JBL BAR 9.1 Soundbar Review & Comments

Steve is Atmos working from Netflix with your system?
I can't get it to work on my system with LG C8 to JBL 9.1 via ARC.
 
Other soundbars decode Atmos from DD+ lossy signal from C8, I have read...
 
In fairness the SN11 is £600 more expensive, so I'd expect it to be better. Hopefully I'll get one in for review soon.

Yes it is but it's 2 ft wider, supports most of the audio codecs, has zero dropouts / issues out of the box, sounds excellent for music too, has 2 HDMI inputs and has proper rear speakers weighing about 2.7 kg each
 
Steve is Atmos working from Netflix with your system?
I can't get it to work on my system with LG C8 to JBL 9.1 via ARC.

Have you set the audio output on the TV to passthrough rather than auto? This could be for the 9 range however........
 
I have an LG C7 and I can’t get Atmos via ARC. Since the 7 series supposedly there should be lossy DD+ Atmos support but I can’t get it to work with the JBL 9.1. Tried different settings and cables, did a TV factory reset..

LG support was not helpful either, suggesting I check if Atmos is turned on, check for latest firmware, factory reset blabla..

Now I connected all my devices via a HDMI splitter and this works fine but still I would like lossy Atmos for the WebOS apps.

Have you set the audio output on the TV to passthrough rather than auto? This could be for the 9 range however........

My C7 does not have the Passthrough option. Only Auto and PCM. Guess this is the same for C8.
 
Yes it is but it's 2 ft wider, supports most of the audio codecs, has zero dropouts / issues out of the box, sounds excellent for music too, has 2 HDMI inputs and has proper rear speakers weighing about 2.7 kg each

Not forgetting the LG app too, which is great for tweaking the settings!
 
Yes it is but it's 2 ft wider, supports most of the audio codecs, has zero dropouts / issues out of the box, sounds excellent for music too, has 2 HDMI inputs and has proper rear speakers weighing about 2.7 kg each


But again it's £600 more, which does make a difference to a lot of people. The JBL is a solid bar, no doubt about that.
 
But again it's £600 more, which does make a difference to a lot of people. The JBL is a solid bar, no doubt about that.

Of course but its easy to get drawn into a price comparison. Only thing that matters is the owners being happy no matter what others think.

Q90R launch price was 1,499 last year to put things into perspective.
 
Hi Steve,

great review, I certainly think that JBL should be praised for the detachable, wireless, charge in situ rear speakers, on top of giving us 5.1.4.

Do you have to re-attach the rear speakers after switching the unit off to re-pair them?

I also agree that it is a bargain at the price for what it delivers, particularly that it offers earc, so makes up for the one HDMI.

Personally I want to hear this before buying, might be a challenge, but the other reviews make me cautious, as I am averse to bass heavy presentations.

But there is no doubt, that this is a reasonably priced full on TV and Movie package that deserves to do well, and encourage others to not only offer the "full" Atmos experience, but do battery powered rears, which for many would make the whole thing an easier sell to the other half as well as make it easier to manage the whole package in a smaller lounge.

I am looking forward to your LG SN11 review if they send you one, as I feel that one will be more to my liking sound wise. Sure it should sound better for the price, but it will be interesting to hear your thoughts in the conclusion section when considering alternatives. Even with a £400 difference between this and the LG, i think many will still think of this package the better value.
I have a feeling that I will want the wider front soundstage from the LG as well as better music reproduction.

As soon as an opportunity presents itself I am going to demo this bar, as I could easily be swayed for £400 if a couple of my reservations are answered.

One thing to ask, as you mention that the rear speakers didn't drop out whilst using them, is that likely to be not being too far away, and not too many other active devices in the same room?

Looking forward to reading other members reviews of this package, like I said before in other threads, the wireless cordless rechargeable in situ rears are a really strong selling point for me.

Thanks
Gordon
 
Hi Steve,

great review, I certainly think that JBL should be praised for the detachable, wireless, charge in situ rear speakers, on top of giving us 5.1.4.

Do you have to re-attach the rear speakers after switching the unit off to re-pair them?

I also agree that it is a bargain at the price for what it delivers, particularly that it offers earc, so makes up for the one HDMI.

Personally I want to hear this before buying, might be a challenge, but the other reviews make me cautious, as I am averse to bass heavy presentations.

But there is no doubt, that this is a reasonably priced full on TV and Movie package that deserves to do well, and encourage others to not only offer the "full" Atmos experience, but do battery powered rears, which for many would make the whole thing an easier sell to the other half as well as make it easier to manage the whole package in a smaller lounge.

