Awesome! A Much Improved JBL Soundbar!
In August 2020, I bought the first version of this soundbar named "JBL Bar 2.1". That was during the COVID lockdown as I was working from home _which is a rented house. Fast forward 2022, I was able to save enough money to buy a house located two hours away from my workplace _as my weekend getaway. I still kept the rental house though, because it was only 3 miles from my workplace. For my new house, I bought a brand new 55" TV. Having been spoiled at the sound I was getting from the previous JBL 2.1 soundbar, I decided to buy another one for this new TV. Surprisingly, there is a new version! There was nothing wrong with the first model so I was wondering why JBL came up with this new model. There were hardly any information on the internet about it as Amazon was just releasing it on February 22, 2023. So I took a chance and bought one! It's been just over an hour after I unboxed and tested this new model. This time, it's named "JBL Bar 2.1 Deep Bass (MK2)". In appearance, it looks almost the same as the first version. However, the MK2's soundbar has a slight extrusion on top. The bar logo and controls are raised and the subwoofer is taller. After plugging the HDMI cable and power cords, the subwoofer automatically paired with the soundbar. The remote control looks different too. It's simplified and very intuitive. This time, when you press the Bass button, there are only 3 settings: Low, Mid, & High _as opposed to the 1 to 20 bass levels of the previous model. Testing the unit: Sound perception is very subjective, depending on one's background and taste in music. So my comments on this section is my own, having been a musician in my younger years (playing guitar, bass, and keyboards) and currently being a hobbyist as a saxophone player. So I turned to my proven bass tester song which is "Mystery" by Anita Baker. This song has a sliding bass note after the 8-bar intro. The bass notes are very clear coming from what I assume a 5-string (at least) bass guitar. I was blown away by the sound! The soundbar was tuned so that the mids and highs are very clear and not drowned from the bass sound. I tried other songs from Steely Dan, David Bowie, and other YouTube Bass Testers and they all come alive. The lows are very solid. The 3 bass level settings are very practical. At low volume, I could still hear the bass! I could go on but I'll leave it up to you guys to decide yourself if this is a good upgrade (if you currently have the previous model) or a good new soundbar for your TV. Within a day, you should be able to make a decision, as Amazon has liberal RETURN POLICY, in case you're not satisfied. In transparency: This is the second unit I got from Amazon. I received the first unit when it first came out on Feb. 22, 2022. The soundbar wouldn't turn on! I tried all the suggested troubleshooting guides from JBL. Still no power! Looking back, I noticed it was delivered without being enclosed in a protected box. So the photos of what's inside the box were visible. Inside the box, the soundbar and the subwoofer were only being protected by the hard Styrofoam they were enclosed in. Immediately, I returned the unit to Amazon and asked for a replacement. Three days later (today Feb. 25, 2023) I got the replacement! This time, the original JBL box was enclosed inside a bigger box, surrounded by bubble wraps. Within 5 minutes after unboxing, I was enjoying the much improved version of this JBL soundbar! Conclusion: I highly recommend this unit, especially for musicians or those who are totally into music. Of course it sounds great watching movies, YouTube, etc.! I'm not a gamer so I would think this would be great for that purpose too! For now, everything is great! I'll write a follow-up review in a few months. Read more
