tldr; Detachable wireless surround soundbar. True 5.1 with battery-powered rears. Good for those wanting real surrounds without wires.
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Best praise vs top criticism for JBL Bar 5.1
“If you have the proper space and placement then 7.1 is objectively better than 5.1, especially for gaming. The difference in the quality of soundstage and imaging and object placement with a proper 7.1 is insanely better than 5.1 in my opinion it really gives perfect 360 degree imaging. For movies its noticably better but not as big a difference since 90% of the sounds come from the front stage and of the last 10% like 5% of it is music for the surrounds. It does make a noticably more full and 3d soundstage though like a complete bubble but not as big a dif as if you're gaming”
“All of this is just my opinion, others may agree or disagree with some or all of it, that's fine. Forget the overhead atmos speakers for now, and the second sub. build a 5.1 system, concentrating on quality for low cost where possible. I just recently started setting up and using my home theater, still tweaking everything. My advice is research good brands, and buy second hand for the speakers, but don't buy stuff that's too old, as speakers degrade over time (not that they can't be repaired, but that's time and money required). Buy the receiver and sub brand new, unless you are able to test them out first. Too risky buying those second hand in my opinion. You already identified in another comment that the center speaker is extremely important. As are the front left and right. I replied to another comment about the yamaha rxv6a. I bought one just a few weeks ago and it can be a pain sometimes, but 90% of the time it's great. Unfortunately, it's not a set-and-forget device. If you can get one cheap enough it may be worth it.”
10,485 Reddit opinions analyzed • Last updated 2/24/2026