JBL Bar 1000 Soundbar Review

The JBL Bar 1000 is a sleek soundbar that comes with detachable satellite speakers like the JBL Bar 9.1. The satellites easily connect to the bar since they're magnetized, but you can remove them to place them around your living room if you prefer. You can see what the bar looks like without the satellites attached here. When they're detached, you can use the included endcaps to protect the connectors, which is a nice touch. Also, there's a raised surface on top of the bar with a few physical controls.

The subwoofer has a similar design to the JBL Bar 9.1's sub. It's elevated on four plastic pegs, with its speaker located underneath. The port is in the rear.

The satellites are made of the same material as the bar. Similarly, they have a metal grille to protect the drivers inside. Their four-pin connectors let you attach them to the bar to recharge, but you can also charge them using their included USB-C ports. When disconnected, you can use the included endcaps to protect the connectors. The manufacturer says that the satellites' battery will last up to ten hours, though this can vary depending on the type of content you listen to as well as the volume level. It'll take about 3.5 hours for the empty battery to fully recharge, according to the manual.

The standalone bar fits between the legs of most 55" TV stands and isn't very tall, so it won't obscure your TV screen. With the satellites attached, of course, it'll take up a bit more space—the width of the bar with the satellites docked is 47" (119.5 cm).

The sub's size is similar to that of a desktop computer, and since it connects to the bar wirelessly, you have a lot of flexibility when placing it in your living room.

The satellites are long instead of small, similar to those that come with the JBL Bar 9.1. Since they're battery-powered, you can place them anywhere in your living room. If you want a bar without satellites instead, the JBL Bar 500 is a good alternative.

You can also mount the bar to your wall if you prefer. The mounting brackets for both the bar and the satellites are included with your purchase, which is a nice touch.

The JBL Bar 1000 has great build quality. The bar and the satellites have a similar build, with hard plastic as well as metal grilles to help protect the drivers inside. Unlike the JBL Bar 9.1, endcaps are in the box, so when you remove the satellites, you can place them on the bar to protect the connectors. The subwoofer also feels quite durable and solid.

• Quick Start guide
• Remote with batteries (2x AAA)
• 2x power cables (4.9 ft / 1.5m)
• HDMI cable (3.9 ft / 1.2m)
• 2x L-shape Wall-mount bracket (for the main bar)
• 2x U-shape Wall-mount bracket (for the satellites)
• Template for mounting + screws
• 2x side caps for the soundbar (when satellites are detached)
• 2x side caps for satellites (when detached from the soundbar)

The JBL Bar 1000 has a great stereo frequency response. Like most premium bars on the market, it comes with a room calibration feature that automatically adjusts the bar's sound based on the unique acoustics of your room. Its sound is pretty balanced overall, with a touch of extra brightness in the treble. As a result, it's suitable for listening to many different types of audio content. The extended bass is great for bass-heavy music like EDM and hip-hop, too, though we did notice some fluttering with certain tracks with a lot of low-bass mixed in. If you prefer a different sound, you'll find a 3-band EQ to switch up its performance.

Unlike most soundbars, when this setup plays stereo content, audio is present on all channels. This means that while most bars only play stereo audio from the left and right stereo channels, this bar also plays sound from its front-firing and up-firing drivers. It's designed to create a more immersive sound, but depending on your preferences, you may feel like it sounds fake or forced.

The JBL Bar 1000's default subwoofer level is set at 3. To obtain a more even stereo frequency response, we recommend lowering the treble band on the 3-band EQ to reduce the added bit of brightness. It's not something you can adjust from the app, so you'll have to download the JBL ONE app. You can see from this image here that there aren't numbers associated with the different treble levels, but instead, you slide the level up and down based on your preferences.

The JBL Bar 1000 has a good stereo soundstage. The soundstage is perceived to be a bit wider than the bar itself, though it doesn't have any tricks to make it seem larger than that. Overall, the focus is adequate, so you can pinpoint where most sound effects originate within the soundstage. However, it's not as clear on the far ends of the soundstage since it seems like the bar is trying to push the effects unnaturally.

This bar gets plenty loud, so you have no trouble filling larger or more open spaces with sound. There's a touch of compression when you push it to max volume, though.

At normal listening volumes, distortion falls within good limits. This means that audio reproduction is clean and pure. Like most bars, there's a small jump in distortion when pressed to max volume. However, distortion is hard to hear with real-life content, so you're unlikely to notice it.

