The JBL Bar 500 is a 5.1 setup released in 2023. It comes with the manufacturer's signature Smart Mode sound enhancement tool designed to bring a wider and more immersive feel to your audio content. It's turned on by default, so you hear it right out of the box, as well as any time you reboot the soundbar, which isn't ideal if you don't like the way it sounds. Still, you can always turn Smart Mode off if you prefer. As the bar's name suggests, though, it doesn't come with as many features as more premium models from the manufacturer, like the JBL Bar 1000 or the JBL Bar 1300X.
