JBL Bar 500MK2

Awesome Sound. So I have been wanting to upgrade my TV sound to a much better experience. The standard TV speakers just weren't any good in my large open living/kitchen/dining space. I have about 50sqm of space, plus an extra entry way of 12sqm leading up to living area. I have experience with soundbars having 3 cheaper bars already connected to 3 other TVs in the house. I bought this speaker brand new at a good price of $542 online through a marketplace seller, lower than the RRP of $799 (at the time, which is now $849.95 on the JBL site). As I do not want a true surround sound bar with rear speakers, I wanted just the one bar and sub package. This soundbar is a 5.1, albeit not a true 5.1 experience as I do not hear any surround effects and I think it is a bit of a gimmick to portray this soundbar as a surround sound experience. Maybe in a much smaller room it might have the effect of surround, but in my space, it doesn't exist which suits me fine for my needs. I had this speaker delivered in great condition. The packaging inside and outside of the speaker is very strong and very well packaged. It'd be hard to damage any of the products inside during transit. Inside the package included the 450W 5 channel soundbar which feels strong and sturdy with good weight, the 300W 10 inch powered sub, 1 HDMI cable, 1 infrared remote control, 2 small L-brackets for wall attachment, and booklets. Setup is simple enough if you're mounting it on a bench or unit. But I have installed my soundbar above my TV with an angle facing down to the lounge seated position. I bought a cheap soundbar bracket from a hardware store to attach directly to the rear of the TV and slightly added bits and pieces to angle the speaker. Sub box is placed 2.8m from soundbar sitting on the floor between lounge and a cabinet. Once installed, I powered it up and connected it to the android app. Setup through the app was very simple. Once connected to the app via Wi-Fi, the speaker looks for software updates and will upgrade it's software. When all complete and ready to use, I first calibrated the speaker for my room acoustics. Within the speaker software, there are radio and music apps you can add to stream your favourite music through, as well as casting via Google and Apple.. This is a feature I use for most of the day for decent quality music playing in the background. The TV does not need to be turned on for music only. You will control your streaming through the app and can control volume, muting, powering on/off, selecting different source inputs, calibration, and bass level. In the sound settings, there are 3 options - Standard, Music, Movie, and also a Smart mode which detects the sound and selects the best option. I do not have Smart mode activated and I have selected Standard sound. There is another selection - Pure Voice, which will improve the dialogue clarity and I do use that. You can adjust the audio sync if the sound from the soudbar and TV picture are out of sync. I don't need to adjust it and leave it on zero milliseconds. You can adjust the audio equalizer and I have done so to improve the sound. Soundbar volume can also be controlled with your regular TV remote when connected via eARC HDMI port. Instead of seeing the specific volume number level on the TV like I usually would without the soundbar, I now see the volume number on an LED display on the front of the soundbar itself (see pic to show volume change on my TV screen and corresponding to the soundbar above showing sound level 12). Soundbar goes up to level 32 in volume. Most of my daytime/evening viewing is around level 15, and I go to level 10 or 9 when everyone goes to bed. At lower levels, TV voice dialogue is easier to understand than previously without a soundbar. The sound itself is very good for this price soundbar. I am writing my review on a $500-$600 priced soundbar, not one compared to a $1500 or more soundbar. Detail in the sound is good. Highs are good. Lows are good. Mid-range is a little ordinary. I don't expect mid range to be the best with the size of the speakers in the bar. Adjusting the equalizer somewhat gives the bar a great all round sound, given its physical limitations. Some people find the bass too strong on level 5 out of 5. I personally set the bass to 4/5. With my equalizer, optional sound selections, and bass level, I find I have found a good all round profile for regular TV watching, movies with voice dialogue and impact action scenes, and music listening of all different genres. Soundbar and sub are always in sync and connection always stable. After setting up all my personalisation options within the soundbar software, I am very happy with it and do want another one for my gym room connected to that TV to replace a smaller, cheaper soundbar that is still exceptional in performance for its price point.