JBL Bar 500MK2 vs Sony BRAVIA Theatre Bar 5

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Bar 500MK2 compared with BRAVIA Theatre Bar 5

	JBLBar 500MK2	SonyBRAVIA Theatre Bar 5
Overview
Released
Released	June 2025	2026
Sound
Type
Type	Soundbar	Soundbar
Channels
Channels	5.1	3.1
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes
Drivers
Drivers	Soundbar with five 42 × 80 mm racetrack drivers and four 20 mm tweeters; subwoofer with a 10-inch (260 mm) driver	Three forward-facing 45 × 82 mm full-range cone drivers in the SA-B500 bar, including a dedicated centre channel; supplied SA-WB500 bass-reflex subwoofer with a 160 mm driver. Four active drivers in total; Atmos height and surround effects use virtual processing, without upward-firing or rear units
Amplifiers
Amplifiers	750 W maximum in total (450 W soundbar, 300 W subwoofer, at 1% THD); 375 W RMS	S-Master digital amplifier; 250 W total claimed output. Japan maker qualifies this as non-simultaneous JEITA maximum, comprising 50 W each for left, centre and right and 100 W for the subwoofer
Frequency response
Frequency response	40 Hz – 20 kHz (−6 dB)	–
Audio formats
Audio formats	Dolby Atmos (virtual) and DTS Virtual:X (DTS Virtual:X added by software update in late 2025)	Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, DTS:X, DTS and multichannel LPCM over HDMI eARC; Japan table also lists DTS-HD High Resolution and Master Audio. Compatible input and television output settings determine available formats
Room tuning
Room tuning	Room calibration; MultiBeam 3.0, PureVoice 2.0 dialogue enhancement and SmartDetails; 7-band EQ in the JBL One app	Manual listening-distance adjustment in BRAVIA Connect; S-Force PRO, Vertical Surround Engine and Dolby Speaker Virtualizer. No automatic microphone room calibration (WIRED)
Connections
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Yes	No
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
AirPlay
AirPlay	Yes	No
HDMI eARC
HDMI eARC	Yes	Yes
Voice assistants
Voice assistants	None	None
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax), 2.4 and 5 GHz	–
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3; A2DP 1.3, AVRCP 1.5	Bluetooth 5.3 receiver with SBC and AAC; A2DP and AVRCP; Bluetooth Low Energy for BRAVIA Connect communication
Ports
Ports	HDMI in (4K Dolby Vision and HDR10+ passthrough, HDCP 2.3); HDMI out with eARC; optical in; USB-A (music playback on US models only, otherwise for service)	One HDMI TV eARC/ARC output and optical digital input; no HDMI input or video passthrough. USB-A UPDATE port is for software updates on HT-B500; USB music playback in the shared manual applies only to regional models with that function. Separate mains connections for bar and subwoofer
Streaming
Streaming	AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Roon Ready	Bluetooth audio from a phone, tablet or computer; no Wi-Fi, AirPlay or integrated voice assistant (WIRED)
Multi-room
Multi-room	–	Included subwoofer connects wirelessly to the bar; this is a dedicated bar-and-subwoofer system, without additional rear speakers
App
App	JBL One app	Sony BRAVIA Connect for setup, listening-distance settings and controls; maker manual requires a smartphone app, account and sign-in for initial setup
Design
Weight
Weight	2.9 kg (better)	3 kg
Controls
Controls	Remote control; works with separate Google Assistant or Siri speakers	Side power button, supplied remote, status LEDs, voice and night modes, bass adjustment and Sound Field on/off; DSEE enhancement. Voice Zoom 3 and TV quick settings require a compatible BRAVIA television
Microphones
Microphones	–	No automatic calibration microphone or built-in voice assistant (WIRED); Voice Zoom 3 processes programme dialogue through a compatible television
Mounting
Mounting	Two L-shaped wall brackets for the soundbar in the box	Tabletop placement or wall mounting using the supplied paper template; suitable screws are not supplied according to the shared maker guide
Size
Size	Soundbar 940 × 50.5 × 104 mm (W × H × D); subwoofer 325 × 400 × 325 mm, 8.1 kg	UK specification gives bar 900 × 64 × 100 mm (W × H × D), 3 kg body alone; Japan table gives 110 mm depth. Subwoofer 192 × 388 × 400 mm and 7.3 kg; weights are separate components rather than shipping mass
Colours
Colours	Black, White	Black
In the box
In the box	Soundbar, wireless subwoofer, remote with two batteries, power cords, HDMI cable, two wall brackets, wall-mount template, quick start guide, safety instructions and warranty card	Bar speaker, wireless subwoofer, remote with batteries, AC cords, reference and quick setup guides, wall-mounting template and warranty card; UK maker additionally lists an HDMI cable, while WIRED's US review unit did not include a connection cable