundbar with a guest without having to share your wifi password.
But with all of that out of the way, lets talk about sound, cause these two systems are very different. I feel that the JBL Bar 500 Mk2 has a simpler set up than the Sony. The soundbar itself has a total of 5 frontward firing speakers and 4 tweeters, two that shoot out the front and two that shoot out the sides. And it has a downwards firing subwoofer which is going to be able to multiply its bass cause its bouncing sound off of the floor. Where as with the Sony, the soundbar itself has 5 speakers as well… three that shoot out the front and two that shoot upwards, but unfortunately this system doesn’t have any tweeters. But with the Subwoofer, it has a frontward firing 17 centimeter sub with exhausts ports that shoot out the front as well. And a result youre going to get cleaner bass.
But now we’re going to jump into the sound test, both of these systems are playing at 70% volume, but the Sony is playing with its bass set to 5 which is half from max and the JBL is playing with its bass set 3 which is almost half cause this bass goes up to 5. And we’re going to be comparing them to the built in speakers found on the Sony Bravia 5 which are going to be playing at max volume. And no, this Sony Theater system doesn’t have Acustic center sync, so its not going to be getting any help from the TV’s built in speakers.
Sound Test
So first off, obviously any soundbar is going to sound better than your tv’s built in speakers. Your TV most likely has a pair of downward firing speakers that bounce sound off of the table, they don’t get all that loud, and when the bass gets going then it can become a rattling mess. However if you were to go with a more premium TV like lets say the Bravia 5 like we have here, distortion isn’t a problem… however you are going to be better off getting a soundbar cause these built in speakers are going to be mainly for hearing dialog with.
Now when it comes to actually comparing these two systems, when it comes to Max volume performance, they are both pretty similar, so they are both going to be able to comfortably fit a medium sized living room with sound and they’ll might be able to fill a larger living room as well. But definitely both of these systems are overkill for your bed room.
But more importantly, the sound quality of these systems is different. With the JBL, this system does a better job of putting an emphasis on dialog thanks to the built in tweeters that Sony’s system just doesn’t have. So JBL’s systems does sound a little brighter. But the thing that Sony’s system has over JBL is that this system does sound more open thanks to the upwards firing drivers. So with the Sony, this soundbar sounds more immersive, and it has true dolby atmospheres support… and in general the Sony does sound more open and more balanced than the JBL. And then there’s the bass on these systems. With the JBL, this subwoofer produces a lot of kick in its bass cause its a downwards firing sub. But sometimes this bass can get a little over powering, and sometimes it can drown out some audio. Which is part of the reason why this soundbar has to lean towards the brighter side. Where as with Sony’s sub, it still delivers a lot of kick in your bass, but more importantly it produces more resonance in your bass, so this bass doesn’t get overpowering and drown out your dialog.
But with all of that being said, both of these systems perform very well and they both give you a very big bang for your buck. But I do feel that Sony Theater Bar 6 gives you better sound quality than the JBL Bar 500 Mk2 cause this system sounds more open and more balanced, plus it has those upwards firing drivers so you’re going to have a good sense of verticality and true dolby atmos support. Also the bass on this system is cleaner cause its able to resonate at lowers volumes without having to overpower the rest of your audio. But with the JBL Bar 500 Mk2, the main feature that it does have over the Sony here is that it does have an HDMI in port, which could be a big deal for a power user that might have multiple consoles or blue ray players.