If you want to fully enjoy Dolby Atmos’ immersive, quality sounds, we’ve got your back. Today, our JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar review focuses on their 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar that was released just recently.
JBL is giving us their all-in-one compact 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar that produces excellent and powerful sounds. And you won’t need lots of speakers or tons of cash to experience great audio while gaming or viewing with it.
To learn more about the 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar, continue reading our review. Here, we’ll focus on its design, functions, features, specifications, and how well it performed.
JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar Packaging
To begin our JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar review, let’s first check its packaging and the accessories included.
The soundbar came in your typical JBL-looking package that sports its standard white and orange theme. One side displays an image of the product along with JBL’s logo in one corner. There isn’t much to look at, so we went straight to checking out what’s inside the box.
There, we found the 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar wrapped nicely and securely to prevent any possible damages during transit. Other than the product, it came with other accessories like the remote control, two AAA batteries, and an HDMI cable.
Other items you’ll find include power cords up to eight pieces, but it all depends on the region’s SKUs. Then, there are L-shaped wall-mount brackets with screws, a quick start guide, a warranty card, and a safety sheet.
This time, our JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar review will show you the design and functionalities of the product.
JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar Review – Design and Functionality
The 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar produces splendid sounds while playing your favourite games or watching your most loved films. It gives you solid and powerful bass without having to use a subwoofer to achieve it.
The 5.0 Multibeam has a feature that only several Atmos soundbars have. It can perform auto-calibration to set levels and driver distances for the best surround-sound effects.
The soundbar sports a simple look that gives off a premium aesthetic when it comes to its looks. So, it would definitely appeal to those opting for a minimalist approach. The 5.0 Multibeam soundbar’s design and build can easily blend with any setup or theme that you’re going for.
The 5.0 MultiBeam Soundbar may be compact, but it gives off powerful and great-sounding audio. Within its 27.9 x 3.9 x 2.3″ frame, you’ll find five drivers and four passive radiators. You won’t find any wireless subwoofer or separate surrounds since it’s an all-in-one Atmos product.
This technology aims to give you an immersive listening experience by mimicking surround sound without additional speakers.
This metal bar includes several controls for the volume, source, and power. For the grille-covered front, it features an alpha-numeric LED readout that’s easy to read.
The unit’s rear has an HDMI ARC port to link your TV and a single HDMI input. Not only that, but you can also link your TV using optical digital audio if that’s what you prefer. You can use its USB port if you plan on upgrading the firmware or if you want to play music.
This soundbar has WiFi, but you can opt for a wired connection via Ethernet cable. With WiFi, you can link wirelessly via Chromecast, AirPlay, or Alexa Multi-room Music. If not, you can use the Bluetooth connection too.
It comes with a remote control, and it’s as simple as the unit’s controls. There are buttons for volume and power, plus buttons for the HDMI, Bluetooth, and TV input.
The Atmos button draws virtual Atmos when the signal is in a different format and not Atmos. It’s basically a nice touch since it brings height to other audio signals.
Now, our JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar review will focus on the key features of the Multibeam Soundbar.
Key Features of the JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar
Dolby Atmos® and Multibeam™ Surround Sound
Dolby Atmos and Multibeam Surround Sound take your audio experience to a new level. The integrated Virtual Dolby Atmos offers an immersive 3D sound experience, and the Multibeam technology forms a wide soundstage. As a result, the JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar produces incredible audio with detail without using multiple speakers.
Punchy Bass without a Separate Subwoofer
The JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar gives you a home cinematic experience with its intensified and enhanced punchy bass. That’s thanks to its four built-in passive radiators.
Airplay, Chromecast Built-in, and Alexa Multi-Room Music
Airplay, Chromecast Built-in, and Alexa Multi-Room Music allow you to stream your favourite online content with amazing audio quality. And the best thing is, you can do it with just a single tap.
Works with Voice Control
If you have a device with Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant, you can use voice control with the soundbar. Once your device is connected to the soundbar, start streaming your music with a simple voice command.
Ultra HD 4k Pass-through with Dolby Vision
JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar has a 4K pass-through coupled with Dolby Vision. With this HDR 4K video format, you can enjoy impressive audio quality that will match your videos.
