JBL Bar 300MK2 – 5.0 Virtual Dolby Atmos soundbar with Wi-Fi and calibration (review)

The JBL Bar 300MK2 is an all-in-one 5.0 Virtual Dolby Atmos soundbar. It sounds outstanding, has PureVoice 2.0, Wi-Fi connection for high-res music and room calibration—features you don’t find in a mid-range bar.

And if you are reading this in time for Black Friday 20-25 sales, the range has some extra discounts and free delivery (from JBL online).

What is a BAR?

It’s JBL’s new technology revision to its 2023 Bar series. Better clear voice, stronger bass, room calibration and Wi-Fi connection to the home network for high-res streaming.

We have just reviewed the top-of-the-line and it’s a cracker! JBL Bar 1300MK2 – Impressive and immersive 11.1.4 Dolby Atmos sound bar. It has earned our recommendation for the best soundbar for around $2000 ($1799.95 Black Friday).

This review is for the JBL Bar 300MK2 is the entry-level BAR series, and you can also get the same soundbar with a separate sub-woofer, the JBL Bar 500MK2. We were stunned that so much of the 1300MK2 tech made it to this soundbar.

Here is the range and base specifications.

	JBL Bar 1300MK2 with JBL One Commander	JBL Bar 1000MK2	JBL Bar 800MK2	JBL Bar 500MK2	JBL Bar 300MK2
Channels	11.1.4	7.1.4	7.1	5.1	5.0
Max Power Output	2470W	960W	780W	750W	450W
Dolby Atmos®	True Dolby Atmos and DTS:X	True Dolby Atmos and DTS:X	Virtual Dolby Atmos® and DTS Virtual :X	Virtual Dolby Atmos	Virtual Dolby Atmos
MultiBeam3.0	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
PureVoice 2.0	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
SmartDetails	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Night Listening	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Connectivity	Wi-Fi Bluetooth AirPlay 2 Google Cast Amazon Music HD Roon Ready Spotify Connect Tidal Connect	Same	Same	Same	Same
Detachable speakers	2 detachable, wireless speakers with Bluetooth function	2 detachable, wireless speakers	2 detachable, wireless speakers	No	No
Subwoofer	Dual 8” compact sub with AI Sound Boost	10” Subwoofer	10” Subwoofer	10” Subwoofer	No
JBL One Commander	Yes	No	No	No	No
RRP Price	$2299.95	$1599.95	$999.95	$769.95	$549.95

Australian Review: JBL Bar 300MK2 5.0 soundbar Model JBLBAR300M2WHTAS

 as at 19/11/25

Website	JBL AU Website Product Page Quick Start Manual
Price	$549.95 (Black Friday $429.95) White or Black
From	JBL Online, Harvey Norman
Warranty	2-year ACL (Details)
Made in	China
Company	JBL (founded in the mid-40s) is short for James B. Lansing. (Yes, he was the Lansing in Altec Lansing.) It is now part of the Harman group of companies owned by Samsung.
More	CyberShack JBL news and reviews

Ratings

We use the following ratings for many of the items below. CyberShack regards a score between 70 and 80/100 as a fit-for-purpose pass mark. You can click on most images to enlarge them.

• Fail (below expectations), and we will let you know if this affects its use.
• Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be.
• Pass (meets expectations).
• Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good, but does not quite make it to Exceed
• Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader).

First Impression – love the white

So many soundbars are sombre black that it is nice to see a pristine white bar. It is a neat all-in-one bar at 940 x 50.5 x 104 mm x 2.9kg, so it fits under most TVs.

Or you can wall mount it with the supplied brackets, but remember that you will have at least power and HDMI cables to hide.

Like all the Bars, there is a small but adequate notification window front right, and the ports are on the back.

Remote control – Pass

The non-backlit IR remote control is used mainly for setup, as the Bar is eARC/ARC CEC compatible and can be basically controlled by the TV remote. It can also learn your TV’s basic commands. We set up via the JBL One app.

The JBL One app – Pass+

It is the same app for all JBL soundbars and has some features you don’t expect—a full EQ, calibration, and more.

Speakers – Pass+

JBL has followed so many manufacturers in quoting the irrelevant Peak Music Power, but at least they admit it. The bar has 450W Peak, which is roughly 225W RMS (relevant).

It is a 5.0 using 5x (42×80) mm racetrack drivers, and 4x 0.75″ (20mm) tweeters. The tweeters are on a frequency crossover to reinforce mid and upper treble and do an excellent job in reproducing that Wonderful JBL neutral signature from 50Hz to 20kHz.

• Left front firing
• Right front firing
• Centre front-firing
• Left side-angled
• Right side-angled

Placement and Dolby Atmos – not all that relevant to an all-in-one

As far as a straight 5.0 soundbar goes, you place it in front of the TV and can sit three or more metres away. Sound will be, as expected, front-centric as it cannot create a Dolby Atmos envelope (as it has no rear, side-firing speakers or up-firing speakers).

