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JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam vs Denon Home Sound Bar 550
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam
Denon Home Sound Bar 550
Tested using Methodology v1.1
Updated Mar 15, 2024 07:13 PM
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BestBuy.comTested using Methodology v1.0
Updated Jan 12, 2024 08:01 PM
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Amazon.com
Channels5.0
Channels2.0
Variants
- Bar 5.0 MultiBeam (Black)
- Home Sound Bar 550 (Black)
Our Verdict
JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam
Denon Home Sound Bar 550
The JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam is a better soundbar than the Denon Home Sound Bar 550. The JBL is a 5.0 setup that offers a discrete center channel to help reproduce dialogue more clearly. It also gets louder and comes with a room correction feature. However, the Denon comes with a dialogue enhancement feature, and it has a better Atmos performance.
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Black
Bar 5.0 MultiBeam
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BestBuy.comBlack
Home Sound Bar 550
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Amazon.comBlack
Bar 5.0 MultiBeam
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Amazon.comBlack
Home Sound Bar 550
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BestBuy.comBlack
Bar 5.0 MultiBeam
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B&HBlack
Home Sound Bar 550
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B&HBlack
Bar 5.0 MultiBeam
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Walmart.comBlack
Home Sound Bar 550
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Walmart.comNotice:
Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable.
Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our
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Main Differences forMixed Usage
Mixed Usage
Threshold
Mixed Usage
7.2
6.8
Stereo Dynamics
7.6
5.2
Center
8.2
6.3
Dialogue Enhancement
No
Yes
Full Comparison
Design
Style - Bar
Style photo - bar
Style - Subwoofer
Style photo - sub
Sub Wireless
No
No
Enclosure
No Subwoofer
No Subwoofer
Style - Satellites
Style photo - satellites
Satellite Wireless
No
No
Dimensions - Bar
Dimensions photo - bar
Width
28.0" (71.0 cm)
25.6" (65.0 cm)
Height
2.3" (5.8 cm)
3.0" (7.5 cm)
Depth
4.0" (10.2 cm)
4.8" (12.2 cm)
Dimensions - Subwoofer
Dimensions photo - sub
Width
N/A
N/A
Height
N/A
N/A
Depth
N/A
N/A
Dimensions - Satellites
Dimensions photo - satellites
Width
N/A
N/A
Height
N/A
N/A
Depth
N/A
N/A
Mounting
Bar Mounting Holes
Satellite Mounting Holes
Mountable Bar
Yes
Bar Brackets Included
Yes
Mountable Satellites
No
Satellite Brackets Included
No
Build Quality
8.0
8.0
Build quality photo
In The Box
In The Box photo
HDMI Cable Length
1.5 m (4.9 ft)
Digital Optical Cable Length
1.5 m (4.9 ft)
Back - Bar
Back photo - bar
Bar Mounting
Universal (holes on back)
Back - Subwoofer
Back photo - sub
Enclosure
No Subwoofer
No Subwoofer
Back - Satellites
Back photo - satellites
Mounting
No
Sound
Stereo Frequency Response
7.0
7.1
Stereo Setup
Raw Frequency Response
Frequency Response Small
Tested Preset
Standard
Stereo
Slope
-1.07
-0.55
Std. Err.
3.38 dB
2.88 dB
Channels
5.0
2.0
Low-Frequency Extension
51.9 Hz
55.8 Hz
High-Frequency Extension
15.6 kHz
18.8 kHz
Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration
7.0
7.1
Frequency Response Calibrated
Suggested Preset
Standard
Stereo
Suggested Bass Setting
1
-3
Suggested Treble Setting
N/A
1
Slope
0.18
0.16
Std. Err.
3.07 dB
2.67 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
55.0 Hz
59.9 Hz
High-Frequency Extension
15.6 kHz
19.3 kHz
Stereo Soundstage
7.0
7.0
Crosstalk Error
2.83 dB
3.07 dB
Stereo Dynamics
7.6
5.2
Dynamic Range Compression
SPL @ Max Volume
91.9 dB SPL
87.8 dB SPL
DRC @ Max Volume
1.57 dB
5.50 dB
Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion
8.0
7.5
Weighted THD @ 80dB
0.32
0.57
Weighted THD @ Max Volume
1.33
1.25
Center
8.2
6.3
Center Setup
Frequency Response
Localization
Discrete
Phantom
Slope
-0.30
-0.91
Std. Err.
2.96 dB
3.70 dB
SPL @ Max Volume
88.9 dB SPL
90.0 dB SPL
Weighted THD @ 80dB
0.24
0.97
Weighted THD @ Max Volume
1.11
1.31
Surround 5.1
6.0
4.2
Surround Setup
Frequency Response
Localization
Phantom (Front Firing and Side Firing, Bar)
Stereo (Downmix)
Slope
-0.77
-0.66
Std. Err.
