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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style - Bar
    2. Style - Subwoofer
    3. Style - Satellites
    4. Dimensions - Bar
    5. Dimensions - Subwoofer
    6. Dimensions - Satellites
    7. Mounting
    8. Build Quality
    9. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Stereo Frequency Response
    2. Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration
    3. Stereo Soundstage
    4. Stereo Dynamics
    5. Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion
    6. Center
    7. Surround 5.1
    8. Height (Atmos)
    9. Sound Enhancement Features
  6. Connectivity
    1. Inputs/Outputs - Bar
    2. Audio Format Support: ARC/eARC
    3. Audio Format Support: HDMI In
    4. Audio Format Support: Optical
    5. Latency
    6. Video Passthrough To TV
    7. Wireless Playback
  7. Additional Features
    1. Interface
    2. Bar Controls
    3. Remote
    4. Voice Assistants Support
  8. Comments

JBL Bar 9.1 vs Sony HT-X8500

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

JBL Bar 9.1
Sony HT-X8500

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated Sep 05, 2024 07:07 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated Apr 09, 2024 01:57 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
JBL Bar 9.1 Picture
Sony HT-X8500 Picture
Channels
5.1.4
Channels
2.1

Variants

  • Bar 9.1 (Black)
  • HT-X8500

Review

See JBL Bar 9.1 Review
See Sony HT-X8500 Review
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Our Verdict

JBL Bar 9.1

Sony HT-X8500

The JBL Bar 9.1 is much better than the Sony HT-X8500. The JBL is a 5.1.4 setup with a dedicated sub and satellites. It's better built, and it gets louder. It also has better soundstage, center, surrounds, and Atmos performances. There are also more sound enhancement features available, including room correction.

0 

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Black
Bar 9.1
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HT-X8500
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Bar 9.1
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HT-X8500
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Bar 9.1
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HT-X8500
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Bar 9.1
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HT-X8500
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Black
Bar 9.1
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HT-X8500
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Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

7.9
6.8

Stereo Frequency Response 
 

8.1
6.8

Surround 5.1 
 

7.7
3.3

Stereo Soundstage 
 

8.0
6.0

Center 
 

8.6
6.7

Dialogue Enhancement 
 

No
Yes

Full Comparison

Design

Style - Bar  

Style photo - bar  

JBL Bar 9.1 Style photo - bar
Sony HT-X8500 Style photo - bar
Show text

Style - Subwoofer  

Style photo - sub  

JBL Bar 9.1 Style photo - sub
Sony HT-X8500 Style photo - sub

Sub Wireless 
 

Yes
No

Enclosure 
 

Ported
Integrated
Show text

Style - Satellites  

Style photo - satellites  

JBL Bar 9.1 Style photo - satellites
Sony HT-X8500 Style photo - satellites

Satellite Wireless 
 

Yes
No
Show text

Dimensions - Bar  

Dimensions photo - bar  

JBL Bar 9.1 Dimensions photo - bar
Sony HT-X8500 Dimensions photo - bar

Width  

34.8" (88.4 cm)
34.9" (88.7 cm)

Height  

2.3" (5.8 cm)
2.5" (6.3 cm)

Depth  

4.7" (11.9 cm)
3.9" (9.8 cm)
Show text

Dimensions - Subwoofer  

Dimensions photo - sub  

JBL Bar 9.1 Dimensions photo - sub
Sony HT-X8500 Dimensions photo - sub

Width  

12.0" (30.5 cm)
N/A

Height  

17.3" (44.0 cm)
N/A

Depth  

12.0" (30.5 cm)
N/A
Show text

Dimensions - Satellites  

Dimensions photo - satellites  

JBL Bar 9.1 Dimensions photo - satellites
Sony HT-X8500 Dimensions photo - satellites

