For over 75 years, JBL has been a trusted name in high-quality audio products. Their latest 11.1.4 flagship soundbar, the JBL Bar 1300X, takes the listening experience to the next level. With advanced audio technologies like MultiBeam™, Dolby Atmos® and DTS:X 3D surround sound, and a 12" subwoofer, the JBL Bar 1300X delivers powerful and immersive sound for music, movies, and gaming. The detachable battery-powered surround speakers provide even more versatility than before for different listening needs. Join us as we explore the JBL Bar 1300X and discover why it's the ultimate sound system for your home entertainment setup.

Features & Technology

When we first reviewed the JBL Bar 9.1 over two years ago, our entire team at Audio Advice was extremely impressed with its features and capabilities. In fact, our YouTube review is one of the most watched videos on that soundbar in the world. JBL really pushed the boundaries of soundbar technology with the Bar 9.1, so we were excited to get their latest flagship, Bar 1300X, in our hands and put it to the test.

Detachable Surround Speakers

One of the most distinctive features of the JBL Bar 1300X is its detachable surround speakers, similar to those first introduced on the JBL Bar 9.1. At Audio Advice, we love when audio engineers push the limits and test new ideas to bring more immersive sound into your home. The rechargeable detachable speakers were arguably one of the main reasons the Bar 9.1 was so wildly successful, and JBL brought them to another level on the Bar 1300X. Oh, and these new ones are rated to last up to 10 hours per charge! These can be placed on shelves behind you or speaker stands, or they even come with a mounting bracket to attach them to your walls if you wish.

Instantly, you can feel the difference in weight between the 9.1 and 1300X wireless surrounds. These are about 70% heavier than the previous generation and are also slightly larger. Each surround speaker features one racetrack driver and ¾ inch tweeter facing forward, a 2.75” full-range driver and a passive radiator on the top, and another passive radiator on the bottom.

One standout feature that sets these speakers apart from their predecessors is the ability to charge them via USB-C, freeing you from the need to connect them back to your soundbar. Further adding to their convenience, each speaker has its own power button and can even be paired together without the soundbar. In fact, during our testing, we were able to take the surrounds outside, connect them together, and use Bluetooth to create a stunning stereo setup without needing the soundbar at all! This feature is undeniably cool as you essentially get a pair of wireless stereo speakers that you can take with you on the go or out to the backyard while you grill up some dinner. Alternatively, you can use only one and enjoy its impressive sound quality as a powerful portable Bluetooth speaker. And, if you wish to watch a movie on your laptop on the go, these speakers are Bluetooth 5.2 compatible, ensuring you don't have to worry about any audio syncing issues. This is in contrast to the soundbar itself, which is only Bluetooth 5.0 capable. Therefore, we recommend sticking with music only if you want to stream to the soundbar itself or using another streaming option for other content.

1170 Watts of POWER

This 11.1.4 soundbar boasts 1170 watts of total power which is enough to produce a powerful surround sound experience and really pull you into your movie. The soundbar itself, without the detachable speakers, has six racetrack drivers on the front, two as the left channel, two as the right channel, and two in the middle as the center channel. Five ¾ inch tweeters on the ends act as the wide left and right, two on the front left and right act as the surround left and right, and one dead center for the center channel. Finally, four 2.75” full-range drivers are on the left and right on the top of the soundbar, both angled slightly differently to help disperse the height sound effects.

Dolby Atmos®, DTS:X, and MultiBeam™ Surround Sound

At Audio Advice, we believe the best way to experience Dolby Atmos or DTS:X sound is with dedicated in-ceiling speakers or on-wall speakers that are perfectly positioned within Dolby spec. To do this, you’ll need to cut holes in your ceiling, run wire through your walls, and set everything up correctly to have the best possible experience. Our Home Theater Design Tool tool can give you a taste of what that looks like and how complex it could be for a beginner or someone with a small space.

The next best way to experience one of these immersive formats is with up-firing speakers. This is the exact technology used in the Bar 1300X, and it works by shooting sound up at an angle to your ceiling and then bouncing back down to your listening area. Now for this to be effective, you’ll need an 8 to 12-foot ceiling with nothing blocking the way of the soundwaves.

JBL takes this tech one step further with the Bar 1300X and includes their proprietary MultiBeam surround sound technology. MultiBeam technology is a signal processing technique that uses digital algorithms to widen the soundstage and create a more immersive listening experience. It works by analyzing the incoming audio signal and intelligently distributing the sound to different drivers in the speaker, creating a more spacious and realistic soundstage. This technology is designed to enhance the listening experience, especially when watching movies, TV shows, or listening to music, by creating a 3D surround sound effect.

JBL One App

With the JBL One app, you can conveniently customize EQ and manage all your compatible speakers from a single platform. The app allows for easy setup of the soundbar, personalization of settings, and seamless browsing of integrated music services to discover new favorite songs.

