Get Them Here
Bose Smart Soundbar 600: https://amzn.to/47MfeP8
JBL Bar 300: https://amzn.to/4b9IQce
Sony S2000: https://amzn.to/47Jzzoi
So for the last months, the Bose Smart Soundbar has been my go to soundbar and its been my favorite soundbar to recommend. But today we’re going to see how both the JBL Bar 300 and Sony S2000, two relatively new soundbars for 2023, compare to the Bose Smart Soundbar 600. Overall, all three of these soundbars are very different from one another, so lets see which one is right for you.
Regarding pricing. The JBL Bar 300 has a retail price of $400, and I do feel that this can be a deciding factor for some people cause the Bar 300 is $100 cheaper than these other two soundbars cause both the Bose and Sony retail for $500. Nonetheless, I do expect all of these soundbars to go on sale on a regular basis, so if you want to pick any of these soundbars up they’ll be linked down below.
Now first I do have to point out that in this video we’re only going to be focusing on the soundbars themselves… cause with both the Bose and the Sony, you can build them out by adding satellite speakers and or an external subwoofer. And this can actually be a deciding factor as well cause with the JBL, you can’t build it out. But in this video we’re only going to be talking about the soundbars themselves.
Now when it comes to design, all of these soundbars are relatively compact but I do have to point out that the Sony is the heaviest and largest soundbar here and it also has an external power brick that you have to worry about. So even though the Sony does come included with a few screws to wall mount it… I do feel the sony is going to be the most difficult soundbar here to wall mount… but then there’s the JBL which I feel is the easiest soundbar here to wall mount cause it also comes included with a wall mounting kit, its super light weight, and there’s no external power brick. And finally there’s the bose which I feel would also be easy to wall mount… but its wall mounting kit is sold separately.
But then there are the ports on these soundbars… now both the Bose and Sony are pretty simple. They both have an HDMI eARC port that goes connected to your TV and they both have an optical port. Now with the bose you can always plug in a bass module if you wanted to and with the sony there’s a USB A port so that you can plug in a USB Stick and play music off of it.
But then there’s the JBL Bar 300 which offers the most ports here. Now you’ve got your HDMI eArc port that goes connected to your TV and you’ve got your Optical port. But the JBL also has an HDMI in port that supports 4K, HDR10 and dolby vision, so you can always plug in your Blu-ray player or gaming console. But the Bar 300 also has a USB A port like the Sony… but it also has an ethernet port. So you can hardwire it into your network if you wanted to. So overall, when it comes to ports, the JBL Bar 300 is the clear winner here. But I also need to point out that all of these soundbars come included with an HDMI cable which is nice.
Now when it comes to wireless connectivity, all three of these soundbars have bluetooth, which is great, but both the Bose and JBL have support for for Airplay and chrome cast… which is more versatile then bluetooth. Where as the Sony doesn’t have Airplay or chrome cast.
And also, with the Bose you can use it as a smart speaker if you really wanted to. But personally I never use my soundbars as smart speaker. I don’t want my movies to be accidentally interrupted.
Now all of these soundbars also come included with decent remotes… but personally I never use the remotes on my soundbars and instead I just use their apps… And thankfully I can say that all three of these soundbars have really well designed and laid out apps. You can easily adjust their settings and adjust heir sound to your liking. This isn’t how it was in the past were some soundbars just didn’t have an app, or one soundbar had a terrible app… all three of these apps are sleek and easy to use.
However, with the Sony S2000, if you were to use it with a compatible Sony Bravia TV, you’ll actually be able to adjust your Soundbar’s TV settings directly from the TV itself. And this is something that you can’t do with these other two soundbars cause bose and JBL don’t make tvs.
But with all of that out of that way lets talk about sound. When it comes to speaker setups these soundbars are very different from one another. Now first off all of these soundbars are self contained soundbars… as in they don’t need an external subwoofer cause they produce their own bass. Now the JBL Bar 300 has 4 frontward firing speakers which are all located in the center, it has an exhaust port that shoots out the back and there are dual tweeters that shoot out the sides. The Sony has a total of 3 speakers that shoot out the front, and it has dual frontward firing subwoofers with exhaust ports that shoot out the sides. And finally there’s the bose which has a frontward firing tweeter and it has a total of four speakers on it. Two on each side which are angled out a little bit and there are two upwards firing ones giving this speaker true dolby atmos support. And its has dual bass chambers with exhaust ports that shoot out the back.
But now we’re going to jump into the sound test. All three of these speakers are playing at 75% volume but we’re going to use them with my preferred EQ settings.
Now first when it comes to the max volume performance of these soundbars, all three of these soundbars get equally as loud as one another and they’re all going to be best suited for a small or medium sized living room or bedroom. However, I will say that both the Bose and Sony do an okay job of filling a larger living room with sound, but they are still going to leave you wanting a little more… where as the JBL just can’t keep up, and I think that’s cause of its lack of bass.
And speaking of bass, the Bar 300 has the least amount of physicality in its bass here. With the Bar 300 you can hear the bass, but you can’t feel what’s happening on the screen.
Where as with the Bose… the bass on this soundbar does a better job of letting you feel what’s happening on the screen. Now don’t expect the bass on this sound bar to rattle any walls… but its a lot more physical than what’s found on the bar 300 and it should be enough to satiate most people.
But then there’s the Sony S2000 and its standout characteristic is its bass. With the S2000 you can feel what’s happening on the screen with this soundbar a lot better than you can with both the Bose and JBL… and the bass on the S2000 resonates a lot smoother and a lot deep then these other two speakers as well. So plainly said, if you’re looking for something with a lot of bass without the need of an external subwoofer, then you want to go with the S2000.
But then there’s the instrument separation on these soundbars… with the bar 300, I feel that it has a very strong center channel and that’s cause all four of its speakers are mounted in the center. But I can’t help but feel that the left and right channel separation just isn’t as defined. But in general, the Bar 300 is a good soundbar if you just want to be able to easily hear dialog.
But then there’s the Sony S2000… and at higher volumes the S2000 give you a very immersive listening experience. Like I mentioned it has a lot of bass, but it also sounds very open. The only thing is, the S2000 does lean towards a warmer sound signature… so sometimes it can be a little difficult to hear dialog at lower volumes… even if you have the voice mode turned on. But if you’re going to focus on a movie and crank up the volume, the S2000 is great.
But finally there’s the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 and its standout characteristic is how open it sounds. Thanks to the upwards firing drivers on this sound bar… sound isn’t just coming at you, its also getting thrown up and bounced off of the ceiling. So the Bose has the best instrument separation here and its also has true dolby atmos support thanks to the upwards firing speakers.
So with all of that begin said, for me, the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 is still the default option when it comes to recommending a sound bar to someone. It sounds super open thanks to its upwards firing speakers and it also has a decent amount of bass. Its also a sleek looking soundbar, you can build it out if you want, and it has airplay and chrome cast support. However, these other two soundbars are still good options too.
With the JBL Bar 300, its a little more affordable than these other two sound bars… its the easiest to wall mount here, and it has the HDMI in port if you want to plug in your Blu-ray player or playstation. The draw back is, you cant build this soundbar out and you can’t feel its bass all that much. Plus I feel this soundbar is all about that center channel and dialog.
And finally there’s the Sony S2000… this is a great option if you want something with a lot of bass without needing an external subwoofer. And even though it has a lot of bass, the S2000 sounds very open and immersive at higher volumes. And the S2000 is also a great option if you already have a sony TV cause you can adjust your settings directly on the tv. The only drawback about this sound bar is its external power brick and its also doesn’t have AirPlay or Chrome cast support. But that’s something that you can do through your TV.