Width  

6.8" (17.3 cm)
N/A

Height  

2.2" (5.6 cm)
N/A

Depth  

4.7" (12.0 cm)
N/A
Show text

Mounting 
 

Bar Mounting Holes  

JBL Bar 9.1 Bar Mounting Holes
Sony HT-X8500 Bar Mounting Holes

Satellite Mounting Holes  

JBL Bar 9.1 Satellite Mounting Holes
Sony HT-X8500 Satellite Mounting Holes

Mountable Bar 
 

Yes
Yes

Bar Brackets Included 
 

Yes
No

Mountable Satellites 
 

Yes
No

Satellite Brackets Included 
 

Yes
No
Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.0
7.0

Build quality photo  

JBL Bar 9.1 Build quality photo
Sony HT-X8500 Build quality photo
Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box photo   

JBL Bar 9.1 In The Box photo
Sony HT-X8500 In The Box photo
Show text
Sound

Stereo Frequency Response 
 

8.1
6.8

Stereo Setup  

JBL Bar 9.1 Stereo Setup
Sony HT-X8500 Stereo Setup

Raw Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Frequency Response Small  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Tested Preset 
 

Standard
Standard

Slope 
 

-0.31
-0.52

Std. Err. 
 

2.63 dB
3.31 dB

Channels 
 

5.1.4
2.1

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

33.6 Hz
59.9 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.8 kHz
17.2 kHz
Show text

Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration 
 

8.1
6.8

Frequency Response Calibrated  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Suggested Preset 
 

Standard
Standard

Suggested Bass Setting 
 

3
-1

Suggested Treble Setting 
 

N/A
N/A

Slope 
 

-0.31
-0.48

Std. Err. 
 

2.63 dB
3.44 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

33.6 Hz
59.9 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.8 kHz
18.0 kHz
Show text

Stereo Soundstage 
 

8.0
6.0

Crosstalk  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Crosstalk Error 
 

3.22 dB
1.99 dB
Show text

Stereo Dynamics 
 

7.8
7.4

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

95.0 dB SPL
92.6 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.10 dB
2.19 dB
Show text

Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.2
7.5

THD  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.22
0.57

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

1.73
1.32
Show text

Center 
 

8.6
6.7

Center Setup  

JBL Bar 9.1 Center Setup
Sony HT-X8500 Center Setup

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Localization 
 

Discrete
Phantom

Slope 
 

-0.03
-0.82

Std. Err. 
 

2.62 dB
3.14 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

94.3 dB SPL
91.4 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.29
0.44

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

1.60
1.27
Show text

Surround 5.1 
 

7.7
3.3

Surround Setup  

JBL Bar 9.1 Surround Setup
Sony HT-X8500 Surround Setup

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Localization 
 

Discrete
Stereo (Downmix)

Slope 
 

-0.38
-0.76

Std. Err. 
 

4.10 dB
5.33 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

97.8 dB SPL
89.5 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.23
0.52

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

1.79
1.32

7.1 Rears 
 

No
No
Show text

Height (Atmos) 
 

6.1
4.8

Height Setup  

JBL Bar 9.1 Height Setup
Sony HT-X8500 Height Setup

H Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Localization 
 

Phantom (Up Firing, Bar & Satellites)
Surround (Downmix)

Slope 
 

-1.44
-0.19

Std. Err. 
 

5.40 dB
5.82 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

89.7 dB SPL
80.0 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

1.04
2.65

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

0.63
0.60
Show text

Sound Enhancement Features 
 

6.2
4.7

Room Correction 
 

Yes
No

Dialogue Enhancement 
 

No
Yes

Auto-Volume/Night Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Subwoofer Level Adjustment 
 

Yes
No

Bass Adjustment 
 

No
Yes

Treble Adjustment 
 

No
No

EQ 
 

Presets
Presets

Surround Level Adjustment 
 

Yes
No

Rear Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Height Level Adjustment 
 

Yes
No

Virtual Surround 
 

Yes
Yes
Show text
Connectivity

Inputs/Outputs - Bar 
 

Physical Connections Bar Photo 1  

JBL Bar 9.1 Physical Connections Bar Photo 1
Sony HT-X8500 Physical Connections Bar Photo 1

