Technology over the last decade has advanced at an extraordinary rate, which is fantastic for anybody out there with a keen interest in gadgets and gizmos.
If home cinema and home entertainment is your niche, you’ll be especially impressed lately as there are more home cinema and home entertainment products and accessories on the market than ever before.
The product we’re reviewing today comes from JBL, which specializes in speakers and acoustics, so right away you know you’re getting a product that has a lot to live up to, but what the heck is it? Well, it is the JBL 9.1 Soundbar and it is turning heads for all the right reasons.
If your home theatre setup could use a little something to really take it up a gear, this soundbar with a difference from JBL is perfect. To help learn more about it, here is our comprehensive JBL 9.1 Soundbar review.
About the JBL 9.1 Soundbar
Briefly about JBL 9.1 Soundbar
Premium wireless surround speaker with 5 main signal drivers, subwoofer and Dolby Atmos.
Great sound quality, lot of features, nice design.
With JBL 9.1 you can listen to music and movies on a new level!
The JBL 9.1 is a soundbar, except, it’s kinda not a soundbar. Confused? You won’t be when you learn a little more about it.
Yes, the 9.1 from JBL is marketed as a soundbar, and yes, it does function as a soundbar, but it is also so much more than just a soundbar. Yes, at first glance it is a premium subwoofer/soundbar system complete with Dolby Atmos capabilities, but it has a bit of a surprise. You see, most soundbars are solid stationary gadgets that sit in one place. The 9.1 however, has front left and right enclosures which can be discreetly removed and used as surround sound speakers/Atmos units with a no-hassle 5.1.4 setup which, in itself is ideal.
JBL are no strangers to this type of design, as previously they offered sound systems with detachable speakers which were battery powered. This, however, is the first Dolby Atmos model of its kind which promises a fully immersive audio performance substantially better than the JBL Bar 5.1, which is also a fan favorite.
Product Specifications
This product really is packed full of features and is designed to a very high spec. Some key features include:
| Spec | |
|---|---|
| Speaker Type | |
| Recommended Uses For Product | |
| Connectivity | |
| Wall mounted possibility | ✓ |
| Universal remote | ✓ |
| Item Dimensions | |
| Item Weight | |
| Input rating |
Overview of the Key Features
Up next, let’s take a quick look at some of the main features we were particularly impressed with.
Connectivity
The connectivity offered by the 9.1 includes WI-FI and HDMI technology. The only slight downside we can find here is that there is just one HDMI port, which for the price, does seem a little harsh.
The HDMI output does, however, support eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) making it great for connecting other viable devices directly to a compatible television set to return lossless audio back to the 9.1 soundbar via HDMI-ARC.
Speakers
As we’re talking about a soundbar, the speakers here can be considered to be the stars of the show, so do they really live up to the hype? Well, yes.
With battery-powered detachable speakers, you can place them anywhere in the room to really enhance your viewing experience. With a modular 3 piece design users can enjoy and immerse themselves in a deep bass listening experience via a 10” 300W powered subwoofer.
Design and build
What we really like about the JBL 9.1 Soundbar, however, is the design and build. For now, detachable speakers which can be wall or ceiling-mounted are not possible for Dolby Atmos products, so the 9.1 is the best alternative.
With the main bar being 88cm in length, and 6.2cm high, it is small and discreet enough to sit at the feet of most TV sets without obstructing the view, yet it packs a heck of a punch.
The detachable speakers are 17cm high and are perfect for placing onto a flat and sturdy surface just over a meter off of the floor, such as a coffee table or side table.
In terms of aesthetics, this product looks sleek, stylish, and modern and is designed to look at home with any modern home TV and theatre setup. The speakers are especially discreet so when placed on a table or desk they wouldn’t look out of place at all.
Pros & Cons
The Benefits
So, now that we know more about this impressive soundbar from JBL, we’ll now summarize some of the main pros we were really impressed with when reviewing this product.
The Negatives
Despite offering heaps of pros, there are a few things we weren’t as impressed with, including:
The Verdict
So, that brings this JBL 9.1 Soundbar review to an end, but what did we think? Well, as you can see by the content and the tone of this review, we were really impressed with this soundbar from JBL.
The product itself looks aesthetically appealing, the detachable battery-powered speakers are a very nice touch, the soundbar is easy to set up, the 820W power output is more than enough for the typical home entertainment setup, and the sound quality provided is also very impressive.
Yes, there are a couple of things we would have liked JBL to address, particularly the lack of dynamics, but otherwise, the JBL 9.1 Soundbar is a great product and comes very highly recommended indeed.
