JBL Sound Bar 7.1ch, 880W, Sound Bar Bluetooth with Dolby ATMOS, Thrilling Bass with 10″ Wireless Subwoofer, True 4K Connectivity with 3 HDMI In/Out (ARC) Ports BAR1000PROBLKUK

Design, Inputs, and Features

Exterior

All the new JBL Bar soundbars come with a brand new design. And JBL made sure to keep this the same across their entire product lineup, mostly for parity reasons. We already had first hands-on impressions on this new look when we tested the Bar 300 so we knew more or less what to expect.

But while the Bar 300 was a simple, single-unit soundbar the Bar 1000 takes things a few steps further. Size the soundbar measures 884 x 56 x 125 mm / 34.8” x 2.2” x 4.9” without the detachable surround speakers. These extra wireless speakers measure 155 x 56 x 125 mm / 6.1” x 2.2” x 4.9” so keep this in mind as when you want to recharge them on the bar its total length will reach 47″ (1194mm).

For this above reason and also for the fact that the main bar utilizes side-firing channels you should take extra care to place the soundbar in a place where its drivers will not be obstructed.

Also, keep in mind that if you plan on placing it in front of your TV the soundbar doesn’t have any IR repeaters. So if your TV’s IR sensor is extremely low then it may obstruct the signal, so you better measure first just to be on the safe side.

Most TVs do have a gap of around 2.5″ below the panel, but some have much less. So while the soundbar’s 2.2″ height may allow it to fit under most of them, there are some, like the Sony A95K for example, that don’t leave any space for a soundbar and a different solution is needed.

As usual in the new lineup, the whole chassis is covered in a matte dark gray plastic. We like the new look even if it is not something fancy to talk about. The perforated grille covers the entire front face, hiding the drivers and front display. With the surround speakers attached this grille extends to the sides in order to provide protection for the side channels also.

At the top side, we find the built-in buttons that are placed on the right side. To the left of them there is a single LED that works as a status indicator and more towards the left there is a tiny hole used by the built-in microphone. This is exactly the same layout we saw in the Bar 300 so it seems that JBL is using exactly the same design across the board.

A very important aspect of any soundbar design is the inclusion of a fully functions display and here JBL does not disappoint. The Bar 1000 actually has two, short, displays. One is the single LED status indicator next to the built-in buttons and the second is a full functions display at the front.

But since the front center is occupied by many of the racetrack drivers available this had to be placed more to the right. Not a big problem but surely will bother some who like things to look symmetrical.

The display can show you various functions like volume control, input selection, and sound adjustments among others. We definitely like that JBL used a full-function display instead of LED lights. It is much easier this way to know what the soundbar is doing.

As for the single LED status indicator, this also shows various functions of the soundbar like network status and updating. But its placement is not very practical and not of much use anyway.

The back of the unit is where all the connection ports are located in an inset placed exactly at the center. There is nothing else visible as the wall mounts keep the unit from underneath.

Next, we need to mention the detachable surround speakers as JBL keeps using this unique design. This means that you can attach or detach them depending on their use. This is important as you do not need a fixed placement and you can change their position at will.

Remember that these speakers need about 3.5 hours to recharge, which was pretty accurate by our measurements. Unfortunately, while they do come with an LED indicator that flashes when the battery is low you really do not have an indication of how low the battery is in general. So our recommendation is to fully charge them after each use. Just to be on the safe side.

We weighed these speakers 0.7 kg / 1.55 lbs each so it is relatively easy to carry and move around. And with no need for cables makes them extremely simple to handle.

Last but not least is the subwoofer. This uses a standard cubic design with a single airport at the back. The down-firing design of the subwoofer surely helps with placement as it will not be affected by tight spaces. The sub has rounded corners, which is typical of JBL soundbars, and comes with four long legs to keep enough space underneath for the transducer to do its work.

Overall the JBL Bar 1000 may not be oozing with premium materials but surely is an impressive soundbar. Its size, configuration and overall design make this one feel fresh and surely give a small idea of its capabilities.

Internal Hardware

Soundbar brands push the envelope with every new lineup they release. And JBL is no different, but looking at the Bar 1000 compared to their previous flagship this surely feels like an understatement. As the Bar 1000 features an impressive driver’s array which is far beyond what JBL had until now.

Spec wise the soundbar is classified as a 7.1.4 channel unit with an impressive 880 watts of power output. 440 watts go to the main bar, 170 watts to the wireless speakers, and 300 watts to the subwoofer. Unfortunately, again we do not have ratings for each channel, although with a bit of guessing it is easy to understand the power distribution.

For the right and left channels, JBL used four 46 x 90 mm racetrack drivers, two for each side. On the other hand, the center channel gets a single 46 x 90mm racetrack driver along with a 0.75” (20mm) tweeter. The right and left side-firing channels to get a single 0.75” (20mm) tweeter each while there are two 2.75” (70mm) up-firing full-range drivers for the Atmos effects.

As for the detachable surround speakers, these feature the same configuration as JBL’s previous flagship. A single 0.75” (20mm) tweeter is complemented by a 2.75” (70mm) up-firing full-range driver for the Atmos effects.

The subwoofer on the other hand uses a single 10” (260mm) down-firing transducer which is big enough for its category. Keep in mind that JBL also has a 12″ subwoofer but unfortunately, this is offered only in their Bar 1300X. Hopefully, we will be able to test that one also in the near future.

Using racetrack drivers seems to be JBL’s choice for many of their soundbars in the last few years. But the number of drivers available is not the only impressive aspect of the Bar 1000 as these work in parallel with JBL’s MultiBeam technology.

JBL Bar 1000 Specifications