Flickr/Max Heidelmann
One of the consumer electronics sector’s more fiercely competitive subsectors is the audio equipment market. It consists of several brands with illustrious histories, devoted followings, and creative approaches to enhancing audio experiences.
Among the most well-known producers of electronics are Sony and JBL. They produce some of the audio equipment that is accessible and highly advertised throughout the entire business. Their separate soundbar lines are among of their best-known products.
JBL soundbars stand out for their strong bass, while Sony soundbars are renowned for their intense and immersive sound quality. To establish which brand produces the best soundbars, it is necessary to analyze the characteristics and attributes of both high-quality audio equipment manufacturers. Continue reading for a detailed comparison of Sony and JBL soundbars.
Sony vs. JBL Soundbars: Side-By-Side Comparison
| Sony | JBL | |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Stylish and modern | Sleek, contemporary, and understated |
| Sound Quality | Clear and immersive sound | Thunderous bass and incredible treble |
| Connectivity | HDMI, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity | Wi-Fi, HDMI, and Bluetooth connectivity |
| Smart Features | Voice control, Chromecast, Apple AirPlay 2 | Chromecast, Apple AirPlay 2, Alexa Multi-Room Music, Voice control |
| Virtual Assistants | Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa | Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Siri |
| Subwoofers | Separate wireless subwoofer or in-built subwoofer depending on model | Separate wireless subwoofer |
| Multi-Room Audio | Supported via the Music Center (SongPal) app | JBL Multi-Room Feature, Amazon Alexa Multi-Room Music |
Sony vs. JBL Soundbars: What s the Difference?
Comparing goods from two competing firms, let alone the product selection of one, makes it difficult to choose a soundbar that meets your audio quality criteria. Amazing soundbars with distinctive features, designs, aesthetics, and performance are produced by Sony and JBL. The most typical factors that consumers may consider when contrasting Sony and JBL soundbars are reviewed in the sections below.
Brand Reputation and History
During the post-World War II reconstruction, Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita created the Japanese corporation Sony Group Corporation. The company’s history can be traced back to the production of audio equipment, with transistor radios and tape recorders serving as its main offerings during the first ten years of business.
From such modest beginnings with only twenty people when it was founded, Sony now has over 100,000 employees worldwide. The business has developed into one of the biggest producers of consumer goods. TVs, cameras, speakers, headphones, and gaming gadgets are a few well-known products on a global scale.
Consumers are aware of Sony’s reputation for manufacturing products with excellent audio quality. Many people value the company’s capacity to produce devices with cinematic sound and immersive surround sound.
The American manufacturer of audio equipment JBL, on the other hand, is a subsidiary of Harman International. It is a division of Samsung Electronics, a South Korean business. JBL is one of the earliest businesses completely dedicated to the production of audio equipment, having been formed in the middle of the 1940s by audio engineer James Bullough Lansing.
Today, JBL produces a variety of gadgets, including soundbars, wireless Bluetooth speakers, vehicle speakers, and gaming headsets. Due to the company’s longevity, it has built a solid reputation for producing audio equipment of the highest caliber. Its products stand out in particular for their capacity to record and reproduce powerful bass sounds.
Prices
Sony has a reputation for producing products that appeal to customers at various price points, and their soundbars are no exception. The business provides various reasonably priced entry-level solutions, such the $99.99 Sony HT-S100F.
Prices for Sony’s mid-range soundbars start at $399.99 for the HT-G700 and go as high as $699.99 for the HT-A3000. Finally, the HT-A5000 and HT-A7000 high-end sounders from Sony are available for $999.99 and $1,399.99, respectively. This implies that almost every lover of audio systems may afford a Sony soundbar. The expected audio quality will be different.
JBL soundbars, on the other hand, are often more expensive than Sony soundbars. Finding a JBL soundbar at the entry level for less than $150 can be difficult. The Bar 2.0 All-in-One, which costs $199.95, is currently JBL’s most affordable soundbar. The Bar 5.0 MultiBeam is an additional option that costs $249.95.
For the company’s mid-range selection, you can choose from a number of items that cost more than $300, such as the Bar 5.1 Surround ($399.95), or a more expensive model like the Bar 700 ($899.95). The Bar 1300X, JBL’s flagship soundbar, was introduced at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show and has a suggested retail price of $1,699.95.
The large range of soundbars offered by Sony and JBL at various price points is perfect for brand-conscious consumers looking to upgrade without switching brands. However, Sony offers soundbars at lower prices than JBL, which tends to draw customers who are more concerned with their budgets.
Design
In the creation of their soundbars, Sony and JBL use a number of design components. With more costly models having polished designs and less expensive models having less ornate designs, the designs change depending on the model.
Sony’s entry-level soundbars have simple designs that may not draw attention in a space but still provide functionality. For instance, the HT-S100F, Sony’s most cheap soundbar, has a straightforward, rectangular, brick-like form with a smooth top. Both ends of its front have speakers, and one of its back’s corners has been carved out to provide access to HDMI, USB, and optical ports.
Sony, on the other hand, has made significant design investments in their mid-range and premium soundbars. The most expensive soundbars have modern, streamlined designs that immediately give away their price range. For example, the Sony HT-A5000 boasts a sleek, modern design that favors the elegance of simplicity above elaborate ornamentation.
