The “wireless” surround speakers that come with many soundbars are almost never truly wireless; instead, they require either power cables or a wired connection to a “wireless” sound module (which itself will need a wired power source). That makes the wireless surround speakers that come with the JBL Bar 9.1 notable exceptions.

That’s pretty neat, but you’ll need to balance the appeal of the JBL Bar 9.1’s truly wireless speakers with the reality that they must be charged frequently. (The speakers can also be powered via USB, but doing so means they’re no longer wireless.) Another important caveat about the JBL Bar 9.1 soundbar is that it lacks many of the granular settings adored by audiophiles, save for a few settings on the remote.

Configuration

JBL bills its Bar 9.1 as (natch) a “9.1-channel soundbar,” but it’s more accurately described as a 5.1.4 system: In addition to the traditional left, center, right, rear surround and low-frequency effects channels (the “5.1” part), you also get front and rear height channels (the “.4” at the end).

On the main soundbar unit, the left, right, and center channels are powered by four racetrack (or oval-shaped) full-range drivers and three one-inch tweeters, while a pair of upfiring drivers supply audio for two of the four height channels. The two remaining height channels come from the upfiring drivers in the two wireless surround speakers, each of which comes equipped with one-inch tweeters.   

The main soundbar unit measures 34.8 x 2.4 x 4.7 inches with the wireless surround speakers detached. That’s actually relatively compact compared to similarly priced soundbars I’ve tested, and in particular the soundbar’s 2.4-inch height won’t block the bottom edge of most TVs. Even with my low-slung 50-inch LG C9 OLED TV, the JBL Bar 9.1 only blocked a sliver of the set’s bottom edge, and the (barely there) obstruction didn’t bother me in the slightest. The JBL Bar 9.1 looks a tad more imposing with its 6.8 x 2.4 x 4.7-inch wireless surround speakers attached, which bring the soundbar’s overall length to 48.4 inches, or nearly the entire length of my 50-inch LG TV.

Wireless setup and auto room calibration

Once you have the main Bar 9.1 soundbar and speakers set up just the way you like, it’s time to connect the unit to your wireless network, and doing so turns out to be a fairly simple and painless process. The first step is pairing the Bar 9.1 with your phone via Bluetooth, then you open the Google Home mobile app (assuming you already have it installed) and discover the soundbar. Once discovered, Google Home can add the soundbar to your Wi-Fi network without having to key in your network credentials. The short process worked seamlessly for me, and once the Bar 9.1 is connected to Wi-Fi, you can cast audio to it via AirPlay 2 or Chromecast.

Inputs and outputs

The JBL Bar 9.1’s input and output ports sit in a rear central cavity, and you get a fairly standard set of connectors, including two HDMI ports (a standard HDMI input and an HDMI-ARC output), an optical (or Toslink) input, a USB port that (in the U.S., anyway) supports MP3 playback, and the power port.

You have two options for connecting the JBL Bar 9.1 to your TV. The first option is to connect a video source to the soundbar’s HDMI input and then connect the soundbar to your TV via the HDMI-ARC output port. (The Bar 9.1 supports 4K and HDR/Dolby Vision passthrough.) That setup will work fine as long as you’re only dealing with a single video source; if, on the other hand, you have multiple sources (such as a UHD Blu-ray player, a set-top box, and a game console), you’ll have to manually swap HDMI cables in and out of the single HDMI input.

Controls, remote, and indicators

Sitting atop the JBL Bar 9.1’s main soundbar housing are buttons for power, volume up/down, and input select, while a digital readout in front tells you which input is active, what type of audio format has been detected (in the case of Dolby Atmos or DTS:X) or is being applied (as in Dolby Surround or DTS Neural:X upmixing), and whether the wireless surround speakers need to be reconnected or their batteries need recharging.

The JBL Bar 9.1’s non-backlit remote has a straightforward layout, with the power button sitting at the top, TV, Bluetooth, HDMI, and Dolby Atmos buttons in a square just beneath, a volume rocker in the middle, a mute button below the volume control, and a pair of three-step buttons for adjusting the bass and rear speaker volume levels.

Sound modes

Before we delve into the JBL Bar 9.1’s audio performance, let’s take a moment to discuss its various sound modes. Unlike other soundbars that have Movie, Music and Voice sound modes, the Bar 9.1 has only Smart and Standard modes.

The Bar 9.1 also has a night mode that compresses the dynamic range of the audio, handy if you want to watch movies or TV shows late at night without disturbing slumbering housemates. To engage night mode, you must press and hold the mute button on the remote for more than three seconds, then press the volume-down button.

Performance

While it’s disappointing that there are so few settings available for tinkering with the audio, the good news is that JBL has done a fine job of tuning the Bar 9.1’s sonics. My overall impression was of clean, crisp, and tight sound that (in a good way) eschews excessive warmth for precision. The four up-firing drivers manage to deliver palpable height cues, while music sounds detailed and alive with the wireless surrounds docked. My only real complaint is that the Bar 9.1’s soundstage is a bit narrow, a common issue when it comes to soundbars (as opposed to separate speakers that can be placed more widely apart).

Switching to music (I docked the wireless surround speakers for my music tests, alternating between AirPlay 2, Chromecast, and Bluetooth), I enjoyed the clear, clean acoustics of “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” by Bruce Springsteen. The Boss’s spare guitar playing and honking harmonica had a crisp, flat sound (that’s a good thing), with the rising synthesizer sounding warm but not muddy. Vlado Perlemuter’s rendition of Maurice Ravel’s solo piano works likewise sounded detailed and atmospheric but not overly bright or shrill (also a good thing), while the punchy beats in Ciara’s “Level Up” sounded tight as a snare drum, lively and exciting.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the JBL Bar 9.1 does what it does quite well; the question, however, is whether you like what it does. Yes, the idea of truly wireless surround speakers that you can put anywhere in your living room (well, within reason) has a certain appeal, but you’ll have to decide for yourself whether the freedom from wires is worth the hassle of keeping the speakers’ batteries charged. Likewise, you’ll be pleased with the Bar 9.1’s sound signature if you’re a fan of tight, spare, and flat audio; if you’re looking for something else, the soundbar’s minimal sound settings won’t be much help. Still, the JBL Bar 9.1 has plenty to offer, assuming you can embrace its quirks.