Sonos Beam Ultra vs JBL Bar 500MK2 Soundbar Comparison

Sonos Beam Ultra vs JBL Bar 500MK2

Sonos Beam Ultra

7.1.2-channel | $699

Check price atAmazon›

Change

JBL Bar 500MK2

5.1-channel | $650

Check price atAmazon›

Change

Sonos Beam Ultra vs JBL Bar 500MK2: the short answer

We can compare 13 features from the published specs. The JBL Bar 500MK2 is ahead on 4, the Sonos Beam Ultra on 3, and 6 are ties. The biggest difference for movies is height: the Sonos Beam Ultra has 2 ceiling-firing channels and the JBL Bar 500MK2 has none. Only the JBL Bar 500MK2 comes with a subwoofer, which matters when comparing the prices.

Reasons to choose Sonos Beam Ultra over JBL Bar 500MK2

Channel layout: 7.1.2 vs 5.1
Height channels: 2 vs 0
Voice assistant: Sonos Voice Control built-in vs Google Assistant optional

Reasons to choose JBL Bar 500MK2 over Sonos Beam Ultra

HDMI inputs: 1 vs 0
Subwoofer: Included vs Optional
Streaming: Wi-Fi + AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect vs Wi-Fi + AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect
Height: 2.13 in vs 2.56 in

Side-by-Side Comparison

	Sonos Beam Ultra	JBL Bar 500MK2
Channel layout Counts speaker channels the bar actually has. More ear-level and height channels means a wider, taller sound field.	7.1.2	5.1
Height channels Drivers aimed at the ceiling, which is what makes Dolby Atmos sound overhead rather than just wide.	2	0
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes
DTS:X	No	No
HDMI to the TV eARC carries lossless Dolby TrueHD and Atmos from the TV; plain ARC compresses them.	eARC	eARC
HDMI inputs A spare HDMI port for a games console or disc player.	0	1
Video pass-through	—	4K
Subwoofer Included beats optional beats none: a separate subwoofer is where deep bass comes from.	Optional	Included
Rear speakers Real rear speakers put effects behind you; without them surround is simulated from the front.	Optional	Optional
Room correction	Yes	Yes
Streaming	Wi-Fi + AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect	Wi-Fi + AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect
Voice assistant Built in, rather than through a separate smart speaker.	Sonos Voice Control built-in	Google Assistant optional
Dialogue enhancement	Yes	Yes
Height Lower is less likely to block the bottom of the TV picture.	2.56 in	2.13 in
Width / suits TVs from Neither is better: match the bar to your TV. See the size simulator below.	29.53 in / 40-inch	37.06 in / 43-inch
Drivers in the bar	9	9
Power (total, as published) Makers rate soundbar power differently, so the totals are not a like-for-like comparison.	—	225 W
Weight	6.35 lbs	6.5 lbs
List price	$699	$650

Green marks the better figure where one is better. Dashes are specs the maker does not publish.

Size: Both Soundbars in Front of a TV

Drawn to scale. The solid bar is the Sonos Beam Ultra, the dashed outline the JBL Bar 500MK2. Pick your TV size and how it stands to see whether either would cover the picture.

Full Specifications

Sonos Beam Ultra Specifications

Sound
Channels	7.1.2
Dolby Atmos	Yes
DTS:X	No
Drivers	Tweeters: 1 centre, 2 side-firing horn-loaded, 2 up-firing horn-loaded (5); Woofers: low-profile cone (4); Amplifiers: 9 Class D
Subwoofer	Optional
Rear speakers	Optional
Dialogue enhancement	Yes
Night mode	Yes
Room correction	Yes
Connections
HDMI to TV	eARC
HDMI inputs	0
Optical inputs	No
Analogue input	No
USB	USB-C
Subwoofer output	Wireless
HDMI CEC	Yes
Streaming and Control
Wi-Fi	802.11ax
Bluetooth	Yes
Streaming	AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, TIDAL, Amazon Music, Apple Music
Voice control	Sonos Voice Control built-in
App	Sonos app (iOS, Android)
Remote included	No
Physical
Dimensions (W x H x D)	29.53 x 2.56 x 4.13 in / 750 x 65 x 105 mm
Weight	6.35 lbs / 2.88 kg
Wall mounting	Yes (bracket sold separately)
Warranty	1 Year parts, 1 Year labour
List price	$699

Power is the maker's total across all drivers and is not comparable to an amplifier's per-channel rating.

JBL Bar 500MK2 Specifications

Sound
Channels	5.1
Dolby Atmos	Yes
DTS:X	No
Drivers	Tweeters: 0.75" Dome (4); Woofers: 1.625" x 3.1875" Cone (5); Subwoofer: 10" Cone; Enclosure: Ported
Power (bar, total)	225 watts
Power (subwoofer)	150 watts
Frequency response	33-20K Hz
Subwoofer	Included
Rear speakers	Optional
Virtual surround	MultiBeam 3.0
Dialogue enhancement	Yes
Night mode	No
Room correction	Yes
Connections
HDMI to TV	eARC
HDMI inputs	1
Video pass-through	4K
HDMI version	2.0
Optical inputs	Yes
Analogue input	No
USB	USB-A
Subwoofer output	No
HDMI CEC	Yes
Streaming and Control
Wi-Fi	802.11ax
Bluetooth	Yes
Streaming	AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, TIDAL, Amazon Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn, YouTube Music
Voice control	Google Assistant optional
App	Apple iOS, Android
Remote included	Yes
Learns TV remote	Yes
Physical
Dimensions (W x H x D)	37.06 x 2.13 x 4.94 in / 941 x 54 x 126 mm
Weight	6.5 lbs / 2.95 kg
Subwoofer size	12.81 x 15.75 x 14.38 in (W x H x D), 20 lbs
Wall mounting	Yes (bracket included)
Warranty	1 Year parts, 1 Year labour
List price	$650

Power is the maker's total across all drivers and is not comparable to an amplifier's per-channel rating.

More Soundbar Comparisons

All soundbars ›