JBL soundbars are minimalistic in terms of design so that they can blend in with their surroundings. The company’s entry-level soundbars include a smooth top with buttons for power and volume and a mesh-like front. On the other hand, more expensive JBL soundbars come with surround speakers that can be placed anywhere in the room and are detachable from both ends. They also have a wireless subwoofer in the shape of a cube.
Sound Quality
Sound quality is the most important consideration for users when choosing a soundbar, even though design and cost are also important factors. Not only should a soundbar match your decor, but it should also make watching movies and listening to music enjoyable.
Sony soundbars deliver crystal-clear, fully immersive audio that is perfect for watching movies. The soundbar speakers’ tuning produces a balanced audio experience, with neither the treble nor the bass seeming to overpower the other. To fit your tastes, you can adjust the equalizer settings. Additionally, Sony soundbars come equipped with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, and DTS features that aid in creating 3D sound with accurate depth and positioning. S-Force Pro Front Surround, 360 Spatial Sound, and Sound Field Optimization are additional features that assist the device adapt to a user’s environment and deliver the right sound.
JBL speakers, on the other hand, are famous for producing some of the greatest basses in the audio equipment manufacturing industry. Similar reasoning holds true for JBL soundbars, which deliver thunderous bass perfect for gamers and watching intense action or thriller movies. JBL is skilled in balancing the bass to prevent the listener from becoming overwhelmed by it, creating a rich, deep, and thrilling audio experience.
Similar to Sony soundbars, the JBL One app allows you to experiment with the equalizer settings of JBL soundbars to create a unique audio output. JBL soundbars also offer 3D sound delivery and surround sound features with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Both Sony and JBL provide high-quality audio, but JBL soundbars are a little more engaging and intriguing.
Connectivity
When selecting a soundbar, connectivity options are essential. A soundbar should be compatible with the majority of the electronics in your house; otherwise, buying one is meaningless.
Sony soundbars often have all the standard connecting options. They have Bluetooth and USB connectors for playing music from flash drives and supporting audio playback from laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. Optical audio connections and HDMI ports are also available on Sony soundbars. Not all soundbars support HDMI eARC; instead, more cheap ones only support HDMI ARC when connecting to TVs.
Similar networking options are provided by JBL and Sony soundbars. Devices featuring USB connectors, Bluetooth connectivity, optical interfaces, and HDMI ports are readily available. The less expensive JBL models, however, do not allow Wi-Fi connectivity, which precludes wireless audio streaming and restricts voice assistant conversation.
Compatibility
Before choosing between a Sony or JBL soundbar, compatibility is an additional important consideration to take into account in addition to connectivity possibilities. The perfect soundbar should easily pair with both products made by the same manufacturer and those made by rival or other manufacturers.
One of the market’s broadest selections of soundbars is offered by Sony. Sony soundbars can be connected to any TV, computer, or laptop with an HDMI connector via their HDMI ARC/eARC interfaces. They can also be connected to practically any brand of subwoofer using the optical audio port. Last but not least, Sony soundbars work with the Music Center/Songal app, which enables users to play music from various streaming services.
Similar to how HDMI and optical input connectors on JBL soundbars provide for flexibility with a variety of video and audio sources. But JBL includes a wireless subwoofer with every soundbar over $400, unlike Sony, which only includes them with a few models. The JBL One App, which enables you to configure your audio preferences and curate your music playlists for a more customized music experience, is also compatible with JBL soundbars.
Smart Features
Depending on the model, Sony and JBL soundbars frequently have built-in Chromecast and Apple Airplay for wireless connection viewing. In contrast to JBL soundbars, which link to Spotify via other platforms like the JBL One app, Sony soundbars provide Spotify link.
The same or different content may be played through each speaker by connecting several speakers in various rooms to a single device, which is another feature both firms’ soundbars with multiroom audio offer. While JBL soundbars rely on the Amazon Alexa Multiroom Music feature to power the process, Sony soundbars use the Music Center app to help facilitate and regulate multiroom functions.
Last but not least, both businesses sell soundbars with voice control, allowing customers to direct what they want to listen to from any location in the space. The Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa speech assistants are compatible with Sony and JBL products. JBL takes things a step further by including Siri.
Sony vs. JBL Soundbars: 6 Must-Know Facts
- JBL offers soundbars with 2.0, 2.1, 5.0, 5.1, 9.1, 7.1.4, and 11.1.4 channel options.
- Sony offers soundbars with different sound configurations including 7.1.2, 5.1.2, 5.1, 3.1, 2.1, and 2.0 channels.
- Sony has specialized features compatible with PlayStation 5, like Auto Tone HDR Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode.
- Both Sony and JBL soundbars come with an easy-to-use remote control.
- JBL soundbars are more costly than Sony soundbars due to their superior build quality.
- Sony and JBL soundbars offer several connectivity options depending on the model, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, HDMI, and optical audio ports.
Sony vs. JBL Soundbars: Which One Is Better? Which One Should You Use?
It can be difficult to decide between soundbars produced by two reliable audio equipment manufacturers. The evaluation points out that Sony and JBL both produce excellent soundbars. However, minute variations can influence customers to favor one brand’s products over another.
For instance, Sony soundbars give balanced sound that works for practically any situation, while JBL soundbars produce booming bass that will leave you wanting more. Sony soundbars feature a simple design that ensures they will fit into your living environment, whilst JBL soundbars offer a more sophisticated style. Although we believe JBL products to be superior overall, Sony soundbars are a great option and offer excellent sound quality.