Sound quality: JBL's Link Bar delivers sound quality that falls in the Good range - it reproduces music and dialog reasonably well despite the obvious shortcomings in its sound. In the Standard sound mode bass has good impact, but is somewhat boomy and prominent, and doesn't go deep. The midrange is fairly even, but is slightly hazy, and grainy, and a touch constricted. The treble is extended, but is slightly smeared. Although this model does a decent job of recovering room ambience (the sense of the acoustic space in which the music was recorded), the overall sound is slightly congested. With stereo program material the sound field extends a bit above and not much beyond the width of the speaker array and lacks front to back depth. The Music mode is very similar to the standard mode except the bass becomes more even and is not boomy. In the Movie mode the sound field becomes taller, the bass becomes more prominent and boomy, less room ambience is recovered, and the overall sound becomes more congested. The voice mode is very similar to the standard mode except the bass becomes a bit subdued and is not boomy, and midrange sounds become more prominent. With Dolby Digital multi-channel program material the Standard mode sound field extends well above and somewhat beyond the width of the soundbar and still lacks depth. The other sound modes effect multi-channel material in the same way they effect stereo program material. There was no significant difference in sound quality between the HDMI, optical, analog, WiFi, and Bluetooth inputs. The system can provide satisfying volume in a medium sized room.
TV setup and ease of use: Very good overall. Setup: The initial setup for TV or any other use requires connecting the soundbar to a TV and following the soundbar's on-screen display (OSD) instructions, which are shown on the TV screen, to connect the soundbar to a home network via WiFi or a LAN cable. After the initial set up the soundbar can be used to provide TV sound without being connected to a home network. The WiFi or LAN cable connection can be done without a mobile device or computer using the soundbar remote and a cumbersome on-screen keyboard. Setup requires a number of straight forward steps including choosing a network, entering a network password, and signing into a Google account. WiFi or LAN connections can also be done using a mobile device or computer. This setup requires a number of straight forward steps including choosing a network, entering a network password using the on-screen keyboard, and using a mobile device or computer to go to the Android TV website to enter a soundbar code, and then signing into a Google account. If the network connection will be via a LAN cable, the instructions are in an on-line manual which is referenced in instructions that come with the unit; a LAN cable is not provided. WiFi setup can also be done with an Android phone with the Google app installed. When this method is used there is no need to enter the network password or go to the Android TV website, but many steps are still involved - a voice command via Google Assistant is used, a soundbar code has to be verified, the WiFi network has to be chosen, and the user has to log in with a Google account, and possibly enter the Google account password. While these setup means are all different, they each have their pros and cons, none is much easier than any other, and they can all take a while if a software update is needed. If the user doesn't already have one, setting up a Google account requires a name, birthdate, and gender, so it's more intrusive than the typical soundbar network setup which typically requires a valid email address and a password. In addition, Google Assistant activation is mandatory; there is no opt-out provision. HDMI CEC activation and deactivation is done on the connected TV and not on this unit, so you'll have to refer to the TV instructions to change the HDMI CEC status. The instructions that come with the unit do not cover HDMI CEC setup but refer to on-line instructions. The soundbar comes with an HDMI cable for TV connection; optical digital audio or stereo analog cables must be purchased separately if you want or need either of those to connect your TV. Ease of Use: This model can be set to respond to the volume and mute commands of HDMI CEC compatible TVs when connected via the HDMI ARC ports with an HDMI cable. Its own remote is uncluttered and controls are well labeled, but the control groupings are a bit jumbled. The remote has a Google Assistant action button that alerts the digital voice assistant to execute commands; it is distinctively marked so once the user knows what it is it is obvious. There is also a Netflix video streaming source selection button; all other video streams are selected by choosing them on on-screen display home screen using the curser control on the remote. Google Assistant voice commands can be used to control the soundbar's volume and mute functions and to select and control video streams from the providers shown on the home screen display. The soundbar console has source, volume, and Google Assistant microphone mute controls. All of the controls are well marked and are on the top of the console where they are easy to see and access. The console lacks a mute control, but if muted from the remote pressing one of the console volume buttons unmutes it. The console display is minimal and is intended to be used in conjunction with the on-screen display, Chromecast audio streaming apps and Bluetooth source display screens. The soundbar has an auto on/standby feature, but the display provides no indication of its on/standby state. There are no source, volume muting status, or DSP mode status indicators. There is a highly visible momentary graphical volume display but the increments are extremely rough. There are also indicators to provide Google Assistant feedback to show that the soundbar has registered and executed a voice command, and if the Google Assistant microphone has been muted. The soundbar's on-screen display is shown on the connected TV and is relied on during setup and for general use. The on-screen display home screen prominently shows the video and audio streams that are available for selection using the remote or voice commands, and has links to the soundbar source selection screen and settings menu. The source selection display is momentary and can be recalled without changing the soundbar input. Using a volume or mute control calls up a momentary graphical volume or muting symbol display that can't be recalled without changing the volume level or muting status respectively. The DSP effects mode controls are accessed via the on-screen display's settings menu; opening the settings menu stops any program that's playing from being seen or heard.
Features setup and ease of use: Very good overall. Setup: For Bluetooth connection the soundbar must be connected to WiFi first (see the TV setup section). From there Bluetooth pairing is very easy - if no Bluetooth device has previously been paired, or the paired device does not have Bluetooth activated, the unit is automatically in pairing mode once the source has been switched to Bluetooth via the console, remote, or the on-screen display menu. Ease of Use: The remote is uncluttered and controls are well labeled, but the control groupings are a bit jumbled. The remote has a Google Assistant action button that alerts the digital voice assistant to execute commands; it is distinctively marked so once the user knows what it is it is obvious. Google Assistant voice commands can be used to switch between any of the soundbar's inputs and to control the volume and mute functions regardless of the input. Voice commands can also be used to select and control audio streams from Internet service providers connected to the user's Google account; operation with audio streaming services not specifically connected to the user's Google account, including Chromecast streamed content and apps added to the on-screen display home screen, was hit or miss. The soundbar console has source, volume, and Google Assistant microphone mute controls. All of the controls are well marked and are on the top of the console where they are easy to see and access. The console lacks a mute control, but if muted from the remote pressing one of the console volume buttons unmutes it. The console display is minimal and is intended to be used in conjunction with the on-screen display, Chromecast audio streaming apps and Bluetooth source display screens. The soundbar has an auto on/standby feature, but the display provides no indication of its on/standby state. There are no source, volume muting status, or DSP mode status indicators. There is a highly visible momentary graphical volume display but the increments are extremely rough. There are also indicators to provide Google Assistant feedback to show that the soundbar has registered and executed a voice command, and if the Google Assistant microphone has been muted. The soundbar's on-screen display is shown on the connected TV and is relied on during setup and for general use. The on-screen display home screen prominently shows the video and audio streams that are available for selection using the remote or voice commands, and has links to the soundbar source selection screen and settings menu. The source selection display is momentary and can be recalled without changing the soundbar input. Using a volume or mute control calls up a momentary graphical volume or muting symbol display that can't be recalled without changing the volume level or muting status respectively. The DSP effects mode controls are accessed via the on-screen display's settings menu; opening the settings menu stops any program that's playing from being seen or heard.