The JBL Bar 1000's center channel performance is great. It's a 7.1.4 setup, meaning there's a discrete center channel designed to improve vocal reproduction in the mix. The channel's frequency response is pretty even with extra brightness. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand, so you can follow all the action playing out on screen.

The JBL Bar 1000 has two truly wireless satellite speakers, which the manufacturer recommends you place parallel to the front wall. These satellites are designed to bring a more clear and real feel to 5.1 surround sound content, like Dolby Digital. Sound effects like voices and explosions are more accurately localized within the soundstage as a result. The frequency response on these channels is a bit bass-heavy, too, so while you notice the thump and rumble in the mix, sound effects also sound a bit boomy.

This 7.1.4 setup has four up-firing drivers—two on the bar itself, and one on each of the two satellites. They're designed to ricochet audio off the ceiling and back down towards you to create the illusion of height, resulting in a more immersive sound overall. With a pretty balanced frequency response on these channels, sound effects replicate with accuracy and clarity.

Subjectively, the JBL Bar 1000 brings a powerful sound with height content like Dolby Atmos. The dedicated sub brings plenty of thump and rumble to accentuate action-packed scenes, like car chases and explosions. It can replicate a good amount of detail, too. However, some finer elements are missing from the surround content, like the buzz of a neon sign. It also struggles to simulate effects that are meant to come from overhead, like drones flying above you, especially when compared to more premium models like the JBL Bar 1300X.

The JBL Bar 1000 comes with lots of sound enhancement features to help make the most of your audio content. As with most premium setups, there's a room correction feature to adjust its output based on your room's unique acoustics—you can read about the two-step calibration process here. The Smart Mode preset acts as a virtual surround tool to bring added richness to sound effects in the mix. If you don't like spikes in volume between programs, you can activate the Night Mode feature by holding the Mute button on the remote for five seconds, then pressing the '-' button. Detaching the satellites gives you access to rear and surround level adjustments.

This bar is compatible with the JBL ONE app. In it, you'll find a 3-band graphic EQ to customize its sound to your liking. Since the app acts as a remote, you can access many of the same customization features found on the remote there, too.

You can connect the bar to your TV using Optical or HDMI, and there's even an HDMI cable included with your purchase for your convenience. If you want to use the bar as a hub between different devices, like for video passthrough, there are even three Full HDMI In ports available. USB audio playback is available with US models, like our unit, but other region-specific versions are limited to firmware updates through their USB port.

Over HDMI ARC, the bar supports many audio formats commonly found on streaming platforms and Blu-rays, like Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos. However, with Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus, content intended for the left and right surround channels plays from the respective satellites and the bar's surround channels simultaneously. This is true regardless of whether Smart Mode is turned on or off. This means that sound effects aren't quite as accurately localized within the soundstage— for example, a car meant to race past you on the left seems like it's coming from both the left satellite and the bar at the same time, rather than moving from the satellite to the bar.

The bar supports lots of common audio formats via Full HDMI In. You can watch common 5.1 surround sound formats like Dolby Digital and lossless and object-based formats like Dolby Atmos. However, the same issue is present with Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus content over this connection. Content intended for either the left or right surround channel simultaneously plays on the respective satellite and the bar.

Over Optical, you can play both Dolby Digital and DTS content. Dolby Digital is more common on streaming platforms, whereas you're more likely to find DTS with Blu-rays. Again, there's incorrect implementation present with Dolby Digital content, as effects meant for the right and left surround channels play simultaneously from both the satellites and the bar rather than from the satellites alone.

The JBL Bar 1000 has relatively low latency. As a result, it's suitable for watching videos and movies since the audio you hear is in sync with the video you see. Certain apps and TVs compensate for latency differently, though.

You can use the JBL Bar 1000 as a hub between devices, like your gaming console and TV. It supports most common resolutions up to 4k @ 60Hz, though it's not able to passthrough a smoother and more natural-looking 120Hz display at a 4k resolution. Variable refresh rate (VRR) technology support is handy to reduce screen tearing in your games, too.

With incredible wireless playback support, you have many options for streaming audio right from your mobile devices to the bar without needing to plug them in.

The display on the front of the bar shows different settings as you adjust them. For example, you can see the volume level, the input you're on, as well as the bass and rear levels.

On top of the bar, there are a few simple controls. You can adjust the volume or change the input. An indicator light next to the controls also helps you keep track of the bar's status.

The remote is fairly simple and lets you control most of the bar's features. Additional tools like the graphic EQ are only available through the JBL ONE app, which you can also use as a remote from your phone.

While there aren't any built-in voice assistants, if you own a third-party device with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri support, you can plug it into the bar to control it with your voice.