tldr; Compact JBL bar for smaller spaces. No rears but MultiBeam virtual surround. Good for bedrooms or apartments.
$399.95 on AmazonScores based on sentiment analysis of topic-related comments
Best praise vs top criticism for JBL Bar 300
“On the contrary ro what someone answere you here, Sonos doesn’t sound so good for music nor anything. We replaced all our Sonos gear in the house with JBL and discovered how much the so called Sonos sound quality was bullshit. My 250€ JBL Bar 300 has a much better sound quality than the Sonos Beam it replaced. And even than the Sonos Arc. We got a Bar 1000 to replace the Arc + Ones by a bar with rears too in the living room. Yes the Bar 1000 rears are maybe a bit quiet by default but you can just balance it and set it louder and voila no issue at all. Only little issue : be aware that the rears comes without power cord. We got 2 basic samsung USB adapters to be able to leave it in place. This is the limit of their mobile design.”
“Control-wise they look the same, same plug and play, same remote control etc. The difference is the Bar 500 doesn't have the surround speakers or the two upfiring speakers. It has Atmos support, but not *true* Atmos. Not sure how well that would sound since I've never heard the Bar 500 or really any of the mock Atmos speakers. You also lose about 50w from the main soundbar. I wouldn't even consider the Bar 300 personally. No subwoofer means that the bass is pretty much nonexistent. I personally went with the Bar800 since ~$50 extra for each of the 4 extra speakers was worth it and getting true Atmos with it was a bonus. If I'm spending that much for a sound system that's going to last me for many many years, I'd rather spend the little bit more for something very good than $200 less for something not as good. But that's just my opinion. lol ymmv.”
189 Reddit opinions analyzed • Last updated 3/24/2026