I've tested $3,000 soundbars. I've tested $67 soundbars. And I've tested pretty much every level in between. At some point, the price-vs-performance ratio must plateau, right? Yes, kind of. Once you're looking at more than around $2,000, I'd forget a soundbar and get either floor-standers, built-ins, or buy each piece individually. You'd probably get a better overall sound.
But if you want an all-in-one, JBL's finally got the answer for you: the JBL Bar 1300XMK2. I tested the original last year and loved it, so I was incredibly relieved when the upgraded version blew me away, too.
The Bar 1300XMK2 has a ton of features that make it one of the best all-in-one soundbars, but the painless calibration, fantastic width and height, and ease of use make it unbeatable. Here's why the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 is now my favorite soundbar for a true movie theater experience.
Home movie theater in 3, 2, 1...
The JBL Bar 1300XMK2 has 23 drivers. Yep. 23 drivers. There are 19 drivers in the soundbar itself, one in each rear, and two 8-inch woofers in the sub. This is an incredible amount of speaker power. You're looking at an 11.1.4 channel configuration. In real terms, this means you've got upfiring sound, side-firing sound, and front-firing sound. And in real, real terms, this means you get truly immersive Dolby Atmos, powerful bass, and crystal-clear dialogue.
In my 4.5-star review, I wrote, "Every flying scene [in "Top Gun: Maverick"] was particularly outstanding." When Maverick flies in hypersonic, the bass "rumbled through the subwoofer with immense energy and depth." But it wasn't just the low-end: "Each siren blare and alarm was clear over the pounding bass. Equally, the Bar 1300XMK2 balanced high-frequency diegetic sounds like rustling papers and ticking clocks with similarly diegetic dialogue perfectly."
In short, this is a soundbar to end all soundbars. If I could take one soundbar home forever, it'd be the Bar 1300XMK2.
Power-per-penny math
Alright, let's do some soundbar math. Just a forewarning: this is just for fun. This is not supposed to be the pinnacle of what makes a good soundbar. Obviously, your personal experience and personal watching/listening style means more than power-per-price. My intention here is to shine a light on just how powerful the JBL is.
The JBL Bar 1300XMK2 has a max output of 1570 watts. If we take the MSRP of $1,699 and divide it by the 1570W power, this works out to $1.08 per watt.
Another of my favorites, the Samsung QS750F, costs $899 with 345W, which works out to $2.60 per watt.
One of the most high-end soundbars I've tested is the Yamaha True X Surround 90A, which will set you back $3,499 for 630W of power. This works out to $55.53 per watt.
In essence, the JBL Bar 1300XMK2 is a darn powerful soundbar, subwoofer, and rears combo. When I was testing the soundbar, the walls and floorboards were shaking. One of my colleagues came upstairs and asked me what I was doing!
Would you try the JBL Bar 1300XMK2, or would you rather something smaller (and cheaper)? If I had $1,200 to spend on a home theater setup, it would 100% be the 1300XMK2.
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