Since every room is different, JBL engineers have spent countless hours designing algorithms to calibrate the Bar 1300X to sound the best for any room you place it in. Simply use the JBL One app and it will walk you through the steps and measure your room to optimize the sound. While you can adjust the sound using the app, we highly recommend using the Room EQ for the best performance. We believe this is one of the most important steps, and we love when processing is included. When we tested this feature in our testing lab, it proved to enhance the Dolby Atmos effects greatly and helped bring the Bar 1300X to life.

Alexa, Google Assistant, & Siri

We see many people placing the Bar 1300X in a living room, bonus room, office, or even a bedroom. We love that it will support all your favorite voice assistants, and you can easily just ask for it to play your favorite song in the morning or ask what the weather will be like tomorrow.

PureVoice Dialogue Enhancement Technology

This technology utilizes advanced algorithms to enhance the clarity, richness, and depth of voices in real-time, ensuring that every word is delivered with stunning precision and accuracy. Whether you're listening to music, watching a movie, or participating in a conference call, JBL PureVoice Enhancement Technology guarantees that you'll hear every detail with unmatched clarity and fidelity. With this technology, JBL has set a new standard for audio quality and performance, making it a must-have for anyone who has difficulty hearing characters' voices in movies, even when the surround sound effects are at their peak.

I/O

On the back of the soundbar, you’ll find a standard C8 power input (cable included), a USB input that is capable of firmware updates or streaming MP3s from a USB drive, an ethernet input, three HDMI 2.1 inputs, one HDMI eARC section, and an optical input.

With three HDMI inputs, you can easily plug your gaming console, Blu-ray player, and cable box directly into the soundbar and have one single HDMI cable from the eARC connection to your TV and control the volume with your TV remote. You’ll be able to enjoy 4K/120 fps content with uncompressed Dolby Atmos, HDR, and Dolby Vision passthrough. We love the ease of use of being able to plug in the latest-gen Xbox or PS5 and enjoy 4K content at 120 fps. Once you experience high frame rates in 4K resolution while gaming, you will never want to go back! (Just make sure you have compatible HDMI cables.)

Wireless Subwoofer

By adding a subwoofer to your soundbar setup, you can enjoy a much more dynamic and balanced sound. The subwoofer can handle the low-frequency sounds, freeing up the soundbar to focus on delivering effortless, clear mids and highs.

JBL has included a 12-inch subwoofer that is just full of power. And the best part of it? It’s wireless! You only need an outlet nearby, so you won’t have to worry about running a wire from your soundbar to your sub. Many people may end up just placing the subwoofer on the floor next to the soundbar location, but we’d recommend you take it one step further if possible. There are many techniques for finding the best position for your sub, depending on your room dimensions. Check out our performance section to find our thoughts on the 12 inch sub during our testing.

To learn more about subwoofer placement and calibration, check out our in-depth guides here:

Wi-Fi with AirPlay, Alexa Multi-Room Music, and Chromecast

You can access more than 300 online music streaming services via AirPlay, Alexa MRM, and Chromecast built-in™. With these features, you can enjoy your preferred audio content, Internet radio, and podcasts in high definition. Additionally, the device's Wi-Fi connectivity ensures that you receive automatic software updates, ensuring that you always have access to the latest features.

Design & Build Quality

The JBL Bar 1300X boasts an impressive and sleek design that is sure to complement any modern living space. The soundbar is made of high-quality materials, giving it a sturdy and durable feel. The front of the soundbar is covered with a metal grille, giving it a clean and stylish look. The JBL logo is emblazoned on the grille, adding a touch of elegance to the overall design.

In addition to the impressive design, the JBL Bar 1300X also has excellent build quality. The soundbar is solidly constructed, with no flimsy parts or creaking when handled. The detachable speakers also feel robust and well-made with strong magnets, so there is no wobbling or instability when attached. There is a cutout on the back to show all the I/O options, and on the top, there are buttons for input selection and volume control. The rest of the controls live in the small remote that is included. On the front behind the grille is a LED display that will tell you your volume level, power state, and source selection.

The remote has some nice quick access buttons, such as a button with a heart shape on it that you can set to instantly play your favorite song. JBL calls this their new “My Moment” button. A button to control the output of the rear speakers, a button to control the bass output, and a button to change the Dolby Atmos effects from low, medium, or high, depending on how loud you want them to be. In addition, it has a power button, mute button, TV button, Bluetooth button, HDMI source button, play button, and a quick access calibration button. In our testing, we only used the remote to change and try out the different settings, but once we had it set up to our liking, we used the TV remote pretty much exclusively.

When you detach the surround speakers, you’re left with ends that don’t look as polished and clean as the rest of the bar. JBL has included some end caps that you can easily pop on to complete the look and cover up the ends, and we think this addition is much needed. It was one of the few complaints we had when reviewing Bar 9.1. The included subwoofer is very sleek looking with its brushed metal-like design and only a small JBL logo on the top. When you flip it over, you’ll see its rubber feet that isolate it from the floor and its exposed 12-inch down-firing woofer.

Overall, the build quality and design of this soundbar reflect its price tag and premium nature. JBL did a great job keeping this sleek and modern design while adding some awesome new features.