Physical Connections Bar Photo 2  

JBL Bar 9.1 Physical Connections Bar Photo 2
Sony HT-X8500 Physical Connections Bar Photo 2

Optical Audio In 
 

1
1

HDMI Out 
 

eARC
eARC

HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth 
 

No
No

Full HDMI In 
 

1
1

Analog Audio In 3.5mm (Aux) 
 

No
No

RCA In 
 

No
No

USB for Files 
 

No
No

Ethernet 
 

1
No

Subwoofer Output 
 

No
No
Show text

Audio Format Support: ARC/eARC 
 

10
10

Dolby Atmos 
 

Supported
Supported

Dolby Digital 
 

Supported
Supported

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

Supported
Supported

Dolby TrueHD 
 

Supported
Supported

DTS 
 

Supported
Supported

DTS:X 
 

Supported
Supported

DTS-HD MA 
 

Supported
Supported

PCM Channels 
 

Up To 7.1
Up To 7.1
Show text

Audio Format Support: HDMI In 
 

10
10

Dolby Atmos 
 

Supported
Supported

Dolby Digital 
 

Supported
Supported

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

Supported
Supported

Dolby TrueHD 
 

Supported
Supported

DTS 
 

Supported
Supported

DTS:X 
 

Supported
Supported

DTS-HD MA 
 

Supported
Supported

PCM Channels 
 

Up To 7.1
Up To 7.1
Show text

Audio Format Support: Optical 
 

10
10

Dolby Digital 
 

Supported
Supported

DTS 
 

Supported
Supported

PCM Channels 
 

2.0
2.0
Show text

Latency 
 

8.1
7.5

Latency Video  

ARC 
 

53 ms
-23 ms

Optical 
 

47 ms
5 ms

Full HDMI In 
 

-53 ms
-126 ms
Show text

Video Passthrough To TV 
 

6.3
6.6

1080p Max Refresh Rate 
 

60Hz
60Hz

1080p @ 4:4:4 Max Refresh Rate 
 

60Hz
60Hz

4k Max Refresh Rate 
 

60Hz
60Hz

4k @ 120Hz @ 10-Bit 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

4k @ 4:4:4 Max Refresh Rate 
 

60Hz
60Hz

8k Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported
30Hz

HDR10 Passthrough 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR10+ Passthrough 
 

No
No

Dolby Vision Passthrough 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI Forum VRR Passthrough 
 

No
No

FreeSync Passthrough 
 

No
No

G-SYNC Passthrough 
 

No
No

ALLM Passthrough 
 

No
No
Show text

Wireless Playback 
 

10
6.0

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Wi-Fi Playback 
 

Yes
No

Chromecast built-in 
 

Yes
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
No

Spotify Connect 
 

No
No
Show text
Additional Features

Interface 
 

Interface photo  

JBL Bar 9.1 Interface photo
Sony HT-X8500 Interface photo

Display 
 

Yes
No
Show text

Bar Controls 
 

Controls photo  

JBL Bar 9.1 Controls photo
Sony HT-X8500 Controls photo
Show text

Remote  

Remote photo  

JBL Bar 9.1 Remote photo
Sony HT-X8500 Remote photo
Show text

Voice Assistants Support 
 

Amazon Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Apple Siri 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No
No
Show text

Check Price

Black
Bar 9.1
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Standard
HT-X8500
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Black
Bar 9.1
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HT-X8500
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Black
Bar 9.1
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HT-X8500
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Black
Bar 9.1
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HT-X8500
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Bar 9.1
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HT-X8500
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JBL Bar 9.1

Sony HT-X8500

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

JBL Bar 9.1 vs Sony HT-X8500: Main Discussion

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