Which is better for movies?

The JBL Bar 500MK2. Its 10-inch subwoofer and 750W system power give more impact, and MultiBeam 3.0 spreads Atmos effects wider than a single bar can.

Which is better for a small room?

The Sonos Beam. It is one wall-mountable bar with no subwoofer box to place, and it still supports Dolby Atmos.

Does the Beam have a subwoofer?

No. Bass comes from the bar. Sonos sells a separate Sub, but that adds cost on top of the $339.00 Target price as of November 6, 2026.

Which has voice control built in?

The Sonos Beam. It has a built-in microphone with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. The JBL works with voice assistant-enabled speakers but lists no built-in mic.

Is the JBL worth the extra money?

Yes if you want real bass and a wider Atmos stage. At $499.95 on October 29, 2026 versus $339.00 for the Beam at Target as of November 6, 2026, you pay about $160 more for the subwoofer and extra power.

Which has more inputs?

The Beam. It offers HDMI, optical and Ethernet. The JBL has one HDMI input and USB-A, plus Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6.

JBL Bar 500MK2 Soundbar vs Sonos Beam

Buy the JBL Bar 500MK2 if you want real 5.1 with a separate 10-inch subwoofer and the most physical impact for movies. Buy the Sonos Beam if you want a compact single-bar setup with built-in Alexa and Google Assistant and the lower price. The JBL's lowest recent price was $499.95 on October 29, 2026, and it has been as high as $649.95 on November 2, 2026. The Beam is $339.00 at Target as of November 6, 2026, with a recent low of $271.00 on November 6, 2026.

Ask our shopping agent

It checks today's price at every store, compares the alternatives and answers in about a minute.