Performance

At Audio Advice, we're dedicated to thoroughly testing soundbars in our professional audio lab, spending countless hours evaluating their performance. Recently, we released our favorite Dolby Atmos soundbars list, but that was before we had the opportunity to test the Bar 1300X. After putting it through its paces, we can confidently say that it deserves a place on that list and would recommend it over the Bar 9.1 any day. Let's dive into how we set it up and what we heard.

We understand that not everyone has the perfect room, which is why the Bar 1300X is a great fit for those who need flexibility with rear speakers that can be removed when not in use. To see how it would perform in a real-world environment, we set it up in a generously sized bedroom measuring approximately 14 feet wide by 18 feet deep, providing a thorough test for this soundbar.

The soundbar, complete with detachable surrounds, measures about 54 inches in length, which was slightly larger than the dresser it was placed on, but once we removed the detachable sides and put on the endcaps, it fit perfectly at around 40 inches.

We connected the soundbar to a 75-inch Sony TV via its eARC HDMI port and ran an XBOX Series X and Apple TV 4K directly into the back of the soundbar to act as an HDMI switcher. However, we typically recommend people plug their gaming consoles directly into their TV to minimize any lag. But if you wish, using the 3 HDMI ports on the back of the soundbar will eliminate the need to connect anything else to the back of the TV. Using the JBL One app, we calibrated the soundbar with the detachable surrounds on it, then moved them to the listening position and where they would be as rears (in our case, on the nightstands). From there, we checked for updates, accessed the EQ, used the app as a remote, set up the My Moment feature, and adjusted the detachable speaker volume. If your audio doesn’t match up with your video, JBL gives you the option in the app to adjust the audio delay time up to 250 ms to match your video perfectly. Having this feature on a soundbar is a really nice touch!

After calibrating the soundbar, we carefully placed the detachable surrounds on the nightstands, ready to enhance the movie watching experience. We eagerly put on two films that never fail to test the sound quality of any system: The Irishman and Captain Phillips. In The Irishman, a scene featuring four characters conversing in a car immediately showcased the depth and naturalness of their voices. Meanwhile, in Captain Phillips, the chaos of a ship under attack led to a barrage of gunfire and other noises, typically causing Tom Hanks voice to get lost in the mix with other low-end sounds. However, JBL's 12-inch subwoofer expertly handled the bass, leaving his dialog very easy to understand. The PureVoice technology used in the soundbar proved impressive, but it lacked any adjustment options, leaving us to assume that it was working properly. We only wish there were an option to turn it on or off or adjust its settings to our preferences.

Next, we cued up The Adams Project, which boasts an epic fight sequence with immersive height and surround sound effects. With the detachable rears positioned behind us, the difference was immediately palpable - we were fully absorbed in the scene as if the atmos effects were bouncing off the ceiling and enveloping the entire listening area. The sound of a passing ship overhead was especially impressive, as we could hear it approach before it even came into view. The bass rumbled the room and was fast and tight with massive power. We were thoroughly impressed with the overall performance during any action movie we tested.

Using the remote, we also experimented with adjusting the Atmos effects and bass levels. In the end, we left the bass at its lowest setting (1-5) and the Atmos at the mid-level (out of low, mid, high), although we appreciated the ease with which we could tweak them depending on the content.

Afterward, we repurposed the detachable surrounds as a pair of stereo Bluetooth speakers to use outside. This nifty new feature is a game-changer, as it effectively gives you two portable Bluetooth speakers bundled with your soundbar. The sound quality held up well in a small outdoor area and even proved impressive when connected to our laptop for some casual YouTube watching. While not the strongest in terms of bass, they certainly got the job done.

Overall, we are happy to place the Bar 1300X on our recommended list as one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars available today. The surround sound feature and versatility set it apart from its competitors. We recommend it to anyone looking to upgrade their home theater experience that may not have the perfect room and needs the flexibility of detachable surrounds.

Overall Recommendation

While not quite the same immersion as a full home theater installation with separate speakers all around the room, Atmos-enabled soundbars with upward-firing speakers built in & a wireless subwoofer is a fantastic way to experience Dolby Atmos in a living room or any bedroom. A full surround sound installation requires careful planning for the layout of all your speakers for the best sound. Our Home Theater Speaker Layout Options will guide you, but If you want to play around with some options, check out our free Home Theater Design Tool. You can also chat with us to explore all of your options.

We spend hours in our lab testing many soundbars, and we are confident that you will be impressed with the JBL Bar 1300X. We are consistently updating our lists as new soundbars come to market, so be sure to check back if you’re not quite ready to upgrade. And if you need more help choosing which is best for you, reach out to our team of experts to discuss which is best for you.

We’re here to help!

Audio Advice has been in the industry since 1978, and throughout the years, we’ve developed a team of professionals who live and breathe all things audio and video. We spend countless hours testing and reviewing every product we sell to be sure it stands up to our extremely high-quality standards. With our state-of-the-art home theater audio lab, we can become experts in our products and provide our customers with in-depth, honest feedback.

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