The JBL Bar 1000 is a premium 7.1.4 setup released in 2022. Like the JBL Bar 9.1, it stands out from the crowd thanks to its unique satellites, which you can attach and remove from the bar based on your preferences. Since they're truly wireless, you can set them up anywhere without worrying about plugging them into an outlet. Unlike the JBL Bar 700, these satellites come with up-firing drivers, too, which is great for listening to height content like Dolby Atmos.
Our Verdict
The JBL Bar 1000 is very good for mixed usage. This 7.1.4 setup offers a versatile performance that can please many different listeners. Voices and lead instruments in your favorite tunes reproduce with clarity, and thanks to its discrete center, dialogue in movies and TV shows is clear and easy to follow. Plus, its sub brings lots of rumble in the bass for action-packed scenes. Its detachable satellites give you lots of flexibility in your setup, too, though you'll have to recharge them occasionally.
- Graphic EQ.
- Room correction tool.
- Extended low-bass.
- Truly wireless satellite speakers.
Mediocre latency performance.
- Need to recharge satellites.
The JBL Bar 1000 is great for dialogue-centric content like sitcoms and podcasts. Its discrete center channel is designed to improve vocal reproduction, so you can easily follow along with the characters in your favorite shows. Plus, there's a dialogue enhancement tool on hand to make voices crisper, if you like. With lots of wireless playback support, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Apple AirPlay, and Chromecast, you can easily stream podcasts and audiobooks right to the bar.
- Graphic EQ.
- Room correction tool.
- Dialogue enhancement feature.
Mediocre latency performance.
The JBL Bar 1000 is very good for music. Like most premium bars on the market, it has a room correction feature that calibrates the bar's output based on your room's unique acoustics. Its default sound is fairly balanced, making it suitable for listening to a wide range of genres. There's a touch of extra brightness, but you can always adjust its sound using the graphic EQ in the JBL ONE app. It gets plenty loud, too. While the sub brings the rumble in bass-heavy genres, we noticed some fluttering with tracks that had a lot of bass mixed in, which impacts the overall clarity of your audio.
- Graphic EQ.
- Room correction tool.
- Extended low-bass.
Mediocre latency performance.
The JBL Bar 1000 is very good for movies. This 7.1.4 setup supports numerous audio formats commonly found on streaming platforms and Blu-rays, including Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos. Thanks to its two satellite speakers, you get a clear and real feel, with sound effects that stretch into the space all around you. Since they're truly wireless, too, you can place them anywhere you want for the best possible sound. Dialogue is clearly reproduced as well, and the bar's sub brings plenty of rumble for those action-packed scenes. However, you may notice some fluttering with these bass-heavy scenes, as we did during our tests.
- Room correction tool.
- Extended low-bass.
- Truly wireless satellite speakers.
- Need to recharge satellites.
Changelog
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Updated Nov 28, 2025:
We've updated the scores and (in some instances) the text for Verdicts, Audio Format Support: ARC/eARC, Audio Format Support: HDMI In, and Audio Format Support: Optical to reflect that the soundbar's treatment of Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus audio is by design, not a flaw. We've also retested and updated the Video Passthrough To TV because our initial results didn't reflect in real-world use. The JBL Bar 1000 MK2 has been mentioned in Popular Soundbar Comparisons, Style - Satellites, and Dimensions - Satellites.
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Updated Mar 31, 2025:
We updated the Sound Enhancement Features box to clarify that you can adjust the bass and treble amounts via the companion app.
- Updated Sep 25, 2024: Updated Stereo Dynamics results with new methodology from Test Bench 1.3. Added text to the Audio Latency: ARC, Audio Latency: HDMI In, and Audio Latency: Optical boxes.
- Updated Sep 19, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench Update 1.3. If applicable, we've retested stereo sound based on the manufacturer's recommendations. Additionally, we've expanded our audio latency tests to the following boxes: Audio Latency: ARC, Audio Latency: HDMI In, and Audio Latency: Optical. You can see the full changelog here.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The JBL Bar 1000 is available in Black, and you can see the label for the model we tested here.
If you come across another version of this soundbar, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The JBL Bar 1000 is a premium Dolby Atmos soundbar with many premium sound enhancement tools like room correction. It stands out, thanks to its detachable rear speakers, which allow you to remove the ends of the bar to place the satellites around the room. You have fewer wires in your setup as a result, although you'll need to recharge the satellites occasionally. Despite being replaced by the second-generation JBL Bar 1000MK2, their differences aren't drastic, as they share most of the same capabilities and compatibilities. The Bar 1000 offers additional features compared to the JBL Bar 9.1, including dialogue enhancement and Spotify Connect support.
See also our recommendations for the best soundbars, the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, and the best soundbars for movies.
The JBL Bar 1000 is a premium setup with speakers and a subwoofer, so you may find it more worthwhile to compare it to the Sonos Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc or the Sonos Arc with Sub + One SL Speakers. The Sonos Arc review is relevant for the standalone bar only, and while it does quite well, its surround sound isn't on par with these more premium setups.
Despite a three-year age gap, the JBL Bar 1000MK2 is better than the JBL Bar 1000, but not by a massive stretch. Both are 7.1.4 soundbars with removable satellites. The MK2 has longer-lasting internal batteries in the satellites. It also has better dynamics with less compression and improved surround sound performance. Atmos is more prevalent in the mix with the MK2, with a greater sense of height, but the satellites' Atmos audio is hindered by a latency compared to the rest of the soundbar's audio. The Bar 1000 doesn't seem to suffer from this latency in the satellites with Atmos content, but the Atmos implementation itself isn't as impressive otherwise. Still, it provides similar audio format support and connectivity with a well-tuned bar. Then again, its wired audio latency is higher.
The JBL Bar 1300X is better than the JBL Bar 1000. The 1300X is an 11.1.4 setup, meaning that it comes with more channels than the 7.1.4 1000. Both bars boast similar designs, but the 1300X offers better sound quality, especially with Dolby Atmos content. It's able to reproduce more height, so you get the feeling of effects coming from above and behind you. Plus, the 1300X's satellites can be used as Bluetooth speakers, which is a cool touch.
The JBL Bar 1000 is better than the JBL Bar 500. Both setups have similar features, such as the manufacturer's Smart Mode sound enhancement feature. However, the 1000 has satellite speakers, offering better surround sound. Plus, it has up-firing drivers for true Dolby Atmos support.
Test Results