I am looking forward to your LG SN11 review if they send you one, as I feel that one will be more to my liking sound wise. Sure it should sound better for the price, but it will be interesting to hear your thoughts in the conclusion section when considering alternatives. Even with a £400 difference between this and the LG, i think many will still think of this package the better value.
I have a feeling that I will want the wider front soundstage from the LG as well as better music reproduction.

As soon as an opportunity presents itself I am going to demo this bar, as I could easily be swayed for £400 if a couple of my reservations are answered.

One thing to ask, as you mention that the rear speakers didn't drop out whilst using them, is that likely to be not being too far away, and not too many other active devices in the same room?

Looking forward to reading other members reviews of this package, like I said before in other threads, the wireless cordless rechargeable in situ rears are a really strong selling point for me.

Thanks
Gordon

More often than not the rears connect when you turn the bar on. If they don't, there is a power button on each of the rears that you press.
 
Good evening Steve, may I start by saying you're a proper legend and now the formalities are out of the way may I ask your opinion mate....

I have been on the brink of pulling the trigger on the Sonos Arc so what's your opinion, is this Bar 9.1 the better option or should I go for the Sonos?
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Good evening Steve, may I start by saying you're a proper legend and now the formalities are out of the way may I ask your opinion mate....

I know this may seem a bit extravagant for the bedroom but we've got a 55" C9 in there with a Samsung HW-N650 soundbar+sub providing the sound but I want to upgrade to a Dolby Atmos soundbar.

I have been on the brink of pulling the trigger on the Sonos Arc with a couple of One SL's, one on each bedside cabinet, to compliment it for a few weeks now as I can get the three for £998 but your review here has now totally thrown me out.

What's your opinion, is this Bar 9.1 the better option or should I go for that Sonos set-up for just shy of a grand?
I haven't heard the Sonos ARC, so unfortunately I can't really comment at the moment.
 
I haven't heard the Sonos ARC, so unfortunately I can't really comment at the moment.

Thanks for the quick response and sorry to hog the questions but is it something you're expecting to be getting your hands on for a review in the not so distant future?
 
Folks I have just received this soundbar and I am trying to set it up with my QE82Q70R samsung tv.

I have connected the HDMI 4 ARC from the tv to the HDMI OUT ARC on the JBL 9.1.

The setup all went ok as did the calibration, I can cast to it ok using google home.
However I do not get any sound from the TV (from any source Netflix etc).

My TV settings:

It auto detected the soundbar and changed the sound output to HDMI.
In expert settings, depending on what I am playing, I can choose PCM, DD or DD+.
On the soundbar, I have selected the 'TV' input.

Is there any other setting on the samsung that I need to complete? I have also tried 2 different HDMI leads but no luck.

Thanks
 
Folks I have just received this soundbar and I am trying to set it up with my QE82Q70R samsung tv.

I have connected the HDMI 4 ARC from the tv to the HDMI OUT ARC on the JBL 9.1.

The setup all went ok as did the calibration, I can cast to it ok using google home.
However I do not get any sound from the TV (from any source Netflix etc).

My TV settings:

It auto detected the soundbar and changed the sound output to HDMI.
In expert settings, depending on what I am playing, I can choose PCM, DD or DD+.
On the soundbar, I have selected the 'TV' input.

Is there any other setting on the samsung that I need to complete? I have also tried 2 different HDMI leads but no luck.

Thanks

Is the HDMI port your using on the TV definitely ARC enabled?
 
Is the HDMI port your using on the TV definitely ARC enabled?

Yeah it's definitely ARC, it's the HDMI4 and even the Samsung settings say to use that one.

It's weird I feel like I am missing something.
I just connected the PS4 to the HDMI In of the JBL soundbar, and the sound is working fine through the soundbar, even the DTS works.

But trying to watch anything on the TV and I get nothing, even though the soundbar seems to think there should be audio.

If you change the audio on the Samsung TV to use the TV speaker, then the JBL automatically muted itself. The. If you change the TV to use the 'HDMI speaker' then the JBL unmutes...

Any ideas?
 
Yeah it's definitely ARC, it's the HDMI4 and even the Samsung settings say to use that one.

It's weird I feel like I am missing something.
I just connected the PS4 to the HDMI In of the JBL soundbar, and the sound is working fine through the soundbar, even the DTS works.

But trying to watch anything on the TV and I get nothing, even though the soundbar seems to think there should be audio.

If you change the audio on the Samsung TV to use the TV speaker, then the JBL automatically muted itself. The. If you change the TV to use the 'HDMI speaker' then the JBL unmutes...

Any ideas?

The ARC on my TV can be temperamental so I sometimes have to change sound output to HDMI more than once?
 

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