Virtual Dolby Atmos requires Dolby Vision or HDR/10/10+ (No DTS:X) content with metadata.

It can use psychoacoustics for faux Dolby Atmos (DA), where all-in-one soundbars fool your ears into thinking that sound is coming from around, behind, or above you. To do this, they bounce sound off the ceiling and walls. That is fine if you have lower ceilings and close walls to bounce off – otherwise, you lessen or eliminate the effect. Very few homes are suited to psychoacoustics.

After calibration, MultiBeam 3.0 does its best to give hints of faux DA. In our test area (2.8m ceilings and no side walls), we did not get any 3D height, but surprisingly a small ‘surround’ to about 2m and a wider sound stage.

PureVoice 2.0: Pass+

This is where it shines over the original. Voice is cleaner and crisper. But more important is that it does not substantially alter the audio genres like many DA soundbars that recess bass and treble to accentuate mids for clearer voice.

How does it sound?  Exceed

It is rare for us to award an exceed to any soundbar, and this is based on the price and the 5.0 (not Dolby Atmos) capabilities.

Low Bass starts at 40 Hz, and settles into a quickly building mid-bass 50-100 Hz. This is where the JBL Bar 800MK2 (same soundbar but a separate sub-woofer) would make a difference, being able to add that ‘room’ shaking bass.

Then it is well controlled and flat to 10 kHz, and then slightly choppy upper treble (above human hearing).

Bass is thump, not whump, mids are clear (vocals), and treble is crisp and airy.

Volume is huge – 90dB, but you won’t listen anywhere near that.

Audio music is PCM 2.0, and it does not try to upscale (good).

Multi-room Audio: Pass

You can pair the App with most voice assistants. It can then be part of multi-room audio (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).

Cast – Pass+

• Google Home (tested) supports multi-room. Casting
  Google
• AirPlay
• Spotify Connect
• Tidal Connect
• Roon ready
• JBL One App

Ports – Pass

• Optical in
• HDMI ARC 2.0b CEC 18Gbps CEC
• HDMI In 4K@30fps (no VRR/ALLM)
• Bluetooth 5.3 (pair with last device), not multipoint (you have to clear BT to connect a new device)
• Wi-Fi AC 2.4 and 5GHz via App
• USB-A 5V/.5A/2.5W (USB playback is available in the US version only.)

Power Use – Pass

It uses a maximum of 20 W at full volume. Minimal.

In Box – Pass

• 1x Main soundbar
• Remote control with 2 x batteries
• Power cord
• 1 x HDMI cable
• 2 x L-shape wall-mount bracket (main bar)
• Quick start guide
• Safety instruction and Warranty card
• Wall mount template

CyberShack’s view: JBL Bar 300MK2 is all that most homes need to get vastly better TV sound.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a Dolby Atmos ‘snob’ and have spent thousands of dollars to get what I consider to be perfect DA sound. Read Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar – Add Sub 4 and Era 300s for Dolby Atmos on steroids, but if all I had were $2,000, my choice would be the JBL Bar 1300MK2.

In fact, I own the Bar 1300 MK1 and use it at my city apartment, and I am very happy with that.

This will thoroughly impress Joe and Jane Average, who want to improve their TV sound (don’t we all) and don’t see the need for discrete Dolby Atmos – this is virtualised over 5.0 channels.

It will also impress the hearing impaired with PureVoice2.0. Dialogue is crisp, and it achieves this without dulling the sound integrity.

It gets our recommendation for a great 5.0 all-in-one soundbar. Having said that, you may want to get the JBL Bar 500MK22 version with a subwoofer, just to feel that low and mid bass.

Competition

Most make the mistake of comparing price instead of features.

• JBL Bar 500 or 800 MK2 on Black Friday special. The pick of the crop.
• Hisense has the $399 AX5100Q 580W (250W RMS) 5.1 with a sub. The sound quality is commensurate with the price.
• Hisense has the $599 AX5140Q 600W (300 RMS) 5.1.4, which is about the lowest cost with discrete rear speakers. You will get better DA, but not sound quality.
• Samsung has the $599 S60D 5.0. Again, not bad, but designed for Samsung Q-Symphony compatible TVs.
• LG has the $799 SH7Q 800W (400 RMS) 5.1, which is on sale and compares favourably to the JBL Bar 800MK2.

JBL Bar 300MK2 Rating

Rated as a 5.0 all-in-one with virtual Dolby Atmos (psychoacoustic room dependent)

• Features: 90. A fully featured all-in-one soundbar with remote control, Wi-Fi, an app and even more features than the original.
• Value: 85. It presents good value in a crowded segment. Remember, its strength is sound quality.
• Performance: 90. It has an impressive neutral sound signature, loads of volume and a wide sound stage.
• Ease of Use: 90 – It is easy to set up and use; the App is simple, and calibration compensates for most room types.
• Design: 90. It is well-designed and made.