JBL Bar 500: problems, parts and running costs
Checked: 2026-10-20
Summary
The JBL Bar 500 is a 5.1 soundbar with a 10-inch wireless subwoofer. The complaints owners raise are mostly about bass headroom and dialogue crispness rather than hardware failure, and the subwoofer can drop its link and need re-pairing. Running costs are limited to electricity, and it is a strong buy at $350 or less, fair from $350 to $450, and weak above $500 now that the $499.95 Bar 500MK2 is the current model. [4][6][9][10][12]
Common problems and fixes
- Bass is good but not class-leading — the most common reservation in owner threads, especially next to more expensive systems; there is no setting that fixes it, only expectations or an upgrade. [6]
- Dialogue not crisp enough at full price — one owner found mids including dialogue at the expected level but not below it for a $600 system, and one user running PureVoice still found movie dialogue not crisp enough. [6][9]
- Atmos sounds subtle over optical — the optical input cannot carry Atmos beyond 5.1, so owners feeding the bar that way hear little difference; the fix is to use HDMI eARC. [7]
- Subwoofer can dominate out of the box — the recurring EQ advice is to set the sub level around 2 and place the sub with care. [9]
- Subwoofer drops its link — JBL documents a re-pair: hold the bass button for more than 3 seconds, then press volume down. [11]
- Voices can sound anaemic next to a Bose 600 — one owner comparing the two preferred the Bose soundstage; no setting fixes this, so it is a fit question. [8]
- Limited EQ — RTINGS lists no bass and treble adjustments as a con for music use despite the JBL One app. [4]
Parts and consumables
No replaceable parts or consumables reported. [11]
Yearly running cost
Running costs are minimal and come down to electricity. The soundbar runs from a 100–240 V supply with networked standby under 2.0 W, the subwoofer is wireless but mains-powered, and there are no filters, pods or subscriptions reported. [2][11]
When it is a good buy
- At or below $350 it is strong value; a Tom’s Guide deal widget showed Best Buy at $349.95. [14]
- $350–450 is fair to good; Best Buy indexed the system at $429.99 in October 2026. [10]
- Above $500 the original is weak: JBL’s own store lists it at $649.95, above the $499.95 Bar 500MK2 successor. [1][12]
- JBL Bar 500MK2 ($499.95) — the better choice above $450 if you want 750 W output and improved latency; the original only wins if you need 4K@120 Hz passthrough. [12][13]
- JBL Bar 5.1 Surround and JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam — sibling models; RTINGS rates the Bar 500 better than both, so neither is the better choice here. [4]