3.80 dB
3.04 dB
SPL @ Max Volume
89.7 dB SPL
89.6 dB SPL
Weighted THD @ 80dB
1.11
0.86
Weighted THD @ Max Volume
2.36
1.30
7.1 Rears
No
No
Height (Atmos)
5.1
3.7
Height Setup
H Frequency Response
Localization
Surround (Downmix)
Stereo (Downmix)
Slope
-1.81
-0.92
Std. Err.
5.25 dB
3.77 dB
SPL @ Max Volume
84.5 dB SPL
85.0 dB SPL
Weighted THD @ 80dB
1.66
0.90
Weighted THD @ Max Volume
1.01
0.82
Sound Enhancement Features
4.7
4.6
Room Correction
Yes
No
Dialogue Enhancement
No
Yes
Auto-Volume/Night Mode
Yes
Yes
Subwoofer Level Adjustment
No
No
Bass Adjustment
Yes
Yes
Treble Adjustment
No
Yes
EQ
Presets
Presets
Surround Level Adjustment
No
No
Rear Level Adjustment
No
No
Height Level Adjustment
No
No
Virtual Surround
Yes
Yes
Connectivity
Inputs/Outputs - Bar
Physical Connections Bar Photo 1
Physical Connections Bar Photo 2
Optical Audio In
1
1
HDMI ARC
1 (shared)
1 (shared)
HDMI Out
1 (shared)
1 (shared)
Full HDMI In
1
1
Analog Audio In 3.5mm (Aux)
No
1
RCA In
No
No
USB for Files
1
1
Ethernet
1
1
Subwoofer Output
No
Audio Format Support - ARC
8.8
10
eARC
Yes
Yes
Dolby Atmos
Yes
Yes
Dolby Digital
Yes
Yes
Dolby Digital Plus
Yes
Yes
DTS
No
Yes
DTS:X (eARC only)
No
Yes
Dolby TrueHD (eARC only)
Yes
Yes
DTS-HD MA (eARC only)
No
Yes
5.1 PCM (eARC only)
Yes
Yes
Audio Format Support - Full HDMI In
8.7
10
Dolby Atmos
Yes
Yes
DTS:X
No
Yes
Dolby Digital
Yes
Yes
Dolby Digital Plus
Yes
Yes
DTS
No
Yes
Dolby TrueHD
Yes
Yes
DTS-HD MA
No
Yes
5.1 PCM
Yes
Yes
Audio Format Support - Optical
6.0
10
Dolby Digital
Yes
Yes
DTS
No
Yes
Latency
9.5
8.7
Latency Video
ARC
-19 ms
15 ms
Optical
-7 ms
38 ms
Full HDMI In
27 ms
-56 ms
Wireless Playback
10
9.0
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
Wi-Fi Playback
Yes
Yes
Chromecast built-in
Yes
No
Apple AirPlay
Yes
Yes
Spotify Connect
Yes
Other Input Specifications
4k @ 60 Hz Passthrough
Yes
Yes
4k @ 60 Hz @ 10 bit Passthrough
Yes
No
4k @ 60 Hz @ 4:4:4 Passthrough
Yes
Yes
HDR10 Passthrough
Yes
Yes
Connectivity - Subwoofer
Physical inputs subwoofer photo 1
Physical controls subwoofer photo 1
Sub Wireless
No
No
Connectivity - Satellites
Physical inputs satellites photo 1
Physical controls satellites photo 1
Sat Wireless
No
No
Additional Features
Interface
Interface photo
Display
Yes
No
Bar Controls
Controls photo
Remote
Remote photo
Universal Remote
No
Voice Assistants Support
Amazon Alexa
No
Yes (Built-in)
Google Assistant
No
No
Apple Siri
No
No
Microphone Mute
No
App
App image
App Name
Heos
iOS
Yes
Android
Yes
Acts As A Remote
Yes
Controls Soundbar's Settings
All
Casts Device Files
Yes
Other Features
Power Saving
No
HDMI CEC (TV Remote Control)
Yes
Check Price
Black
Bar 5.0 MultiBeam
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comBlack
Home Sound Bar 550
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack
Bar 5.0 MultiBeam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack
Home Sound Bar 550
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comBlack
Bar 5.0 MultiBeam
SEARCH
B&HBlack
Home Sound Bar 550
SEE PRICE
B&HBlack
Bar 5.0 MultiBeam
SEARCH
Walmart.comBlack
Home Sound Bar 550
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
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JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam
Denon Home Sound Bar 550
Comments
JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam vs Denon Home Sound Bar 550: Main Discussion
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