Next, let’s take a look at the soundbar’s specifications in our JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar review.
Specifications
The total power output for the soundbar is 250W, while its total output power @THD 1% is 5 x 50W. For the transducer, its racetrack drivers are 5 x 48 x 80mm, while passive radiators are 4 x 3″ (75mm)
The power supply is 100 to 240V AC ~50/60Hz. When it comes to the maximum SPL, it’s 92 dBA while having 50Hz to 20kHz for its frequency response.
Talking about its dimensions, the 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar is 709 x 58 x 101mm (W x H x D). As for its weight, it’s a total of 2.8kg.
This time, our JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar review will focus on the soundbar’s Bluetooth specifications.
Bluetooth and WiFi
The 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar uses Bluetooth 4.2 with a profile of A2DP 1.2 and AVRCP 1.5.
Its Bluetooth transmitter frequency ranges from 2,400MHz to 2,482.5MHz while its transmitter power (EIRP) is <10 dBm. The WiFi network it utilises is IEEE 802.11 a|b|g|n|ac (2.4 GHz / 5GHz).
This soundbar has less than 20dBm 2.4G WiFi transmitter power. Its frequency range is 2,412 to 2,472MHz.
This time, our JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar review will discuss the soundbar’s performance. We’ll let you know if it performed just as good as what JBL claimed.
Hands-on with the JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar
Since this is where we get hands-on with the product, let’s start with how easy setting it up was.
When we connected the 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar to our TV, it was pretty easy. Just utilise the HDMI or optical digital cord, and that part’s done. After that, we had to check out the provided manual to continue with the setup.
Do note that there isn’t any application or on-screen menus available. With that, you’ll need to utilise combinations of the buttons that are available.
When it comes to setting up the WiFi connection, we had three ways to do it. One is via the Google Home app, on iOS or Android. The other is through the AirPlay speaker that’s set up on iOS. Lastly, you can set it up via the Alexa app.
We made a few calibrations to the 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar, and it provided us with a good stereo frequency response. We set the bass to “1”, and it gave us a more balanced and neutral sound profile. It’s an ideal mode, especially when listening to different types of audio.
We switched on the Automatic MultiBeam Calibration room correction. There, it produced a bit of a boxy sound profile when we played our tunes. Using this feature added an extra boom and punch to our music, which made listening extremely enjoyable.
Though if you’re after deep low-bass when listening to music or watching action-packed films, it struggled slightly in this department. We’re after this type of sound too, but it’s good that JBL included a bass adjustment feature and EQ presets. With these, we were able to customise the sounds.
This soundbar’s THD performance was impressive. When we set it at normal volumes, the distortion is within good limits. It resulted in a pure and clean audio reproduction that was extremely enjoyable.
We did notice a slight jump in its distortion when we pushed it to max volume. However, it won’t be noticeable when it comes to real-life content.
During the demo videos of Atmos, the 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar displayed its ability in handling height sounds. For example, raindrops sounded like they were coming from the ceiling.
Since it doesn’t have surround sound speakers, shuffling of leaves didn’t sound that immersive. However, we did get a sense of right-to-left motions compared to what we’d get from a classic soundbar.
The 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar delivered low latency over its Optical, ARC, and Full HDMI in ports. With that, we enjoyed synchronised audio and video throughout our tests. However, it’s good to note that some TVs and apps may compensate for latency, so your experience may differ.
In terms of connectivity, the 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar’s wireless playback was impressive. We were able to wirelessly stream audio from mobile devices to the soundbar. Plus, the soundbar played all the file formats we tested without any issue.
JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar Review Summary
The JBL 5.0 Multibeam is an all-in-one soundbar with a compact design that will suit your set up. For its price, it sounds excellent and handles Dolby Atmos well, even without using a subwoofer.
Aside from its great audio quality, it’s easy to set up and use. It has simple controls and can be used with voice control. Plus, streaming online content is made easy with Airplay, Chromecast Built-in, and Alexa Multi-Room Music.
Overall, we highly recommend the JBL 5.0 Multibeam Soundbar. It’s compact, affordable, and its superior quality audio makes it an excellent addition to your home theatre.
If you want to get your hands on this soundbar, it’s available for online purchase from the company’s official website.